The Author Archive Podcast

Steve Kershaw - Mythologica and Vintskevich-Kershaw Trio

Steve Kershaw has two personas .... he is Steve the musician and Dr Stephen the classics tutor.

He is involved in two new projects.

One is a magnificent illustrated childrens encyclopedia of gods, monsters and mortals from ancient Greece.

The other is a jazz trio recording. Steve is the Oxfordshire based bass player. The pianist and saxophonist Leonid and Nick Vintskevich are Russian .

As Steve tells me the wide geographical distribution sometimes make rehearsal tricky!

The record is called 'I'll Show You a Beautiful Country.

Colin Dexter - The Remorseful Day : Inventing Inspector Morse.

Colin Dexter was a splendid writer. His creation Inspector Morse is superb on the page and just as gripping on television.

I used to meet Colin in the pub on Banbury Road in Oxford, The Dew Drop. He was great company and almost completely unaware of his success and star quality.

I recorded this conversation in his house after the publication of The Remorseful Day. He was relaxed and very happy to look back at his life in education and crime writing.

Simon Sebag Montefiore : the life of Potemkin : his bones are still making news.

Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore explains the mythic status of  this eighteenth century Russian statesman, and military leader.

In this conversation recorded in London in 2000 the historian Simon Sebag Montefiore tells David Freeman about practical politics in 18th century Russia and how Potemkin made his way in society with the help of the love of Catherine the Great.

Their relationship has been told in films but the way Simon tells the story is probably more gripping and unbelievable.

Simon told the story in full in his the books, Prince of Princes, and Catherine the Great and Potemkin, The Imperial Love Affair.

Interesting to hear Simon say that Putin read this book and what he learned has informed his political views. This lead to the invasion of Ukraine  and a significant incident when Russian troops broke into the crypt of the cathedral in Kherson and removed the bones of Grigory Potemkin. 

This is history to remember. Putin uses this history to justify his 'special military operation'.

 

 

 

 

 

Rowland Bagnall : Near - Life Experiences : Poetry Collection

Taylor Swift attracts huge interest in her song lyrics. They are studied as poetry.

Rowland Bagnall is a different sort of poet. Near - Life Experience,  his new collection is just published

When I spoke to him we talked about his poetic motivation and the process of writing these concentrated nuggets of observation.

His replies are thoughtful and enlightening.

Tim Coulson - The Universal History of Us

Tim Coulson talks about his book which tells the  amazing story of 13.8 billion years of history from the Big Bang to you!

It is a wonderful read - inspiring, gripping and fascinating.

And just a thought .... did a deity have a hand in the story?

Tim explains his view!

 

 

Truddi Chase - When Rabbit Howls : A memoir of living with multiple personalities.

Truddi Chase lived with dissociative identity disorder a condition that used to be called multiple personality disorder.

On the cover of her book the author was named as 'The Troops' - the name she gave to her 90 plus identities.

When I interviewed her she was with her therapist Robert Phillips. The whole story was very difficult to assimilate as you can probably hear.

Truddi died in 2010 but there is a website dedicated to her and her autobiography is still in demand.

It seems that her condition was a result of abuse in her childhood.

A story like no other!

David Wilson - A Plot to Kill

It's Bafta time again.

The winner of the BAFTA for best actor went to Timothy Spall for his performance in 'The Sixth Commandment'.

Timothy played Peter Farquar, a gay Christian teacher who was murdered by a student, Ben Field.

The horrific murder actually happened in the normally peaceful  village of Maids Moreton in Buckinghamshire.

The true story is told by David Wilson who lives in the village in his book 'A Plot to Kill'.

He told David Freeman about it.

 

 

Ashley Mullinger - My Fishing Life

Ashley Mullinger is a commercial fisherman.

She used to work in an office but found it dull and stressful. She  decided to go on a half day fishing trip with a couple of her friends just to make a change.

The friends sort of liked it but Ashley REALLY liked it and now does it as a full time job. She is so good at it she was awarded the title of 'Fisherman of the Year'.

In this conversation she explains her passion for the life and her fears for the future of the whole commercial fishing industry.

 

Rebecca Frayn - Lost in Ibiza

There is an article in the Culture section of The Sunday Times about father and daughter Michael and Rebecca Frayn.

Rebecca is a farmer and environmental activist and writer who lives in the north of Ibiza.

Her new novel 'Lost in Ibiza' is coincidentally, about  a young environmental activist who travels to Ibiza to meet her biological father for the very first time.

It's a story of family drama, but it is also the story of a paradise island under threat.

A great holiday read!

Eric Bibb talks about his life in music

Eric Bibb remembers his introduction into music via his dad Leon and the musical luminaries who visited the family home.

Paul Robeson was his Godather, and a very young Bob Dylan gave him some sound advice.

Now 72 Eric is still touring, playing, and writing songs. He is one of lifes gentlemen!