“ComeÂdiÂan, actor and satirist Chris Elliott has made a career of blurÂring truth and absurÂdiÂty. Elliott wrote and perÂformed for Late Night With David LetÂterÂman, and went on to perÂform in othÂer teleÂviÂsion proÂgrams, includÂing SatÂurÂday Night Live.” Here he is in conÂverÂsaÂtion with writer Dave Eggers (A HeartÂbreakÂing Work of StagÂgerÂing Genius). The video is courÂtesy of Fora.TV, and you can watch it here.
Jonathan Franzen Reads
In a quick three minÂutes, you can watch the someÂtimes cocky author of The CorÂrecÂtions read from an essay on bird watchÂing, courÂtesy of BigThink.com, where you can also find more videos with intelÂlecÂtuÂal heft.
For more thoughtÂful video, also see our YouTube playlist and the relatÂed colÂlecÂtion: IntelÂliÂgent Life at YouTube: 70 EduÂcaÂtionÂal Video ColÂlecÂtions.
George Orwell’s 1984: Download Free Audio Book Version
I first postÂed this one durÂing the dead of sumÂmer, so it seemed worth revisÂitÂing this now that we’re all a bit more focused .…
Over at the InterÂnet Archive, you can find George Orwell’s clasÂsic, 1984, availÂable as a free audio book. As you’ll see, the recordÂing is proÂfesÂsionÂalÂly done. You can downÂload the full zip file here. Or alterÂnaÂtiveÂly you can get the indiÂvidÂual mp3 files, or stream them, from this page. On a more perÂmaÂnent basis, you can find Orwell’s 1949 work housed in our Free Audio Book ColÂlecÂtion along with lots of othÂer free texts. Or see it on our list of Life ChangÂing Books.
New Fiction in Five Parts
This post is a twofer. First, I get to tell you about FiveChapters.com, a web site that posts new ficÂtion in kind of a novÂel way. Almost a throwÂback to the 19th cenÂtuÂry, FiveChapÂters pubÂlishÂes short ficÂtion in serÂiÂal forÂmat. Each week, they present a stoÂry in five parts, and you can folÂlow along as the week unfolds. Now (and here’s the secÂond part), let me menÂtion that FiveChapÂters showÂcased last week a stoÂry from Scott Hutchins, a good writer and colÂleague of mine. It’s called $30,000. Here it goes.
Animated Poetry by US Poet Laureate
BilÂly Collins, forÂmer US Poet LauÂreÂate and one of AmerÂiÂca’s best-sellÂing poets, reads his poem “The Dead” with aniÂmaÂtion by Juan DelÂcan of SponÂtaÂneous. Take it away:
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
AniÂmatÂed VerÂsion of Howard Zinn’s HisÂtoÂry of the AmerÂiÂcan Empire
An AniÂmatÂed HisÂtoÂry of Evil
The StoÂry of Stuff in 20 AniÂmatÂed MinÂutes
AniÂmatÂed New YorkÂer CarÂtoons: A FunÂny Twist on Einstein’s RelÂaÂtivÂiÂty
The 50 Greatest Arts Videos on YouTube
One of our British readÂers turned us on to this post by the Guardian, notÂing that they took a page from our genÂerÂal playÂbook. The post feaÂtures 50 of the best YouTube clips from across the arts, some of which we’ve feaÂtured here in the past. Among the videos, you’ll find vinÂtage perÂforÂmances by John Coltrane and BilÂlie HolÂiÂday, readÂings by Jack KerÂouac, an interÂview with Eugène Ionesco, clips of NirÂvana rehearsÂing in a garage, Vladimir Nabokov talkÂing about LoliÂta, JackÂson PolÂlock dripÂping paint outÂside his home, and MarÂlon BranÂdo doing a screen test for Rebel WithÂout a Cause. We have postÂed the BranÂdo clip below. There are some defÂiÂnite gems here. Now dive in. And don’t forÂget to work through our YouTube playlist and our piece 70 Signs of IntelÂliÂgent Life at YouTube, where you’ll find enrichÂing video colÂlecÂtions.
Thanks Stephen for the tip. And readÂers, keep the good recÂomÂmenÂdaÂtions comÂing!
Archaeologists Uncover Shakespeare’s First Theater
The BBC reports: “An archaeÂoÂlogÂiÂcal dig has recovÂered what is thought to be the remains of the theÂatre where ShakeÂspeare’s plays were first perÂformed.” Get the rest of the big stoÂry here.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
Ten DisÂcovÂerÂies That Rewrote HisÂtoÂry
John Gielgud’s Hamlet
Here we have John GielÂgud’s first recordÂing of a scene from HamÂlet, “recordÂed shortÂly after he became the youngest actor to take the lead in the play, in the 1929/30 Old Vic seaÂson.” It’s the audio that you will want to focus on here, not the video, even though there’s someÂthing a litÂtle amusÂing about the whole idea of watchÂing an old record turn on YouTube. How quaint.
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