Thursday, November 03, 2011
smarterer
Being a bzz agent (http://www.bzzagent.com) I get to try out new products and review them. This time around I got to try out the website smarterer. This site is so addictive. You can go on the site and take tests about numerous subjects from html code writing, your knowledge of social network sites like twitter and facebook and see how smart you are about the subject. The test results can be displayed as badges on your website, your blog or even in your resume. This site, therefore can show what you know, but be warned you will constantly want to raise your score and soon you may become addicted to the quiz taking (It almost feels like playing a Quiz Show like game rather than taking a test).
Saturday, October 29, 2011
"Ashes, Ashes" by Jo Treggiari
by Jo Treggiari
read by Cassandra Campbell
Produced by Oasis Audio
9 hours and 48 minutes
Time once again to dive into the fiction from the young adult category, this time I listened to a post-apocalyptic dystopian novel "Ashes, Ashes" by Jo Treggiari. As with most young adult titles this one involves a little romance but lots of action and some despair. The world has ended but, Treggiari never fully explains why but 99% of the human population is wiped out from a smallpox like plague. The rest of the world is getting wiped out by floods and drought and the cities are decaying. What's left of the human population is being hunted down by hazmat suited people called sweepers, armed with tazers they invade encamped populations taking people (especially children) away in white vans to an island hospital never to be seen again.
Lucy Holloway is an anomaly. When the book opens we find her struggling for her own survival eating only that which she catches and kills. Relying on acorn mush is not enough and through the help of a survival book rescued from the decaying library as the book opens she is learning to clean and cook a turtle.
While out checking her snares she sees a boy of around her same age (16) who helps her to escape from the sweepers. The boy, Aiden, stays on her mind and she often thinks of joining his encampent of refugees. When a tsunami threatens her campsite she litereally runs for the hills and in running away decides to find the encampent. Lucy decides that she would be better with a group rather than alone, and joins up with the group of survivors. But the danger follows her and the sweepers raid the camp taking people away. This time one escapes and leads a rescue party to bring back the other children. On this rescue mission Lucy discovers the sweepers are looking specifically for her because her blood holds the mystery to surviving the plague.
Through the dangers of a dying world and a mad scientist on the hunt this book is full of adventure that will sweep you away to a world of survival. The reader Cassandra Campbell does a nice job of presenting the story and with the constant teetering on the edge feel of the story the few mispronunciations are easily forgiven.
The book does present an interesting end, in that it ends the story nicely but does leave it open for a sequel, which I'm hoping Jo Treggiari has planned. If you liked the "Hunger Games" series this book will be right up your alley.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
protect your iPhone
Monday, October 17, 2011
"Enron" by Lucy Prebble
by Lucy Prebble
a full cast audio performance
starring Greg Germann, Gregory Itzin, Amy Pietz and Steven Weber
Directed by Rosalind Ayres.
Recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles in October, 2010
Produced by L.A. Theatre Works
1 Hour 51 Minutes
One of my latest treasures I've found are the classic theatrical productions in audiobook form produced by L.A. Theatre works. I've been listening to plays by Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, Chekov, Oscar Wilde and others. Listening to the classics is fun but this time around I was curious to see what LATW had to offer in the more modern theatre genre. I was intrigued by this play, "Enron," due to the fact that as the Enron scandal unraveled I was was working on a Business format radio station and at the time and this was all big news, and I heard most of it unfold live on the air with our in depth coverage on "Business Radio 1190 KPHN." What I didn't know then was how this would affect our economy today.
This play not only points out the greed and political underhandedness of the time and of the company but also gives great insight as to how the world economy today has fallen into the state it is in. The interesting aspect of this play is that it, at times, takes an absurdist look at the situation and company. For example, when the company develops a way to make losses seem like profits they illustrate the feature by feeding dollar bills to Raptors, yes in the performance you hear actual dinosaurs eating money. The raptors soon become too much to handle and must be released or killed. Another fun feature of the play is that it has song and dance numbers. A musical about greed...too much.
When Enron slumped into bankruptcy in December 2001, Lucy Prebble was a 20-year-old English literature student at the University of Sheffield in northern England. She tossed around the idea for a few years and eventually got to do her show making it into this musical adventure that actually puts into plain language the cryptic language of finances and Mark to Market financing that gave Enron the edge. So with a little British humor the average listener is able to understand the disaster that came crashing down on Enron and the U.S. Informative, entertaining and frustrating, you'll find yourself laughing with disgust at big business.
Friday, October 14, 2011
"The Chee-Chalker" by L. Ron Hubbard
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio (2008)
Approx 2 hours.
It's time once again to go on an adventure with the master story teller, L. Ron Hubbard. Once again we turn to the stories from the Golden Age, and this time explore the wilderness and outlaws of the Alaskan territory. Hubbard wrote many stories in many genres that were published in many of the pulp fiction magazines in the mid-20th Century and Galaxy Press has been releasing these stories in their own "pulp" form and have created audio pulps from these releases. What I call audio pulps are short books (usually around 2 hours in length) that are produced with an excellent multi-cast of performers, special effects that place the listener in the middle of the story and original music that matches the story perfectly. Each production is reminiscent of old time radio broadcasts with over the top characters and voices to match.
This time I go back to 2008 (the year when Galaxy Audio first began releasing these stories) and listen to the audio pulp of "The Chee-Chalker" which was originally released in "Five Novels" monthly during the months of July and August of 1947. This story takes you to the Alaskan Territory where FBI agent, Bill Norton and his assistant Chick have been sent to investigate the smuggling of Heroin into the United States via Alaska and Canada and the missing agent that preceded him in the territory.
Norton is considered at first a "Chee-Chalker," local slang for a newcomer by the locals, but that's their first mistake. Norton finds not only the smugglers but a string of corpses which are dismissed as "accidental drownings." Norton doesn't buy it and when a dame gets in the picture the twists and turns in clues abound. This time the dame is a heart-stopping heiress to the halibut trade, and seems to be behind the murders and smuggling, at first. But through the typewriter of L. Ron Hubbard things are never what they seem.
With hard hitting punches and excellent detective work, Norton will get to the bottom of it all,but at the expense of whose lives? Yet another fun adventure that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Sunday, October 09, 2011
"The Adventures of Mr. Maximillian Bacchus and His Travelling Circus" by Clive Barker
"The Adventures of Mr. Maximillian Bacchus and His Travelling Circus"by Clive Barker
read by Bruce Donnelly
Published by Crossroad Press
Approx 2 hours
The first thing that grabbed me about this audiobook was that it was written by Clive Barker, I have always loved horror novels and Barker's horror novels are some of the best. I knew this was a fantasy book, and was prepared for this because I have read a few of his fantasy books including the young adult fantasy series "Abarat." What I wasn't prepared for, once I started listening was the depth of the language and the way the story completely engulfed me. What is more amazing is that these stories were written in 1974 when Clive Barker was only 17 years old. At first listen it is an amazing book by a young author, but more to it, it is an amazing book that will take you on a magical fantastical journey in and of itself, regardless of the age of the author.
On a side note regarding this audio book version, I think the non-emotional, straight forward read actually works. I have recently become a fan of audiobooks where the author actually acts out the book and even provides different voices for the characters, or even better yet a full dramatization with a full blown cast of actors. These types make the audiobook more of an exciting experience, but for this book, where the language used by Clive Barker is the star, the nearly monotone emotionless reading by Bruce Donnelly works. This approach took some getting used to but once the book was rolling I found myself completely lost in the language. The words used by Barker in this book flow like poetry.
Maximillian Bacchus is the ringmaster and owner of what he considers the greatest show in the world. Traveling with a Crocodile named Malachi, a trapeze girl named Ophelia, a strong man named Hero, and a clown named Domingo de Ybarrondo. All travel in a wagon pulled by a giant "Ibis bird," the troupe wanders from adventure to adventure.
The book consists of four interwoven stories beginning when Indigo Murphy, the best bird handler in the world, leaves the show to be married to the Duke Lorenzo de Medici. During the feast where this announcement is made Maximillian Bacchus announces the circus will travel to the fabled Xanadu built by the Khan named Kubla. From there, the magic never stops. On the road they meet a young apple thief named Angelo with glowing eyes who tries to redeem himself by helping to find a lost girl. The troupe next rescues an orangutan named Bathsheba from what seems like the evil and opposite form of the travelling circus. The Circus then arrives at the end of the world where the people living in a town on the edge of the world are terrorized by a band of trolls. Finally arriving in Xanadu the troupe sets to perform for Kubla Khan. After the troupe performs the daughter of the brother of Kubla Khan is abducted and the sun is stolen from the sky, the Khan gives in to the sadness of the event but Maximillian Bacchus and his travelling circus volunteer to rescue the girl and bring back the light of the sun by venturing into the crystal caves beneath Xanadu.
With magical prose and fun short stories, this is one book that is great for all ages. This would be the perfect bedtime story book, and in audiobook form would be the great travelling companion.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
"Macbeth" by William Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare
Multi-cast performance starring James Marsters
Produced by L.A. Theatre Works
Approx 2 hours
While getting my degree in Theatre from Southern Illinois University, I learned to appreciate the works of Shakespeare. The first thing I learned is that the plays are meant to be performed not just read. Once I started performing scenes from Shakespeare's collection I saw how much fun and in depth the stories were. Yes, even the tragedies were fun, from a performance perspective. So now when I hear of students having to read Shakespeare I cringe a little knowing they may never learn to appreciate Shakespeare. In comes L.A. Theatre Works and their releasing in audiobook format theatrical performances. I've had the chance to listen to several of these and, to be honest, I was leery at first. I was thinking, how can you turn such a visually dependent medium into an adequate audio book?
L.A. Theatre Works goes well beyond the adequate, and are able to produce superb audio versions of some great performances. Most of this lies in the excellent production using sound effects that make sense in the right places and with even more excellent casting. The many plays always feature accomplished actors, not just famous ones but ones that are capable of filling the role to perfection. In the case of this release, James Marsters is cast in the lead as Macbeth, and just knocks it out of the park. There is one scene where the ghost of Banquo sits in Macbeths chair at a dinner party and the issue is that Macbeth begins yelling at the spirit and the other members of the party don't see the ghost. In his vocal gymnastics alone on this recording, Marsters is able to explain to the listener that only he sees the ghost. Great performance throughout by all the actors.
As for the story of "Macbeth," this is one of Shakespeare's shortest plays and carries with it some baggage. "Macbeth" is considered a cursed play, so much so that theatre tradition does not allow one to mention the name of the play within a theatre, many refer to it as "The Scottish Play" and when referring to the main characters, just call them "Mr. and Mrs. M." The reason behind this superstition goes back many years, the origin is that Shakespeare used some actual witches' spells when writing it, and as revenge for giving out the secrets of the craft some real witches cursed every mention of the play.
The play is about a General in the Scottish army who becomes king, but not in a traditional happy sort of way. Two generals, Macbeth and Banquo are returning from a battle and stumble across three witches in the forest where the tell the two of their fortunes. Macbeth will be king and Banquo will have his children for many ages become King.
Putting the thought of becoming King into Macbeth's head leads to the murder of King Duncan and the fall into madness that surrounds Macbeth. Soon he must go to the witches again to find out more of his future. This time around the witches tell him that no man born of a woman can kill him, leaving Macbeth with the false belief that he is invincible. Tragedy ensues and another classic has been engulfed. Enjoy this classic performed by wonderful cast.
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
"Doctor Who: Hunter's Moon" by Paul Finch
by Paul Finch
read by Arthur Darvill
Published by BBC Audiobooks
Approx 6.5 hours
Okay before we talk about this particular audio book I've gotta point out something I just found out and it has me stoked; there are like a bazillion Doctor who audiobooks. I was looking around for something to shove into my iPod and remembered having listened to a couple of Doctor who books and thought that would be cool let's see what else is out there. 'Lo and behold there are several for the latest 3 Doctors and many more for the older series. BBC Audiobooks has been busy.
This time around I've picked up another audiobook featureing the 11th Doctor (portrayed by Matt Smith) and in the continuity it takes place just before the 5th season episode of "The Impossible Astronaut." The Doctor's companions are still Amy and Rory and their adventures takes them to a region that is pretty much like a gambler's heaven, Leisure Platform 9. Before he can join Rory and Amy, the Doctor has to go and visit an old friend, Kobal Zalu, who is head of the police force in this sector. Zalu mentions that the last time he saw the Doctor, the Doctor had white hair, so this is digging out an old friend from way back, the first or second Doctor. It seems Zalu doesn't as much act as a police officer but more of a peacekeeper between gamblers and vilians and as long as the locals aren't harmed all else is ignored.
This book is ready by Arthur Darvill, the actor portraying Rory in the series, and not only is this a good choice because the bulk of the story is told from Rory's point of view, but because Darvill has a great delivery. His voice is flexible enought to change between different characters talking in the story, but he does a pretty good impression of Matt Smith (the Doctor).
While on the platform Rory notices a game of chance that he's pretty good at, well least the Earth version (craps). While observing a player at the game Rory remarks that the game of chance is chancing more to the players benefit. When he remarks outloud about this the player then challenges Rory. Rory plays ends up winning but on the final throw loses, and loses big, in fact he loses the TARDIS to the player (it doesn't matter that Rory isn't the owner.) So as payment the player, Xorg Krauzzen, kidnaps Rory and takes him to the planet Gorgoror, where Rory and other kidnapped earthlings are part of a hunt, not as hunters but as hunted.
The Doctor and Amy go undercover to save Rory and end up uncovering a fiendish hunt that has been going on illegally for years, so now the Doctor must stop this evil, rescue his friends and get the TARDIS back. In a non-stop thrillride this story will keep you on the edge of your seat, have you chew down all your fingernails and keep your adrenaline up until the very end.
Friday, September 30, 2011
"Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs" by Hunter S. Thompson
by Hunter S. Thompson
Published by Modern Library (1999)
originally published by Random House (1966)
265 pages.
I have been a fan of Hunter S. Thompson ever since I saw the movie "Where the Buffalo Roam" starring Bill Murray, which was loosely based on the book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." After seeing that movie I read the book and realized why it was LOOSELY based, because of the craziness that is Gonzo reporting that Thompson did best.
I decided to go back again recently and tackle another Thompson book and this Hell's Angels documentary seemed a good way to go. In this book you don't get as much craziness that makes the gonzo, Gonzo. Instead with this book you get the early forms of gonzo reporting where Thompson placed himself at the heart of danger. It is still told in first person as Thompson did best and with some great descriptive narrative that puts the reader pretty much on the back of a Harley and making some runs with the most dangerous group of the 60s.
During this period of American history, The Hells Angels were a violent bunch, at least according to all the major newspapers. Hunter S. Thompson, thought they may be getting a bad rap and decided to put himself in the middle of it all. He approached Sonny Barger, the head of the Hells Angels at the time and told him of his plans to follow them as a reporter, a dangerous move in and of itself due to the Angels not trusting reporters because of the bad press. But soon Thompson was mildly accepted into the fray and follows them for about a year. Thompson's relationship was ended with the Angels after they nearly beat him to death for making a remark to a fellow Angel that the club didn't appreciate. The remark was made when Thompson saw an Angel beating his wife, to which Thompson said, "Only a PUNK beats his wife."
The whole nature of the Hells Angels motorcycle club at the time always teetered on the edge of violence, whether it was running out of beer or locals wanting to chase the club out of town. This documentary not only shows the constant chance of violence, but Thompson also sheds some light on the idea that the Angels just wanted to be left alone. Left to themselves they just wanted to have a good time on weekends and in many cases work their jobs during the week. As with any large group there are individuals that would do something that would get the negative attention and that is what everyone focused on. Thompson presented all the stories during his time with them good and bad.
Some of the fun stuff in the book is when Ken Kesey and his Merry Band of Pranksters invite the Angels over for a party and the two cultures converge and the police are the ones that create the clash. Many exciting adventures in this book and at times you feel you are reading a thriller with an exciting ending rather than a documentary. Great writing and interesting cultures make this book a good read.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
"The Hounds of Artemis" by James Goss
by James Goss
read by Matt Smith & Clare Corbett.
Produced by BBC Audiobooks
approx 1 hour.
Not sure why it took me so long but not until the 5th season and the 11th doctor did I get into the return of the series "Doctor Who." I loved it as a kid especially the Tom Baker version of the Doctor. But before I got into the series I had to start from the 9th Doctor and work my way back up to now...I'm now caught up with the TV series and, well, I'm impressed. Great storyline, and the special effects are awesome. The BBC even has 2 spinoff series, on for kids, "The Sarah Jane Adventures" a series for young adults (which ended due to the death of Elizabeth Sladen) and "Torchwood," which went for 3 seasons, each on a different BBC channel and then coming to America on a subscription cable channel for a 4th season.
So now I'm caught up on the series and all the side series' I'm doing my best to wait for each new episode. So what does an audio book lover do? Find Doctor Who audiobooks, and let me tell you the BBC has done their best to make sure there is a plethora of them available. So far I have liked all 3 of the new doctors (David Tenant was my fave, but the latest, Matt Smith is really growing on me. He's my son's fave so hey, there's that.) This audiobook is a one hour release from BBC Audiobooks and features the 11th Doctor, Matt Smith, and his companion, Amy Pond.) In the continuity of the series this audio falls before the "Big Bang" episode because it features the smiling crack in reality that is always following Amy.
In 1929 Lord Woolcroft and his team break open the fabled Tomb of Artemis, sealed for thousands of years, they are astonished by what they find inside...A man and a woman. The man is wearing a bowtie and introduces himself as The Doctor. He then tells them they are in great danger, and thus begins the adventure.
As are many things in time this event is a fixed moment and cannot be changed, however maybe the casualties can be lessened so that is what the Doctor and Amy set out to do. The Tomb of Artemis is opened and soon wolves/hounds begin to terrorize the archaeological team. Once entering the tomb, the priestess of Artemis is there and presenting a feast of what seems to be each person's favorite food. So it seems Artemis is feeding off the mental energy of the humans. Soon Artemis reveals her plan to escape and take over the world, but the Doctor decides this cannot happen.
Just as with the tv series this audiobook features excellent writing that makes the adventure one that will keep you wondering what will happen next the book is read by the star of the series, Matt Smith and by Clare Corbett. Clare Corbett's reading sections are when the story is being told from Amy Pond's diary and as the teller of the story, a descendent of one of the archaeological team. Matt Smith delivers the rest and gives the story that extra Doctor Whoishness.
Great little audiobook that may get you hooked into the Doctor Who world if you aren't already.
Monday, September 26, 2011
"Branded Outlaw" by L. Ron Hubbard
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx 2 hours.
Once again I venture into another story from the pulps of the mid-20th Century and this time I do it with a western. It's been a bit since I've listened to a tale of cattle rustlers and gunslingers, so let's check out "Branded Outlaw."
Before we get into the story, I've got to explain why I'm listening to this book. I got introduced to the stories of L. Ron Hubbard that appeared in the many pulp fiction magazines of the early - mid 20th century via Galaxy Audiom and it all started with Hubbard's sci-fi/fantasy stories. I'm a huge sci-fi fan, and listening to these classic stories produced by Galaxy Audio would blast me off into several universes and realities. I then got curious and started listening to the other genres, from air adventures, mystery, sea adventures and westerns. I've never been a fan of westerns but after hearing the great production in the others I gave them a chance with this collection. I was amazed, they were fun and with the great sound effects, music and superb voice acting Galaxy Audio got me interested and since then I look forward to the next one.
This story is yet another superb production, in which you'll be ducking bullets and hiding behind rocks to get your next shot in. "Branded Outlaw" was originally published in the October, 1938 issue of "Five Novels" monthly and tells the tale of "Suicide" Lee Weston, who returns to Pecos, New Mexico from Wyoming, to help his father who has written Lee telling him of an enemy by the name of Harvey Dodge. Weston is thinking Dodge is trying to take over his father's land and stealing his cattle. When he arrives he finds his father murdered and the homestead burned to the ground. Weston then heads into town seeking revenge on Harvey Dodge.
The Sheriff tries to calm Weston, but as Weston leaves the Sheriff's office a gunman challenges him upon hearing he is seeking out Dodge. Weston narrowly escapes but manages to kill the gunman. The problem is one of the stray bullets from the gunfight has killed a passerby. Weston is now wanted for murder, he heads for the hills and a private fishing lodge he stayed in as a kid. At the lodge Weston is found by a woman who nurses him to health, and in classic Hubbard style the twists begin in that the woman is the daughter of Harvey Dodge.
Weston sets out to stop the man responsible for the series of cattle rustlings and land grabbing after finding out that Dodge may not be behind it. But trouble ensues as well as the gunfights. Can Weston prove his innocence before meeting up with the lynch mob out for him? In a tale that is a CLASSIC western, you'll need to tighten up your spurs because you are in for the long ride until justice prevails in the old west.
Just to show how detailed of a western this story is here's a quote from the book:
"A leather-faced, sun-dried individual with a star on his chest was drowsing over a stack of reward posters, waking up occasionally to swat at a fly which buzzed around his ear. But the instant a shadow appeared in the door, Tate Randall, through long and self-preserving habit, swiftly came to life, one hand half stretched out as a welcoming gesture and the other on the Colt at his side. His bleached eyes squinted as he inspected Lee."
Just plain classic western writing with a very visual description.
"Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller
by Arthur Miller
a full cast audio performance
starring Stacy Keach and Jane Kaczmarek
Produced by L.A. Theatre Works
approx 2 hours
Once again I'm going back to my theatre roots and listening to an audio performance of a classic play, "Death of a Salesman." While in college I acted out a scene from this play and from that moment I fell in love with it. Not sure why, I mean, it's not really a happy play, but something about this play grabbed me. I think mainly because it was the first play I'd read and performed and that it seemed to tell it straight. Life does not always turn out like you want.
When I ran across this audio performance from L.A. Theatre Works (LATW), I knew I had to give it a listen mainly because of Stacy Keach. He's a subtle actor yet can give you a larger than life performance. In this performance he knocked it out of the ball park. I had seen a version of the play on television with Dustin Hoffman as Willie Loman and thought at that time I had just seen the only person who I could ever picture as Arthur Miller's salesman. But now I have to shift that to Keach. Mr. Keach performed the role to perfection. As you can see, I was highly impressed.
Everyone in this performance was great, Jane Kaczmarek (you know, the mom in TV's "Malcolm in the Middle") did a wonderful job as Willie's wife, Linda, but let's face it the play is about Willie Loman, and the star shined brightly. Actually while were talking about being impressed, this makes the 4th or 5th performance from LATW that I've heard and each time they impress me, not only with excellent casting, but the productions are superb. Each release places the listener directly into the audience of the performance, with excellent sound effects, music and just a dash of the audience response to remind you you are listening to a performance.
"Death of a Salesman" is the story of an aged salesmen who was always wanting the best for his family. He wanted his boys to grow up and be well liked, not just liked, but WELL liked. The problem is that the reality of Willie Loman's life never really matched up to his dreams. He is full of regrets, such as missed opportunities, never knowing his father and his son, Biff who was a High School football star that could have gone on to play in college. The problem is that Biff flunked out of Math and refused to go to summer school and never went to college.
The play takes place in Willie & Linda's home when Biff is back from "out west." Hap, the other son, who is trying to follow in his father's footsteps still lives near to home, is also visiting. Willie cuts short his trip from Boston because he nearly runs off the road while driving. Wille has lately become a victim to his mind wandering and he starts revisiting his memories out loud.
The play is told with a constant barrage of flashbacks from Willie's point of view as he begins to see the reality of his dream. Linda tells her sons of Willie's troubles and that she believes he is trying to kill himself. It all builds up to a scene, where to make their father happy, Biff and Hap attempt to go into business together, but reality comes crashing down on everyone leaving a tragic ending.
This performance from L.A. Theatre Works is superb in every manner and this classic play is one that should not be missed.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
"Black Mask 1: Doors in the Dark -And Other Crime Fiction from the Legendary Magazine" Edited by Otto Penzler
Edited by Otto Penzler
read by Eric Conger, Oliver Wyman, Alan Sklar, Pete Larkin, and Jeff Gurner
Produced by High Bridge Audio
Approx 7 hours
When I say the words "Pulp Fiction," what comes to your mind? Maybe the movie of the same name? Keep that in mind because I've got a surprise for you. For me the movie was the first thing that would come to mind, but recently I've been listening to audio books of stories from the days of the Pulp Fiction magazines.
This latest audio book is a real gem. "Black Mask 1" is the first in the series of stories turned to audio books from the "Black Mask" pulp that was printed between 1921 -1950. These stories all have that great film noir/gumshoe detective feel and make for some great short stories. In its hey day, "Black Mask" printed stories from some prominent authors of the day, and this first edition starts out with a bang with some great and fun stories. Before we talk about those, remember the movie "Pulp Fiction?" The movie was, in its early days, actually titled "Black Mask," because Quentin Tarantino drew his inspiration from the pulp magazine.
Each of the stories is read by a different narrator and each one does a superb job of reflecting the story's emotion and the sound of the time. If you close your eyes while listening to "Black Mask 1..." in your mind you can easily visualize a film noir gumshoe detective movie from the same era of these stories.
The introduction to the audio book is written by Keith Alan Deutsch and read by Eric Conger. It gives a very nice history of the age of the pulps and especially that of "Black Mask" magazine.
The stories included in this collection are:
“Come and Get It” by Erle Stanley Gardner; read by Oliver Wyman.
Erle Stanly Gardner was a self taught lawyer who took on the extra job of writing for the pulps to make up for the lack of money he earned as a lawyer, after a few years he turned his writing into full time and created the character, Perry Mason. This story "Come and Get It" ran in the April, 1927 issue of "Black Mask" and features the character, Ed Jenkins. Ed Jenkins is known to many as the Phantom Prowler, because he can never be caught. This time around Jenkins is warned by a crook that a woman with a mole on her hand will try to kill him. In trying to track down this woman, Jenkins discovers a plot by the local crime boss to steal the city's best jewelry. Jenkins sets out to foil the plot of the crime boss and the lady with a mole.
“Arson Plus” by Peter Collinson (Dashiell Hammett); read by Alan Sklar.
Peter Collinson (Dashiell Hammett) worked for the Pinkerton Detective agency and was one of the folks that brought down actor Fatty Arbuckle. Published originally in the October, 1923 issue of "Black Mask," and tells the story of a detective that comes in to investigate a shady arson which the local sheriff has considered the case closed. The best part of this story is the reader in this case. Alan Sklar's voice fits the story perfectly and keeps you listening with what his cigar and gin soaked voice.
“Fall Guy” by George Harmon Coxe; read by Pete Larkin
George Harmon Coxe wrote in the sports, romance and sea stories but his best known works are his detective stories. This story first appeared in the June, 1936 issue of "Black Mask," and tells of newspaper photographer "Flashgun" Casey who gets called on to deliver ransom money for an old gal pal who had some photos taken when she was younger that she doesn't want released. You know the story, she was young, needed the money, so nude photos were taken. Casey helps her out but finds out things are not all on the up and up.
“Doors in the Dark” by Frederick Nebel; read by Pete Larkin
Frederick Nebel created the stories featuring the tough detective Steve McBride and the wisecracking Newspaper reporter Kennedy. Warner Brothers bought the McBride series and made nine films, in the movies Kennedy was turned into a woman by the name of Torchie Blaine and the object of her affections was McBride. This story was originally published in the February, 1933 issue and tells the story of an apparant suicide of one of McBride's friends. But something doesn't sit right with McBride so he investigates deeper even though every single clue only leads back to suicide.
“Luck” by Lester Dent; read by Jeff Gurner Introduction by Keith Alan Deutsch; read by Eric Conger
Lester Dent created Doc Savage under the name of Kenneth Robison and was very successful with this series. After Savage, Dent created the loner boatman Oscar Sail who is the subject of this story. Originally published in the October, 1936 issue and is an earlier draft of one the Oscar Sail stories. In this story Sail sets out to find some seedy characters, all the while setting up slot machines to pay off to some lucky gambler, never himself.
Each one of these stories has its twists and turns that keep you guessing as to what happens next, which is what makes them so fun to hear. I know I'm looking forward to the next edition.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Reed 091611 1am
Reed 091611 1am by Gil T. Wilson
Baker Cemetery where the First woman in Illinois to be hanged is buried.There are lots of reports of evps at Elizabeth "Betsy" Reed's gravesite...so we decided to check it out.we had just spent some time by the grave and were walking around looking at other gravestones many from the 1800s in here and we came back to Betsy & her husbands to check the years in relation to the other graves.We didn't hear these two sounds when we were there..but they are on the recorder.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
"The Unexpected: Volume 1" released by Radioarchives.com
released by Radioarchives.com
Multi-cast Old time Radio Shows
Approx 5 horus
Being a 25+ year veteran of Radio Broadcasting I may be a little biased here, but I love old time radio, or as is commonly referred to as "otr." OTR has that classic theatre of the mind feel that is nearly forgotten. Today's radio is ruled by top 40 pop songs or talk radio and these lack the creativity that the early years of radio represented. The stories were told on the air and the audience created the images in their mind. Today I try to keep this up with every commercial I write or produce, when you feed off the audience's imagination, you have an unlimited supply of material.
Radio great, Stan Freeburg, once drained Lake Michigan and filled with hot cocoa, whip cream and had U.S. Air Force jets top it all off with a giant cherry. He then said, I'd like to see you do that on television. Sure now with CGI we could do it, but it would take hours and I could do that in a radio studio in just a few minutes, so still a win for radio. The old time radio shows used to be the main source of entertainment and had to keep the audience coming back each week. This was usually done through simple great entertainment, and sometimes cliffhangers that the listener had to come back next week to find out what happens next.
Radioarchives.com has recently released a this series of "The Unexpected" radio programs
that were originally aired in 1947. Each time the audience would keep coming back with some great stories that would not end with the expected. With this release you don't have to wait a week for the next mystery. Volume one contains 20 of the 15 minute episodes that have been restored from the original transcriptions from what were probably acetate pressings. Radioarchives.com have restored these recordings to perfection, the sound quality is superb and equal to any modern audio production.
Every episode begins with: "Who knows what drama may happen tomorrow...or an hour from now...or in just a moment? Who knows what destiny has in store for the lady down the street, the fellow at the next desk, or you yourself? Who knows?" Each story is then presented with superb acting from actors of radio/screen and stage of the time. Some of the actors that rang familiar with me were; Barry Sullivan, Lyle Talbot, Marsha Hunt, & Jackie Cooper. The story genres range from Mystery & Suspense, to Drama, and there's even a bit of comedy thrown in. And just when you get to the end of the story, a voice comes in and says, "You think the story is over, don't you? But wait! Fate takes a hand. Wait...for the Unexpected!" then the story continues with an ending that is unexpected. Great title and great gimmick to be different in the golden age of radio. For today's listener this is a treat of nostalgia and original storytelling at it's best.
Some examples of the stories include; a man convinced that an old prospecter has struck silver in a ghost town, a woman who embezzles money from her company to buy a fur coat, a boxer who throws a fight to make some quick cash, a woman whose horoscope warns her she will kill a man and many more, but they never end as you'd expect.
At this point I feel I need to point out or re-emphasize that these are restored directly from the original transcriptions. The shows were originally meant to be sent out to radio stations and the radio stations would insert commercials in the allowed sections. This is a good and bad feature. Good in that you don't get the commercials, unless you are a fan of the old time commercials. The bad is that you get a minute or two of dramatic organ music in the place where the commercials would have gone. At first I loved the old dramatic organ that helped pushe the story, but after a while I found myself fast forwarding through the commercial insert areas, glad to have had that luxury.
This collection is perfect for any fan of mystery, thrillers, suspense and old time radio. If you are just plain curious, check them out they are a lot of fun, especially because the end of each story is Unexpected.
Just to help out here are the titles and the lead actors of each episode in Volume 1:
#100 Mercy Killing
starring Barry Sullivan
#101 Birthday Present
starring Marsha Hunt
#102 Solid Citizen
starring Tom Neal
#103 Finale
starring Lurene Tuttle
#104 Cargo Unknown
starring Lyle Talbot
#105 Find the Man
starring Binnie Barnes
#106 Revenge
starring Barry Sullivan
#107 The Cripple
starring Marjorie Riordan
#108 Fool's Silver
starring Barry Sullivan
#109 Horoscope
starring Marjorie Riordan
#110 Eavesdropper
starring Barry Sullivan
#111 Legacy
starring Lurene Tuttle
#112 Museum
starring Jackie Cooper
#113 Understudy
starring Lurene Tuttle
#114 King Champion
starring Jack Holt
#115 The Mink Coat
starring Lurene Tuttle
#116 Easy Money
starring Steve Cochran
#117 Free Passage
starring Lurene Tuttle
#118 Re-Match
starring Jackie Cooper
#119 Sweet Sixteen
starring Lurene Tuttle
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
"Ghost Story" The Dresden Files, Book 13 by Jim Butcher
The Dresden Files, Book 13
by Jim Butcher
read by John Glover
Produced by Penguin Audiobooks
Approx. 18 hours.
Whew! I just finished the latest novel in the Dresden Files series from Jim Butcher, and let me tell you I'm relieved. In the last book, "Changes," Harry Dresden died, worse yet, he was assassinated. I, along with many other Dresden fans, were left hanging. I mean, c'mon, it can't end this way...Harry can't die! Okay, he's not immortal, but really, it IS called the "DRESDEN Files." I had to wait about a whole year to find out what happened. I know in comic books they sometimes bring back heroes from the dead, but I really didn't know how Jim Butcher was going to get by with this one. Sure he's written a novel about Spider-Man and knows the tricks, but with the Wizard Harry Dresden, that's not the same.
Finally I got to put the audiobook on and sit back and listen. But wait, the publishers threw another curve at us fans. Really it wasn't the publisher's fault but, Wow! it was a big problem. James Marsters, who has become the voice of Harry Dresden in the audio books, was not available for the production. If you don't know, all these novels are told in first person, and Marsters made Dresden POP! Marsters became Dresden and vice versa. So who do we get now? John Glover. To give Glover some cred, he did portray Lionel Luther in the TV series of Smallville, and he knew the kind of superhero attitude that lives within Harry Dresden. Okay, I'll give him that. I can't say that he did a bad job of this, because he didn't, in fact when voicing the other characters in the story, Glover shined, but it just wasn't Marsters voice behind Harry. It seemed more of an inconvenience but as the story progressed, Glover did a great job, I just have a thing for Marsters' voice as Harry. Had I never heard the Marsters version I would say Glover was awesome, but for right now Marsters is my favorite, just like Tom Baker is my favorite Doctor from the Doctor Who series. Sure other actors do a great job, but I will always hold my favorite. Maybe I can look back later and say Marsters was a great Harry Dresden and Glover was a great Harry Dresden's Ghost.
We start out this story with Chicago's resident wizard, Harry Dresden, contemplating his death. He sees the light down the tunnel, but lo' and behold, the light is a train. Harry is ready to take this head on when he is whisked away from the tracks from Carmichael, a former Chicago Police Officer that specialized in paranormal type of crimes. Harry saw Carmichael ripped to shreds by a loup garou years ago, so he knew he was still dead, the problem is what is going on. Carmichael takes Harry to the police station in the "In Between" Chicago, where Harry is told that before he moves on he must find out who killed him. If Harry doesn't do this 3 people in Harry's life will be hurt.
Harry had just recently found out he had a daughter and was assassinated just after he saved her by wiping out the entire race of Red Court Vampires. This genocidal act was done by pulling some favors from some unsavory characters and created a void in the supernatural power struggle of the world. When Harry is sent back to Chicago (as a ghost) 6 months have passed since his death and the world has changed reflecting that void trying to be filled. His first stop is at the home of Morty the Ectomancer (one who can communicate with spirits). He finds Morty's home under attack by wraiths and being guarded by ghosts of Morty's ancestors.
After a very cool battle Harry learns some of the secrets of being a ghost. First off ghosts' power comes from memories, and in order to fight one must expend that memory energy, but the cost is that with each expended memory the ghost loses a little of itself until it becomes a murderous wraith. Harry's magic as a wizard is no longer effective against the living and he becomes a beginner in relearning the magicks of the ghost world.
Harry then learns what has happened to his old friends, Karrin Murphy, a former Chicago cop who now fight against the supernatural threat with a team of werewolves, vikings (courtesy of the mob boss Gentleman John Marcone) and Waldo Butters, former coroner now the owner of Bob, the spirit form of a former wizard now the supernatural equivalent of the internet. Occasionally they get the help of Harry's former apprentice, Molly, who seems to have lost a bit of her mind in the battle against the Red Court and now goes by the name of "The Rag Lady."
Helping his former friends now becomes a priority and Harry seems to have forgotten his task of solving his murder. But leave it to Harry (via the great writing of Jim Butcher) to manage to work the two into the same task. Throughout the story Harry gets hints as to who his murderer is but can't seem to grasp the answer. Here's where I was a bit miffed, because I had it figured out at the first hint. But through the twists and turns that make the Dresden Files stories so great we find out why Harry doesn't get it. (Thank you Jim Butcher for the awesome storytelling.)
Another thing that grabbed me at first was why wasn't Harry's Brother, Thomas, not involved? What Happened!?!? But alas Butcher had that figured out as well. Yep, this is one of those books that you have to get to the very end before it all soaks in. Great Stuff.
But what happens next? I think I've got it figured out, and yes it looks like Butcher will be releasing a new book in the series, "Cold Days," so it looks like we'll get more. Again, I say, "Whew!"
Monday, September 05, 2011
"Ai! Pedrito! -When Intelligence Goes Wrong " by L. Ron Hubbard and Kevin J. Anderson
by L. Ron Hubbard and Kevin J. Anderson
Multicast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx 9 hours
Holy cow! I have just finished a super fun action/adventure/comedy and I can't tell if I'm tired from laughing or the suspense, probably both. "Ai! Pedrito!" is a great romp through the spy world mixing in the United States, the Russians, the Cubans, and the small South American country Colodor . This book is a parody of that spy world mixing up spies, double agents, lovers and enemies as seen through a nerdy very straight edged Naval Intelligence officer and sometimes through his doppleganger, a revolutionary, womanizer and heavy drinker.
"Ai! Pedrito!" was originally written as a screenplay by L. Ron Hubbard who said the events were based on an incident that happend to him in real life. The screenplay was then novelized by Kevin J. Anderson. Anderson whose works include the collaboration with Brian Herbert on the "Dune" series of books written and pieced together from material found after Frank Herbert's death. Anderson is not a stranger to turning "found" material into great books, but most of his stuff is Science-Fiction, while this story has a very small piece of sci-fi to add to the fun, Anderson proved he can also work on comedy and adventure with this one.
The Russians and Cubans have developed a plan to steal secrets from the U.S. military by placing a revolutionary, by the name of Pedrito Miraflores into the office of U.S. Naval intelligence and in turn send Lt. J.G. Tom Smith to the small country of Colodor, while Pedrito steals the secrets. What makes this the perfect plan is that Smith and Miraflores are mirror images of each other, in looks only. While Smith spends his spare time reading history books and his drink of choice is milk, Miraflores' pasttime is womanizing and drinking tequila, oh, and starting revolutions in South America. But these two redheads will be switching places and the mayhem begins.
Tom Smith is told he has won a free trip to the beautiful South American country of Colodor. When he tells the representative from the sweepstakes he can't find Colodor on the map the rep tells him it's all due to a strike by the Mapmakers Union. Tom takes the vacation as a chance to relax and get his mind away from the numerous blueprints of secret weapons and get a chance to read his book on great Naval battles. When he arrives at the Colodor Airport he is accosted by a man that greets him with, "Ai! Pedrito!" and proceeds to shuffle Tom into the Airport bar insisting on buying him a drink. When Tom insists he's not Pedrito, the man thinks Pedrito is undercover and says, "Don't worry Pedrito, your secret is safe with me." This is how Lt. J.G. begins his life as Pedrito Miraflores.
Meanwhile, Pedrito begins stealing secrets and, when Smith's boss insists Pedrito date his daughter Pedrito cannot resist the chance to be with a beautiful woman. But alas, this begins Pedrito's demise in America.
With each person beginning to absorb the other more and more as they are forced to live as each other until the mission is finished they both begin to realize that womanizing gets you nowhere (especially when the women can think of only getting married). Smith seems to be doing more damage as Pedrito, when he blows up the US Embassy, by proxy, a secret CIA communications center and gets the US to bomb secret Cuban Missile silos. All this is done under the constant watch of a mysterious master of disguise by the name of Bolo.
With some funny constant running gags, such as the shout of "Ai! Pedrito!", Smith nearly recognizing Bolo each time, and the mapmaker's strike, this book will have you laughing out loud while on the edge of your seat wondering how it all turns out. I will say that not until the very end will you know. Hubbard had a knack for twists in a story and this one, I think, used every twist he could think of.
This audio book is yet another superb production from Galaxy Audio. Galaxy Audio has been turning all of Hubbard's pulp fiction stories into audio books and this latest release shows they are working on more of Hubbard's works I hope they keep on producing more of these excellent audio dramas, because I can't wait to listen to some of his sci-fi novels. Galaxy Audio shows how an audiobook should be done, with excellent voice actors, special sound effects that are comparable to any major motion picture. The incidental music through the book and especially between chapters perfectly represent the feel of the audio book, making the entire production a classic work of art.
Mixing in a comedy of errors, mistaken identity, espionage, and blundering officials, "Ai! Pedrito!.." is a fun audiobook that will keep you on the edge of your seat with action and laughing out loud with great humor.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
"A Very Strange Trip" by L. Ron Hubbard & Dave Wolverton
"A Very Strange Trip"
by L. Ron Hubbard & Dave Wolverton
Multicast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx 6 hours
To start things out, I've gotta say this was one of the funniest sci-fi romps through time I've read. If you like time travelling adventures with some humor thrown in, check out this audiobook. But before I talk about the story I think it's best to talk about the story behind the story.
The original book was an unfinished story by L. Ron Hubbard and being a winner of Hubbard's "Writers of the Future," Dave Wolverton was asked to finish the story. Dave Wolverton began writing during college and entered short stories into various contests, but his career kicked off in 1987 when he won the top award in the L. Ron Hubbard "Writers of the Future" contest.
Writers of the Future (WOTF) is a science fiction and fantasy story contest that was originated by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1980s. Hubbard characterized the contest as a way of "giving back" to the field that had defined his professional writing life. The contest has no entry fee and is the highest-paying contest for amateur science-fiction and fantasy writers. Other notable past winners of WOTF include Stephen Baxter, Karen Joy Fowler, James Alan Gardner, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Jay Lake, Michael H. Payne, Patrick Rothfuss, Robert Reed, Dean Wesley Smith, Sean Williams, Nancy Farmer, and David Zindell. The winning stories are published in the yearly anthology " L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of Future." The contest enjoys a favorable reputation in the science fiction community, For twenty-five years, L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest has discovered and nurtured a steady stream of new authors who have changed the face of SF. Chosen by an impressive panel of judges drawn from the biggest names in the genre, taught at a remarkable week-long workshop, and celebrated at world-class venues such as the Kennedy Space Center, the United Nations and the Science Fiction Museum, Contest winners are given the best possible foundation for a long-standing writing career. Recently Galaxy Press has released a retrospective book, "Writers of the Future, the First 25 Years," that is filled with more than a thousand spectacular images, interspersed with over one hundred success stories and testimonials, this book celebrates the first quarter century of Writers of the Future, this is the perfect coffee table book for any sci-fi fan.
Other awards Dave Wolverton has been nominated for include the Nebula Award in the Best Novellette category for his short story "After a Lean Winter". He has also been nominated for a Hugo Award. In the summer of 1998 Dave Wolverton broke the world record for the most book signings in one sitting, which he achieved with "A Very Strange Trip."
When this novel was released in 1998, it received some negative feedback due to its simplicity, but that is one of the things that I feel makes this book fun. No matter what, though, the audio version produced by Galaxy Audio is a terrific romp through time with some great vocal actors and sound effects so realistic you will actually feel like you are in the middle of a mastodon stampede. There is a full cast and each of the vocal actors portray their parts with the same over the top vigor that makes for one of Hubbard's typical comedic stories. The sound effects are superb, in fact there was a moment in the book where the time machine lands its crew in the middle of a mastodon stampede and it sounds just like you would imagine it to sound. You know the production crew couldn't go out and record such an event so they had to make it up and Galaxy Audio excelled creating great sound effects that move the story along without overpowering the story.
The story is a humorous story beginning in 1991 when Everett Dumphee is caught by police with moonshine in the trunk of his uncle's car. Dumphee's family history of moonshine and bootlegging goes back generations. Everett Dumphee is faced with the decision to spend ten years in prison or to enlist in the United States Army. He opts for what he thinks is the easy way out, the Army. Dumphee is labeled as the fastest bootleg driver in West Virginia and is issued the occupational specialty designation of Expert Truck Driver. He is then selected for a top-secret assignment in a newly designed and state-of-the-art All Terrain Vehicle transporting a contraband Russian time machine and developmental weaponry. Private Everett Dumphee finds himself cast into new settings when the device suddenly activates after the vehicle nearly crashes into a Mcdonalds. What follows are fantastic high-tech experiences that might be called the ultimate off-road adventure through time.
The first stop is at Fort Pitt, in the 1700s . The ATV lands outside the fort and soon while trying to find food Dumphee accidentally purchase three Native American Squaws, who think he purchased them as his bride. When trying to escape the British the crew of four begin their adventures through time, visiting the Ice Age, the time of Mammoths, Mastodons, Sabre Tooth Tigers, the time when Mayans lived in West-Central Illinois (near where St. Louis, Mo. is in Dumphee's time), to the age of dinosaurs, the year 1870, all while heading to the original destination of Denver, Colorado to try and deliver the ATV full of experimental weapons and the time machine. So really it's not a matter of where he'll end up, but when.
While the end of the book leaves you hanging with the feel of a sequel coming out, I don't think that will happen without Hubbard. Wolverton could probably take the next with no problem, but if he did I would hope he takes that unpredictable, over the top fun that makes this story.
Wolverton and Hubbard definitely did some research of the times covered in this book writing in some details that make the story more fun and almost believable, almost. The audiobook version of the book is the way to go. Galaxy Audio knows how to create audio drama, and their production of this book makes the listen a great experience.
Monday, August 22, 2011
"Life" by Keith Richards & James Fox
"Life"
by Keith Richards & James Fox
Read by Johnny Depp, Joe Hurley & Keith Richards
Produced by Hachette Audio (2010)
Approx 24 hours.
I think I may have read one of the most intriguing and entertaining autobiographies ever. "Life," the story of Keith Richards and his life in and out of the Rolling Stones. The Stones were/are one of the world's biggest bands and the stuff of rock and roll legend. I never was a big fan of the Stones before, but after listening to this audio book I am now. Working in radio I have played a few of their tunes and even had a couple of favorites, but I guess I never really gave them a chance.
What has made me a fan most of all is something I found extremely surprising in this audiobook, the easy flow of the story beginning with Keith Richards' early life and just rolling along through his life, warts and all. Also the idea presented that Richards' is a pretty laid back guy. He had his ups and downs with drug addiction, which he discusses through this book, but the amazing thing is that he didn't really have anything bad to say about anybody. Most celebrity biographies/autobiographies, the celeb has a beef with someone or several someones. Or there is an expose feel to a biography which has a purpose of poking at wounds. Keith did have conflicts with people, such as Brian Jones and later with Mick Jagger and a few in between, but each time Keith presented it by always taking the blame for some of the turmoil. He never blamed and there was no fingerpointing and there was no beef with anyone that he had to get out. Keith simply told his story and left it at that.
Many times throughout the book Keith turns the storytelling over to other people due to them having a different perspective, some of the other people are Marlon (his son), Bobby Keys, and just about anyone else involved in his life.
In this book all the myths are exposed, such as did Keith get his "blood changed" to break his heroin addiction? did he really snort his father's ashes? Was it a palm tree he fell from? All this and more including the loves of his life. Other than music Keith loved a few women, from Ronnie Spector to Anita Pallenberg, they're all special and from the words he uses the reader/listener can tell he loved them deeply.
Throughout the book Richards, of course, discusses his love of music. From the discovery of American Blues to Island music, he incorporates it all into the music that becomes the most timeless music of all time, Rolling Stones music. How some of the songs were written and recorded can be surprising and yet once you go back and hear the tunes it makes sense.
The audiobook is also a bit of a Keith Richards sandwich, with Keith providing the intro and the final chapters' narration of the book. Johnny Depp reads for Keith's early years, and musician Joe Hurley reads for the better part of the 70s section and Johnny Depp taking over again for the 80s and beyond. Depp, who based his Jack Sparrow pirate character on Richards, does an awesome job reading as Richards, but Joe Hurley makes the middle section fun doing a great "slight" impersonation of Richards and the others whose voices are required. As far as biographies go this is the best read one I've ever heard.
With the book being around 24 hours of listening time, I was a bit wary of the task, but once the book started I was hooked and just couldn't let go. Great bit of rock and roll history with some inside stories that make the trip more fun.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
"American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies That the Government Tells " by Jesse Ventura & Dick Russell
"American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies That the Government Tells "
by Jesse Ventura & Dick Russell
Read by George K. Wilson
Produced by Tantor Audio (2010)
Approx 10.5 hours
I have just read the first non-fiction audiobook that has left me looking over my shoulder and watching what kind of digital/paper trail I'm creating. "American Conspiracies..." by Jesse Venture and Dick Russell is one of those books that tells you the facts and fallacies and leaves the listener/reader to decide for themselves. Jesse Ventura had a very interesting TV program on TruTV network which exposed a lot of hidden government ideals and this book provides a great supplement to that program. It also works alone in that it presents some things which the network wouldn't touch.
Ventura begins the book with information on all the lone gunman assassinations that have plagued our government since the days of Abraham Lincoln. The first half of the book covers the assassinations of Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Robert Kennedy. Bringing to question the whole lone gunman theory. Through the latter assassinations Ventura talks about the mind control branch of the CIA commonly referred to as the MK Ultra program. I have always thought that to pull off such high level of killings these folks (Booth, Oswald, Sirhan, Ray) had to have some sort of backing. Think about it these took careful planning and then to carry out the operation had to have a team of experts. Even when the government is the good guy, they need a team to carry out such events. Look at what it took to bring down Hussein & bin Laden.
Ventura then goes on to bring to light some of the darker sides of the Watergate scandel, the Jones town massacre, The stolen elections by Reagan and later the 2 almost three stolen elections by Bush (George W.), the financial crisis of 2007-10 (which is still being felt today) and the questions brought up in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including the one question I've had why was the bin Laden family on the only allowed flight out of the country during the week after the attacks?
At the end of each chapter Ventura throws in a "what should we do now?" section in which he suggests ideas that the American public can institute to help keep this from happening again. These sections are very thought provoking without starting revolution.
If you love your country (U.S.A.) and want some food for thought check out this book. I will warn you though, thanks to the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. act the government can and will access your digital/paper trail, so if you check this out from the library (like I did) or purchase online they will know. It's funny that I never had any problems with any government institution but one month after checking out this book I started getting strange letters from the IRS and audits on my government based student loans. Makes me feel like being a veteran isn't enough in this day and age.
The reader George K. Wilson, does a great straightforward job of presenting this book and at times reminded me of listening to the Saturday morning news show for kids, "In the News." Giving the listener a nice flow of some very in depth information.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
"The Graduate" Stage adaptation by Terry Johnson based on the novel by Charles Webb and the Screenplay by Calder willingham and Buck Henry
"The Graduate"
Stage adaptation by Terry Johnson
based on the novel by Charles Webb and the Screenplay by Calder willingham and Buck Henry
Release Date September 2011
Full cast recording featuring: Kathleen Turner, Matthew Rhys, Linda Purl & Bruce Davison
Produced by L.A. Theatre Works
107 minutes (includes an interview w/ Kathleen Turner)
L.A. Theatre works is bringing the joys of the theatre to homes of audiobook lovers everywhere. The latest installation from LATW is the stage production of "The Graduate." Terry Johnson has adapted the screenplay and the book and conglomerated them to make this version to be performed on stage and with an excellent cast featuring Kathleen Turner as the legendary Mrs. Robinson.
The best thing about these audio releases from LATW is that they put you right in the audience. You don't have to worry about bad angles viewing the proscenium, bad acoustics in the back of the auditorium because you got your tickets too late or trying to find a parking space. This production not only has great casting but the audio recording is perfect in that all characters are heard clearly and all sound effects are perfect. The unzipping of Mrs. Robinson's dress by Benjamin Braddock is heard clearly but subtle enough that it is part of the scene and not distracting.
One of the things I liked about the movie version of "The Graduate" was the music by Simon & Garfunkel. In this production LATW provides music between scenes and acts that reflects the sound and feel of a Simon & Garfunkel tune, without being a bad copy of the music. LATW has thought of everything in this production.
The cast in this production provided that fresh feel to the play and all roles were on spot. I listened to this performance on my commutes to and from work and laughed so much that while listening to this story my workdays went by with less stress. Start the workday out with a laugh and the rest of the day goes smoothly. Maybe the stress relief market would be a good venture for these audio performances.
The story behind "The Graduate" is a dip into the life of any youth asking, "What's it all about?" Benjamin Braddock comes home after graduating college but not sure what to do next. He has a fellowship grant to return to school for his masters so he can go on to be a teacher, but he's disillusioned by life. Wandering aimlessly, Ben gets seduced by Mrs. Robinson and soon they are meeting discreetly in a hotel to have an affair. With Mrs. Robinson (and Mr. Robinson) being friends with his parents Ben never feels comfortable and when Mr. Robinson and Ben's dad set him up for a date with Elain Robinson, Mrs. Robinson forbids him to date her.
Ben initially meets Elaine at a seedy bar where strippers perform in the idea to get rid of her quick. But after hurting her feelings he feels remorse and wants to make it up to her. After some time spent together Ben falls in love with Elaine. Elaine then goes off to finish college and Ben follows.
Ben has finally found out "What it's all about," but by sleeping with Elaine's mother may have ruined that possible future for himself. A funny romp through love and philosophy, this production of "The Graduate" will have you laughing and thinking. Bravo, LATW.
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