Monday 21 March 2011

Where it's going on.

Hey people. Just in case any of you are still following this, the stuff I do is mostly going to go up on the relevant section of my website.

http://www.timralphs.com/podcast

Is probably where you want to be looking.

Monday 16 February 2009

Blog about the Bookcase

On friday, a Kurdish refugee told me the story of Kawa the Blacksmith and his defeat of Zahhak.

He was reluctant. Embarrassed. He kept stumbling over details. It's such a common story, I think it seemed odd to him that anyone would want to hear it.

By the end he was grinning. A faint twinge of pride. I had to leave, and he took my wrist and said, "Listen, I have tens of these stories. My father had hundreds. I can tell you another one next time, if you'd like?"

It was one of those moments where it feels like your whole life is going in the direction you want it to.

Saturday 7 February 2009

Muse and Mania, February 2009

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This is a dark and wretched way to start this thing off afresh. I'm not 100% with the editing, but I've known these two stories have needed forcing together for years now. Enjoy!

In this episode of The Room Behind the Bookcase, Tim Ralphs tells Orpheus' descent into the Underworld and an old "Mad Axe Murderer" tale he heard as a boy scout.

Shout out to the Toaster Repair Crew. And to fine company.

Thursday 1 January 2009

But why?

What if Persephone knew exactly what she was getting herself into when she ate the pomegranate seeds? And why do the wolves in the forest take 'No' for an answer when the wolf in Grandmother's clothes will not? And who is this dark haired stranger with the beguiling tongue and sparkle in his eye? ~

This is a podcast about the adventurers of becoming and being a performer of an artform that is simultaneously dynamic and traditional. I'm Tim Ralphs, of Sheffield, UK. Here, I'll tell some stories. I'll talk about what I'm up to. I'll try and develop some storytellling theory. It's a place for me to experiment, lament and generally mess around.

What story do you tell to someone who doesn't speak your language? How does a blind and deaf angel find ten righteous men? What does working in a joke shop teach you about being homeless? ~

The dream is to quit my office job and wander the earth making a crust from the tales I tell. That's a long way off, a star to give us a heading rather than a destination for the journey. Along the way I need to collect a great sack of stories. I need to unlock the secrets to making a narrative come alive and captivate. And I need to learn the weird and exciting world that is the British storytelling scene.

Come with me, maybe we'll learn how to change the world or at least have a giggle in the dark place when the dew settles.

Leave feedback! Invite me to come to festivals! Discuss my work! Challenge my theory! Correct my pronunciation of Eurydice! To participate on this podcast or to commission Rabbit and Fischer e-mail me here!

Friday 11 April 2008

Gogol's The Nose, part vi

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We are adapting, no we have adapted, Gogol's The Nose for podcast. These are incredible events, but I assure you they are true. It is the 11th of April, and our story reaches a conclusion that is entirely satisfactory.

In this, the final episode, Zabet Stewart of The AntiCraft was the voice of reason.

Thursday 10 April 2008

Gogol's The Nose, part iii

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We are adapting Gogol's The Nose for podcast. Things lulled for a while, but the pace races on as we approach our miraculous conclusion. As I have tried to explain; this is my part three, which is the second half of Gogol's part two.

In short, Kovalev has lost his nose. He has found it again. I realise this sounds simple, but dear listener be aware of the tangled web we weave; barbers, police, a Doctor in a hat of questionable practicality, and even accusatons of witchcraft abound. Thank goodness we have Zabet Stewart of The AntiCraft and her inestimable talents.

Tomorrow, before the sun sets, I swear I will have for you the final piece of the jigsaw, the answer to the unanswerable, the concluding piece of

THE NOSE!

Friday 28 March 2008

Gogol's The Nose, Part ii

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A litle more of Gogol's absurd story of nasal knavery. In the first part, Ivan Yakovlevitch finds a nose in a bread roll and attempts to dispose of it, only to be accosted by a constable.

Many questions linger unanswered; if Collegiate Assessor Kovalev had no nose, then how did he smell?

Enjoy, but do not allow yourself to become too excitable. It may be the 4th of April before the next installment is up.