Inappropriate Conversations

The notion of "authorial intent" has been used to challenge literary and film criticism for as long as humanity has discussed art.  Is the writer's vision the only point of view that matters?  What if a critic or a number of readers find valid alternative subtexts?  The dividing line may be revealed by separating the role of the author.  From an artistic perspective, he or she is another reader with an equally valid view.  I know that this marginalizes the influence of the creators on interpretations of their work.  On the other hand, the external intent of those same creators must not be ignored or diminished.  So, if you make an incendiary hate film in an attempt to start a global war, everything about your motivations and intentions are subject to scrutiny; meaning, you cannot hide behind any freedom of speech as freedom from scrutiny. Different Drummer: Maxim Vengerov

A little more than two and a half years ago, I didn't own a microphone and had never recorded an MP3 file.  My experience as a podcaster was limited to the role of listener and, occasionally, a caller on live internet broadcasts.  Now, 100 episodes later, I'm telling the story of Inappropriate Conversations through the voice of other shows, friends and fans. The extended length comes from more than 30 minutes of clips from me and others, none of which have appeared before on this show. Different Drummer: Richard Smith

With stereotypes about "jocks v. nerds" it is easy to miss how much athletics have in common with other geeky fandoms.  Quoting statistics, knowing the names of actors and characters, even those with the least screen time, and other examples are easy to note.  Even from the perspective of the arts, I have once heard games like football described as "drama without a script."  I've been to concerts, films, and plays this year, and I intend to see live sports now that both football and soccer are in-season.  The fandoms may differ, but there are plenty of similarities.  Also, I make a brief statement about why I avoided the college football opener sponsored by Chick-fil-A.

Different Drummer: Tom Osborne