Audio of Gygax on a 1979 Talk Show

[Zenopus Archives]

This is a real treat! Jon Peterson has found an audio recording of Gary's appearance on Tom Snyder's Tomorrow in November 1979. At the time Tomorrow was the late-night talk show that followed the Tonight show (so essentially the forerunner of Letterman). Gary was in his prime (41), and it shows in his voice - it's much less gravelly than what I've heard from the rare '00s recordings available on youtube. AD&D was "complete" - TSR had just published the DMG back in August. D&D was becoming a cultural phenomenon; this is also just a few months after D&D came to national attention when it was (wrongly) thought to be involved in the disappearance of James Dallas Egbert from mid-Aug to mid-Sep.

http://playingattheworld.blogspot.com/2 ... nyder.html

The audio is better than I expected from a home recording off the TV, and Jon helpfully provides a transcript of the entire show.

[Stormcrow]

D&D was becoming a cultural phenomenon; this is also just a few months after D&D came to national attention when it was (wrongly) thought to be involved in the disappearance of James Dallas Egbert from mid-Aug to mid-Sep.

It is not a coincidence that Gary started doing television interviews after the Egbert incident. And Gary knew it.

[Terrex]

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

I think Tom Snyder did a very good job. He was respectful and actually seemed to grok what Gary was talking about. Hell, he wanted to continue with the doorknocker scenario.

[T. Foster]

Very cool. It's kind of a shame that it's audio-only.

[austinjimm]

https://win-torrents.cf/shared/watch-fr ... ll-hd.html

This site purports to have links to the video, but the links require you to "sign up" in order to get it. Maybe someone here is braver (i.e., more foolish) than I am.

[MageInBlack]

https://win-torrents.cf/shared/watch-fr ... ll-hd.html

This site purports to have links to the video, but the links require you to "sign up" in order to get it. Maybe someone here is braver (i.e., more foolish) than I am.

I can give it a try. I first have to help a Nigerian Prince get his money to the U.S. so I can cash in on my pay day that he promised.

[Chainsaw]

I first have to help a Nigerian Prince get his money to the U.S. so I can cash in on my pay day that he promised.

You’re good. It’s my long lost brother, Christ Williams III. I already sent him the money.

[Gentlegamer]

What a wonderful treasure to find in 2017!

I'm particularly pleased with Gary's description:

"I'll pick it up as if you were actually in a dungeon, and I'll relay to you, because I have to be your eyes and ears and everything, and you're going to tell me what kind of information you need. "

This is basically how D&D was explained to me long ago, 'you're in a dungeon and the DM describes to you what you see as if you were really there, and you tell him what you want to do.'

That for me is the most basic core description of what a role-playing game is: adventuring in an imaginary environment with almost unlimited player agency for action and altering that environment.

[TRP]

Tom Snyder is still my all time favorite talk show host. He had the best, most off beat guests on his show, and so it's not surprising he had Gygax on there.