Tag Archives: Artful Periscope

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



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.


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



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.


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



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.


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



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.  


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



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.


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



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.


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



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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Pete Mancini plays out the podcast with his original song Millions More


Episode 12 – Is There a Thread that Connects Us to Those that Matter – Rev. Gayle Fisher Stewart & Author Darin Strauss



Is there a thread that connects us to those that matter?  Joining Larry is former Washington DC police officer and Episcopal Reverend Gayle Fisher Stewart, the editor of Preaching Black Lives Matter.  Reverend Fisher-Stewart speaks about her experiences with segregation, the American caste system (and how the Nazi’s studied that system), empathy, Black Lives Matter as a movement vs. an organization and Harry Belafonte hosting the Tonight Show.

Also joining Larry is NYU Professor and New York Times bestselling author Darin Strauss.  Darin discusses his new work The Queen of Tuesday: A Lucille Ball Story.  Darin explores the craft of writing fiction based in factual events and his approach, weaving non fiction events into his family history to create a tapestry which includes his grandfather’s fictional love affair with Ms. Ball.  Speaking further, they discuss his earlier work Chang & Eng and the story behind his memoir Half a Life.

Larry also laments the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.


Episode 11 – Should There be a Thread That Connects Fact to Fiction – Burt Weissbourd



Should there be a thread that connects fact to fiction?  Novelist, screenwriter, producer Renaissance Man Burt Weissbourd, author or many books including his new work Danger in Plain Sight, discusses his times with Willie Nelson, Al Pacino, working in Hollywood and his approach to writing not only Danger but how his technique is to write as though the work is already a screenplay.  There is also talk of cherry knishes (belly bombs) and being in Paris in the late 1960’s.

Larry also has some random thoughts and observations including is the United States truly united, Lenny Bruce’s prophetic prediction after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election, the development of Black Lives Matters during the pandemic along with shedding light on America’s Caste System.

 


Episode 10 – How Many Threads Do You Need to Tell a Story – Librarian Bev Wowak & Peter Blauner on Pete Hamill



How many threads do you need to tell a story?  Librarian Bev Wowak from the Mattituck Laurel Library speaks with Larry about Kent State and the new and interesting book releases for September and October 2020.  Peter Blauner makes a return appearance reflecting on his time working with the great writer and journalist Pete Hamill.  Peter passed in August of 2020 and was a huge influence on Peter Blauner and Larry.

We apologize for the quality of the audio for this episode.  There was a series of technological issues that necessitated the audio to be of a lesser quality than our standard permits, but because of the important nature of this episode, we decided to publish it in spite of the audio quality.