Thursday, July 15, 2010

I am interviewed at Mythcon for TechTards.com

As most of you know, Mythcon 41 finally came and went over this past weekend. Two years of work, more or less, and now it’s over. I can’t believe the accelerated nostalgia I’m already feeling! *sigh*

Part of the fun was being interviewed for a video podcast at TechTards.com. They’ve just started up a fun, irreverent (and live) podcast where they talk to and about nerds, geeks, dweebs, dorks, and everything in between. Mythcon certainly falls somewhere along that spectrum — lord help us, had they seen our Sunday night follies, in which I was the star of the (mostly annual) Not Ready for Mythcon Players skit! As my wife said, “congratulations; it was so refreshing to finally see you attempt something you’re just terrible at!” Touché. :)

Anyway, Sarah Magee and Mark Ramsey turned up Sunday afternoon and spoke to Randy Hoyt (my co-chair), Tim Powers (our author guest of honor), and yours truly. (Hi, Sarah! Hi, Mark!) The entire episode has been posted here (also embdedded below for your convenience). I’ve only ever posted one piece of video of myself here on Lingwë, a paper excerpt which came out looking like the Zapruder film (scroll down about halfway through this post), so for those who’d like a proper look at me in all my bloviating glory — made by professionals (or at least people who can point a camera and hold a microphone ;) — Sarah’s interview with me starts at about 08:50. Among other things, I recite a little of Beowulf in Old English. (There’s the hook! But I know, I had you at “bloviating”. :)

The entire Mythconversion (see what I did there? ;) runs from about 03:50–16:30. If you aren’t interested in the maunderings of a lonely IT guy from Louisiana, you can just stop listening at the break (around 17:00), but I’m sure the TechTards would appreciate it if you watched the whole thing.


11 comments:

  1. JASON!
    We missed you Tuesday night... :( Thank you so much for letting us invade your mythical world and being a GREAT sport!! And I really like it when you say 'lingus'.

    Sarah
    @sarahEmagee

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  2. Hi, Sarah! You know, I tried stopping by Tuesday night for the live show, but I must have mistaken the time. Too bad; I could have spared you, what was his name, Joey? The “One Night in Bangkok” bit was funny; too bad he didn’t get the joke.

    As to the other point — ahem! — it’s æþelingas, hahae. Any other reading, and my wife is likely to send her magic Fist-punch of Fury through your computer screen or, yes, even your mobile phone! LOL. And I do have a friend named Gary, by the way, and he does carry a spear; well, he reads a lot of Shakespeare, anyway. See how fun words can be? :)

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  3. Thanks for talking to us! We had a great time visiting Mythcon!

    Mark Ramsey
    @markramsey

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  4. I’m glad you did. We had fun talking to you guys, too. And I can’t resist the sound of my own voice, whatever the circumstances. :) Watching your show, I enjoyed hearing the story of your haggling Denise Roper down on the price of her book. I think that’s whose book it was.

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  5. You’re just jealous because I can give the ladies what they want — a little Justin of Timberlake: ic bringe *sexig on bæc ... (gise!)

    (I can’t really believe I just typed that! :P)

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  6. It was interesting hearing you speak, when you read blogs, you just don't know what the author of them actually sounds like, now I know:)! Love the OE reading, why is it that everyone who reads Beowulf out feels they have to lower their voice and shout? It was really cool though, one day I shall do the same I'm sure.

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  7. Why? The answer is simple: it’s the language — “rich and rolling in part, and else hard and stern as the mountains”. It gets into the blood. One simply can’t help its taking over. :)

    But I should say, there are other passages one reads differently. One of my favorites begins:

    Þá com of móre, under mist-hleóþum,
    Grendel gongan, Godes yrre bær [...]


    It’s the opening to a wonderfully creepy scene, and it’s best read in a whispering, stalking, halting style. Ah, I love it!

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  8. The FishWife7/23/2010 3:54 PM

    Ahem. Your wife does not recall sounding as harsh as you make her out to sound about your trepidation on the boards, as we might say in the profession. Ahem.

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  9. Maybe the FishWife also likes it when I say æþelingas. :)

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  10. The FishWife7/24/2010 12:20 AM

    Of course she does!

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