A Word With William Podcast

A Word With William

Will Simpson
A collection of Will's ramblings and conversations with friends and interviewees, as well as other projects.
The Life and Legacy of Eugene Bullard
A presentation of the life and legacy of Eugene Bullard, the first Black American fighter pilot. Completed as a final project for my MA in French Studies at New York University.  Music included: "Georgia on my Mind" by Ray Charles "Band on Patrol in No Mans Land" by Jim Europe's 369th Infantry Hellfighters Band "Lafayette, We Hear You Calling" by Robert A. King "Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer" by The Golden Gate Quartet "Take the 'A' Train" by The Delta Rhythm Boys "Hold the Line" by Pete Seeger "J'ai Deux Amours" by Josephine Baker
Jul 13, 2021
42 min
IFS Radio Theater presents: Les Misérables
NYU's Institute for French Studies radio theater group presents its third production, Les Misérables, adapted from the original 1952 Lux Radio Theater broadcast and Victor Hugo's classic novel. This legendary tale sees French Revolution-era convict Jean Valjean embrace his humanity and learn to forgive, despite the relentless pursuit of law-obsessed Lieutenant Javert... Starring IFS students Kelly Wood, Will Simpson, Misha Deisher, Austin Williams, Wendy Miranda, Alaina Schwartz, Chris Potter, Chelsea Kraveski, and Mariah Harvey. With guest stars Frédéric Yvelin (Lycée Francais de New York) and Patrick Simon (INED).  All sound effects are from freesound.com and the original 1952 Lux radio script.
Jun 23, 2021
1 hr 4 min
Interview with Patrick Simon, French Demographer
I had an opportunity to sit down with Patrick Simon, a demographer at the INED (French Institute for Demographic Studies) in Paris and visiting professor at NYU's Institute of French Studies for the spring of 2021. We chat about his experiences living and teaching in New York as well as his perspective on the Covid-19 pandemic in France. Show Me The Way by Vendredi https://soundcloud.com/vendrediduo Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported  — CC BY 3.0  Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2CEYbCb Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/ZcAiMZtYrv8
May 18, 2021
49 min
IFS Radio Theater presents: The Day the Earth Stood Still
NYU's Institute for French Studies radio theater group presents its second production, The Day The Earth Stood Still, adapted from the original 1954 Lux Radio Theater broadcast. In this Sci-Fi classic, alien Klaatu and his intimidating robot Gort bring a dire warning to the warring nations of the earth: cease your conflict, or else... Starring IFS students Misha Deisher, Wendy Miranda, Alaina Schwartz, Will Simpson, Chris Potter, Austin Williams, Mariah Harvey, Kelly Wood, and Chelsea Kraveski. All sound effects are from freesound.com and the original 1954 radio broadcast. 
Apr 29, 2021
1 hr 8 min
Interview with Steven Tom on Kiffin Rockwell & The Lafayette Escadrille
Steven Tom is an aviation historian and the author of the 2019 book First to Fight, biography of Lafayette Escadrille pilot Kiffin Rockwell. In our discussion about Kiffin Rockwell and the important figures in his life, Steve outlines his process in researching and composing the book. For those who may not be familiar, Kiffin Rockwell was an early member of the French American Lafayette Escadrille squadron during WWI. Often credited as the first American pilot to shoot down an enemy craft in combat, Rockwell is a central figure in the history of the Escadrille who was shot down in September 1916 over the town of Roderen, France. His brother Paul had served in the Foreign Legion with Kiffin, and was the official historian of the squadron during and after the war. Kiffin’s mother Loula played an important role in his story, at first fearing for the safety of her boys before gradually coming to terms with their idealistic investment in the French cause. Steve also discusses the importance of Alice Weeks, mother of a Legionnaire who died in combat, who acted as a “second mother” for American volunteers in the French military like Kiffin when they were granted leave to travel to Paris. Interview recorded via Zoom. Music is “Lafayette, We Hear You Calling” by Mary Earl, recording from the Library of Congress website.
Mar 22, 2021
54 min
IFS Radio Theater presents: The Scarlet Pimpernel
NYU's Institute for French Studies radio theater group presents its first production, The Scarlet Pimpernel, adapted from the original 1938 Lux Radio Theater broadcast. Our mysterious masked hero saves one aristocrat after another from the French Revolutionaries' guillotine, leaving behind only a small flower as his calling card... Starring IFS students Alaina Schwartz, Will Simpson, Chris Potter, Misha Deisher, Austin Williams, Mariah Harvey, Wendy Miranda, and Kelly Wood. All sound effects are from freesound.com. Musical extracts are from: Canon and Gigue in D Major, Chamber Music Society of London Center (Museopen.com) Concerto for 2 oboes in F major, Op. 9 no. 3 - I. Allegro, Advent Chamber Orchestra (Museopen.com) Jingle Bells Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) La Marseillaise, Angelsh (Freemusicarchive.com) Pine Apple Rag (Scott Joplin Piano Roll) by Scott Joplin (Freemusicarchive.com). ALL licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
Mar 3, 2021
1 hr 10 min
Rambles with Zack & Smithi, Episode 2
College friends Zack, Will, and Smithi continue their rambles in today's episode, expounding on a variety of topics, including: -Zachary's mousey experiments -Smit's exploits as a Thai B movie mogul -Our academic backgrounds and experience with language learning -Dipping our toes into Freudian waters -William's family history research and WW2
Feb 28, 2021
1 hr 4 min
[French] Covid-19 et la mobilité en France
Dans ce podcast fait en décembre 2020 pour un cours au New York University Institute of French Studies, je mène des entretiens au sujet de l'impact de la pandémie Covid-19 en France. Mes interviewés témoignent de leurs difficultés liés aux questions de mobilité et travail.  Un grand merci à Audrey Lamou, Karen de Bruin, Phillip van der Pluijm, Jean-Marc Simon, et Juliette Simon pour leur participation à ce projet de recherches.  Musique incluse: "Rosalie (CB 29)" by Checkie Brown (freemusicarchive.com) "Winds of Change" by Siddhartha Corsus (freemusicarchive.com) "Hoh Harph (ID 924)" by Lobo Loco (freemusicarchive.com) All Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Feb 12, 2021
57 min
Rambles with Zack & Smithi, Episode 1
In this first episode of the series, geographically separated college friends Will (New York) Zack (Boston) and Smithi (Bangkok) ramble on with discussions about trending topics and what’s been on their minds. This episode features: Covid situations across the world Social media--valuable "screwdriver" or dangerous addiction? The profound philosophies of Dark Souls Smithi’s new Ram Dass fandom and spirituality/mindfulness Pandemic tech and Zachary’s “Pokemon problem” Includes: "Loopster" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Feb 6, 2021
1 hr 53 min