I became a Patron I think a week or 2 ago. I love your stories and listen to both this and the Classic Detectives channel as well(sorry if the name is incorrect for the second channel). I also enjoy your talks afterwards regarding the author's and the story. Thank you for all you do.I do greatly appreciate it.😊
Good morning/evening Walker clan! Hi Tony. I love a classic M. R. James read by you. Life would be just a bit dull without hearing something from you. 😊👻☠️🖤
What a great story and reading! The description of Paxton's tendency to be in "a state of fidgets" and "a state of shivers" delighted me at first, but after your interpretation I wonder if those states were common to war trauma survivors at the time.
I haven't heard this one before, great narration, good story. Thank you, Tony Walker! I must chime in on WW1: my son is a marine and lost his leg a few years ago, he is doing fantastic now, climbs mountains, flies helicopters and all that crazy shit that gives me a fright. I always have something negative to say about war though... I fucking hate it. Your commentary on WW1 reminds me of something said by Franklin D. Roosevelt - "War is young men dying and old men talking" And "Old men make war, young men fight & die." -Winston Churchill. These quotes never fail to make me cry, not because of my son but due to something that goes much further back for me, like past lives or something.
It's true that many people have recorded this story but I listen to them all as each person brings their own flavour to it. Your reading of Paxton's character is lighter than many others and makes him sound more like the young man that he actually is. I am a huge fan of James' stories and I enjoyed this reading very much. Many thanks!
Tony, in my opinion, you are one of the very best narratiors of M.R. James, 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (As well as all the other authors!!) Appreciated Gratefully as Always!! Namasté 🙏🕊️💞🌟 Andréa and Jasper. ...XxX... Ps,I shall become a Patreon soon!!❤
This was absolutely marvelous it had everything, mystery , suspension, ghost, and one of most of all it was part of a very important part oaf history ❤❤
I listen to both you and Ian Gordon regularly, and your style is both different enough and equally enjoyable so that one would appreciate hearing the same stories(we all love to hear our favourite stories more than once anyway) read by both of you, and others of course, should they do as great a job as you. I like the way you stress particular words somewhat differently to how I would, and the melodious phrasing of sentences. Anyways, thank you for all the stories.
I loved the story and Tony's superb narration. I listened to his discussion afterwards and was happy to discover the origin of the haunting line in the introduction to the narration of the story, ' You tried to get into the locked drawer today, didn't you?' It's from the 1973 film, 'Psychomania'. Thank you, Tony!
I stumbled upon your podcast quite by accident in the middle of the night. I was looking on UA-cam for A Warning To The Curious after reading about it in a collection of ghost stories previously broadcast by the BBC some years ago. I thought I'd found the actual programme but instead I found your brilliant podcast and I was hooked! I listened from beginning to end. It's now 5:20 in the morning and I should really get some sleep! Thank you, subscribed, and I will listen to many more!
@ClassicGhost thank you! I've just left work after donkey's years of doing nights so I guess I'm still trying to get used to being "normal" like everybody else!
You're brilliant idea of giving new life to old and in some cases forgotten ghost stories has got me thinking. When I was at school there was a horror anthology paperback in the school library, I can't remember its title. One of the short stories was an absolute belter called You Have Been Watching. Initially a newly wed couple didn't want a TV, but after a couple of months of marriage they decide to get one from a second hand shop in town. Oddly enough it seems the TV actually came originally from the couples house... and that's all I'm going to reveal! I've searched for this story online over the years but thus far no joy. In fact I'm going to give it another go!
I had listened to this one on Bitesized, so I almost passed it over, but I'm glad I didn't, because your reading of it brings so much to it, and of course there's lots to enjoy and learn from in the 'ramblings'. So I think it would be a shame for you to avoid stories because others have done them previously. It's a great story too
My goodness was this reading exquisitely flawless. I felt like I was IN the story with you! (Somehow my membership didn't renew, but it's fixed now! Glad to continue with my humble support.)
The commentary about soldiers fighting for a positive(?) future that didn't arrive for them, instead financial, physical and medical hardships, reminds me of stories about some Vietnam war vets.
You are as good as any of them. Thank you for the story, and btw it is nice to hear different interpretations, the story becomes new with each narration
DuPont Chemicals had a slogan "Better Living Through Chemistry" in the 1950s so your memories of "progress" as a goal was set a long time before you were born. Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring in the 1950s. We hippies told you in the 1960s that that lifestyle would bring you to grief, the same kind of grief that we are experiencing now. Possibly that point of view was later in the UK than it was in the US, because we were already getting disillusioned by the 1970s. I'm 77 so I'm some years ahead of you.
Hey Tony Walker, sure there are different qualities of readers of stories and I can see your reluctance to read stories covered well by other Tubers, but each reader has and athmospere that resonates with listener according to mood, Like Wine. You all give us a choice. Same great story different reader to match mood of season. Thanks for your work. ,
4 July 2024 - Listening from Central Kentucky, USA, on a birdsong-filled morning, coffee in hand. I read the comments as a prelude to listening. I have listened to Horrorbabble. I have listened to Old Gods of Appalachia. Neither even begins to compare to this channel. Totally different animals and not animals I would have in my circus. Lol. Keep doing what you do. I live for the narration!
This story just scares the hair off me .... need to listen in daylight not at night! The film version was just heart breaking b/c the poor ol' guy looking didn't even have a descent pair of shoes. I don't know whose idea it was to put that heartbreaking scene in there. It's not in the story just the film I'm thinking
Such good reading, thank you; Ithe inflections in the right places, not confusing reading with acting the parts, which makes for most relaxing listening, in my opinion. I also very much enjoy the biographical extras.
I was having a good think on this one and on your enlightening comments. Thanks for sharing your vast wealth of knowledge with us, Tony! I'm looking at the story through the lense of religion; in particular, Christianity which used pagan folklore to scare believers. The young man in this story serves as a cautionary tale, not only for pagans, but for church folk. The ministers and priests can claim how delving into this kind of "evil' world will lead to something even more horrible than the death of the body, but, the snuffing out of the light of the soul.
Excellent narration as always, thank you - great story too... My vote is, hands down, please read any story you desire, your version & style are superior to any others you mention here, & any that I have managed to listen to here on youtube, in my opinion. Being a folk musician that loves to play in musical communities, I understand not wanting to tread on the toes of other "performers" covering songs, but there is such a world of difference between versions. I look forward to becoming a patron in the near future finance pending.
One thing I like about James, apart from his narrative gifts, is how his paranormal entities and ghosts are very focused and attached malevolently to one individual or small groups of men. It’s not like a ghost or apparition pops up and sends dozens off shrieking. It always is roused or displeased by one individual which, for all the shiny science and modernity, makes it all the more isolating. After all, who’s going to believe you ? This is the first post -WW1 James story I’ve heard. I wasn’t even aware James had lived that long into the 20th century. Of course not by our standard of blood and guts, the violence in the story isn’t particularly savage but by James standards it really is quite brutal. I loved hearing you do an unfamiliar James story and the shadow of the Great War made it all the chillier.
Loved this! I do hope you get to Aldeburgh. I’ve stayed in White Lion in a bedroom with huge windows overlooking beach and sea. There’s a fantastic bookshop there am sure you would love! Thank you ❤
Very interesting talk as always Tony(such an interesting chap) speaking of your Great Grandfather,I'm so intrigued as to the "old soldiers" views(in the main)as to going through the whole disaster of European+ eventually world war once again after being fed the lie they fought "the war to end all wars" very heavy hearts i would imagine especially considering it was their children who would be "footing this bill" but also the feeling of national patriotism,which i imagine will always be prevalent+a very useful emotion for governments to twist+play on(that+ the often delusion we all as nations are fighting for freedom) "War is a very human disease" but I'm also fascinated while sickened about the "history of warfare" which as Private Joker references in the film "Full Metal Jacket" shows the "duality" in mankind, when questioned why he has "born to kill" wrote on his helmet, while wearing the "anti-war, peace badge" on his lapel.I love these stories with the "quintessential Englishmen" i feel myself almost longing for such times(rose tinted specs-no doubt)sorry for droning but like i say "you are an interesting man"+you get "the auld noodle ticking" take care Tony+family(hope your internet woes have lessened of lately)
HorrorBabble has sadly gone almost completely Cthulu and Lovecraft. I would hate to see much of that on your channel. More Gothic, Victorian, and authors like Edith Wharton and Shirley Jackson, please! And your M.R.James stories are certainly welcome, i don't care if I've heard them elsewhere.
I enjoyed your thoughts about the other top-tier horror channels on YT and why you avoid certain tales or authors - This channel easily fits into that "top-tier" description as well IMO. I greatly enjoy your thoughts after the stories, they add a bit more food for thought and give your channel its own unique character.
Interesting to see how the great genre writers of the day handled themes of the War - we have Conan Doyle's patriotic Bruce-Partington intrigue, of course, and HG Wells going off in quite a different direction.
The notion of 'curiosity' as an inherent flaw in human nature, within this context, strikes me as a very conservative almost patriarchal notion. Abrahamic religion Christianity refers to the fall as a result of the archetypal woman, Eves curiosity to eat the apple as encouraged by the snake. Pandoras curiosity to open the box of ills leaving only hope. The bride of bluebeard discovering the corpses? of his former wives? The notion of 'leaving well alone' is possibly an admonition not to challenge the status quo, into the spiritual darkness of past/present ages/evils. Superstition. A type of infantilisation of the psyche. A grown up version of dont go down to the local pond or the monster at the bottom of the pond may jump up and drag you down. In reality curiosity is one pathway through many pathways to opening up the mind and experience.
The idea of a connection between this story and the war seems a bit ironic, in light of the preface to James's earlier collection 'A Thin Ghost and Other Stories' (published in 1919) which emphasised the stories' escapist quality, and mentioned that there was only one reference to 'the war' in the entire collection. But now that you mention it, there is a distinct whiff of the trenches in this story, with the prominent role of digging and the implicit anxiety about the safety of home and country. In a way, Ager himself can be seen as a soldier of his country because, as he understands it, the fate of Britain depends on his protecting the crown. ('England is my nation' is a part of the family creed, after all.) Does that make Paxton a traitor, then, because he puts his country's talisman at risk by taking it out of hiding? In Ager's eyes, it certainly does, but I'm not so sure about the author. James tells us little about Paxton's motives-apart from the obvious one, curiosity-but I don't think he gives us any cause to suspect treasonous intent behind Paxton's desire to bring the crown to light. This is a story that has been recorded often by many worthy readers, but I'm glad to see it in your library of work now. It's one of the stories that belongs in any good collection of James. I doubt if any reader really grudges the author his 'word-painting' in the beginning. His personal connection to the setting adds a special poignancy to the narrator's friend's remark that he has not wanted to go back to 'Seaburgh' since the events of the story.
"Martin's Close"...a lesser known M.R. James story..About a record of a murder trial. A caddish fellow in search of a fortunate marriage. A simple young woman who is 'a natural'. And a terrible outcome.
I love contrasting your accent / voice to that of Simon Stanhope (Bitesized Audio Classics). For some stories, yours works better. For others, his works better. Sometimes I will listen to the same story, back to back, read by both of you, and appreciate the subtle difference in mood, tone, and texture that you each bring to the text.
@@ClassicGhost Generally, I think your voice / accent works better for stories that are bleak and grim, and Simon's works better for stories that have an upbeat or lighthearted setting. Also, yours works better when the characters in the story are not Edwardian toffs, while Simon's works better when they are. Your 'Sandwalker', for example, was perfect - Simon wouldn't have been able to do that with the right tone; but he is the master of A J Alan stories. You can both do M R James well, but you each give to the stories a different tone.
@@ClassicGhost Did you do the one where a car breaks down and they go to an old house and things become quite werewolfy? I can't find it. But I think it was one of yours.
Don't ever think you don't add anything to a piece already read by another amazing voice actor. You do I want to hear Ian of horror babble but I want to hear you too. It's like listening to with a little help from my friends by the beatles then by joe cocker . And little wing I've heard by jimi Derek and the dominoes, sting , stevie ray van . I would never give up the variations . Sometimes I need to hear jimi sometimes eric Clapton and company. I want the talented to do all the good songs. I also want the talented to do all the good stories. A new voice makes the story new even if I know it by heart. Read everything that speaks to you regardless if anyone has beaten you to it.
sometimes it’s daunting and also there is an urge to serve up new things but thank you for the encouragement and the kind words of Support. They really do mean a lot.
Speaking of the present being haunted by the past’s promises of the future, it is the theme of a couple of my favorite songs ever. I'll link Aimee Mann’s “Fifty Years After the Fair,” but I'll also recommend revisiting Donald Fagen’s “I.G.Y.” ua-cam.com/video/tdnO-kV8h3s/v-deo.htmlsi=boLDXfHyn6JpOI1a
Thinking about the human costs of WW1 and lessons learned, there is this beautiful take on the Christmas truces of 1914 by John McCutcheon… ua-cam.com/video/5JwXfdz2C7Q/v-deo.htmlsi=0XFfDTMEGrq2jk1y
This is just another one of these infuriating circumstances that Americans are now dealing with on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the people we have elected to represent our interests in Congress will do absolutely nothing to address. They are busy making up problems and dealing in worthless distraction. We must vote Dems back into the Majority in the House and Senate. ✊
Great voice and great selection. I enjoy falling asleep to these turn of the century horror stories. But you've tacked on your personal opinions at the end? It's like I'm looking at a Rembrandt painting and then someone doodled their name and a cartoon character on the frame. It was shocking the first time I heard it and I hoped that maybe you only did that every once in a while. But it appears you do that in every story. No matter how many comments tell you how great it is that you insert your own ego into these carefully crafted stories, it's the wrong thing to do and it's ruined the channel for me. I do really like your voice though.
+@MuzzyGoldblatt Muzzy mate. Just don’t listen to that bit and understand that lots of people like those bits . if they didn’t I wouldn’t do it . live and let live . walk away from what you dislike . Rest easy
About doing an author other narrators have done, I would look at it this way: i don't think anyone thinks you're trying to compete, you know... you're bringing these stories to a wider audience. Horrorbabble was my gateway to ghost story narration on UA-cam, and Bitesized Audio does brilliant Victorian tales and I quite like them both. But your channel is my go-to, period, job done. Do all the stories! :D
I became a Patron I think a week or 2 ago. I love your stories and listen to both this and the Classic Detectives channel as well(sorry if the name is incorrect for the second channel). I also enjoy your talks afterwards regarding the author's and the story. Thank you for all you do.I do greatly appreciate it.😊
Same here, patron and loving the Detective channel as well, Secrets in the Snow my favorite story so far
@@LucicPower I can’t seem to find the detective channel. I’ve searched Tony Walker classic detective on podcasts and can’t find it
It's on youtube " classic detective STORIES " please let me know if you find it, a lot of Dashiell Hammet there
@@CR-dr8ok open.spotify.com/show/59i6IL1Rj2Xtq0e6V25zPd?si=jOslFq6HRqefVtokLC0vvg
@@LucicPower got it! Thank you!!!
Good morning/evening Walker clan!
Hi Tony.
I love a classic M. R. James read by you.
Life would be just a bit dull without hearing something from you.
😊👻☠️🖤
What a great story and reading! The description of Paxton's tendency to be in "a state of fidgets" and "a state of shivers" delighted me at first, but after your interpretation I wonder if those states were common to war trauma survivors at the time.
No one rambles as superbly as Tony😮😂❤❤❤🎉
Sometimes I enjoy the ramble bit more than the actual story😂
Me too! 😁
The guy has a PHD in it+ thoroughly deserved "he's a good egg" no doubt
He’s my midnight rambler !
@@teddydog6229 that sounds like an Allman Brothers song!✌️
I haven't heard this one before, great narration, good story. Thank you, Tony Walker!
I must chime in on WW1: my son is a marine and lost his leg a few years ago, he is doing fantastic now, climbs mountains, flies helicopters and all that crazy shit that gives me a fright. I always have something negative to say about war though... I fucking hate it.
Your commentary on WW1 reminds me of something said by Franklin D. Roosevelt - "War is young men dying and old men talking" And "Old men make war, young men fight & die." -Winston Churchill. These quotes never fail to make me cry, not because of my son but due to something that goes much further back for me, like past lives or something.
Oh gosh!
May your son always stay safe now.
I hate war too, no reason other than it's wrong. There has to be a better way.
@@StoryVoracious 💜
Great job Tony! I love M.R. James' stories!
It's true that many people have recorded this story but I listen to them all as each person brings their own flavour to it. Your reading of Paxton's character is lighter than many others and makes him sound more like the young man that he actually is. I am a huge fan of James' stories and I enjoyed this reading very much. Many thanks!
Ditto all other comments, and I Love your thoughtful rambles afterwards as much as the stories.
Oh wow...never read
this one..thanks Tony!
What a wonderful tale!
And as always,great talk afterwards.
Tony, in my opinion, you are one of the very best narratiors of M.R. James, 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
(As well as all the other authors!!)
Appreciated Gratefully as Always!!
Namasté 🙏🕊️💞🌟
Andréa and Jasper. ...XxX...
Ps,I shall become a Patreon soon!!❤
Thank you. i’m flattered :)
I agree.
@@martinandroid2538 @andreadingbatt me too!
This was absolutely marvelous it had everything, mystery , suspension, ghost, and one of most of all it was part of a very important part oaf history ❤❤
Wonderful to end the day.with my favorite channel and narrator ❤. Goodnight all.
Loved that story. Great reading, lively, colorful, just terrific! Thanks so much!
Thank you to your friend who sponsored this one. How about Count Magnus next?
i haven’t done that one ☝️
The BBC did an adaptation of Count Magnus a couple of Christmas's ago. Very good and very chilling👍
Thanks, Tony and Gavin!
Love that you listen to and acknowledge other readers. Great stuff!
I listen to both you and Ian Gordon regularly, and your style is both different enough and equally enjoyable so that one would appreciate hearing the same stories(we all love to hear our favourite stories more than once anyway) read by both of you, and others of course, should they do as great a job as you. I like the way you stress particular words somewhat differently to how I would, and the melodious phrasing of sentences. Anyways, thank you for all the stories.
Hear hear! Nobody "owns" these stories. Let a thousand readers bloom!
Loved this one. Something about the mood gripped me. Thanks Tony!!!
Thoroughly thought provoking waffle. Thank you.👍
I'm not sure which part I like the most, the story or the history talk afterward. Excellent telling as always. Thanks Tony.
MR James is my favorite, or at least the author of my favorite story: The Mezzotint. The horror is palpable without being explicit.
Thank you, Tony. Beautifully read and I enjoyed the ramble at the end.
I loved the story and Tony's superb narration. I listened to his discussion afterwards and was happy to discover the origin of the haunting line in the introduction to the narration of the story, ' You tried to get into the locked drawer today, didn't you?' It's from the 1973 film, 'Psychomania'. Thank you, Tony!
Thank you! I love all those quotes in the beginning and wondered where they came from :) they’re blended together perfectly
I stumbled upon your podcast quite by accident in the middle of the night. I was looking on UA-cam for A Warning To The Curious after reading about it in a collection of ghost stories previously broadcast by the BBC some years ago. I thought I'd found the actual programme but instead I found your brilliant podcast and I was hooked! I listened from beginning to end. It's now 5:20 in the morning and I should really get some sleep! Thank you, subscribed, and I will listen to many more!
well, it’s great to have you here, but remember sleep is important! Seriously though welcome
@ClassicGhost thank you! I've just left work after donkey's years of doing nights so I guess I'm still trying to get used to being "normal" like everybody else!
Love M.R. James, love Old Gods of Appalachia, and I greatly appreciate your narrations. Keep up the good work!
Thanks 🙏
Thanks, Tony! Great M. R. James Story, well narrated. Enjoyed the waffle at the end; good food for thought.
I just listened to "Crossed Wires" with a certain guest star. Well done!!! Very entertaining.❤
It was great fun 🤩
thoroughly enjoyed your post story analysis today, very interesting to reconsider this story in the context of the broader social context of the time
You're brilliant idea of giving new life to old and in some cases forgotten ghost stories has got me thinking.
When I was at school there was a horror anthology paperback in the school library, I can't remember its title. One of the short stories was an absolute belter called You Have Been Watching. Initially a newly wed couple didn't want a TV, but after a couple of months of marriage they decide to get one from a second hand shop in town. Oddly enough it seems the TV actually came originally from the couples house... and that's all I'm going to reveal!
I've searched for this story online over the years but thus far no joy.
In fact I'm going to give it another go!
It wasn't one of the Herbert Van Thal anthologies? Pan Horror stories?
Loving the detailed description, can't wait till my bedtime to settle down with this story, thank you so much Tony 🙏 💛
I had listened to this one on Bitesized, so I almost passed it over, but I'm glad I didn't, because your reading of it brings so much to it, and of course there's lots to enjoy and learn from in the 'ramblings'. So I think it would be a shame for you to avoid stories because others have done them previously. It's a great story too
I just love the interesting rabbit holes that we travel through with Tony!
❤️
Your voice is so calming, Tony. Love these tales, your narration and your commentaries, putting the story and writer into perspective. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing.
You;'re very welcome
My goodness was this reading exquisitely flawless. I felt like I was IN the story with you! (Somehow my membership didn't renew, but it's fixed now! Glad to continue with my humble support.)
The commentary about soldiers fighting for a positive(?) future that didn't arrive for them, instead financial, physical and medical hardships, reminds me of stories about some Vietnam war vets.
This is my favorite James story. Thanks!
You are as good as any of them. Thank you for the story, and btw it is nice to hear different interpretations, the story becomes new with each narration
DuPont Chemicals had a slogan "Better Living Through Chemistry" in the 1950s so your memories of "progress" as a goal was set a long time before you were born.
Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring in the 1950s.
We hippies told you in the 1960s that that lifestyle would bring you to grief, the same kind of grief that we are experiencing now.
Possibly that point of view was later in the UK than it was in the US, because we were already getting disillusioned by the 1970s.
I'm 77 so I'm some years ahead of you.
Hey Tony Walker, sure there are different qualities of readers of stories and I can see your reluctance to read stories covered well by other Tubers, but each reader has and athmospere that resonates with listener according to mood, Like Wine. You all give us a choice. Same great story different reader to match mood of season. Thanks for your work.
,
+@hangawara Thank you. I know what you mean and I thank you for saying so. I am in awe of some other narrators. Not Arthur Lane though :)))
4 July 2024 - Listening from Central Kentucky, USA, on a birdsong-filled morning, coffee in hand. I read the comments as a prelude to listening. I have listened to Horrorbabble. I have listened to Old Gods of Appalachia. Neither even begins to compare to this channel. Totally different animals and not animals I would have in my circus. Lol. Keep doing what you do. I live for the narration!
Your surroundings sound lovely
It's always a good day when Mr Walker uploads a narration. I enjoy listening to these immensely, thank you. Have a great day, sir.
Hope your Saturday was a good one. I'm fighting the pain of Fibromyalgia today and tonight, but your voice helps 💜
Sorry to hear that
@ClassicGhost Thank you Tony...it's life, for now 💜
My partner has Fibro, it's an awful thing to live with. Hope your flare up has calmed down now🤞
I'm sharing your channel with anybody who loves a good story. Besides, I like listening to your voice. It's a mesmerizing......
thank you very much.
Much appreciated
Old Gods of Appalachia is the best !!!! No offense, Tony. Yours is the only other one I listen to and am working my way through all.
I remember watching an old adaptation of this one! I think it was from the 70s and on the "bbc dead of night" series playlist on youtube
You had me at 'Jungian' in the commentary. I'm a big fan of Carl's work, as well as Marie-Louise von Franz. ❤
Me too :)
This story just scares the hair off me .... need to listen in daylight not at night! The film version was just heart breaking b/c the poor ol' guy looking didn't even have a descent pair of shoes. I don't know whose idea it was to put that heartbreaking scene in there. It's not in the story just the film I'm thinking
Thank you for the reading Tony..
Thanks back for listening
Such good reading, thank you; Ithe inflections in the right places, not confusing reading with acting the parts, which makes for most relaxing listening, in my opinion. I also very much enjoy the biographical extras.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you, thank you, thank you.😊
The past does haunt the present. You can see it and feel it everywhere.
I was having a good think on this one and on your enlightening comments. Thanks for sharing your vast wealth of knowledge with us, Tony! I'm looking at the story through the lense of religion; in particular, Christianity which used pagan folklore to scare believers. The young man in this story serves as a cautionary tale, not only for pagans, but for church folk. The ministers and priests can claim how delving into this kind of "evil' world will lead to something even more horrible than the death of the body, but, the snuffing out of the light of the soul.
This is true and James was steeped in the everyday culture of the Anglican church
Excellent narration as always, thank you - great story too... My vote is, hands down, please read any story you desire, your version & style are superior to any others you mention here, & any that I have managed to listen to here on youtube, in my opinion. Being a folk musician that loves to play in musical communities, I understand not wanting to tread on the toes of other "performers" covering songs, but there is such a world of difference between versions. I look forward to becoming a patron in the near future finance pending.
Thanks for the encouragement. Good luck with the music
One thing I like about James, apart from his narrative gifts, is how his paranormal entities and ghosts are very focused and attached malevolently to one individual or small groups of men. It’s not like a ghost or apparition pops up and sends dozens off shrieking. It always is roused or displeased by one individual which, for all the shiny science and modernity, makes it all the more isolating. After all, who’s going to believe you ? This is the first post -WW1 James story I’ve heard. I wasn’t even aware James had lived that long into the 20th century. Of course not by our standard of blood and guts, the violence in the story isn’t particularly savage but by James standards it really is quite brutal. I loved hearing you do an unfamiliar James story and the shadow of the Great War made it all the chillier.
Oh wowowow ok this is the big guns, dying to listen!!! Gonna have a spooky breakfast.
No diggin ere
Ah that was grand and a good discussion for afters!!
Loved this! I do hope you get to Aldeburgh. I’ve stayed in White Lion in a bedroom with huge windows overlooking beach and sea. There’s a fantastic bookshop there am sure you would love!
Thank you ❤
I think I would
What is the picture on the title page?
Very interesting talk as always Tony(such an interesting chap) speaking of your Great Grandfather,I'm so intrigued as to the "old soldiers" views(in the main)as to going through the whole disaster of European+ eventually world war once again after being fed the lie they fought "the war to end all wars" very heavy hearts i would imagine especially considering it was their children who would be "footing this bill" but also the feeling of national patriotism,which i imagine will always be prevalent+a very useful emotion for governments to twist+play on(that+ the often delusion we all as nations are fighting for freedom) "War is a very human disease" but I'm also fascinated while sickened about the "history of warfare" which as Private Joker references in the film "Full Metal Jacket" shows the "duality" in mankind, when questioned why he has "born to kill" wrote on his helmet, while wearing the "anti-war, peace badge" on his lapel.I love these stories with the "quintessential Englishmen" i feel myself almost longing for such times(rose tinted specs-no doubt)sorry for droning but like i say "you are an interesting man"+you get "the auld noodle ticking" take care Tony+family(hope your internet woes have lessened of lately)
Ps. You did a fantastic job with the narration i dont think ANYONE could have better
"Our thumping hearts
Hold the Ravens in
And keep the Tower
From tumbling "
☺️
HorrorBabble has sadly gone almost completely Cthulu and Lovecraft. I would hate to see much of that on your channel.
More Gothic, Victorian, and authors like Edith Wharton and Shirley Jackson, please! And your M.R.James stories are certainly welcome, i don't care if I've heard them elsewhere.
MR James and Algernon Blackwood for the win
I enjoyed your thoughts about the other top-tier horror channels on YT and why you avoid certain tales or authors - This channel easily fits into that "top-tier" description as well IMO.
I greatly enjoy your thoughts after the stories, they add a bit more food for thought and give your channel its own unique character.
Interesting to see how the great genre writers of the day handled themes of the War - we have Conan Doyle's patriotic Bruce-Partington intrigue, of course, and HG Wells going off in quite a different direction.
No diggin'....No diggin' 'ere.....
😂
The notion of 'curiosity' as an inherent flaw in human nature, within this context, strikes me as a very conservative almost patriarchal notion. Abrahamic religion Christianity refers to the fall as a result of the archetypal woman, Eves curiosity to eat the apple as encouraged by the snake. Pandoras curiosity to open the box of ills leaving only hope. The bride of bluebeard discovering the corpses? of his former wives?
The notion of 'leaving well alone' is possibly an admonition not to challenge the status quo, into the spiritual darkness of past/present ages/evils. Superstition. A type of infantilisation of the psyche. A grown up version of dont go down to the local pond or the monster at the bottom of the pond may jump up and drag you down. In reality curiosity is one pathway through many pathways to opening up the mind and experience.
Am I First?!😅❤
Looks like it, dear😂as I seem to be the second 😊😂
@@Keira88😊👍👍
Thank you so Much!!
For letting me claim 1st ,Lol! 😁
Great Narration by Tony, as usual, I enjoyed this very much indeed!! 🙂❤
@@AndreaDingbatt you're the winner, no doubt about it, my friend:)
The idea of a connection between this story and the war seems a bit ironic, in light of the preface to James's earlier collection 'A Thin Ghost and Other Stories' (published in 1919) which emphasised the stories' escapist quality, and mentioned that there was only one reference to 'the war' in the entire collection. But now that you mention it, there is a distinct whiff of the trenches in this story, with the prominent role of digging and the implicit anxiety about the safety of home and country.
In a way, Ager himself can be seen as a soldier of his country because, as he understands it, the fate of Britain depends on his protecting the crown. ('England is my nation' is a part of the family creed, after all.) Does that make Paxton a traitor, then, because he puts his country's talisman at risk by taking it out of hiding? In Ager's eyes, it certainly does, but I'm not so sure about the author. James tells us little about Paxton's motives-apart from the obvious one, curiosity-but I don't think he gives us any cause to suspect treasonous intent behind Paxton's desire to bring the crown to light.
This is a story that has been recorded often by many worthy readers, but I'm glad to see it in your library of work now. It's one of the stories that belongs in any good collection of James. I doubt if any reader really grudges the author his 'word-painting' in the beginning. His personal connection to the setting adds a special poignancy to the narrator's friend's remark that he has not wanted to go back to 'Seaburgh' since the events of the story.
HUZZAH HUZZAH
"Martin's Close"...a lesser known M.R. James story..About a record of a murder trial. A caddish fellow in search of a fortunate marriage. A simple young woman who is 'a natural'. And a terrible outcome.
Thank you for the suggestion
I love contrasting your accent / voice to that of Simon Stanhope (Bitesized Audio Classics). For some stories, yours works better. For others, his works better. Sometimes I will listen to the same story, back to back, read by both of you, and appreciate the subtle difference in mood, tone, and texture that you each bring to the text.
that is very interesting. I suppose it’s inevitable. i’m desperately curious about which :))
@@ClassicGhost Generally, I think your voice / accent works better for stories that are bleak and grim, and Simon's works better for stories that have an upbeat or lighthearted setting. Also, yours works better when the characters in the story are not Edwardian toffs, while Simon's works better when they are. Your 'Sandwalker', for example, was perfect - Simon wouldn't have been able to do that with the right tone; but he is the master of A J Alan stories. You can both do M R James well, but you each give to the stories a different tone.
that is fascinating. I take some pride in the fact I can do bleak stories. That made me smile.
@@ClassicGhost Did you do the one where a car breaks down and they go to an old house and things become quite werewolfy? I can't find it. But I think it was one of yours.
All wars follow the same pattern. Cannon fodder used to satisfy the power games of oligarchic elites.
Don't ever think you don't add anything to a piece already read by another amazing voice actor. You do I want to hear Ian of horror babble but I want to hear you too. It's like listening to with a little help from my friends by the beatles then by joe cocker . And little wing I've heard by jimi Derek and the dominoes, sting , stevie ray van .
I would never give up the variations . Sometimes I need to hear jimi sometimes eric Clapton and company. I want the talented to do all the good songs. I also want the talented to do all the good stories. A new voice makes the story new even if I know it by heart. Read everything that speaks to you regardless if anyone has beaten you to it.
sometimes it’s daunting and also there is an urge to serve up new things but thank you for the encouragement and the kind words of Support. They really do mean a lot.
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Speaking of the present being haunted by the past’s promises of the future, it is the theme of a couple of my favorite songs ever. I'll link Aimee Mann’s “Fifty Years After the Fair,” but I'll also recommend revisiting Donald Fagen’s “I.G.Y.”
ua-cam.com/video/tdnO-kV8h3s/v-deo.htmlsi=boLDXfHyn6JpOI1a
Thinking about the human costs of WW1 and lessons learned, there is this beautiful take on the Christmas truces of 1914 by John McCutcheon…
ua-cam.com/video/5JwXfdz2C7Q/v-deo.htmlsi=0XFfDTMEGrq2jk1y
I really liked that song:)
This is just another one of these infuriating circumstances that Americans are now dealing with on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the people we have elected to represent our interests in Congress will do absolutely nothing to address. They are busy making up problems and dealing in worthless distraction. We must vote Dems back into the Majority in the House and Senate. ✊
Great voice and great selection. I enjoy falling asleep to these turn of the century horror stories. But you've tacked on your personal opinions at the end? It's like I'm looking at a Rembrandt painting and then someone doodled their name and a cartoon character on the frame. It was shocking the first time I heard it and I hoped that maybe you only did that every once in a while. But it appears you do that in every story. No matter how many comments tell you how great it is that you insert your own ego into these carefully crafted stories, it's the wrong thing to do and it's ruined the channel for me. I do really like your voice though.
+@MuzzyGoldblatt Muzzy mate. Just don’t listen to that bit and understand that lots of people like those bits . if they didn’t I wouldn’t do it . live and let live . walk away from what you dislike . Rest easy
About doing an author other narrators have done, I would look at it this way: i don't think anyone thinks you're trying to compete, you know... you're bringing these stories to a wider audience.
Horrorbabble was my gateway to ghost story narration on UA-cam, and Bitesized Audio does brilliant Victorian tales and I quite like them both. But your channel is my go-to, period, job done.
Do all the stories! :D