Future Tense Radio Spot on NPR

GordMackenzie · Post by **GordMackenzie** » December 28th, 2005, 6:34 am

Hugh recently did an interview on National Public Radio's "Future Tense" regarding Librivox.

The interview aired in the United States on December 27th and is now available online at:

http://www.publicradio.org/columns/futuretense/

Unfortunately, the host has decided to use Real Media to make the show available online. If you (like me!) dislike Real Media Player, you can get the Real Media Alternative (
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternative.htm) which is a bundling of "media player classic" with real codecs.

... oh, and a short sample Librivox's Frankenstein (as read by yours truly

) is played during the spot... whee!

Post by **hugh** » December 28th, 2005, 8:05 am

i think you can get mp3 too ... have not heard it yet myself tho...

vee · Post by **vee** » December 28th, 2005, 8:16 am

Hey that's cool. I had heard a story on Morning Edition on the 19th about a audio poetry project and suggested that they look into librivox as well. Guess they didn't need the hint.

LibraryLady · Post by **LibraryLady** » December 28th, 2005, 1:05 pm

Great interview, Hugh! Gord, your reading is a highly flattering representative of the rest of us!

saxcodger · Post by **saxcodger** » December 29th, 2005, 2:37 pm

That "Future Tense" segment made me aware of LibriVox. What a terrific resource! I started listening to "Frankenstein" on my iPod in the car and am quite hooked. The quality of the reading is impressive considering you guys are unpaid. I just want to say thanks to everyone who worked on that book.

LibraryLady · Post by **LibraryLady** » December 29th, 2005, 5:18 pm

Welcome Sax! It's good to know that interview is bringing some new folks here. I'm glad you are enjoying Frankenstein, that was before I started here but it is a great recording! Thanks for the feedback, it is greatly appreciated.

Izze · Post by **Izze** » December 29th, 2005, 6:02 pm

Dear lord, this means my grandma knows what this is now! O.o

Well, if it was wired between 6am and 8pm pacific time, she would know what it is, that is.

GordMackenzie · Post by **GordMackenzie** » December 30th, 2005, 9:40 am

saxcodger wrote: I started listening to "Frankenstein" on my iPod in the car and am quite hooked. ... I just want to say thanks to everyone who worked on that book.

Thank you, Sax!

It's great to know that people are listening to and getting enjoyment out of our recordings. That's what it's all about!

GordMackenzie · Post by **GordMackenzie** » December 30th, 2005, 9:42 am

Izze wrote: Well, if it was wired between 6am and 8pm pacific time, she would know what it is, that is.

It was, but not every public radio station carries the show... for example the local NPR station in Detroit didn't.

Post by **hugh** » December 30th, 2005, 10:30 am

yeah maybe gords excerpt from frankenstein was a bit unfair! ha ha. he is the pro after all!

GordMackenzie · Post by **GordMackenzie** » December 30th, 2005, 9:57 pm

Thanks, Hugh.

But, seriously, there are a LOT of great recordings, by some very talented people, being added to the Librivox catalog. I don't have enough time to listen to everything (does anyone?), but there is some terrific stuff getting done. It's inspiring to listen to.

Of course, it's kind of funny for you to be talking in the interview about how personal and non-hollywood Librivox stuff is, and then have me hamming it up to the max with my version of the monster's tormented howlings.

"O it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passage to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb-shows and noise. I would have such a fellow whipped for o'er-doing Termagant. It out-herods Herod: pray you, avoid it."

DSayers · Post by **DSayers** » January 26th, 2006, 10:52 pm

What is the cut-off date for public domain recordings.

For example, Don Marquis' superb Archy & Mehitabel is quite ancient. Is it in the public domain?

If it is, I want to definitely stake a claim on that opus!

-Dennis

ChipDoc · Post by **ChipDoc** » January 27th, 2006, 12:03 am

Marquis lived until 1937, so his later stuff isn't yet in the public domain. We're currently using 1923 as the cutoff point. But there are four items on Gutenberg's site which are definitely in the public domain:

Marquis, Don, 1878-1937

The Cruise of the Jasper B. (English)
Danny's Own Story (English)
Dreams and Dust (English)
Hermione's Group of Thinkers (English)