Spotlight – Isaac Asimov

When it comes to stories and science fiction one name pops up over an over again and that is Isaac Asimov. He is mentioned in every conversation on the subject and is known as the father of robotics. Pretty impressive for a man born in 1919 in then then, Gomel Governorate in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. He was born, Isaak Yudovich Ozimov, to a family of orthodox Jewish millers. Even his name derives from the word for winter crops, in which his great-grandfather dealt. No one had any idea that from such humble beginnings would come one of three greatest hardcore science fictions writers of our time. Isaac shares this title with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke.

Isaac Asimov - 1960s — Dr. Isaac Asimov – 1965

Asimov taught himself to read at 5 years old and began reading pulp magazines at a young age. His father outlawed this because he saw no merit in them. However, Asimov persuaded him that the science fiction magazines had the word “Science” in the title, so they were educational. Around the age of 11, he began to write his own stories and by age 19 he discovered science fiction fandom. He was selling stories to those very same pulp magazines his father hated.

After his parents migrated to the United States, Isaac attended public schools in New York. Graduating at 15, he went on to Seth Low Junior College and finally from Columbia University in 1939. Asimov completed his MA in chemistry in 1941 and earned a PhD in biochemistry in 1948. During World War II he worked as a civilian at the Naval Air Experimental Station in Philadelphia.

Asimov’s career can be divided into three segments. His early career, dominated by science fiction, his nonfiction career where he wrote textbooks on Biochemistry and Human Metabolism and finally a return to science fiction. Asimov believed his most enduring contributions would be his “Three Laws of Robotics” and the Foundation series of books. He was right on both counts.

If you want to learn more about Isaac Asimov, I highly recommend a site called asimovonline.com. Here you will find links to everything from his books to autobiographies about this great man.

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast this week we will have a visit from Isaac Asimov himself, one of his famous short stories and a tale about a Martian visitor and his break to the restroom. You won’t want to miss any of this one.

You can listen to this podcast this Thursday (12/03) at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

March 24,2016 – The Thing in the Window (RAS238)
March 31,2016 – The Plainsman (RAS239)
April 7, 2016 – The Asimov Special (RAS240).
April 14, 2016 – Sam Spade (RAS241).
April 21, 2016 – Interview with Pam Ferderbar (RAS242).
April 28, 2016 – (RAS243).

Great Stories From Where?

Where does Ron’s Amazing Stories get its great stories? Where do we get our great guests? In this blog I will tell you all my secrets, well some of them anyway, of how we get our content. So sit back, put on your reading glasses and learn something new.

Where do the great stories come from?

We have talked about this before. The RAS would not be here today if not for the Internet Archive. It is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, and much more. If it exists or ever existed it will be on this archive. They are a profit free organization that has the goal of persevering our history. I love these guys!
Another service I use is tied to the internet archive. LibriVox.org audiobooks are free for anyone to listen to on their computers, iPods, other mobile devices, or even to burn a CD. They take materials in the public domain and read it to you. These guys have it all from Homer to Shakespeare, Asimov to Chekov. Their library is amazing!

Where do the great guests come from?

Some of the folks we interview on the show contact us directly using the main website, others I research and go after them myself. However, I would be remiss if I did not thank the people of Radio Guest Lists. They run a truly amazing service that allows podcasters like me to connect with folks who want to heard. Authors, Musicians, Comedians and many others use this service to promote their work. I am here to tell you that it works! If you are looking for experts or guests for a show, start here you can not go wrong.

That all I have for this Blog. I hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes look at Ron’s Amazing Stories.

-Ron

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast this week you can expect a suspenseful show. Who are those ants and do they do birthday parties? Also, we get to the bottom of the dead guy in the chair. You want more? Well tune in this Thursday and listen to Ron’s Amazing Stories. You can listen to this podcast this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

March 03, 2016 – The Ransom of Red Chief (RAS235)
March 10,2016 – The Big Con (RAS236)
March 17,2016 – The Locked Room (RAS237)
March 24,2016 – The Thing in the Window (RAS238)
March 31,2016 – (RAS239)

Who Was O. Henry?

Who was O. Henry? His real name was William Sydney Porter and he was an American author of hundreds of short stories. He was born September 11th, 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina, to physician Algernon Sidney Porter and Mary Jane Virginia Swaim. He had two brothers Shirley and David who both died in early childhood. His father was a gentle and good humored man and his mother an artist and poet.

At the age of fifteen O. Henry began working as a clerk in his uncle’s store, which was a combined pharmacy, soda fountain, tobacco shop, and newsstand. Porter became immersed in the social scene, entertaining the customers with stories and drawing cartoons of them for which he became well known. He saw the humor in the everyday, and made notes of all the colorful characters he encountered, which would become fodder for his future stories.

After spending time in the Honduras, during which Porter coined the term “banana republic“, he had to return to Texas to face charges of embezzlement. In 1898 he began a five-year sentence in Columbus, Ohio federal prison. In 1899, from prison, Porter began his short story career. A number of his stories written in prison appeared in print, always under a pseudonym, his favorite being “O. Henry”. After being released from prison in just three years, Porter moved to New York City. This was where he really came into his own.

Porter lived an extravagant lifestyle amid increasing pressure to keep his commitments to publishers for more and more stories. This stress plus ill-health and heavy drinking led his death of liver failure on June 5th, 1910. He now lies buried at the Riverside Cemetery in Asheville, North Carolina. His last complete short story was “Let Me Feel Your Pulse“.

This Week’s Podcast:

On the show this Thursday we have mysteries to solve. Sherlock Holmes deals with a Locked room. O Henry searches around town and we have the explained tale from June. To learn more you just going to have to tune in and hear it for yourself.

You can listen to this podcast this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

March 03, 2016 – The Ransom of Red Chief (RAS235)
March 10,2016 – The Big Con (RAS236)
March 17,2016 – The Locked Room (RAS237)
March 24,2016 – (RAS238)
March 31,2016 – (RAS239)

True or False about Gunsmoke?

What was real about Gunsmoke? Well, it was one America’s favorite radio and television series. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. In Ran on radio and television a combined total of 23 years. There are are a lot of truths in that and that is the focus of this week’s Ron’s Amazing Stories the blog.

Let’s start with a false. In the long and sorted history of Dodge City there never was a sheriff, marshal or deputy named Matt Dillon. The funny part about this is that, the Chamber of Commerce for Dodge City gets requests from people asking for the records of their famous non-resident.

How about a truth? The famous Long Branch Saloon did exist, along with all of front street. The saloon was built in 1874 as the result of a wager between cowboys and soldiers playing ball. Bets were placed and if the cowboys beat the soldiers, the soldiers agreed to provide building materials to construct a saloon. The establishment burned down in 1885, and it wasn’t rebuilt.

Another truth. Dodge City was a rough place. Cowboys and outlaws alike frequented the place and it had more than its share of famous murders and gunfights. On April 5, 1879, Frank Loving and Levi Richardson, both gamblers who frequented the Long Branch Saloon had a shooting match. Loving accused Richardson of making disrespectful advances towards his wife, and the two got into an argument that turned into a gunfight from across a table. Loving was grazed on the hand by one bullet and Richardson was shot three times and died. Town Marshal Charlie Bassett arrested Loving, but on April 7, a coroner′s inquest ruled that Loving acted in self-defense and he was released without charges.

And a final false. Gunsmoke is the longest running and most successful of all dramas in the history of television. Well, at one time this was a true statement with twenty years of episodes. However, recently a daytime drama broke this record. I would argue against a soap to be included on the list but that is just me.

I Hope you enjoyed this week’s topic. Be sure to come back next week and see what I talk about next. Thank you for reading.

-Ron

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast this week we have an interview with a very special guest, A story from America’s favorite western and another short story from O. Henry. So, be sure to join us and hear all the great stuff we have planned.

The Calendar:

February 25, 2016 – Them! (RAS234)
March 03, 2016 – The Ransom of Red Chief (RAS235)
March 10,2016 – The Big Con (RAS236)
March 17,2016 – (RAS237)
March 24,2016 – (RAS238)
March 31,2016 – (RAS239)

Five Story Types

In this blog we talk about the five story types. Throughout history and across the globe every known society has produced stories. Whether it is told around a campfire in a primeval jungle or in a bus bound for Portland, we have told tales to keep our culture strong. In our current society the resources we dedicate to storytelling is astronomical. Think about how much time, money and effort is spent on movies alone. Tales are truly central to our lives.

In the book The Seven Basic Plots, Christopher Booker outlines what makes up a good story. Booker suggests that all successful stories utilize at least one of seven basic plots. What I will do in this blog is summarize what Chris has to say about each type. However, I do suggest reading his book for all the details. It is a great source for editors and novelist alike. The seven basic plots are:

Five Types of Stories — Jaws was a 1970s mega hit and perfectly represents the Man Verses Monster plot line.

Overcoming The Monster – One great example of this is Jaws, the famous Steven Spielberg film of the 1970s. Spielberg’s enduring shark-tale addresses many of the key factors that make monsters, well, monsters. Numerous other examples of this basic plot type are found in myths, folklore, fairy tales, religion and film. Again and again, in different forms man is forced to face his demons and overcome the odds to kill beast.

The Rags to Riches Tale – This one really needs no explanation. However, if you think about it this is very similar to the overcoming the monster. The lack of money is the beast and it is killed when the main character makes good. This simple plot is used through all known history and cultures. After all who did not cheer for Cinderella when she finally got her prince charming?

The Quest – This is my personal favorite. The best example I can come up is J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The idea of man searching for answers and doing what it takes makes for great storytelling. We have seen this being used for thousands of years to create stories that are as fascinating to us as they were to our ancestors.

Voyage and Return – While almost Identical to the quest it differs in one important way. The quest takes you from point A to point B and resolves itself. In this plot type the main character makes a journey only to find out that he must return to beginning and face whatever it was he was running from. Homer’s Odyssey is a prime example of this and gives credibility to the ageless ability of tales to be told, retold and kept for generations. The poem mainly centers on the Greek hero Odysseus (or Ulysses, as he was known in Roman myths) and his long journey home following the fall of Troy.

Comedy – Stories of this type are highlighted by misunderstandings, mistaken identities, and disguises. Only in the end are the true identities of the characters and their intentions revealed. I have never been a big fan of the comedy. I will admit though in literature it does have its place. Finding examples of this is not hard to do at all. I guess if I had to pick I would go with a movie that I watched quite recently. Mel Brook’s smash hit, Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Very funny stuff and it follows the characteristics of this plot type to a T.

Tragedy – Who doesn’t love a good tear jerker once in awhile? Shakespeare’s Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet are two of the best examples of this. We see this plot type being used again and again in so many different ways. I think we like to hear about the trials and troubles of others so we can say, “Well at least I didn’t get poisoned or run trough with a saber”.

Rebirth – Again this is one of my favorites. This plot type is best illustrated in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. An evil man gets a second chance in life and makes the most of it. Stories of hope, change and rebirth are a cornerstone in our storytelling.

What these fundamental plot types share in common is that it’s all about human development and what is involved in becoming a mature person. Go back and read each one again. This time think about times in your own life where this plot line was used. I’ll bet you have a story for it. Hence, why we are here and how we became who we are.

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast this week we fulfill a request for a O-Henry story, have a cool tale from Jason Orr and play one of Ron’s all time favorites, all in one show. Sound amazing? That’s because it is Ron’s Amazing Stories!

The Calendar:

February 25, 2016 – Them! (RAS234)
March 03, 2016 – The Ransom Of Red Chief (RAS235)
March 10,2016 – (RAS236)
March 17,2016 – (RAS237)
March 24,2016 – (RAS238)
March 31,2016 – (RAS239)