Tag Archives: Larry Davidson storytelling

Episode 83 – How any Threads Connect Us To Time and Place Through Music ? Musician and Author Robyn Hitchcock



How many threads connectus to time and place through music? On this week’s episode of The Artful Periscope, Larry sits down with Robyn Hitchcock, author of 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left. The biography details Robyn’s childhood growing up in an English private school during 1967, which is a frequent contender for the title of Greatest Year in Music. Larry and Robin discuss The Beatles, Jimmy Hendrix and other early influences that shaped Robyn’s lifetime love of music. His love of rock and roll often conflicted with the strict conservative norms of boarding school and it’s hierarchal structure, which forced boys to endure bullying and mental health struggles. Yet, even in such a difficult environment, music still found it’s way into his life through records he and the other students played in the evenings. They also discuss Bob Dylan (as well as Robyn’s current friendship with Bob Dylan’s son), Robyn and his wife’s current passion for both song production and art, and his daily life living in Nashville.


Episode 61 – How Many Threads Connect the Past to the Present – Nicci Gerard and Sean French



How many threads connect the past to the present? In this installment of the podcast, Larry sits down with wife and husband writing team Nicci Gerard & Sean French to discuss their latest book The Favor. Together they examine the ethical dilemma at the center of the novel- how far would you go to do a favor for someone who is important to you? Nicci and Sean also discuss living in rural England, famous mystery writer Agatha Christie and the creative process behind their writing.

After the break, Larry interviews Jules Howard about his book Wonderdog, which explores the science of dog psychology. Howard sheds light on historic (and sometimes unethical) attempts to study dogs, as well as modern perspectives on dog intelligence, cognition, and relationships.  At the end of the episode, Larry reminiscences about the wonderful dogs who changed his own life. 


Episode 60 – How Many Threads Connect the Relationships Between Mankind and the Horse? Author Fred M. Kray and Rory’s Island



How many threads connect the relationships between mankind and the horse? In this episode of The Artful Periscope, Larry sits down with author Fred M. Kray to discuss his latest book Broken: The Suspicious Death of Alydar and the End of Horse Racing’s Golden Age. Together they untangle the unsolved murder of Alydar, a famous racehorse who mysteriously broke his leg one night when locked up in his paddock. To help us understand this case, Fred discusses the culture of horse-racing, the money and politics that drive the industry and the questionable treatment of racehorses by their people who claim to love them the most. After the break, Rory Vescy hosts another episode of Rory’s Island during which she shares a piece written about Ctreeny, an organization in Sagaponack, NY which uses horses to support adults and children that have special needs. 


Episode 59 – How Many Threads Connect the Reader to the Crime Fiction Writers They Follow – Reed Farrel Coleman and Ben Crane



How many threads connect the reader to the crime fiction writers that they follow.

Larry was fortunate to have well known crime fiction writer Reed Farrel Coleman to talk about his latest work Sleepless City.  Larry asks Reed how he defines Noir fiction to which he responds “french for black” which brings a chuckle.  Some have called Reed the “crime fiction writers crime fiction writer” and the response is very telling.  Larry posits the question “how important is the cover of a new book to attract a new reader” and folds that question into how an author challenges himself with a character’s development.  The two also discuss Elmore Leonard and how the protagonist in a work is not always the enemy.

After the break, Larry is joined by author Ben Crane, author of the book Man of Lies.  Larry first poses that the feeling he got from the book is a combination of Ozark, The Sting, and Fargo, and the chill he felt when he read the line from the book “nothing I say is the truth, nothing I say is a lie”.  There is a discussion of how the character’s fascination at a young age with illusionists shapes his world, and how the setting of a story is also a character. Larry also explores what the true definition of an “anti hero” can be.