IdyllopusPress Presents

You Want to Hear Me Flub, Right?

Update on the notion of podcasting some readings of “Unending Wonders of a Subatomic World or In Search of the Great Penguin”.

I’ve got a nice mic here and preamp that I’m borrowing from Marty. Makes things sound so much better (though tinny was good for the animations). And I’m trying to get used to reading on mic. Though I told myself I’d do otherwise, I am stopping whenever I flub and reading over again. Which I need to put an end to. I need to just read and flail on through blunders.

Shouldn’t I?

A podium would be good. It’s difficult to do this seated at my desk. I feel cramped. I want to feel free to gesticulate, sigh, harumph, cough, sip water, swill coffee, stamp feet, and modulate.

Somewhere along the way I’ll find a happy medium?

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Juli Kearns

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2 responses to “You Want to Hear Me Flub, Right?”

  1. Jim McCulloch Avatar
    Jim McCulloch

    This may or may not help, and is actually irrelevant to your project of doing a reading. But not to the idea of continuing on if you screw up.

    My father-in-law Tom Sutherland was an accomplished raconteur, like many educated southerners of his generation. His family stories were very entertaining, and masterful in organization, cadence, intonation, and suspenseful turns of events. These stories were also in some cases at least partially true. He seemed to have a map of these stories in his head, and worked by instinct.

    Kay got the idea of videotaping her father telling stories. A friend of hers was a professional videographer and agreed to do the videotapes.

    Tom agreed. He sat down in front of the camera. Cleared his throat. Unfortunately, however, it seems that with the lead time he had been given he had actually rehearsed what he was going to say. So he began and sounded like he was reading a script, badly. He got a few sentences into it and said “no, wait.” He didn’t like the story as he had been telling it. (His ear was not failing him, only his new method.) So he started again. And then again. And again. It was a catastrophe. He never finished the story.

    Kay’s friend erased the tapes.

    Reply
  2. Idyllopus Avatar
    Idyllopus

    That’s too bad about Tom. It’s like bands who perform great live but lose energy and spontaneity in the studio. Some never get over this…some do.

    Reply

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