The Canterbury Fails
The Canterbury Fails
David Coley and Matt Hussey
Reading marginal, minor, and absolutely unread Old and Middle English poetry, paired with a thematically appropriate cocktail.
Troy's Fall and the Green Knight's Rise: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Begins
David and Matt stan out on the world's greatest poem, discuss the Fall of Troy and poetic ambiguity, and drink a twice flamed wildly dramatic saffron-tinted heavy hitter.
Sep 11
58 min
Hereward the Wake: Neofascist Guerrilla Resistance Lackey
A wild romancish history--human faced bears, swamps, English-dubbed knights--coupled with a delicious smoky honeyed treat: the Scotch Neg!
Apr 3
57 min
Pride of Life: Life will Never Die! and a Layered Toasty Citrus Special
Special guest stars Matt Sergi and Dylan Coley crash the Fails to discuss the unheralded and wild morality play about Life learning to Die and learning to Live, while Matt and David slowly sip a brown and yellow stripey concoction .
Mar 13
1 hr 12 min
Rising of 1381: A 'Florlegium' of 'Rebellious' 'Literature' and a Spiced Apple Brandy 'Cocktail'
Secret codes, schizoid populism, radical Christian National MEGA-lomaniac spit-swapping doggerel and the seismic priestly violence washed down with an allspice lemon delight.
Feb 28
1 hr 4 min
Peterborough Chronicle: So Much Pain and Woe--and that's just the drink
The barrage of William's assholery as he wrecks his own people, and the barrage of high Scoville agony as David wrecks Matt.
Feb 14
57 min
Richard the Redeless: Terrible Poem Terrible Drink
Ex post facto fake news propaganda for Henry 4 with a purple ass-crap Nixonian cocktail.
Jan 31
1 hr 3 min
Old English Daniel: Minds Destroyed - Belshazzar's and Matt and David's
Tyrants resists dreams and a tiki exploding fire brain breaker
Jan 17
56 min
The Knight's Tale and a Tropical Planet: Canonical and Imperial Despite or Because its Art
Is Chaucer out of control? Is the Canterbury Fails studio out of control? Is this whole thing completely out of control? With tiki drinks.
Dec 20, 2025
49 min
The Old English Verse Genesis: Shiny Satan and Apple Brandy Power
5 minutes after David gets home from a late flight and breaks into his own house, we have to answer the simple question: "Can a poem be both a justification and an interrogation of the ways of God to man?" We try and mostly fail to figure out this Biblical epic, but we enjoy a potent monastic Calvados Pow! Right in the kisser. .
Dec 12, 2025
59 min
The Trotula: Medical Cures for Women and a Murky Bilge Flower Drink
Can a compendium of terrifying recipes for female health problems represent resistance to patriarchal authoritarianism? And can a violet brandy disaster taste any worse? Find out on this week's Canterbury Fails.
Nov 22, 2025
57 min
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