Hello friends and welcomes the way I heard it episode number two hundred twenty three, this called. Would you care to have your head red. Care to have your had read that was question you might expect to have heard a hundred and fifty years ago, when phrenologist, would routinely charge money to explain your personality and predict your future, by analyzing the bumps on your head. This, not a question I expected to hear during my conversation with today's guest unusual actor named David counts, but nevertheless I heard it what makes David. so unusual is not the fact that he is familiar with four analogy or the fact that people today are willing to pay him in a roundabout way to evaluate the bumps on their head? What makes him interesting and unusual The fact that, unlike most working actors, David Kells, Sir

auditioning for theatrical roles many years ago and decide added to cast himself instead in just one role for the rest of his life. The role of EDGAR, Allan POE. now I know what you're thinking you're thinking, but MIKE Edgar Allan POE. That's not a role because he's not a character. Po was a real person who wrote spooky stories and died in Baltimore over a hundred and fifty years ago, and you would be correct. Nevertheless, David Kells, an actor by trade, has made his career and his life to keep the memory of EDGAR Allan POE alive and he done so just like an act wood by dressing like Paul and talking like Paul and acting like Paul and maybe most them, certainly by memorizing. Virtually everything that EDGAR Allan POE has ever written. Poems Lord stories, letters,

literary criticisms, literally tens of thousands words all committed to member. For the last few decades. It has made his living by assuming the identity of POE by bringing his many X, to life for an audience of any size anywhere anytime, I heard about this guy. The first time I thought, he'd be perfect for an episode of somebody's gotta. Do it- and I was right- he was I invited him on the podcast today, because I haven't talked to him since then spin, probably six years. I thought it might be fun to check in with the living embodiment of EDGAR Allan POE what with Halloween right round the corner. Just to see how weathered the last few years and to find out of power is still near the centre of his universe. Well boiler alert. He is David. Keltz

showed up for this conversation in full PO regalia for podcast, that's commitment. Our conversation, is, is We find it's a little strange in places, but strange is good, especially if you, kind of person who might be inclined to have your head red one other thing to keep in mind as you. Listen to this David has no notes in front of him when we speak. When you hear quote: EDGAR Allan POE, either from his letters. Poems are short stories he's doing it all from memory such as his commitment to the role of a lifetime and desire to keep a great writer died in my hometown alive for generations to come. This way, I heard once upon a time not so long ago, quick books was one of those products and actually lived up to its name, but then nets wheat came along

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a one of a kind financing programme only for those who are ready to switch to day in that sweet dotcom, Slash MIKE right now that special fund, answering at net sweet dotcom, Slash MIKE nets. We dotcom Slash MIKE while at a shred of evidence, stand in the way of a good story. I take that licence theatrical, what's sometimes right. Well, you look derivative you know the people on this spot gasped. They know who you are. I've talked about you before. Where are you sitting right now: Baltimore, Butchers, Brazil, brewer sale, sure? What's the difference between brewers Hill and Butchers Hill, one of them was kind of close to the lyric, where I used to work once upon a time if that is a little further north and to the west of where we are. If you

we can draw is where half a mile from captain Crossing, if I just took a walk that way, half a mile, it be right in the middle of it, well trained postpone our walk for, at least in our diet, and then we can our things in my hometown, or, I should say our hometown chuck, grew up in Baltimore as well, and I know you ve been there for a long time. What's the latest. Well, it's changed course because of covert sure their love differences, a lot of places of shut down. because an increase in crime there, some areas that I used to go in and I would not go in there at night now, nowhere near there other than that things are nice, slow down, of course, they ve been time, often on when we couldn't go to different places. You know I thought of you

and this whole lockdown started for a couple of reasons. One reason was because I know that the kind of performances you do or are almost ways very small and very intimate, I remember when I saw you last at the po. You were literally in our faces, doing to tell tell Hearts- and I mean spit flying through the air, and it was such an intimate thing in such a great moment, and that must have been one of the first things to go away. I imagine through all this. Well, things have slowed down a lot last year I had only for performances two, those were in restaurants and two were private performances. You say I'm busy, almost all the whole month of October, for instance, and. This year, I'm just doing are the sort of kind of bare minimum compared to what I was doing before covert. What were you doing? What was a typical year like in terms

number of performances and travel and just a general market for a guy who one character- no exceptions. All of the time well, the month of October, for instance, of, was always very good sometimes I do shows from the first one starting at Halloween Day ten, a m and one year I started the first one at ten, a m, to do a love driving going through a lot of different places and The last show started at one I am he had, they wondered at midnight. Logistically I just couldn't get there by midnight and, while library week was always vague in, I was kind of often on corporate. Answer in Baltimore, because he's buried here at the grave. They are like to come in see the grave and seek oh and have a performance. A corporate events is different from other events, in that most of them wanted only the fight of the humorous series which,

unusual so I've had that part of the whole collection of things that I do, people don't think of humor when they think Paul, but he I certainly doubt now he wrote a lot of funny stuff, nothing, to mind but David. What are the big ones that are most in demand? while the one that is most in demand that I do today that audiences will understand about half of it There is work humor stories, but they were written for scholars of the nineteenth century, and so a lot of it wouldn't really work today. But there's one that's my favorite goes over very well. It's called the spectacles and it's about a young man who has inherited one fortune and slated too there is another he's very well he's very good looking and very proud of his fortune, and doubt this looks very handsome face, this wrong, except for the weekend

of his eyes at this is always avoided wearing glasses because he felt that nothing so disfigured the countenance of a young person the end result of all this is not being Will the sea as well as he thinks he does? He ends up marrying Great great grandmother, Is it your cold on nice, very great grandmother and some friends to show in the air of his ways and the last line of the bomb? Is I am never ever to be met without my spectacles. What did I not grannie? To this end, we have no idea once that's that's what the dough. Goes over very well when I read that allow the first time tested out It was an hour in twenty two minutes and I got it down to twenty two and a half minutes

a lot of changes that occur in all these stories. You have to do that, partly because baloney want a certain amount of time and because certain parts of it just don't catch the audience everywhere, has to really hold the audience just spellbound with it in some of the parts of it. Don't so have to edit quite a bit and streamline quite a bit, but what changed David I mean. I know that the same was true back in the eighteen. Thirty people wanted to be entertained. Did the modern audiences at our assured attention span? Is it impatience, wealth it could be quite a lot of those wheels. Sound bites today in those, They really enjoyed reading details about certain things like. I remember but I was reading one says something and now I think it was

men, are worn peace, one of the two of those it seem like it took three pages of wide margin in narrow, spacing just described what this man saw ass. He walked across the lobby and we like then they like that, but modern audiences wouldn't care forth as much in a lot of it could be that audiences today would not catch the humour of things that were happening back in that time. And I have to edit things so that they will get it so it will be appreciated. For instance, I'm doing a story. This Halloween call somewhere with the Mummy the reader of the story at the time if they were well educated, no, whom many of these people were and no great deal about them, as is the way that I have two edited- I have to explain who they were and which ones were american, which ones were british

and gives a lot of variety. When I go into the different accents one who british, the main narrator and then there's the egyptian Mummy our study to get there egyptian accent down well, the way I got that was went to a restaurant where a new- one of the waiters was egyptian and I said you don't you don't have to, at this anything, but it just to see how you I'd written the script. Already, how you pronounced these words, and so he read it. So I had the pronunciation then, between that and David Stearns Dialect tapes they put together and as such, it was the way David Stern said it was, but almost Sharif was Egyptian and listen him and he had a great deal. Vocal variety and his was very expressive. A lot of what the egyptian tax it actually sounds, like a sort of like flat affect this very little, a variety in it.

But, to give me an example, I'm having a tough time remembering an addiction accept this ever pick it up from the first time that he speaks. The Englishman says said they take. This felt voltaic battery and MRS at my suggestion. Doktor Panada made a profound incision into the Tipp of the subjects, knows and pulled into view contact with the wire, the opened his eyes. Sneezed subtle on end thus very capital egyptian most say, jumped the day, miss much sub prime desire, I'm one of debate at you, wanna behaviour. It did and more gentlemanly conduct from you it a major go out your colleague we her nose and that's pretty much what it sounds like.

but then more surely for sure, ok zone let me ask you a little bit about the experience of doing somebody's gotta. Do it because was kind of making that show up, as I love that that was great, I'm glad at the moment, because I had a ball two I had agenda? I was trying to get the crew back to Baltimore as often as possible to find stories that we could do there and came across some stories about you, but I haven't spoken to since then. I've seen the show, of course- and I just wanted to get your take on- did you feel like you were able to give a pretty accurate tape of both who you are and why you do what you do. Yes, I think that your questions, The things that you are asking me enabled me to explain. deal about how it got started. With all this. I had relatives who said that they,

really enjoyed it and you know we're telling all their friends about it. Other people got Actually I one person from way back in. High school had seen it one person from way back in the army years ago saw it and loved it. It was very much appreciated by audiences all around and by me was great found that day going through the graveyard you're going to the else going everywhere. I had a wonderful time with it. Will I'm glad you ve talked about taunting? and things of that sort and some of your blood cancer- you alluded to it. and I was glad that we didn't have any interruptions of that kind from TAT Day, because it's a place where ghettos persuade noted to be pretty haunted. I never spirits and he goes phenomena there myself Friends of mine, have and were completely blown away, but startled by it. There has been left in the post experienced one. They are, but I'm glad we weren't interrupted by that as well.

Doing the show that day are you kidding had, been interrupted by a fantasy. That's what do the hollow ratings that seventeen, something absolutely oath are all those shows where they try to pull up spirits. There are speaking, and they think that sounds like a most me fuck That's what I was saying that I see there there would be no question about it. What David always experience. Well, my experience with that sort of phenomena was not in the graveyard but I was over. The POE House up on the third floor had happened that there was a boy scout troop coming, through that day. They were running around all overthrew. The house I was keeping track of. It was in the top floor, very small room people going in front of me behind me, and I felt I knew that there were no cub scouts, her boy scouts behind me at that point, but even then I felt very hard and not like somebody's muckle muscular thought. One

That's a big kid he's rude turned round to a look, and there was nobody there at all, and I turned back a completely lost my thought. The people are starting to said. What's the matter with you, we have been talking about things of this sort before, and I said I thought just to unbelievable to tell him that I just experienced, but I said I just thought somebody was behind me- jobs are very good at me, but I was experience. I have decent POE genuinely believed in the afterlife in ghosts and hard well fitted really you like to all the stories, as she does scribes in one of his essays writing. raven? He liked to make things within the limits of the accountable of the real. The only thing that I can remember the way of actual ghost was-

In the end, a manuscript found a bottle where ghosts you're walking about on the ship, but other than that he intended to avoid things like stories about werewolves zombies, vampires ghost anything supernatural we think that he was writing about was very real and human phenomena. And I think you just knew that most people would find that much more frightening. something supernatural when you know so they really could happen when you have a psychotic personality or somebody with alcoholic psychosis. Are you a story with somebody, this just riven by revenge, to commit murder? That is quite believable? You get drawn into that everybody can relate to that. If he did never mentioned it to anyone. and he wrote that only one story that was about them goes phenomena interesting. So in terms What is truly terrifying, I suppose

is always more inward kind of thing. He certainly understood that, and I learned, from you a great deal about what he wrestled with. They called it would call him in the day met colleagues yes right, melancholy. That was their name at that time for depression, sadness, and it was actually somewhat more involved than that with him. because although most people who met in most of the time would say that he was melancholy depressed, there were times when he was not, in fact the leading authority on bipolar disorder. Today, that's Doktor K, Redfield Jamieson. She wrote a book called touch by fire and she mentions a number of people who had by forward disorder. Abraham Lincoln was one PO was one and she gets the back up on that. She gave a talk before one of my people.

What's once about bipolar disorder and how PO had it, and you can see that in some of our well, it is your fault his history. You can see. It too mentions, for instance, that in Month of September, even though things might have been going very very well, he watched experience a depression. He got a job for the first time, in his life, and he got a job as a writer, something that just didn't happen in those times he's writing for the southern better, a messenger buddies, that all feeling of gloom pervaded the sole spirit, That any didn't are why? Then there the times when, in a month January, for instance. He would have a very good, optimistic high feelings. once when things were going terribly. He wrote drum today, is a pity to the spare. Just now, when all begins to flourish, and

I think that really would have killed him, and I don't know you might have just died suddenly of depression or we're suicide or whatever, when his wife died, because he was very very close to his wife. She dies in the month of January, although we were Diversity somehow survived. That interested me wrote a poem that has been analyzed as evidence of his bipolar disorder that poems called the Hearted palace and the first part of it is it's all about ahead or about the mind. The first part is when things are going well say: the manor phase in the second part of it is the repressive state. and you can see. Is you listen to it? How these are a metaphor for the mind David. How long is the hunted palace only a couple of minutes. I could remind look at it right now sure are

I tell you what let me thorough, quick break right now: pay some bills and when we come back, David Kilts will perform for the first time I here on the way I heard it EDGAR Allan, pose the hunted palace so simply safe has just launched their new wireless outdoor security camera and its awesome simply if, as the home security system, that, U S, news and world Report called the best of twenty twenty one, and it just got even better, because this out were camera is incredible. Ultra wide one hundred forty degree field of view. So you can keep to over your entire yard, it's got ten eighty hd resolution and an eight times zoom, that's huge, because now zoom in and clearly see things like people's faces and licence plates and other potential bits of critical evidence got a built in spotlight with color night vision. It super simple to set up comes with

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never syrups bread, opinion over fabric of soul, fair. banners yellow glorious golden on. A trusted float flow this. All this was in the olden times, law, ago and every gentle air that dallied in that's sweet day along the ramparts. Bloom done, pallid a wing shoulder went away? Wanderers Happy Valley through two luminous windows, saw spirits, moving musically to allude swell Junot LAW round about a threat. I was sitting porphyry gene in state, his glory well befitting the ruler the realm was seen and all in pearl Ruby glowing was the first a palace store through which flowing flowing flowing us,

parking ever more, a troop of ECHO's who sweet duty was but to sing and voices of surpassing beauty, the wit and wisdom of their king, but evil thing In robes of sorrow, EL, the monarchs highest state, let us move on forever. Mauro show dawn upon him, desolate and wrong, About his home, the glory the blushed and bloomed is but a dim remembered story of the old times entombed. And travellers now within the valley Through the red little window, see vast forms. Move fan task dictate what

what a melody, while like a rapid ghastly river through the pale door, a hideous throng rush out forever and laugh, but smile no more. I like that ends in the war, since I've, never no more warmth, David, you know it first of all it's great that people pay you today in order to hear language as it existed a hundred and fifty years ago, but my question is what the hell is happened. What has happened to the language? What has happened to peoples appetite and desire to simply let it wash over them. The level of education is less

There were many people who were not educated imposed time, but those work tended to be very well educated and even then he wanted people to scratch themselves. It seems but he wanted to write stories that would reach the general public and yet, at the same time, caused them to have to think a little and to enjoy the language. He had thought about being a teacher at one time and applied for me different positions, but never actually got them. There were people who, enjoyed it at the time, even if they were not educated, but two are still tends to reach people. I've been told many times when I've performance goes that end I think it was true in my case to that, pose the first kind of class literature that they become acquainted with it's the first thing that really draws them in didn't. He ultimately wind up more

creating the whole genre of literary criticism, maybe by accident well, Actually you could say I love you produced. The genre of literary criticism there was really no opportunity to do it until magazines about in his time. That's when they began to be published. I just wallpaper paperback magazines. They were coming out monthly. But even then there was no real, no genuine, actual criticism what would happen at the time was if you- and I were We will tell each other how time well, right arm. Favourable review for your poem, such as such even right, one a mine and will do so either give it up credit or will make up a name and say that was written by somebody else or we'll make it anonymous The other hand. If we had had someone we didn't like someone, we couldn't stand leaving their poem was good. We wanted to attack them,

then we'd right a harsh condemnation of that in that's what people were doing So what was coming out? The magazines was not really reliable, but here the first one actually and says something about. You know you get what you pay for. He was the first page critic. I thought so when he presented something to use his words. He said the king, it should have the boldness to praise an enemy and the even more unusual courage too. Damn a friend. Remember that criticism can be nothing in the world, but criticism a book is written and it is only the book which we subject to review It is folly to assert that the literature of any age was ever injured by plain speaking. For contemporary writing plain speaking about it. is simply the one thing desperately needed, that was way wrote his reviews. He got out Let us amount of criticism

when it made a lot of enemies in the literary world to see one of them was named, Frederick Thomas, you admired that writer and We have some of the writing some of the letters, the advice that he gave to Thomas. I take some of that and I put it to the shows. If I'm just talking to the audience about what is necessary for good writing, Let us talk about writing for a moment or two, for instance, my friend, Frederick Tommy of Saint Louis Missouri, has written to novels one titled went and Bradshaw the other Howard Pinckney in the first he gave shut up to his own nature, which is a noble one upon my soul. He was clearly interested what he was, writing and writing pleasantly to please and for his first novel. He received a very cordial reception from the press, but in the second half gained, a dame the consciousness of reputation. Let him too

to maintain it and the effort becomes obvious, if only he would RO the public opinion to the devil and forgetting that up they existed and right from the natural wrong things of his own spirit, he would do wonders in a word. How would Pinckney is wanting in a band? and when I say that you know I mean I compliment for they to whom this very abandoned. may be safely recommended are very few indeed. And belong to the loftier order of writers. I tell that to an audience, that's what he said in his letter to Frederick Thomas, so you would never given Frederick Thomas Negative or you other there But something like what I just said what he told him that letter he made it real. He made the business of talking about writing real and provided,

ultimately a service to the reader who, until that point, couldn't get a straight analysis or an honest assessment of a puzzle. Work. Didn't he also go Toto with Longfellow? Yes, he accused long plagiarism. He felt he had one poem funny to write off the top here, having a hard time remembering but Longfellow. Was because you got fifty thousand words already memorize David right. I mean I can ask you to do Longfellow for crying out loud right little, following the story called the beleaguered city and oh said that that was the whole tone and everything of about it was like his born, which they forget the name of right now of the tough ahead. But we felt it Fellow is plagiarists and he had a certain amount of of jealousy toward. I guess they writers, who held I positions and universities and were able to not have to worry about.

whether they were making a living with ministers. Gentlemen, of elegant leisure up until pose times were the only ones who really published anything but when he came along, fortunately, he was able to manage some of the time to make a living out of writing, and didn't think very highly of those who were did and praised for their works when they were not really that good He was far better than most all of it didn't you, only when we met David that he was the first writer really to make a living by doing nothing, but eating. That's a he and Charles Dickens. The way that I came, about again was all even with Charles Dickens works, it came out and magazine form. There were published little by little month by month, and people stood in long lines to find out what was going to happen in great expectation

or and Oliver twist now. POE didn't write those long versions of storage on. Maybe he could have done perhaps little better financial. If he did he, he likes right stories that were very condensed so that when you read, story said you should be able to read it in one sitting, because if you got up and went away and you had dinner and you answer the door. You talk to people, you did other things when you came back, the spell was broken spells person. He liked to read shorter stories, so they really had the reader in his grip from beginning to end. and that's what he did. I've certainly was telltale heart. You know the way that thing just builds and goes and goes, there's no way. You can

excuse yourself in the middle of his hath, no way damage you'll die, yeah now you're, not even going to the bathroom amazing. I read to that when Dickens was doing things like Oliver twist and great expectation since and publishing that my guests in the London Times or in some of the magazines it's not like. He wrote the book and then published at a chapter. Time he was, writing it as he was publishing it and just from a writing standpoint. That just strikes me as about the most incomprehensible thing to do, because you can't go back can fix any mistakes. You might have made your married to that narrative and you ve got a land. The at the end of it one way or the other. That's writing. Without a net judge users- and he had just says you say- potent rewrite some things by the way they are different versions of the raven, their different versions of some of his other stories.

I'm going with us and I'll pick outlines like in the arm. Telltale heart, beating, drove me to uncontrollable terror. I doubt it but doing it that way for a long time, and then I read somewhere that in a later version he wrote to us controllable, rats without Ras. Is that works better their hidden? Then he was all. Because from what I read, it was originally the tell tale, liver and the raven was the sparrow, and these were incredible Incredible rewrites work very right below Let's talk a little bit about you too, because last week on the part gas, we had a friend Rico common Tony, I love you know. A bit he's been acting for all of his life probably played a hundred different roles without lots of people on who have distinguished themselves in our field, but you ve got the one you ve picked POE.

You ve memorized what forty fifty thousand words I don't know, and I ll always what it comes down to is: let's see, I think, nine forms and six tales somethin like that of his soul. I just think would be interesting to hear a little bit about how that happened to you, because one by the time you you were an actor with dreams of well typical dreams of typical act. there's and then all of a sudden there. You are in Baltimore dressed like this one historical figure and you ve dedicated here I've to keeping his memory alive, for that makes you a different from most of the actors. I know there there are a few. Did you talk to who came upon circumstances, just as I did too at the time that I came up with nor started doing one person shows. I was really working only about four months of the year and considered myself lucky to even getting that much, and I happen to think about the fact that

Producers have to pay a cast, an that's a lot of money going out right there and when a play is produced, who will want to see it over and over the one. I have it and other places, but you gotta get a cast together and produce it, and so I did, other actors have done this to a lot of actors that have found themselves out of work just said. Well, if I had a show that I could pick up and move with, I'm the one actor they don't have to pay twenty three people, they only pay me I could go for, city to city, I could go anywhere one time I got a call on very short notice. Fortunately, I happen to be living in a half mile away from the PO grave. I gotta call. Could it be down there in forty five minutes do you want, and others like when I did on the festival.

Prague that was a three month run an I got for years notice on that the promoter Peter Fawn. So me, the Po House, and asked if I could come to Prague performed several years later, so I did and that was the main thing that was partly that, and it was partly that there are certain historical characters that I really liked and wanted to be my very favoured of them all the all the the answers like PO best of all. I also did one On Sunday Lawrence and on a Mencken and Captain John Smith, And even have one that in the works now I can put it up. I was supposed to do it except covered got in the way this year about for knowledge, christian for knowledge in the nineteenth century. The first one I did was, of course, the Squire foller. Who was so

the major for now? I just at the time for knowledge. You use the study of was like the bumps on the head. Yes, it's a pseudo, sorry yeah All was very much into that right very beginning, wrote about that in the very indebted genes studying, but then he came to see the light, the way ahead of most people, the he certain letters, he wrote a letter to some. Have you had your head red I've had my had read three times and was all very flattering, Then came to realize most of the intellectuals didn't realize this till about the eighteen seventys after his death He came to realize that there is really nothing do this and although he using that the language of chronology and some of his stories at first. He took it out dusty just thought. You know, there's just no true. Do it at all, although some of the people who are doing it were very good at reading character,

knew how to assess a person like you here, sometimes audition or say. I can tell him that actors any good before his walked halfway across the stage and he was able to these people were able to do it? Did it very well, and so they were the people become away, astonished thinking that they had heard the truth. In many cases somewhere not taken in by John Quincy Adams was not. I was one who friends it. He wondered how to for knowledge is meeting one another, would not well, you just have burst into laughter at the way that they were taking the public with this. But it's fine to do the show that are don't is based on, they used to have something like ie harmony in those times in a firm logic magazines. Somebody would write it then say: are I have the organs of benevolence and veneration well developed, and

for a lady who might also have those well developed, dough, combativeness welfare combatants have good luck and the other people would read these and that they would go looking for mates on that way and people would hire them and unfortunately, you have the wrong shaped head or the wrong look about you. People might think we're a murderer, because this was so very well. Exe did at the time, especially about the time of the civil war. The major financial just at the time was one named Orson, Squire Fowler and I took most of his writings. A lot of things running who wrote the book of huge about the size of a large phone book called creative and sexual science, and it was all about how the bumps on your head would tell something about you and your character and your sexuality and how good a mate you would make him so.

Sure who at first this ideas- frank from I thought about doing, show based on victorian sexuality, because a lot of people were interested in the fact that both married is thirteen your cousin when he was twenty seven they want to know about that curious, and so I thought well I'll. Do one based on sexuality in the nineteen, three. Then I almost left out the part about chronology. That's almost not! This is too. This would be an interesting to people today. It turned out to be the one thing they were most interested in, they weren't interested so much in any of the sexuality. Anything like that. In fact, a lot of audiences seem to be in just about his prudish. Is the Victorians were in that way? So I did one just on linking the two ideas: how to find your perfect mate through four analogy afterward people did want.

there said Fred, and so I do then that's a big hit. I was doing it at a convention, one time in a restaurant and I gave the opening talk and then started reading people's heads, and they were fascinated with a narrow sitting. There saying there is something to this young person to person thing. There is something to this, then I had to go ten minute bathroom break- and I thought well, when I go out, the crowd was dispensed and I'll have to do. Opening again explaining what philology isn't about it and things of that sort, came back and nobody lost their place in line everybody really wanted their head read. Well, this is the future. Then I mean I think you ve really forest your way right into the whole second act of your career here, I may look everything old is no again you and I are old enough to remember the psychic friends network. Yes, I was this. Any differently really well

it is the same. I look at a lot of things that are. I once was so much and of metaphysics there was studying anything having to do with the SBA research things of that sword- and I was fascinated with it- must pretty much a believer in a lot of it in the beginning. Would go there and watch things that would happen and came to decide, wait a minute What are you saying there so astounded with did really happen, I'm he felt there and do what happened, and so I became disenchanted with a lot of that movement still interested in it, I'm still interested in things like ghosts, phenomena and still apathy and things of that sort. I think people can occasionally you know, do have experiences that could fall into that classification of

being telepathic or psychic, but so much of it is overrated. Have he came to this? I thought this is not just me, but I remember years ago, what way back in the seventies when it was at its peak, a magazine came out. That said something above all, these psychics predict what will have then in the next six months check back so they all wrote something. I thought somebody would get something right, but nobody did have the rights, the ones that it was to be the best in the country. They were making sure predictions on world trends, but it is fascinating anyway, just the idea of doing this, and yet I always like people interested in people and I like to read people their body language. It's a fine opportunity to do this, but it'll never replace pole. I mean I just love doing

best of all of all the characters. I've done last year on my birthday, my friend Clive sent me a pair of wool shoes, full disclosure This is exactly the kind of product that I would never purchase from ice but Clive swore by his wool shoes and told me I'd love him. So I put him on and I took dog for a walk In an hour later I was convinced I love these things will Rockies just launched a new line of premium Marino Wool shoes and they are as comfortable as a thick pair of wool socks, but they're not socks their shoes got a sturdy soul, breathable their wash able and awesome purse hey I'm partial to earth tones, but Office has all kinds of colours and all kinds of styles, for the more adventurous footwear

aficionados and my audience. If you care about comfort, give him a try. Twenty bucks off first purchase when you gonna Rockies, dotcom, slash row, that's r, o t h why ass dotcom, slash no more than shoes over there by the way they had a whole line of men's accessories that make perfect gifts. For the gentlemen, in your life, with an eye for style and a demand for comfort, Rockies Dotcom, slash wrong, did po like people did oh enjoy d, just seems so sad for so long, and I have to think that said This informed a lot of what he wrote me did you ever have a good time. Oh, yes, she did and he liked some people. I had a lot of bitterness and his like him because he had of hardship in the earlier years, but more particularly its relations with women were better than with men,

Somewhere, he wrote. Women have been angels of mercy to be and have tenderly led me from the verge of ruin. While men stood a loaf and mocked, and I a lot of that came from the way that John Alan treated him as he was growing up and his father head, really deserted the family when it was about one year old, John. was this that are now. I was like a foster father now both experience died and because he had heard so many wonderful uncomplimentary things about his mother and maybe even had some slight memory of her. He always said that he was proud that she was an actresses being an actress at that time was considered as a one step away from being a prostitute,

In fact, in some cases they were expected to be prostitutes as well. He said I myself and the son of an actress and have always been proud of that fact. No man could be more proud of his mother than I am Mine, a woman who, although well born he, was exaggerating, but that although Osborne did not hesitate to devote her brief career of genius and beauty to the theatre, wines, Now the artist assume its proper place in society in a society you're thinking bigs, how long will he be enslaved? How long shall the verb, of the earth to crawl around the altar. mom and be more esteemed, then, the gifted men whose exalted,

It's in creative works linked the rest of mankind to the mysteries and beauties of ever like Brutus. I paused for reply, so you can see if, like its mother was a template, for the way that they related to women. It was very good and they really loved women that they loved him. He had a lot of conflict with men throughout his life that were very like what he had experience with John Aoun. He didn't cut them any slack Take two dangers reduce he was known as the tomahawk manner. The common Andrea literature you pull ass? I was because he would say things like, for instance, regard, James Vinegar, cover for a moment for Jim misguided champion of the noble savage.

whose novels or so silly and so badly done that they have caused the public to suspect a radical came to his intellect- and absolute and irreparable mental leprosy, his fictions, our flashy secession of. conceived and miserably executed, literary productions each more silly than its predecessor, for instance, one I have before me. The last of the weakens what a disappointment for a moment. I thought Mr Cooper was making as a promise Well, no wonder you didn't have a lot of brass. Allow. and many of them were like that. I use a lot of critical reviews four humour in shows where light. I wouldn't do that other kids birthday party, but at places the Lyceum exaggerated, the next Saturday I do a lot of the

GO reviews every year, sometimes Deanna different ones, not always the same, but there's a wealth of them from which the Jews, soap to kind of start, as some some of this up is the main goal to entertain or in form or keep the memory of this guy alive, not just on Halloween but year round. Ideally what do you want the masses to know of po that they don't? Well? You probably have talked to literature majors too, well, as each other the question you can have a conversation with any right around of history if you could have them as your dinner guest who you choose and one will choose

when Arthur and then another another, and if they find it interesting. I personally would like to meet people from out of history like PLO, and so I wanted to present something not he did travel. the way gave talks evaluated. Other writers spoke about his theories of writing and so what I want to create for the audience when they go into the theatre. Unlike for them to have the experience of feeling of taking the back in time, but I really prefer is to create the cyclist of that time and have them feel as if they have met POE

some of the requests that I get. That's not quite possible because in some cases they want something interactive and sometimes they want q and a and at the end they will ask questions that post simply either wouldn't have any. Third or he wouldn't don't live answered. I couldn't measure I would even know about it and those they think the common ones. They won't know when he lived in a say. What's I did you fight on the civil war course? He died eleven years before the civil war, but really my preference is too take an audience back in time, and I get a lot of good comments on that that they have audiences have told me that they felt completely transformed in that they would remember at the rest of their life and that's what I want him not audience to feel. Pull can't be here to speak for himself anymore, so

I want to speak form. Why do you think his words hold up as well as they do all these years later, part of it is so much of a language is just so beautiful. To hear the rhythm of some of his poetry? I sat some extreme credits, to say it's so beautiful at its vulgar, something like you'll alone Alice, actually said that, but for the most by most people they like it because of the language they like it because of the characters. The feelings of these narrators is so much in it and many of his stories that I think people can relate to the people have felt there's something I think universal

in it. We have felt these things. Are we ve known people who were like these characters, and I think people love the atmosphere of his stories. His stories really have atmosphere yeah and you can't write atmosphere. You can the aid it with were ass and music in a lot of ways. I think what he wrote was musical. It was there's a lotta music. He has my favorite person to read of, acting and how it works as Michael Chekhov of the Moscow out theater, and he talks about how important at

There is, and when you're working on a play, you five, if you don't find the right atmosphere for the scene, it'll come across as wrong or ludicrous and whatever he said, did you have to find the atmosphere of the scene or the play and your character and think of that adversaries being like a color almost like light that fails you up and fills up the whole reaches of the theatre and just radiate that out and all of your movements, your voice everything that you are presenting, and I think that very probably one post that down right. He did the same thing with a pin. Did he always said he wanted to create an effect upon the reader, and I think that they just picture that effect coming right at the end of his pen and capturing the audience drawing the audience in right. Well, if there's one peace that you would wish, every American could hear

a hollow winner or any time. What would it be? Well. One most enjoy is the Tell tale heart I think anybody reading the Tell tale heart is going to be just as I was they're going to think wow who's this person. Well, I read that story. I had to know everything about him and read as much as I could find about him. So in the sense of wanting the audiences to know about it. That would be the one that was a black cat. Black cat has the same effect I think, but as far as expanding people's knowledge of Poland, what he's like? I would like for everyone to read the spectacles. The one that I told you about the young man didn't wittingly marries is greater.

Grandmother. But everything in pole, I really like enjoys critical reviews. Everything working people- listen to you do this. Is there a site? How do people find you? Well, it's amazing, most of the jobs that I get our people who actually go to the show. And see performance performance. Then they think I've gotta have this person come to my university or whatever but I do have a website and there are some things on their David kilt dot com or non you to its David counts, dot, com de av idea, Katy, L, tc, dot, com and David counts on Youtube, That's correct and I prefer the raven on their because in the beginning, as first do a Youtube, I thought that you only got ten minutes, so I didn't have the whole thing really what I enjoy its fine version of the cask of Amontillado.

but last year people so much miss having me until I see him in Alexandria that they want to know. If I would have something film that people could look and so that's on my website right now and it's on you to do a thing if you go to Youtube and that kind of comes close to giving such a comprehensive view of his personality really take about two hours to give a pretty comprehensively of his life, and was God bless you too? Where would we be without hey the things I did after we met was. I gave it a shot myself. I read tell tee ass. I heard that the unhappy it just like there's somebody ways to come at a guy loses is he's clearly lost smile, but it seems over the course of the story. He becomes increasingly bananas I don't really know what I was doing, but I gave it a shot. Did I get any of it right? As far as yes on it was different from

the way I generally interpret it I haven't looked at it just recently is, I can't remember exactly what they were, but remember a couple of points. I thought: hey! That's nice, that's different! Like that. You know. That's got a nice mood to it her eyes, atmosphere! You see I enjoyed hearing. I was trying to throw away a little bit at the top

like he was as safe as he could be and not make it so creepy right out of the gate, I mean it's been done so many times been surprised at a pretty good. Take on it that in the US into the pit, the pendulum- I guess right, yes, of alma people who have done different ones, the one whose voice, I feel you know and manner, and everything feels closest to being like PO to me- was re MILAN in the premature burial to me that releasing a lot like postmen ever heard him do tell tale heart, but together all different. One way of doing that doesn't resonate with me. Is I hear many people who think that the tell tale heart or many of those stories are funny, so they took out of

like a grin and laughed and on a joking manner about it in to me. That's not the atmosphere of it because I, like I have seen many that I did like, will have a different take on a different attitude: it's the fun of it, not saying something. Regarding the interpretation you mention premature burial and since it's Halloween we might as well land. playing around that cheery topic. This was a thing that really happened more often than not once upon a time, and Personally, I can't imagine a more terrifying thing, but Oh wrote about it. He wasn't the only one to write about it. How popular is that so when you're out in the world, bringing stories to life? Well, they are, there

much interested in man and interested in how people would do things like a whole cut in the coffin, with a rope coming through it and tied onto their rested, going up to the top of the mausoleum so that if they began to wake up you know they could move in a ring. The bell- and this was a real failures that and there were certain types of life preserving coffins. Yes, many people were very much. Fraid of being buried alive. At that time it was quite common, in fact, even with our sensitive medical devices. Today it can happen that was it and about fifteen years ago. I think it was when a woman had been pronounced dead and actually taken down from the hospital into the morgue there and one of the attendants one, the people there look and saw that inside the bag

Was going in and out toward open and actually the person was alive, but you couldn't really detected their stethoscopes whatever instruments they had did not pick up on that, and so that could have likely happened to her She did die about a week later of the same thing it's useless to have died of, but it is possible even today that you could wonder being cut open and bound over the victim of an autopsy on, perhaps a few really worth dead slow scary to think about it. A little jerry. Are you coming? That's it it's the sum of all fear height to wake up. six feet under inside of a padded, rectangle unknowing with absolute certainty, where you are and no way out, I just went gets on my head in them. of the night- it's an endless feedback loop. I just get up and make coffee, because I'm not going back to sleep, I'm finished with it try not to go too far into that. It's like have you

Greek yourself out before in the course doing so many of these readings for so many decades now do what kind of dreams do you have? Well? Actually I've never had nightmares related to any of the pole material. I think I just enjoying it too much for that to happen. What I'd love two here is the black cat but its twenty minutes. So we can't so why? Don't you just set up the story? Give us the basic law. Bones of it and then maybe had us with the last couple of paragraphs. Yes, I could do that character in it is writing from his jail cell sentences. Last confession- and you tell us about The circumstances that led him to the crime of murder. and begin strolling about how in the beginning,

loved animals and how he and his wife had pets and particularly loved a black cat. But then he says that his drinking caused him to arm almost lose sanity and he became cruel to everyone around him, including the cat cuts, the cats I out when he comes home and he can't find the cat tries to find where the cat scratches and then he hangs the cat Then he is interested in killing another one of the cat when his wife interrupts him and he withdraws his arm from arrest and berries. The acts in her brain and he was the corpse up and not the seller and he's very proud of the fact that the police have never found it as they were searched, but then toward the end, its. Four days after the murder of a group of fully came very unexpectedly to the house and proceeded again to investigate they insist

that I accompany them in their search at length. The fourth time we descended into the cellar. I wasn't in the least concerned my heart beat, Homely as I walked the seller from end to end with folded, arms These were thoroughly satisfied and prepared to leave burned to say something by way of triumph. Oh, are you leaving, gentlemen? Gentle? this- is a very well constructed out these These words are very solidly put together and here through share, bravado I write- heavily with a cane upon that Mary portion of the brickwork behind which stood the corpse of my wife God, no sooner had the reverberations of my blows. Sancho to silence the night was answered by a voice from within tomb by, cry. At first muffled unbroken like

sobbing of a child and then quickly swell into one long loud and continuous, scream utterly inhuman. How a wailing shriek half of horror with triumph such as might have arisen only out of hell. I staggered to the opposite wall. The police were motionless in terror and are then a dozen start arms were totally at the wall. It fell bodily the corpse already greatly dick. Aid and plodded would cause stood, erect for the eyes of the spectators upon its head. Red extended mouth and solitary eye of fire sat the cat. The cat. the hideous peace to craft had so do me into murder and informing voice had come. I say, to the hangman.

I heard what the monster up within the tomb who, at the end of that one joy and you never had a nightmare It's an interesting female right at the end. You ve got this guy, the narrator who is haughty he shore, then he once the sort of Lord. triumph over. The authorities is very similar to telltale heart. Yes, it is only difference. Thea narrative, the Tell tale heart does become frightened. It is driven in saying by the other ones, just as you say, cocky arrogant, about it

yeah, just a little difference in their his cask of Avanti ought, of course, to had a person walled up alive in that case, which is also scary, chained to the wall and left to die yeah, as he builds the brick wall and fraud in the dark. dark David. Looking, I'm sorry by waited to Halloween to chat with But you were on my mind and it's good to know that you're still there in Baltimore doing your thing here as we come out of this pandemic, I hope more people can see POE in the flesh. Is you bring him to life in your travels good on you, man you're, unique soul? I thank you and so are you everyone. I know says that we talk about you quite alot. Everybody who, seeing you in on were very good. over everything that you're doing well thanks. the show you two are now the ones I was in and the ones before that the dirty jobs and a lot of other things it you're doing out there in the world.

Look I'm just trying to stay busy and try not to get buried alive to go good thanks David. You take care Okay, thank you for having me already.