I would like to listen to Leonard Nimoy read Ray Bradbury stories for the rest of my life. As a New Yorker, I spend a lot of time with headphones wedged into my ears and stories making their way through the electric wires into my brain. Not all narrators are the most melodic. Not all narrators are even worthy of the job they have been given. But in the weeks after Leonard Nimoy’s death, this lovely audio recording of his reading of “There Will Come Soft Rains†from The Martian Chronicles again became popular and will be everything you need for a wonderful commute this week.
Growing up, I watched a lot of Star Trek. In fact, it was the background music to more than one dinnertime in the Berkey household. Granted, in 1987, it was thanks to the wonderful technology of the rabbit antenna system instead of some hi-tech wifi/streaming set up. (If you don’t know what a rabbit system is…well, you’re very young.) We sat at the kitchen table, fighting over who would hide what in whose dinner (Two boys and a girl? Please. We tortured each other) and always in the background were the soothing sounds of the Starship Enterprise. I immediately associate all cadences like Nimoy’s with calm, peace, and home.
As a result, when this YouTube resurfaced this week, I was taken back to not only the wonderfulness of Nimoy’s storytelling and rhythm, but to a place where stories were simply and perfectly the backdrop of my day. Please give this lovely 15 minutes a listen if only to remember how a story should sound in your head when you read it.
Oh wow, this brings back memories! I performed this story as a monologue back in high school drama class.
I’d never even heard of Ray Bradbury till now – but I soon will if the wonderful Leonard is involved. I too grew up on Star Trek falling in love with Mr,Spock at the tender age of 10 and wishing that I were a Vulcan !!! He was one of a kind – so sad to think he is no longer here, but he has left a wonderful legacy and thats something to be thankful for.
Wow… grew up with Star Trek and never heard of one of the pillars of SF…
How about Asimov? Clarke? Frank Herbert? Not even Heinlein?
when I was about 14, I picked up a copy of “Martian Chronicles” thinking it was a SciFi book- it isnt- Sci Fi is just a vehicle for his melancholy style- I went on to read everything I could find by him.
Thank you so much for this. A well-loved English teacher used to play this for us in high school, many years ago. Like Mr. Nimoy,she passed away recently as well. I’ve been wanting to hear this again for years.
Another great recording by him is Whales Weep Not, with music by Paul Winter.
Leonard Nimoy also narrates the movie The Halloween Tree, which is also a story by Ray Bradbury. He is also the character Mr. Moundshroud. It’s amazing.