[R. S. Gwynn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzMj_GiupJ0

[Roger Slater]

Great poem.

I know that we always end up arguing over the quality of the guy who recites the poem, and once again I am not his biggest fan. The poem is so much fun, and has such a great rollicking rhythm, but he reads it the same as he reads just about everything, as if it were somber news he is being forced to break, or a message he is attempting to deliver before the effects of a sleeping pill make it entirely impossible for him to continue.

But great poem, and an honor to have someone go to all the trouble of making a video and presenting it to the world. I may not like the man's reciting skills, but I admire his taste in poetry.

[FOsen]

Great poem, Sam. I see Raj's point, the reading is reverent and end-stopped (and since when are x's "crosses" - is that a Brit thing?) - but it adds a great counterpoint to the material and the visuals (love that last one).

Frank

[Michael Cantor]

Great poem, but I'm with Roger - it sounds like everything else Tom O'Bedlam reads, and his delivery is wonderfully suited to some poems, less so to others, and this is one where a different voice - that Sam Gwynn guy, for example - would have been more appealing to me.

Who is Tom O'Bedlam? Anthony Hopkins and Terence Stamp seem to be the most frequent guesses. I just found and listened to Hopkins reading "Do Not Go Gentle", and then the O'Bedlam version. It appears to be a very different voice - Hopkins is far richer, and gives a better reading. (And Dylan Thomas is better than either of the covers.)

[David Mason]

All voice, no brain.

[Tim Murphy]

I'd much rather hear Sam read, and this guy is no Hopkins.

[Ned Balbo]

...doesn't seem so "snow white" in some of those images--especially the last one! But the poem is wonderful. For me, the grim reading actually made it funnier, especially combined with the slideshow. Thanks for passing this along!