I had the pleasure of meeting Deborah Wiles, who recorded her author's note in my studio and I subsequently narrated the preface to this wonderful retelling of a sad chapter in America's recent past. Debbie and I really hit it off and I ended up also shooting the cover jacket photo of her as well. Check this audiobook out--the incomparable Paul Gagne, with whom I worked on Audie Award Winner "Echo" and countless other projects, hits it out of the park once again!
Clint Eastwood never says action!
Getting a chance to work with Clint Eastwood was a great honor, and then follow it up with Ron Howard in Hillbilly Elegy was deeply satisfying. Unfortunately, my scene was cut from Elegy, but Ron sent me a nice email informing of the bad news. I t was the first time in all my years of doing this that I ended up on the cutting room floor (I guess that's just a figure of speech these digital days).
New Music!
Photo Credit: David de Vries
Lockdown, stay-at-home--welcome to Pandemia! Though the times they are a-tryin', I found a creative wellspring in the sequester and look forward to the release of my new album of music, entitled "Dutchman." With the help of Atlanta veteran guitarist Rick Hinkle on several cuts, I wrote and recorded most of the album during the brunt of the lockdown in my studio and had Gopal Swamy at Acoustech mix and master the tracks. It was really rewarding to bring all the tunes together for what I hope will be an eclectic and enjoyable experience. Coming soon on CD and all your favorite digital platforms!
Notable Narrations
Click to hear a sample
Geary is a Harvard professor who takes his humor very seriously. This wonderful and amazingly clever work is not only entertaining but really instructive at the same time. So if you're interested in deconstructing what makes us laugh, titter and groan-- and couple it with a unique approach to storytelling in each chapter, this is the book for you. I had a blast with this one!
One of the more interesting analyses of global politics that I've encountered in my narrating experience, Krastev and Holmes take the West to task for their approach to spreading democratic liberalism in the aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union. Rising authoritarianism didn't emerge in a vacuum and these astute observers give us some very good reasons why we find ourselves at this precarious political juncture.
Click to listen to a sample
I narrated a number of very interesting books about the First World War to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. But this particular book was my favorite. The unquenchable agony of the Middle East was forged in the events that lies within the pages of this extensively researched book. If you want to return to the genesis of so much of what troubles that region today, look no further than this wonderful book. And be prepared to facepalm at the insane hubris of the Western powers and the mendacity of so many, many others.
This beautiful collection of stories about life in the ER will tug at your heart in unimaginable ways. I had to repeatedly stop and compose myself as the situations overwhelmed me time and again. I felt honored to bring these words to life. Here's what author Phil Green had to say about this Tantor recording:
David, I finally made it through your reading of Trauma Room Two. I could only listen to one story a day as many were loosely based off of real experiences I’ve had and to be honest didn’t exactly want to remember. But your readings were incredible. You nailed the cadence, the pacing, and most importantly the emotion of the stories, of the characters, and of the situations. You brought them to life in a way that gave me chills and to be honest left me almost overwhelmed with all the emotion of the original cases. So thank you. You are a true Artist with a capital A and I feel blessed that you and I together created something beautiful out of some really terrible situations. Best of luck, and thank you. -Phil Green
Click to listen to a sample
Podcasts
New Business Mindset
A New Business Mindset -
Listen to my podcast conversation with Gareth J. Young on a variety of topics under the headline, "Healing the World Through Stories." Gareth and I got to know each other through another conversation at Theatrical Outfit after a performance of "Storefront Church." I've appeared on his show before and we enjoyed it so much, we decided to have another go.
