Here’s my first podcast: a reading of John Milton’s lyric L’Allegro (“the cheerful man”). I knew my first podcast had to be poetry, and I thought it ought to be Milton, and though it’s long (about eight minutes, and 3.7MB) and I’m sure I could do better after another ten takes or so, a pilot is a pilot and it’s time to stop apologizing and get on with it.
I figure my podcasts, like my blogs, will be all over the map. I’m aiming them at the segment of the market that self-identifies as “tolerant.” If Milton ain’t your bag, stay tuned: the next one is likely to be completely different.
Thanks to Rob Wall for checking in with encouragement and a timely WordPress mod in his comment on the preceding blog.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()
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Great to see the hack worked. Keep it coming – I’ll be tuned in!
Gardner: Thanks so much for…
a) a fine reading. Usually I listen to podcasts while clicking around other links — listening with half a mind, at best. For this, I closed my eyes and just let the lyric wash over me, lingering lightly over the bits that stood out. More like a musical experience than a literary one, but still it’s a rare dose of poetry at work — a fine tonic to my day…
b) doing something with your podcast besides talking about the hot tech stories of the day. There’s nothing wrong with that approach, but as you demonstrate there’s so much more that this medium might support.
c) for suggesting that more is to come. And please do wander all over the map.
Hi Gardner,
Is your recording of L’Allegro still available? I’d love to hear it! -Carl
@Carl Thanks very much for asking! I didn’t know the link was broken. (I had broken it, but not on purpose.) Everything’s working now. I hope you enjoy the reading.
It’s eerie to hear myself from 16 1/2 years ago. A great deal has happened since then.