Robert C. Murray's Blog, page 8

Episode 023: In Court

We take a turn to the observational this week, with "In Court." I once spent a morning in the gallery of the local courthouse and came out of it with a day's less vacation time and this poem. The poem itself has undergone a bit of revision since it was first published in "Stand Right, Walk Left." There was a stanza that reflected who I was then, but not into whom I have grown, and so I rewrote that stanza to share my observation, but not in the classist, frankly jerkish way that the original wor...

Episode 022: To Obtain Duck Sauce - An Essay

Let's dive back into the absurd again, with another piece pertaining to ducks. This time, it's an essay, "To Obtain Duck Sauce," which oddly enough isn't my only food/animal hybrid piece, but it is the work I read for you this work. So, leave the world behind for a few minutes and enjoy something out of left field.

Hey, I'd love to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, or catch ...

Episode 021: Blue.

Miles Davis plays right into my soul. His work was the inspiration for the theme music for this podcast. This week's poem, "Blue." is something of an ode to his work, probably even composed or at least dreamt up while listening to "Kind of Blue." If you haven't listened to any  of his work, fire up your music service of choice and dig out his music. Especially if you like my musical homage that greets you and takes you through this podcast each week.

Hey, I'd love to hear what you think of the p...

Episode 020: Cymbal and Drum - Metronaut

These two poems go together quite well, I think, so for this week I offer you another Twofer: "Cymbal and Drum" and "Metronaut," both inspired by my time spent commuting in and out of Washington, D.C. on the Metro System. Though these take a slightly different tack than did "Ecologies of Scale," heard in a previous episode but inspired by that same commute. I also experimented a little with some audio editing underneath "Metronaut," curious to hear if you think it worked, maybe I'll get fancy ag...

Episode 019: Opera Bio and Sonic Vintage of the Fourth Formant

Here's a couple of items -- yes you get a 2fer this week! -- that will hopefully be very funny to a select segment of the population, and hopefully enjoyable for the rest of you out there who choose to spend 5 minutes a week with me in your ear. "Opera Bio" began as a joke when a friend and performer in one of the opera production I created the program for had yet to turn in his cast bio. The result is what I jokingly threatened to insert in its place. Trolling at its finest. The person in quest...

KRAKKEN AND PHOENIX RELEASE DATE AND BOOK TRAILER

 Coming to you 01 November 2020, volume II of the Titan Run Trilogy:

PreOrder for Kindle at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HBMFRL2

Paperbacks on sale 01 Nov 2020!

When we last saw our crews...
Hugh Saracen and Ann Bell had successfully escaped their pasts on Mars and found themselves heading for Titan aboard the mining ship Krakken.
Meanwhile, Hugh's husband, Captain Dalton Simmons of the state-of-the-art cruiser BPOE Phoenix led his new crew likewise away from the red planet to see if their ne...

Episode 018: Butter and Bacon Fat

When cleaning my office recently, I discovered an old composition notebook that I used to carry with me whenever I'd set up a table to sell my books. Scribbled hastily on one of the pages was the first draft of this week's poem "Butter and Bacon Fat." It's the tale of a lonely and somewhat hungry poet who endures a heavenly aroma coming from a food vendor at the same farmer's market where our hero is selling his books. Yes, it is based on actual events. I'll definitely be including this poem in ...

Episode 017: Existential Chemistry

Colleges are opening up in a variety of ways but the universal constant is that there are classes that everyone just has to get through. And you will. This week on the podcast I embrace that spirit with a meditation that survives from my own college days. If you don't pick it up from the context of the piece, I did not enjoy - nor do terribly well - at Chemistry. It's just never been my subject. Thus was born "Existential Chemistry." 

Another brief anecdote, I shared this with a friend years ago...

Episode 016: Goodfellow

Inspired by a late night conversation with an actor acquaintance on the back porch of where I lived at the time comes "Goodfellow." Of course, he was playing 'Puck' in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the time, thus the framing of the tale. It wasn't my first choice for this week, but I didn't care for my initial choice and found this gem. It's one of the most faithfully rhythmic poems I've written, though I'll confess coming back to it years later the story it tells feels a wee bit thin. Still, enj...

KRAKKEN AND PHOENIX: COVER AND TITLE REVEAL

 Been dying to share this with the world, and here it is. The title and cover art for volume II of the Titan Run Trilogy, coming this Fall: KRAKKEN AND PHOENIX

My Books Are For Sale!