Structured Rambling: Recent Episodes
Paul Sonsteby
Exploring literature and ideas. Inspired discussion on great or pertinent texts and the ideas that grow from them.
Paul FINALLY gets back to his ongoing look at the Dark Tower series by Stephen KIng.
King, Stephen. Wolves of the Calla. New York, Grant 2003.
In light of the new James Gunn Superman film, Paul looks at the best parts of on screen Superman depictions.
Williams, John. Superman. New York, Warner Bros, 1978
Paul looks at the massive 1994 novel Insomnia that Stephen King set up as connection to the Drak Tower.
Paul takes on two more of the side novels from Stephen King's Dark Tower series: The Wind Through the Keyhole and Hearts in Atlantis.
Paul talks this episode about the tragic story of Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley, and the attempts of his friends in music to save him.
Alice in Chains, "Grind," Alice in Chains. Seattle, Columbia, 1995.
Alice in Chains, "I Stay Away," Jar of Flies. Seattle, Columbia, 1994.
Alice in Chains, "Man In The Box," Facelift. Seattle, Columbia, 1990.
Alice in Chains, "Nutshell," Jar of Flies. Seattle, Columbia, 1994.
Alice in Chains, "Over Now," Unplugged. Seattle, Columbia, 1996.
Alice in Chains, "Them Bones," Dirt. Seattle, Columbia, 1993.
Alice in Chains, "What the Hell Have I," Last Action Hero Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Seattle, Columbia, 1993.
Dylan, Bob. "Ring Them Bells." Performed by Heart. Desire Walks On. USA, Capitol, 1993.
Mad Season, "All Alone," Above. Seattle, Columbia, 1995.
Mad Season, "River of Deceit," Above. Seattle, Columbia, 1995.
No, it doesn't suck. It just has some bad pacing and lame story choices. It's 65% good.
Paul tackles what is considered by many Stephen King's masterpiece.
King, Stephen. The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition. New York, Doubleday, 1990.
Paul discusses one of the most bizarre but beloved characters in all of Tolkien.
Ryelund, Morten. "Tom Bombadil's Song (I)", The Fellowship of the Ring. CDklassic, 2000.
Tolkien, Christopher. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. London, Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. London, HarperCollins, 2010.
Paul discusses why Emperor Marcus Aurelius's Meditations remains a worthwhile read almost two millennia after it was written.
Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations. (Translated by Gregory Hays). New York, Modern Library, 2002.
Paul kicks the hornet's nest and talks the good and considerable bad of Deadpool & Wolverine.
For a much nicer review, check out The Good Enough Gaming Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/good-enough-gaming-pod/id1553128355?i=1000663926773
Paul discusses the recent near-assissnation of Donald Trump but keeps that rambling structured.
Adler, Mortimer. Aristotle for Everybody. New York, Macmillan, 1978.
Paul considers what generational technology usage and the advent of AI writing will do to reading, thinking, and writing.
Vedder, Eddie. "Man of the Hour," Big Fish: Music from the Motion Picture. Seattle, Pearl Jam, 2003.
Inspired by one of his teaching lessons, Paul discusses the concept of "the better story" which forms a connection between Yann Martel's 2001 novel Life of Pi and Tim Burton's 2004 film, Big Fish.Burton, Tim. Big Fish. United States, Sony Pictures, 2003.
Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. Toronto, Vintage, 2001.
Paul continues his exploration of the Dark Tower series with this Master's Class of character building.
King, Stephen. The Drawing of the Three. New York, Plume, 2003.
Paul compares the futuristic worlds presented in two classic novels of 20th century speculative fiction: Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four.Huxley, Aldous. Brace New World. Toronto, Vintage, 2007.
Orwell, George, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Toronto, Signet, 1977.
I'm not gonna lie, I probably broke a bunch of copyrights for this episode. I'm gonna trust the boys to be cool with it.
Paul waxes retrospective.
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8864790044362597696/8064845359125547896
Sometimes we overread symbols. But there are SOME objects--water, fire, a door--that are ALWAYS symbolic.
As memory fades and current events become history, what are the specific things "kids these days" should need to know about World War 2?
Paul explores the sketchy history of the Norse landings in Newfoundland, after fulfilling a lifelong dream of visiting the site at L'anse aux Meadows last month.
This episode is dedicated to Tim and Allie.
Paul weighs in on literary fasciscm.
Thomposon, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.New York, Random House, 1971.
Don't read or watch this play if you're feeling low.
McCarthy, Cormac. The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form.New York, Dramatists Play Service, Inc., 2006.
Hey, for what it is, have a happy one.
Downie, Gord. "Fireworks" from Phantom Power.Ontario, Universal, 1998.
Paul talks about his love for the often-misunderstood and mis-appreciated genre of theatre.
After far too long of promising, Paul discusses the third volume of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.Tolkien, J.R.R. The Return of the King.London, Harper Collins, 2010.
It's amazing how Ancient Greek philosphy is still so applicable to us today, and Paul argues that none is MORE applicable still than stoicism. But, you have to jettison the weaknesses.
Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations. New York, Pengion, 2006.
Herbert, Frank. Dune.New York, Chilton, 1965.
In today's episode, Paul talks about Metallica, a band he's never going to be too proud to like, although his favourite era is often the band's most-reviled.
Paul analyzes the exceptional three seasons of The Newsroom for his favourite person.
Newman, Thomas, "The Newsroom Main Theme," Apple Music.
Paul considers the first (and as far as he's concerned ONLY) two Terminator films having watched them with new viewers.
This is the audio of a presentation Paul recently gave at Signum University's Sunshine Moot 2023 about characters from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth
Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/LUMFo-XoLHA
Works Cited
Carpenter, Humprey ed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. New York, Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. London, Harper Collins, 2010.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. London, Harper Collins, 2010.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Return of the King. London, Harper Collins, 2010.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Two Towers. London, Harper Collins, 2010.
www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english
www.oed.com
wwwtheonering.com/map-of-the-shire-j-r-r-tolkien/
What does Shakespeare really mean about "to be" and what does Hamlet learn about it, himself, and ALL OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE by the end of the most famous work in English?
Bloom, Harold. Shakeseapre: Invention of the Human. Riverhead Books: New York, 1998.
McCartney, Paul. "Let It Be." from Let It Be. Apple: London, 1970.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.Harcourt: Toronto, 2003.
In this epic walk through history and nostalgia of the superhero genre, Paul laments the fact that comic books are immune to any sort of real change, and that's a shame.
It's a little known fact that the Ents of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings were actually inspired by the author's extreme dislike of a scene in Shakespeare's Macbeth. Paul talks the prophecies of Macbeth, their influence on LOTR, and Tolkien's brief use of prophecy himself.
Carpenter, Humphrey, Ed. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. London: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.Polanski, Roman. Macbeth. UK/USA: Playboy Productions and and Caliban Films, 1971.Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. The Riverside Shakespeare. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. Tolkien, J. R. R. The Return of the King. London: Harper Collins, 2010.
In this episode, Paul looks at the most Tarantino-style director of them all: Quentin Tarantino.
Paul rates all of his movies from least best to best!
Paul looks at a specific allegorical novel that continues to have meaning.
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. London: Martin Secker and Warburg, Ltd, 1945.
Paul talks about the most significant books, films, shows, and albums he encountered in the year that was 2022.
Here's a link to the whole list:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8864790044362597696/73039281794381240
By request, Paul talks about the Tolkien book that most people don't finish, which is funny because it's about 700 pages shorter than his best one.
Tolkein, J.R.R. The Silmarillion. Christopher Tolkien, ed. Houghton Mifflin: London, 1977.
Paul discusses the 2022 film Prey, the umpteenth sequel to 1987's Predator, and the only one that's not bad,
Trachtenburg, Dave. Prey.USA: 20th Century Studios, 2022.
Paul discusses the life and times of that one and only Warrior Philosopher King Alexander the Great, and we consider how having a good edcation can propel you.
Savill, Agnes. Alexander the Great and His Times. London: Rockliffe, 1956.
Hamlet is much bigger and better than it was supposed to be, so it's only natural that its existential death satire (if that's a genre) is too. Paul talks Tom Stoppard's brilliant 1966 play Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Toronto: Thompson and Nelson, 2003.
Stoppard, Tom. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.New York: Grove Press, 1967.
Paul is joined by returning guests Fynn and Coen to discuss the Rings of Power TV series.
McKay, Patrick and J. D. Payne. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.NZ and UK: Amazon Studios and New Line Cinema, 2022.
Paul talks about speculative fiction, and how some of its best writers proved that their escapism is more real than many of the best writing reality. Apologies to Cormac McCarthy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy
Shippey, Tom. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. London: HarperCollins, 2001.
Paul discusses the reinterest in Norse Faith around the world, and how--what a shock!--it has all the same issues as every other religion out there.
McIntosh, Christopher. Beyond the North Wind. Newburyport: Weiser. 2019.
Sturlusson, Snorri. The Poetic Edda.
Paul discusses the complex source of The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power in anticipation of the forthcoming Amazon series.
Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977), Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
Paul talks about being a feminist and how it's impossible to be a good one if you have a Y chromosome. Also, books.
Brust, Stephen. Jhereg. Ace: USA, 1983.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. The Riverside Shakespeare. Houghton Mufflin: New York, 1996. King Lear. The Riverside Shakespeare. Houghton Mufflin: New York, 1996. Macbeth. The Riverside Shakespeare. Houghton Mufflin: New York, 1996. Merchant of Venice. The Riverside Shakespeare. Houghton Mufflin: New York, 1996.
Perez, Caroline Criado. Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed For Men. Abrams: New York, 2019
The audio was wrong on the first one. Use this one!
Hey, man, Paul's gonna look at, like, the book that kicked off the whole Beat Generation groove and made Jim Morrisson realize that, like, any cat can spout nonsense and call it poetry. Dig it!
Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. Viking: New York, 1957.
Paul reviews a movie he really wanted to see: The Northman! Can it possibly live up to the hype?
Eggers, Robert. The Northman.USA: Universal, 2022
In a world divided, shocked by murdered black people and murdered elementary students, Paul implores us to see the message from the greatest unifier in all of literature: Atticus Finch.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird.New York: Hatchett, 1960.
Paul talks Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize winner The Road,and how this grim, horrifying book still has a touch of love and hope.
McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. New York, Vintage: 2006.
Thos who like him, like him a lot!
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit.London: Harper Collins, 2010.
Paul discusses the history of the adoption of the Maple Leaf, its history and the replacement of the Red Ensign, and why he's flying the latter in his yard these days.
Inspired by current events, Paul wonders if the writers who knew war really needed war to create. He asks the age-old question: "War--unh--good God, y'all--what is it good for?" Spoiler: the answer is "Absolutely nuthin'!"
Lennon, John and Yoko Ono. "Give Peace a Chance." Give Peace a Chance/Remember Love Single. Apple: UK, 1969.
Starr, Edwin. "War." from War & Peace.Motown: USA, 1970.
Paul cracks open just how horrifying the abuse of English is in that double plus good dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.
Orwell, George. 1984. Toronto: Signet Classics, 1977.
Rage Against the Machine. "Testify." The Battle of Los Angeles. USA: Epic, 1999.
What do you get when you give a bunch of tweens an island to themsleves? Chaos and mayhem! And parallels to our own times.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies.London: Faber and Faber, 1988.
Paul talks about some of his favourite recent live-action superhero shows, including the Netflix Defenders, the Disney+ shows, and HBO Max's Titans.
Paul picks apart the abuse of the elements in this 1977 Governor General Award Winner.
Findley, Timothy. The Wars.Toronto: Penguin, 1977.
The first episode of 2022 has been--like everything these days--delayed due to COVID. Paul talks about his favourite films, TV shows, albums, and--of course!--books of 2021.
Find the entire list here:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8864790044362597696/898794928096278104
Paul talks about a perfect novel, a work of art, and a book that shows us through its folksy meanderings and mountains of injustice what people really are, and what they really should be.
Springsteen, Bruce. "The Ghost of Tom Joad," from The Ghost of Tom Joad. USA: Columbia, 1995.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006.
In a comedown from the Hallowe'en season, Paul explores the roots of great Victorian horror and its ability to play upon our most basic fears despite all of our modern comforts. This rambling episode sees references to Dracula by Bram Stoker, The Wolfman(2010) by Joe Johnston, Dr, Jekyl and Mr. Hyde and The Inivisible Man.
Paul's favourite novel EVER is Frank Herbert's 1965 science-fiction masterwork, Dune. Visionary CanuckDenis Villeneuveadapted about the first half of the book into a blockbuster. Paul saw it. Paul talks about it.
Villeneuve, Denis. Dune.Legendary Pictures: USA, 2021.
Paul looks at the under-appreciated but undefinable historical Viking fiction novel Eaters of the Dead which was written as an adaptation of Beowulf. Paul also briefly discusses the pretty darn good film adaptation with the far superior title: The 13th Warrior.
Crichton, Michael. Eaters of the Dead. New York: Ballantine, 1992.
McTiernan, John. The 13th Warrior. USA: Touchstone Pictures, 1999.
Paul looks at the first three seasons of the fine HBO anthology series True Detective, created by by Nic Pizzolatto. S'a good show.
In honour of Sept 30's National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Paul takes a brief look at some texts related to this topic, and the bad Westerners have done reflected in literature.
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness & Tales of Unrest. London: Arcturus, 2010.
Coppola, Francis Ford. Apocalypse Now. USA: United Artists, 1979.
Waxing nostalgic about Grade 9 and Mr. Ed Maloney, Paul analyzes John Steinbeck's masterful little novella, The Pearl.
Steinbeck, John. The Pearl .Toronto, Bantam, 1986.
Paul talks about one of the greatest writers in the world, pondering why someone so talented, prolific and diverse still can't shake being viewed as a genre writer. Paul breaks down several of his favourite King books, with promises to return to this great man's work in future podcasts.
King, Stephen. 11/22/63. Scribner, 2011, USA.
""The Dark Tower. Grant Books, 2004, New York. ""The Eyes of the Dragon. Viking, 1984, USA.
""Misery. Signet, 1988, Scarborough. ""On Writing. Scribner, 1999, New York.
""The Stand. Doubleday, 1990, New YorkPetty, Tom. "It's Good to Be King," Wildflowers,Warner Brothers, 1994, USA.Presley, Elvis. "A Little Less Conversation" (JXL Radio Edit Remix), ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits, RCA, 2002, USA/
How many times can Paul say "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" in a single podcast? Lots! But, strangely, fewer times than he references that "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)."
The Four Lads. "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)." Canada: Columbia, 1953.
Gibbon, Edward. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. London: Strahan & Cadell, 1777.
They Might Be Giants. "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" from Flood.USA: Elektra, 1990.
Paul used to spend three weeks in July in the town of Drumheller teaching theatre and that always made him nostalgic for Jerusalem, a city he's never been to.
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. "Hava Nagilia (Christmas Arrangement)" from Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah. USA: Fat Wreck Chords, 2004.
Scott, Ridley. Kingdom of Heaven. USA and UK: 20th Century Fox, 2005.
SPECIAL SUMMER BONUS!
Paul discusses Judaism in literature, specifically three texts--one of which is the Old Testament. So there's that.
Ambrose and His Orchestra, "A Selection of Hebrew Dances," from 100 Traditional Yiddish, Hebrew, & Jewish Folk Classics. Worldwide, 2010.
The bible.
Jacobs, A.J. The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2007.Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. "Hava Nagila," from RuinJonny's Bar Mitzvah. Fat Wreck Chords, 2004.
Michener, James A. The Source. New York: Random House, 1965.
A discussion on that elusive effect a writer can have when casting the dream in our mind.
Dream Theater. "Scene One: Regression" and "Scene Two: I. Overture 1928." Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory. USA: Elektra, 1999.
Fitzgerald, Ella and Louis Armstrong. "Dream a Little Dream of Me." Ella and Louis (Original Album Plus Bonus Tracks). USA: Polygram, 1989.
Gardner, John. The Art of Fiction. Toronto: Random House, 1991.
Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979.
King, Stephen. Misery. New York: Viking, 1987.
Puzo, Mario. The Godfather. New York: J.P. Putnam's Sons, 1994.
Steinbeck, John. East of Eden. New York: The Viking Press, 1999.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. London: Harper Collins, 2010.
On this 2021 Canada Day, Paul updates and celebrates the state of his podcast and updates, celebrates, and laments the state of his nation.
The Arrogant Worms. "We Are the Beaver." Idiot Road.Canada: Arrogant Worms Records, 2001.
Big Sugar. "O Canada." Brothers and Sisters, Are You Ready?Canada: Universal, 2001.
Paul tackles the granddaddy of Norse Sagas with the story of Sigurd the Dragon-slayer, role of Odin and the lovely Brunhild; Attila the Hun drops in, and there's also the discussion of this saga's adaptation by Richard Wagner, and it's lamentable appropriation by the Nazis.
Byock, Jesse L. (Translator). The Saga of the Volsungs. Berkley: U. Of California Press, 1990.
Jones, Chuck. What's Opera, Doc?USA: Warner Bros. Cartoons, 1957.
Tarantino, Quentin. Django Unchained. USA: Columbia Pictures, 2012.
Wagner, Richard. Die Walkure.1870.
Have you noticed that no popular hero gets to retire or just ride off into the sunset? Sure, because Harrison Ford needs to make bank, but it seems indicative of an overall problem of not letting people just be old.
The Presidents of the United States America. "Back Porch." The Presidents of the United States of America.PopLlama/Columbia, 1995.
Young, Neil. "Old Man." Harvest.Reprise, 1972.
I spent like fifteen minutes thinking up an episode title and that's the best I came up with. But this is a great episode about the second volume of the Lord of the Rings.Faith No More. "Epic" from The Real Thing. Slash,1990. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Two Towers. London: Harper Collins, 2010.Torrini, Emiliana. "Gollum's Song" from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Reprise, 2006.
There's been a lot of hullabaloo and even a fair amount of ballyhoo about this Snyder Cut JLA movie shenanigan. It was mostly a McGuffin, I figure. But why, why is it so hard to make this thing better? Because at it's heart, the Snyder-verse is a flawed creation.
Paul discusses the Man of Steele, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (a movie that's actually worse than its horrid title), the Whedon Justice League, and the four hour Snyder (not so) Cut
Snyder, Zack. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Warner Bros, 2016
Snyder, Zack. Justice League. Warner Bros, 2017
Snyder, Zack. Man of Steel. Warner Bros, 2013
Snyder, Zack. Zack Snyder's Justice League. Warner Bros, HBO Max 2021
"Is She With You?" composed by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL
"Superman Theme" composed by John Williams
Batman is the most popular super hero in existence, but his depiction as the grim, humourless Dark Knight hasn't been the whole story of his 82-year history. In this episode, Paul explores the critical period from 1986-1989 that completely redefined the character through four texts.
Miller, Frank. The Dark Knight Returns. DC Comics: New York, 1986.
Moore, Alan and Brian Bolland. Batman: The Killing Joke. DC Comics: New York, 1988.
Morrison, Grant and Dave McKean. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth. DC Comics: New York, 1989.
Starlin, Jim and Jim Aparo. Batman: A Death in the Family. DC Comics: New York, 1988.
Batman theme (1989 and 1992) composed by Danny Elfman.
I'm just kidding with that title, but it's pretty clear that the majority of people who have encountered the Godfather in the past forty years have encountered it as a film first. I finally sat down to read the novel and compare it to the two fine films.
Coppola, Francis Ford. The Godfather. Paramount Pictures: USA, 1972.
Coppola, Francis Ford, The Godfather Part II. Paramount Pictures: USA, 1974.
Puzo, Mario. The Godfather. Signet: New York, 1999.
"The Godfather Waltz" composed by Nino Rota
In films and novels, writers often write the hero as someone like themselves. In this Rambling episode, Paul looks at a few writers who are heroes. Sometimes they're the Hemingway type--an action hero with a typewriter, but usually they're just a regular person caught up in events.
Viking Stuff! (well, Anglo-Saxon stuff)
The starting place of English literature. An epic poem difficult to translate and even harder to adapt.
Paul Talks Beowulf. The poem, it's themes, its characters and monsters, its influence. As well, Paul discusses some noteworthy (not always good!) film and novel versions.
Donaldson, E. Talbot. Beowulf: A New Prose Translation. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1966.
Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000.
Tolkien, J.R.R. Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary. London, Harper Collins, 2014.
(It's a happy coincidence that this episode is being released on MLK Jr. Day in the US!)
To Kill a Mockingbird is Harper Lee's 1960 masterpiece and has remained noteworthy and controversial for its entire history. It's never been out of print, is taught in schools across North America, and in Paul's opinion is one of the books everyone must read.
Its heroes and villains are simple to see and understand, its themes clear. And yet, because it is told from the point of view of Scout Finch, a young girl, there is still so much that is unexplained and implied.
In this episode, Paul looks at how the motif of light in darkness is used in several key scenes and in relation to some of the key characters, including Scout, Atticus, Jem, and of course Boo Radley.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central, 1982.
Paul talks about some of his favourite reads of the past year, as well as some of the most significant albums he heard.
A walk through a troubling year with a back and forth between books and music.
You can view the full Booklist here:
https://vikingpaul.blogspot.com/2021/01/booklist-2020.html
Paul discusses four (+ 1 bonus) of the most successful pure science fiction films of the past decade and what each of them sprang from and means.
Gravity by Alfonso Cuaron
Interstellar by Chirstopher Nolan
Arrival by Denis Villeneuve
Ad Astra by James Gray
(and special bonus The Midnight Sky by George Clooney)
In John Steinbeck's Great Depression novel Of Mice and Men, Chapter 4 is dedicated to the interaction of four marginalized characters: a man-child with superhuman strength, an old man with one hand, a black man with a crooked spine, and a woman in an unhappy marriage. This episode is a microcosm of the book's overall themes.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men.New York: Penguin, 1993.
Not exactly as ambitious as it sounds, but Paul talks about the importance of the bible generally as a text, and how it's often hard for non-believers to get around the whole matter of faith thing. Discussion about the contradictory interpretation of both Testaments together occurs as well.
The inspiration for this comes in the form of a reference Paul makes to the book The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs, recommended by Paul's good friend Carley. Thanks Carley.
Jacobs, A.J. The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2007
In honour of Remembrance Day, Paul looks at some of the philosophical passages in the great World War 1 novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque.
Remarque, Erich Marie. All Quiet on the Western Front.Toronto: Balantine Books, 1982
"In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae, read by Leonard Cohen. Courtesy Legion Magazine's YouTube channel.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is a great book and a nerd's delight, but the first two books of it--which comprise Fellowship--really are a sequel that shouldn't have worked. A short children's fantasy gets followed by a thousand pages that essentially retcons your memories and makes them something else.
As a sequel to The Hobbit, Fellowship is a mess. Fortunately, it was so much more than just a sequel.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring.London: Harper Collins. 2010.
Paul--an agnostic at best--talks the importance of writing the faithful honestly and credibly in fiction, especially in a world that looks down upon faith.
Paul's first true step into the deep and muddy pool of historical fiction. He reads Robert Grave's masterpiece I, Claudius, a book about those crazy Roman emperors and the women who killed them, plus the little boys who killed them. Depravity! Politics! Statecraft! And asides to talk about possessive apostrophe usage!
Why do we read Shakespeare? Why does a poet and dramatist from London 400 years ago still play such and important part in our life? Answer: because we have to have the best.
Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead Books, 1999.
Branagh, Kenneth. Hamlet.USA/UK: Columbia Pictures, 1996
McTiernan, John. Last Action Hero.USA: Columbia Pictures, 1993.
Shakespears Sister. "Stay." Hormonally Yours. London: London Records, 1992.
Discussing the greatest comic book ever and one of the greatest novels of the 20th Century: Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Why is this such a great book? Why does it stick around despite being such a product of the mid-80s Cold War? It's been adapted (semi-successfully) as a film and sequeled (semi-bizarrely) as an HBO series, but it remains a comic book's comic book, and a work of art.
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, DC Comics 2005
"Boneyard Tree" by The Watchmen. In the Trees, MCA Records 1994.
Paul discusses what IS home and how characters can go home again, in a sense.
"Hell Broke Luce" by Tom Waits
"The Hero with a Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell (incorrectly referred to as "The Hero's Journey" in the podcast but Paul is too lazy to fix it)
"Home For a Rest" by Spirit of the West
Delving into one of Paul's favorite earths: Middle!
Texts:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit by Corey Olsen
The Annotated Hobbit by Douglas A. Anderson.
Discussing the major ideas in Plato's dialogues, especially his major work The Republic. What was this Socrates' guy's deal, anyway? Exploring the foundations of Western Civilization.
Animals! Religions! Survival!
Hyenas! Zebras! Tigers! Oh, my!
And in a book about what we're willing to believe, would you believe the Easter Egg about the crossover with the Amazing Spider-Man?
Paul discusses what's great about Star Wars and where it all went wrong. (HINT: It's the mouse's fault!)
Star Wars Theme by John Williams
Imperial March by John Williams
There are different ways to read a book, but to truly analyze a text, you need to have an approach.
Paul analyzes The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald using the three levels of inquiry from The Well-Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. This is a twist on the agent Greek Trivium.
How do we read, think, and talk about a book? Like this.
Structured Rambling:
Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/podcasts/920605/website?podcast_id=920605
Instagram: structured_rambling_podcast
Facebook: @structuredrambling
Paul discusses movies and books using the news to tell a story. The Post, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Citizen Kane--that's right, Citizen Fah-reakin' Kane--The Newsroom and more.
Paul chats about creative ideas, and especially, the three most un-creative ideas in his infamous VVZ rule. Special pandemic episode!
In an ambitious single-episode, Paul discusses both the Iliad and the Odyssey,focusing on the characters, the themes, why they're timeless and why we have to look at them as products of their times. As well, he expresses concerns over their modern over-internalizing in masculine circles.
Last November, famed director Martin Scorsese penned an article in the New York Times attacking the cinematic virtues of the MCU and similar franchises. In this episode, Paul attempts to defend the merits of the films, their source material, and touches on everything from comics to myth to Star Wars.
In the series opening, Paul discusses his intentions for the podcast and then proceeds to look at Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Talein honour if International Women's Day.