Spider Robinson reads "Chronic Offender" – jazzy Damon Runyonesque time-travel story

Cory Doctorow 10:00 am Thu Dec 15, 2011

I just caught up (rather late) with the last Spider on the Web podcast, wherein science fiction writer and musician Spider Robinson reads aloud from his work, plays his guitar, and plays some of his favorite music. I really enjoy Spider's podcasts, and the last one was a particular favorite, as it included a reading of his classic short story "Chronic Offender" (available in his collection By Any Other Name).

"Chronic Offender" is a time-travel story told in the style of Damon Runyon, which really cleverly riffs off the fact that Runyon wrote all his narration in the present and future tense. Robinson is a stellar reader, especially when doing tough-guy voices, and his reading here is spot on. The Runyonesque dialog and 1930s jazz slang just make it all the better.

Here's the MP3 of the latest Spider on the Web podcast (the reading of "Chronic Offender" starts around 14 minutes in, after some great music, including Spider singing a Tim Minchin song (!)). The homepage for Spider's podcast is here, and it includes a PayPal button, should you wish to support a working writer making great stuff available online.

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