EPISODE 4: Chapter Three / Part One

Welcome to Episode 4 of the audio drama, “Control; Alt; Delete: Dr. Stundel’s Program To Reboot Your Dangerous Teen.” The students at Clintock High School take the Dr. Stundel-mandated test, and Eddie’s results are quite alarming. As they reel from the news, Eddie and his parents must face what comes next. As a warning, some of the language and situations presented may be offensive to some, perhaps even triggering. Discretion is advised. If you’re interested in the novel, the paperback and digital versions are available on all major bookseller platforms ( Goodreads , Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Google Books , Apple Books , World of Books ). Thanks for listening and subscribing! And if you’re enjoying it, please share it with others! Who is Dr. Stundel? You’ll find out more about the character as the story continues, but rather, who is his inspiration? With most everything I write, you’ll discover trace elements of the late filmmaker, Stanley Kubrick. In fact, I would point to Kubrick’s film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb . Dr. Stundel… Dr. Strangelove… not a stretch. However, I don’t think it was a conscious name choice. That is, I don’t recall ever creating the name as an homage to Strangelove. Perhaps it was the actor who played Strangelove— Peter Sellers . When I think of Dr. Stundel, I imagine Sellers. He’s a touch of the various characters that Sellers has played (including the three characters he portrayed in the aforementioned Kubrick film): He embodies the sinister and mischievous Clare Quilty of Kubrick’s Lolita , the bumbling and inquisitive Inspector Clouseau from Blake Edwards’ The Pink Panther , and the innocent cluelessness of Chauncey Gardiner from the Hal Ashby film, Being There . Like Sellers, known for being somewhat of an enigma, Stundel is a baffling contradiction. Seemingly human, yet an automaton the likes of AI. As Sellers claimed not to have an identity outside the roles he played, Stundel may think he knows who he is, but as you’ll discover, even that truth remains hidden from view. Thanks for subscribing! This post has bonus content for paid subscribers. Upgrade to get full access. Get full access to Monkie Business at monkiebusiness.substack.com/subscribe