It's pretty damn good. It doesn't have quite the narrative feel of a blueprint for Armageddon or Wrath of the Khans, but it is excellent all the same.

But it definitely took some time for him to figure out the right formula.

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Posted by AbuTheMonkey

Chicago, IL

Member since May 2014

8018 posts

Posted on 3/21/17 at 3:18 pm to Dire Wolf

quote:
Revolutions is pretty great. It is much more of a history class take on different revolutions. He doesn't paint the grand picture that carlin does but episodes are short (a shite ton of episodes though) and all the topics are really interesting.

I will heartily second this.

I wasn't quite as big a fan of the Bolivar revolutions, but that's mostly because there were so many people and places that I had trouble mentally keeping track.

His coverage of both the French Revolution and Haitian Revolution was phenomenal - didn't know how complex the Haitian Revolution (i.e., not the straightforward slave revolt turned liberated nation story we are told in school) was until I listened to his podcast.

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Posted by AbuTheMonkey

Chicago, IL

Member since May 2014

8018 posts

Posted on 3/21/17 at 3:21 pm to DestrehanTiger

quote:
That was the best $50 or so bucks I've spent on entertainment. I was a bit disappointed in the early stand alone episodes, though. The series are all great, but the 1 part episodes just leave too much on the table. He goes on a few tangents, and the episode is over before you know it. You can definitely tell how much better they have gotten over the years. I know the atom bomb podcast came out not that long ago, but I always look forward to the next pod to come out.

It's definitely a learned skill.

You can tell how much Mike Duncan improved over the course of History of Rome (which took him like 5 years IIRC) within about 30 or 50 episodes. His overall delivery and production in Revolutions is night and day compared to the early History of Rome episodes.

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Posted by Kafka

I am the moral conscience of TD

Member since Jul 2007

142389 posts

Posted on 3/21/17 at 3:34 pm to ChargerDog91

BBC - Desert Island Discs -- A celebrity is interviewed and plays their favorite records. A lot more interesting and entertaining than it sounds. On the air since 1942. 500+ episodes online -- I've listened to about 40-50, including Paul McCartney, Randy Newman, Mel Brooks, and even Field Marshall Montgomery (from 1969).

In Our Time -- BBC History roundtable discussion

BBC Podcasts

Old Time Radio Drama -- Sort of like very short audio books

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Posted by Dire Wolf

bawcomville

Member since Sep 2008

36707 posts

Posted on 3/21/17 at 3:47 pm to AbuTheMonkey

quote:
His coverage of both the French Revolution and Haitian Revolution was phenomenal - didn't know how complex the Haitian Revolution (i.e., not the straightforward slave revolt turned liberated nation story we are told in school) was until I listened to his podcast.

I skipped the Bolivar revolution because I just binged the first 4 seasons and need a break. Just picked back up last week on 6.1

I am ready for the Russian one

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Posted by AbuTheMonkey

Chicago, IL

Member since May 2014

8018 posts

Posted on 3/21/17 at 3:57 pm to Dire Wolf

quote:
I skipped the Bolivar revolution because I just binged the first 4 seasons and need a break. Just picked back up last week on 6.1

I am ready for the Russian one

I am looking forward to 1848. That is a pretty pivotal year in world and European history, and I want to see how he treats it. That's basically the end of the liberal Enlightenment project and the beginning of the more insidious, more violent ideologies of modernity. The spill over effects from that year are pretty far-reaching.

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Posted by The_Joker