A look back at pop culture from the 70's, 80's, and 90's
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Sebastian Michael, author of The Sonneteer and several other plays and books, looks at each of William Shakespeare's 154 Sonnets in the originally published sequence, giving detailed explanations and looking out for what the words themselves tell us about the great poet and playwright, about the Fair Youth and the Dark Lady, and about their complex and fascinating relationships. Podcast transcripts, the sonnets, contact details and full info at https://www.sonnetcast.com
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Dive into the heart of fantasy and life with Adam the host the of the Mostly Epic Fantasy podcast. This podcast blends personal anecdotes with the magic of reading, exploring how fantasy novels have marked the milestones of Adam's journey from youth to adulthood. Beyond the tales of magical lands, Adam shares the triumphs, challenges, and simple joys that have shaped his life, offering a candid look at why these stories resonate so deeply. Through reflections on nostalgia and the significanc ...
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Chris Slade (The Firm, AC/DC, Chris Slade Timelime)
1:27:03
1:27:03
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Noel catches up with Chris Slade, one of the prominent drummers in rock. Chris first toured the world with Tom Jones and was part of Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1971-1978. He was a member of the supergroup, The Firm, that featured Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers. Chris's biggest exposure came when he joined AC/DC in 1989 and played on The Razors Edg…
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Sonnet 97: How Like a Winter Hath My Absence Been
25:38
25:38
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Sonnet 97 ushers in a new phase in the relationship between William Shakespeare and his young lover, which, following the upheaval, anguish, doubt, and direct criticism of the young man contained in the group that immediately precedes it, comes across as a series of almost serene reflections first, once again, on a period of separation in this sonn…
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Special Guest: Professor Abigail Rokison-Woodall – Speaking Shakespeare
51:48
51:48
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In this special episode, Abigail Rokison-Woodall, Deputy Director (Education) and Associate Professor in Shakespeare and Theatre at The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, UK, talks to Sebastian Michael about the challenges – and joys – of speaking verse in general and Shakespearean verse in particular: how do we do his language justic…
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Read Along With Me - 1st Quarter Review - Empire of the Damned
6:41
6:41
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In this episode I review the first quarter of Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff. I will review each quarter of the book so we can all keep up and enjoy the book as we go. Catch up quickly if you can! I'm loving it so far. Find me: facebook.com/mostlyepicfantasy To support: patreon.com/mostlyepicfantasy…
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Blake Lindsley (Swingers, Starship Troopers)
39:44
39:44
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Noel catches up with Blake Lindsley. The actress played "the girl with the cigar" in "Swingers". Blake talks about improvising in the role. She played Katrina in "Starship Troopers." Blake discusses her death scene and the infamous shower scene. Blake mentions which '90's classic she just missed out on. She has guest starred on many popular televis…
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Sonnet 96: Some Say Thy Fault Is Youth, Some Wantonness
26:09
26:09
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With Sonnet 96 William Shakespeare concludes the extraordinary group of sonnets that deal with his young lover's infidelity. Easing off on the harsh criticism of the young man's behaviour voiced in Sonnet 95, he here brings in a new conciliatory tone which acknowledges that the young man's powers of attracting other people are great and that he cou…
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Sonnet 95: How Sweet and Lovely Dost Thou Make the Shame
27:04
27:04
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With his astoundingly forthright Sonnet 95, William Shakespeare admonishes his young lover in the most uncompromising terms yet, and he rounds off his salvo with another stern warning that even someone as privileged and exalted as he can go too far. It forms the culmination of a progression in tone and stance that has been underway since Sonnet 87,…
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Geri Jewell (The Facts of Life, Deadwood)
40:43
40:43
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Noel catches up with Geri Jewell. The author, actor and comedian is out with her new book, Geri's Jewels & Gems, it is a collection of Geri Jewell's columns she wrote for Ability Magazine over six years, as well as fun photos from Geri's life that she chose herself. Geri is best known for portraying Cousin Geri on The Facts of LIfe. She was the fir…
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Sonnet 94: They That Have Power to Hurt and Will Do None
26:27
26:27
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With Sonnet 94, William Shakespeare takes a step back from his discourse in poetry, addressed directly to his young lover, and reflects more broadly and apparently abstractly on a quality of mercy that ought not to be strained. The sonnet makes two at first glance almost separate observations, devoting the first eight lines – the octave – to an eth…
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G’day, Epics! Adam here, welcoming you back to Mostly Epic Fantasy. In this episode, I share wild childhood memories with my chaotic and courageous mate Chris. These memories set the stage for exploring a dark and complex vampire novel that captivated me recently. I’ll dive into how Anne Rice’s vampire novels changed my reading habits and reflect o…
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Sonnet 93: So Shall I Live, Supposing Thou Art True
24:29
24:29
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Sonnet 93 is the third of three sonnets that pivot William Shakespeare's stance towards his young lover from one of pure praise and adulation to one that not just questions his conduct and character, but begins to actively admonish him. It picks up directly from the closing couplet of Sonnet 92 and imagines a situation in which the young man is unf…
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Noel catches up with Sam McMurray again. The actor played Glen in Raising Arizona. He shares a great story about having lunch with Nicolas Cage at a Denny's. He had a role in the cult classic, C.H.U.D., and played Roy, Earl Sinclair's best friend, on Dinosaurs. Sam had memorable guest-starring roles on The Golden Girls, Miami Vice, Breaking Bad and…
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Sonnet 92: But Do Thy Worst to Steal Thyself Away
25:30
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Sonnet 92 continues from Sonnet 91 and sets out a compelling – if perhaps strictly speaking somewhat sophistic – argument why the young man may, as the previous sonnet in its closing couplet considered to be a distinct possibility, leave Shakespeare whenever he feels like it, but without in doing so actually making him, Shakespeare, most wretched a…
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Sonnet 91: Some Glory in Their Birth, Some in Their Skill
27:32
27:32
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With Sonnet 91, William Shakespeare reclaims his place in the young man's favour, and for the first time in a while – in the published sequence since the group that contains Sonnets 71 to 76 – speaks primarily of how the young man's love privileges him, Shakespeare, above all else. It is for the most part a return to a happier, more confident, more…
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Noel catches up with John Ford Coley. John is best known as half of the Grammy nominated duo, England Dan and John Ford Coley. They released the Yacht Rock masterpiece, "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight," in 1976. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks and topped the East Listening charts. Other hits include “Love Is The …
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Sonnet 90: Then Hate Me When Thou Wilt, if Ever, Now
22:17
22:17
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Sonnet 90 is the third of three poems that form a 'group within a group', purporting to accept, even support, any decision the young man may wish to take to leave his poet lover, for whatever reason he deems justified. Its principal message is straightforward: if you are going to leave me, then do it now, while everything else is going against me a…
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Sonnet 89: Say That Thou Didst Forsake Me for Some Fault
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Sonnet 89 continues the line of argumentation set up with Sonnet 88 and expounds on the steps William Shakespeare is willing to take to demonstrate to his young man how fully he is prepared to subject himself to his will and to accept a termination of the relationship as perfectly within the young man's rights. In spelling out the things that Shake…
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Dean Butler (Little House on the Prairie)
1:28:44
1:28:44
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Noel catches up with Dean Butler, who just released his memoir, ‘Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond.’ Dean played Amanzo Wilder on Little House on the Prairie. Dean talks about the controversial first kiss with future TV wife, Melissa Gilbert, who was eight years younger than the 23-year-old actor. Dean discusses the legacy of Little House,…
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Sonnet 88: When Thou Shalt Be Disposed to Set Me Light
22:08
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Having bid his lover farewell in Sonnet 87 and effectively conceded that this young man is out of his league, starting with Sonnet 88, and stretching over the next two poems, Shakespeare sets the ground for a spirited fightback that will materialise properly in Sonnets 91 to 96. In its tone and its stance Sonnet 88 seems submissive, even self-debas…
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Sonnet 87: Farewell, Thou Art Too Dear for My Possessing
24:09
24:09
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With its complete change in tone, Sonnet 87 ushers in a new and decidedly different phase in the relationship between William Shakespeare and his young lover. The sonnet draws on the vocabulary of law, ownership, and finance and in these largely factual terms Shakespeare appears to concede that the young man is simply out of his league: it is the m…
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Andres del Castillo of Eight Seconds
1:07:24
1:07:24
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Noel catches up with Andres del Castillo, who was the lead singer of the Canadian band, Eight Seconds. The synthpop/progressive rock group is best known for their 1986 hit, "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous)." It reached #14 overall in the Canadian charts, #1 in Quebec, and #72 in the United States. The band toured with Wang Chung in support of their …
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Special Guest: Professor Gabriel Egan – Computational Approaches to the Study of Shakespeare
1:20:23
1:20:23
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In this special episode, Gabriel Egan, Professor of Shakespeare Studies and Director of the Centre for Textual Studies at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, talks to Sebastian Michael about computational approaches to the study of Renaissance literature in general and to Shakespeare's works in particular: what are the methodologies employed a…
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Much has been written and said, speculated and surmised about the Rival Poet in William Shakespeare’s Sonnets, with hypotheses ranging from the idea that there was no ‘rival poet’ and that Shakespeare essentially made up this figure, through the notion that there was perhaps a rival or possibly several rivals but that Shakespeare is not writing abo…
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Noel catches up with Sam McMurray. The actor has had a long and distinguished career. The New York native was a regular on The Tracey Ullman Show, played a recurring role as Chandler's boss on Friends, and is noted for being the first-ever guest star on The Simpsons. He also had a memorable guest-starring spot on The Sopranos playing Uncle Junior's…
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Sonnet 86: Was it the Proud Full Sail of His Great Verse
29:42
29:42
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Sonnet 86 is the last of the Rival Poet group of sonnets, and it gives a final reason why William Shakespeare has, as he himself put it in Sonnet 85, become tongue-tied and been unable to express himself adequately in his praise of the young lover. Together with Sonnet 80 it bookends the group-within-a-group consisting of Sonnets 82 to 85 which tog…
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Noel catches up with Tracy Bonham. The Grammy nominated singer is out with her new single, Damn the Sky (for being too wide). A new album is in the works as well. Tracy discusses the inspiration for the song. She came on to the scene with her number one hit “Mother, Mother.” It was the last time a female solo artist top the modern Rock tracks chart…
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Sonnet 85: My Tongue-Tied Muse in Manners Holds Her Still
29:13
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With Sonnet 85, William Shakespeare concludes the group-within-a-group of four sonnets that concern themselves with his own defence against the charge – evidently levied by his young lover – that his poetry is lacking in lavish expressions of praise and that 'imputes', as Shakespeare himself calls it in Sonnet 83, his silence, or, as it should more…
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Lindsay Crouse (Slap Shot, The Verdict, House of Games)
43:01
43:01
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Noel catches up with Lindsay Crouse. The Oscar, Grammy and Emmy nominated actress received her Oscar nomination for her role in "Places in the Heart." Lindsay talks about her Oscar night experience. She played Lily Braden in "Slap Shot." Lindsay reveals which Charlestown Chief came to her hotel room naked and the type of practical jokes Paul Newman…
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Sonnet 84: Who Is it That Says Most, Which Can Say More
23:24
23:24
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With Sonnet 84, William Shakespeare continues and underpins his defence of himself against the charge, referenced explicitly in Sonnet 83, that he has failed to present his young lover with sufficiently effusive praise and instead remained silent about his unparalleled qualities: not only is it the case – as he told the young man there – that you d…
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Corey Glover (Living Colour, Sonic Universe)
1:02:49
1:02:49
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To celebrate our 7th anniversary, This week’s guest is someone who was in my top five of dream guests when I started this podcast. Corey Glover is the lead singer of the Grammy-winning band Living Colour. The band’s music has been a big part of my life since their landmark debut album, Vivid, came out in 1988. The double platinum album featured the…
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Sonnet 83: I Never Saw That You Did Painting Need
28:21
28:21
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Sonnet 83 picks up on the notion, introduced in Sonnet 82, of a 'gross painting' in words that other poets make of the young man with the 'strained touches' that rhetoric can lend them, in stark contrast to Shakespeare's own 'plain true words'. But rather than forming a contained pair with Sonnet 82, it spins the argument further, now giving his re…
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Steve Fossen ( Original Heart Bassist, Heart By Heart)
1:02:26
1:02:26
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Noel catches up with Steve Fossen, founding member and original bassist for Heart. Steve was with Heart for their first six albums, leaving in 1982. The mid-to-late '70s version of the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Steve, alongside former Heart drummer, Michael DeRosier, formed Heart By Heart, where they preform He…
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Sonnet 82: I Grant Thou Wert Not Married to My Muse
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With Sonnet 82, William Shakespeare resumes his discussion with the young man of his own status as a poet in the young man's life, attempting a conciliatory, even sympathetic tone which purports to encourage his lover to by all means have a look at other people's writing too, but draws the clearest distinction yet in this group between the authenti…
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Sonnet 81: Or I Shall Live Your Epitaph to Make
29:28
29:28
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Sonnet 81, although it appears right in the middle of the Rival Poet group of sonnets, does not concern itself with any poet other than Shakespeare at all, and so it either marks a detour deliberately taken by Shakespeare from his preoccupation with his rival, or it presents an instance in which a sonnet has in fact slipped from its position and be…
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Sonnet 80: O How I Faint When I of You Do Write
28:30
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With his amazingly brazen Sonnet 80, William Shakespeare metaphorically pushes the boat out in more sense than one and comes close to mocking not only his rival, but also – albeit gently – his young lover whom he insinuates being drawn to this other writer not only by his compelling poetry but by a prowess of an altogether more physical nature too.…
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Mitchell Whitfield (My Cousin Vinny, Friends)
1:11:42
1:11:42
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Noel catches up with Mitchell Whitfield. The actor is probably best known for portraying Stan Rothenstein in 'My Cousin Vinny" and Rachel's ex-finance, Barry, on "Friends." Mitchell talks about the scene that broke him while shooting Vinny. Mitchell also talks about the starring role on Friends that he almost got. He now is a very successful voice …
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Sonnet 79: Whilst I Alone Did Call Upon Thy Aid
29:52
29:52
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With Sonnet 79, William Shakespeare continues his lament, begun with Sonnet 78, that he no longer enjoys the exclusive privilege of writing poetry to and for his young lover, constructing an – objectively speaking fairly tenuous – argument why the young man should not be overly grateful to this Rival Poet for his efforts. With a transactional tone …
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Sonnet 78: So Oft Have I Invoked Thee for My Muse
28:37
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Sonnet 78 is the first in a group of nine sonnets that concern themselves almost entirely with the apparent arrival on the scene of someone else who is now writing poetry for Shakespeare's young lover, vying for his attention and possibly obtaining his patronage, which is why these poems are collectively known as the Rival Poet Sonnets. Strictly sp…
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Gilbert Gabriel of The Dream Academy
1:20:33
1:20:33
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Noel catches up with Gilbert Gabriel. The keyboardist/co-writer was a member of the British trio, The Dream Academy. The band released three studio albums. Their debut, featured the band's biggest hit, "Life in a Northern Town," which went to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. The band also had songs featured in two John Hughes movies, …
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This special episode summarises what we have learnt so far from the first 77 sonnets by William Shakespeare. It recaps the principal pointers that allow us to put together a profile of the young man they were written for or about and outlines the phases of his relationship with our poet, and it also dismantles some of the misconceptions that are so…
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Noel catches up Alan Blumenfeld. If there was a television guest star hall of fame, Alan would be first ballot. The actor has had an amazing 40-year career, having guest starred on Diff'rent Strokes, Family Ties (seven times), Growing Pains, Cheers and Roseanne to name a few. Perhaps his most memorable guest star appearance was portraying Mr. Ha Ha…
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Sonnet 77: Thy Glass Will Show Thee How Thy Beauties Wear
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The curiously didactic Sonnet 77 marks the halfway point of the collection of 154 sonnets contained in the 1609 Quarto Edition and it stands out for several reasons. What most immediately catches the eye is that it seems to be written into or so as to accompany a book of empty pages for its recipient to collect their thoughts and notes in a book of…
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Noel catches up with David Lascher. The actor/director started out on Nickelodeon's Hey Dude. He had a recurring role on Beverly Hills 90210 and starring roles on Blossom and Sabrina The Teenage Witch. David wrote and directed the feature film, Sister. He now hosts, alongside his Hey Dud co-star, Christine Taylor, the podcast, "Hey Dude...The 90's …
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Sonnet 76: Why Is My Verse so Barren of New Pride
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The deceptively unsensational Sonnet 76 asks a simple question and provides to this a straightforward enough answer that will hardly come as a surprise: how is it that I write one sonnet after another and they all sound the same? Because "I always write of you." With this one declaration it settles a debate that – in view of its very existence baff…
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Sonnet 75: So Are You to My Thoughts as Food to Life
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Sonnet 75 marks a moment of comparative calm in the turbulent relationship between William Shakespeare and his young lover. With its sober assessment of a continuously conflicted world of emotions that oscillate between abundant joy at being allowed to bask in the presence of the young man and utter dejection at missing him when he is absent, the s…
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Noel catches up with Maureen Flannigan, who is best known for portraying Evie on the TV show, "Out of This World." The sitcom ran for four seasons. Maureen reveals a secret about Mr. T's jewelry. She guest starred on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, ER, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Northern Exposure. She had a recurring role in 7th Heaven. Maur…
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In this episode, we explore a pivotal moment: inheriting my mentor's cherished book collection. This act was more than a transfer of tales; it was a legacy passed down, sparking a journey of self-discovery through the realms of fantasy and martial arts. Amidst these stories, one book marked the beginning of an epic adventure, intertwining life's le…
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Sonnet 74: But Be Contented When That Fell Arrest
27:17
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Sonnet 74 continues the argument from Sonnet 73, and now reflects on what will happen when I, the poet, William Shakespeare, am dead. My body will be buried and return to earth, but my spirit will live on in this poetry that I write for you, the young man, which is why the loss you experience at my death will be insignificant: it only entails my pa…
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In this episode, I share a tale of frustration and fascination with a beloved fantasy series, highlighting a moment when a friend's exasperation led to a book's fiery demise. This saga, intertwining with my life's chapters, taught me about resilience, patience, and the joy of anticipation. Join me as we delve into how these stories have shaped us, …
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Dive into this episode where I share how fantasy guided me through a turbulent childhood and adolescence. Growing up amidst chaos, these stories offered me an escape and tools to process life's complexities. This journey is about resilience, humour borne from vigilance, and the transformative power of books. Join me as we explore the tales that sha…
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