Random

rfrancis · Post by **rfrancis** » November 11th, 2005, 9:27 pm

Greetings. Sorry about not introducing myself until now -- for that matter, sorry on vanishing on my reading until hopefully this weekend. Life got... complicated.

Anyway, my name is R. Francis Smith; the R stands for Russ; I podcast under the moniker Random. My two podcasts are The Whole Truth (a daily Bible reading, so fairly akin to this in ways) and Sturgeon's Law. I'm a husband, a father twice over, and old friend with Squiddhartha (indeed, I cruelly pointed this site out to him knowing it would hook him.)

-R

Post by **hugh** » November 12th, 2005, 6:35 am

welcome! ps thanks for the mccrae...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » November 13th, 2005, 10:16 pm

randomdad wrote:...and old friend with Squiddhartha (indeed, I cruelly pointed this site out to him knowing it would hook him.)

-R

Hello!

And now I must ask because of your above comment, are you Zelazny fans?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » November 13th, 2005, 10:17 pm

The above comment is from "e" by the way

~ Eileen

Squiddhartha · Post by **Squiddhartha** » November 13th, 2005, 11:00 pm

You are perceptive and correct, e. Random a bit more so than I; my nickname is inspired more by Hesse than Zelazny. I definitely dig Lord of Light, though!

rfrancis · Post by **rfrancis** » November 14th, 2005, 9:15 am

By way of response, something I wrote in February 2001:

"Roger Zelazny was one of the greats. I had the privilege of meeting him on a number of occasions, and on each one he was nothing short of a stellar gentleman and keen company to someone who really didn't deserve it at all (particularly as I was still in my undergrad days and hadn't a clue what I was talking about in pretty much any regard). On the last occasion, he was totally ignored by a convention gone comic-happy and my wife and I spent probably a half hour with him keeping him company at a signing. We won. The comic fans lost. That's all I can say about that.

"His readings of his work were always dry, self-effacing, and good enough to make me want to shake him and beg for more. While other authors I could gossip about drank and were pointless twerps, the Z sipped his Diet Coke and displayed gentle genius, soft-spoken and sharp-witted. I have never met a writer I respect more, nor can I think of one passed on that I could more sorely miss.

"If I ever write anything of merit, there are three people I owe it to, and I am not embarrassed to name them. Jim Butcher, for showing me it can be done, and you don't have to be in a cheap flat in New York to do it. Lou Fisher, for teaching me the technical craft and encouraging me all the way. But before either, Roger Zelazny, for making it clear that it could be a great and powerful calling, worthy of a good person, and able to affect people deeply. Some of you know me and are aware that I am not given to great outward emotion, but I am worked up just typing these paragraphs. He is that important to me."

So, yes, yes I am.

-R

e · Post by e » November 14th, 2005, 7:14 pm

randomdad wrote:By way of response, something I wrote in February 2001:

"Roger Zelazny was one of the greats. I had the privilege of meeting him on a number of occasions, and on each one he was nothing short of a stellar gentleman and keen company to someone who really didn't deserve it at all (particularly as I was still in my undergrad days and hadn't a clue what I was talking about in pretty much any regard). On the last occasion, he was totally ignored by a convention gone comic-happy and my wife and I spent probably a half hour with him keeping him company at a signing. We won. The comic fans lost. That's all I can say about that.

"His readings of his work were always dry, self-effacing, and good enough to make me want to shake him and beg for more. While other authors I could gossip about drank and were pointless twerps, the Z sipped his Diet Coke and displayed gentle genius, soft-spoken and sharp-witted. I have never met a writer I respect more, nor can I think of one passed on that I could more sorely miss.

"If I ever write anything of merit, there are three people I owe it to, and I am not embarrassed to name them. Jim Butcher, for showing me it can be done, and you don't have to be in a cheap flat in New York to do it. Lou Fisher, for teaching me the technical craft and encouraging me all the way. But before either, Roger Zelazny, for making it clear that it could be a great and powerful calling, worthy of a good person, and able to affect people deeply. Some of you know me and are aware that I am not given to great outward emotion, but I am worked up just typing these paragraphs. He is that important to me."

So, yes, yes I am.

-R

What a moving excerpt.

I never did get to meet Mr. Zelazny though I do have a signed artwork cover of a radiobook of his. I was turned on to his books after his passing. However, I am becoming more of a fan of his as time goes on (I am currently re-reading the Amber books).

Also, I have heard so many that I respect mention him as a great influence in their life both as an author and as a human being. In fact, I recently lost a friend, an artist who was known, among other things for his book cover art for many well known fantasy and science fiction authors. I read a mutual friend's tribute to him and in it he mentioned that our friend was like Zelazny in the way they dealt with the celebrity factor, which is to say, that it did not change their attitude towards others and that both were very open people, willing to listen to input from others.

So, I never did meet Mr. Zelazny, but, if he was like my friend, I certainly feel the loss of the privilege.

rfrancis · Post by **rfrancis** » February 10th, 2007, 10:42 am

I'm not new here, which is why I didn't make a new post.

But I am back.

Sup?

Random
the lost oldbie

kayray · Post by **kayray** » February 10th, 2007, 10:46 am

Welcome back, Random :)

anna · Post by **anna** » February 10th, 2007, 10:47 am

Welcome back

ChrisHughes · Post by **ChrisHughes** » February 10th, 2007, 1:39 pm

Sir, I loved your reading in Dracula, which is all have heard of your wonderful voice. I am delighted you are back (though I never knew you were not here all along) and I am very hopeful I may hear it again soon.
Best Wishes
Chris

rfrancis · Post by **rfrancis** » February 15th, 2007, 2:00 pm

Thanks, particularly to Chris. I enjoyed Dracula even though the voices in it beat my throat up. Appropriate for Dracula, I suppose.

(Actually, Athos in the still unfinished Three Musketeers was even worse for that. But I digress.) It was a long climb out on a limb for me to do voices like that -- I have very little experience with it and it was hard to risk sounding silly.

So I very much appreciate your comments!

Of course, after I saying I'm back, I get buried in RL and disappear for a week. But I'm MOSTLY back! Honest!

thistlechick · Post by **thistlechick** » February 17th, 2007, 7:15 am

whoohooo!!! Welcome back! We're so glad you're here =)

rfrancis · Post by **rfrancis** » March 13th, 2009, 12:22 pm

So, eh... hi.

Dropped in to see what's up and thought I'd reintroduce as I might just be able to work in readings again -- I've left the sunny fields (or whatever) of podcasting as such but I'm directing, acting in, and soon to be writing audio dramas for Pendant Productions -- still, point being, I don't spend that much time in front of the mic now, so might could happen, might could...

Reintroduction: I'm R. Francis Smith. I was active here in late 2005 and 2006, mostly. I'm in a few finished books from that period. (By the way, whoever handles the "newcatalog" -- randomdad and rfrancis are two different entries in it, but they're both, well, me. Also, I'd like to get my listed personal URL changed in there, and figure out how to get into my wiki page, but anyway...)

Anyhow. Hi. How wonderful to have been able to watch Librivox continue its work for over 3 years now. Simply amazing. Congratulations to all of you.

R