Tag Archives: Artful Periscope

Episode 58 – How Many Threads Connect Us to What is Below the Surface Authors Peter Spiegelman and T. J. English

September 16, 2023UncategorizedA Secret About a Secret, Artful Periscope, Billie Holiday, bing crosby, Dangerous Rhythms, Dark Shadows, film noir, frank sinatra, Horror, Larry Davidson, Louis Armstrong, Mafia, Meyer Lansky Jazz, Mob, Peter Speigelman, readers, Sachem Public Library, Strange Fruit, T. J. Engilsh, The Booth at The Sachem Public Library, titlesartfulperiscope

How many threads connect us to what is below the surface? In this installment, Larry has a discussion with Peter Speigelman about his latest book A Secret About a Secret. Larry and Peter explore the story out side of the cover of the book, how the title draws the reader, and whether this book is a cautionary tale. Larry draws a comparison of Peter’s work with the television show Dark Shadows, and The Man in the High Castle. Larry posits how important it is for the author to trust the read to understand the implications and be drawn into the plot and narrative.

After a short break Larry welcomes T. J. English about his latest work Dangerous Rhythms. Larry asks about growing up in upper Manhattan, whether Jazz is a completely American art form, and how it reordered the music universe. There is a great discussion of how BillieHoliday’s song Strange Fruit is a seminal work of art along with talking about Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra and the connection of music to the mafia. Larry brings up Meyer Lansky and how there was a “Jazz drain” to Europe.

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Episode 56 – How Many Threads Take us Through the Ages? – Authors Bill Morris and Stacie Murphy

August 31, 2023UncategorizedAge of Astonishment, Artful Periscope, Bill Morris, civil war, Cold War, German English Dictionary Manuscript, Historical Fiction, John Morris, Larry Davidson, Larry Davidson productions, Sachem Public Library, slavery, Stacie Murphy, The Booth at The Sachem Public Library, The Unquiet deadartfulperiscope

How many threads take us through the ages? On this installment of The Artful Periscope, Larry sits down with author Bill Morris to discuss his latest work, The Age of Astonishment. The book chronicles the long life of his grandfather, John Morris, and the historical events he lived through. Larry and Bill discuss the horrors of slavery in the pre-civil war south, his grandfather’s lifespan ranging from The Civil War to the Cold War and his discovery of his grandfather’s long lost German English dictionary manuscript.

After the break, Larry interviews Stacie Murphy, a debut author, about her first novel The Unquiet Dead. Stacie delves into the challenges of writing a novel, the joy of adding historical details into her fictional story and the potential for a series.

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Episode 55 – How Many Threads Connect the Good Actors with the Bad Actors, Even if Some of the Good Have Done Some Bad Things? – True Crime & Organized Crime Writer Michael Benson

August 24, 2023UncategorizedAmerican Nazis, Artful Periscope, Author Michael Benson, Camp Siegfried, Gansters vs Nazis, Larry Davidson, Mafia, The Booth at The Sachem Public Library, The Devil at Genesee Junction, Yaphank New Yorkartfulperiscope

How many threads connect the good actors with the bad actors, even if some of the good have done some bad things? In this episode of The Artful Periscope, Larry is joined by true crime and organized crime writer Michael Benson to discuss his latest work Gangsters vs. Nazis. Michael begins by recounting his childhood interest in true crime, chasing after his babysitter’s killer and eventually returning as an adult to uncover new evidence in his book The Devil at Genesee Junction. Then Larry and Michael shift gears to the subject of Gangsters vs. Nazis, which sheds light on the fight between Jewish mobsters and German-American Nazis. To defend their communities and to push back against antisemitic sentiments, Jewish mobsters used their gang and boxing connections to break up Nazi meetings and rallies. Michael also highlights the disturbing history of Nazi organizations on Long Island, including Camp Siegfried in Yaphank, which attempted to recruit American children into the Nazi movement. In an America that is facing the rise of Nazi groups again, Michael’s writing is a reminder of how communities need to band together to stand against hate.

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Episode 53 – How Many Threads Bring Strangers Together? – Authors James Grady and Jerry Stahl

August 11, 2023UncategorizedAnthony Bourdain, Artful Periscope, James Grady, Jerry Stahl, Larry Davidson, Larry Davidson productions, Nein Nein Nein, RobertRedford, Six Days of the Condor, The Booth at The Sachem Public Library, This trainartfulperiscope

How many threads bring strangers together? In this installment of The Artful Periscope, Larry is joined by James Grady, author of This Train. They discuss his debut book Six Days of the Condor and the experience of having it adapted into a Robert Redford movie, as well as methods for keeping thriller plots interesting and the beauty of train ride landscapes.

After the break, Jerry Stahl joins Larry to discuss his latest work Nein, Nein, Nein!, which recounts Jerry’s two-week bus tour of Holocaust sites. Jerry recounts the ethics of touring the locations of tragedies, his friendship with Anthony Bourdain and the origin of the book’s title.

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Episode 40: How Many Threads are at the Intersection of Comedy that Binds Us Michael Seth Starr & The Biography of Don Rickles

February 1, 2023Uncategorized@biowriter61, Artful Periscope, Don Rickles, Don Rickles: The Merchant of Venom, Larry Davidson, Larry Davidson productions, Merchant of Venom, Michael Seth Starr, Michael Starr, Mr Warmth, Sachem Public Library, The Booth at The Sachem Public Libraryartfulperiscope

How many threads are at the intersection of comedy that binds us? Larry is joined by Michael Seth Starr, the author of Don Rickles: Merchant of Venom. Michael and Larry explore the life of Don, from his humble beginnings growing up in Queens, New York, his service in the Navy during World War II and his subsequent rise to stardom. Michael delves into the connection to Frank Sinatra, Don’s studies as a serious actor and the various influences on Rickles’ career. Larry also talks about the thread between Don and Groucho Marx. As a writer for the New York Post, there is a spirited discussion on the state of broadcast television vs streaming and how the quality of both have evolved.

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Episode 38 How Many Threads Connect Us to a Voyage of Exploration and Discovery: Author Thomas Chaffin and Singer Songwriter Nico Padden

December 23, 2022Uncategorizedand the Voyage that Changed the World, Artful Periscope, Burning Rome to the Ground, Darwin, Larry Davidson, Larry Davidson productions, Larrydavidsonproductions.com, Nico Padden, Odyssey: Young Charles Darwin, Origin of species, Sachem Library, Sachem Public Library, singer, songwriter, The Beagle, The Booth at The Sachem Public Library, Tom Chaffinartfulperiscope

How many threads connect us to a voyage of exploration and discovery? In this installment, Larry chats with author Tom Chaffin to discuss his latest biography Odyssey: Young Charles Darwin, The Beagle, and the Voyage that Changed the World. They discuss the strange path Charles Darwin walked from dropping out of medical school to becoming the father of evolution and publishing the groundbreaking Origin of Species. While pursuing Darwin’s story, Tom also recounts his research, travel, and growing connection to the characters.

Joining Larry for a musical interlude is singer/songwriter Nico Padden, who shares several of her songs and the real-life influences behind them. Weaving together stories featuring difficult issues such as domestic abuse, sexual harassment and systemic racism into her music, Nico discusses the power of songwriting and the stories that fuel creativity.

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Episode 34 – How Many Threads Connect to Challenges and Obstacles? Author Jim Kempton and Para-Athelete Todd Schaffhauser

October 14, 2022UncategorizedArtful Periscope, James Kempton, Jim Kempton, Larry Davidson, Larry Davidson productions, para-atheletes, Para-olympics, Sachem Library, Soul Surfer, surfing, The Booth at The Sachem Public Library, Todd Schaffhauser, women in surfing, Women on wavesartfulperiscope

How many threads connect to challenges and obstacles? In this episode Larry sits down with author Jim Kempton to discuss his new book Women on Waves. Jim delves into the long history of women in surfing, the great Bethany Hamilton and the film Soul Surfer. Jim also reveals some unexpected surfing celebrities such as Agatha Christie and Marilyn Monroe.

Larry harkens back to his running days to speak Paralympic athlete Todd Schaffhauser. Todd recounts the trauma of losing his leg during high school after a cancer diagnosis, the inspiring community of amputee athletes that motivated him during recovery, and the challenges of his running career. Todd also re-enforces how important mentorship programs are to people who either would like to or are already para-athletes.

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Episode 31 – How Many Threads Connect Us to Lies and Deception? – Author Paul Vidich

September 1, 2022UncategorizedArtful Periscope, cold war berlin, dexter series finale, Espionage, Larry Davidson, Larry Davidson productions, Paul Vidich, recently departed celebrities, Sachem Public Library, Spies, The Matchmaker: A Spy in Berlinartfulperiscope

How many threads connect us to lies and deception? In this episode, Larry sits down with author Paul Vidich to discuss his new book The Matchmaker: A Spy in Berlin. Larry and Paul discuss the difficulties and intrigue of the spy biz along with the allure of setting thrillers in Cold War Berlin along with the agency of the female protagonist. Afterwards, Larry shares some random thoughts and observation on the private lives of recently departed celebrities along with (spoiler alert!), the series ending of Dexter and the myriad of ways humanity continues to break down barriers.

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Episode 22 – How Many Threads Lead Us to Survival – Author Erika Hecht & Rory Vecsey

December 18, 2021UncategorizedAfghanistan, Artful Periscope, Austria, Catholics, conversion, Don't ask my name, Don't ask my name: A hidden Childs tale of survival, Erika Hecht, Holocaust, hopes and dreams, Hungary, Jewish, Jews, Larry Davidson, Larry Davidson productions, Larrydavidsonproductions.com, religion, Rory Vecsey, Rory's Island, Taliban, The Artful Periscope, UK, women of Afghanistan, World War IIartfulperiscope

How many threads lead us to survival? Larry is joined by Erika Hecht, author of the book Don’t Ask my Name: A Hidden Child’s Tale of Survival a story of her life surviving German occupation during World War II and in post war Europe as a Jewish person who converted to Catholicism. Erika discusses mixed traditions and how it saved her and her family’s life.

Joining the Podcast for the new feature Rory’s Island is Rory Vecsey. Rory explores the plight of women in Afghanistan after the Taliban regained control. She also discusses their hopes of a full life an education before the fall of the nation and the fear and courage that they muster in the shadow of Taliban rule.

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Episode 14 – Is There a Thread that Connects Us to Our Own Sense of Well-being – Author S. J. Rozan, Gayle Fisher Stewart, Judith Finlayson & Pete Mancini

March 5, 2021UncategorizedArt of Violence, Artful Periscope, Judith Finlayson, Larry Davidson, Larry Davidson productions, Larrydavidsonproductions.com, Millions More, Pete Mancini, Preaching Black Lives Matter The Queen of Tuesday, Reverend Gayle Fisher Stewart, S. J. Rozan, Sachem Library, Sachem Public Library's The Booth, SJ Rozan, The Artful Periscope, The Booth at The Sachem Public Library, You Are What Your Grandparents Ateartfulperiscope

Is there a thread that connects us to our own sense of well-being. Larry has a jam packed episode with author S. J. Rozan speaking about her new book The Art of Violence, her thought process in creating a character’s point of view, writer’s self doubt, the process of writing which is never smooth and a deep dive into the art and character development of The Art of Violence.

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Gayle Fisher Stewart author of Preaching Black Lives Matter re-joins the podcast with thoughts and observations about the January 6th insurrection along with her reflections and observations of the event. She voices her perspective about law enforcement’s treatment of the participants of that day and how the event could have played out differently if black and brown participants had attempted the same actions and how there needs to be a meaningful discussion about race, racism and systematic racism.

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Judith Finlayson, author of You are What you Grandparent’s Ate talks about lifecycle and links among all kinds of disease and what happens to you before you were born, epigenetic modifications, eating healthy and how climate change can effect your health along with how your genes effect the development of diseases.

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