Structured Rambling

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. 

August's second august guest Coen is here to discuss the works of Dav Pilkey.

Reader Fynn discusses the fine comedy/fantasy series Bone by Jeff Smith. 

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...

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 & C...

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 a...

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.  Gardn...

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....

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."  Harves...

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 ....

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 titl...

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...

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:...

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...

Paul freakin' finished War and Peace!

(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 sim...

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 B...

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...