54 episodes
Wham Bam Stories by Simpson Thomas William Simpson
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- Arts
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5.0 • 12 Ratings
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Want to hear some entertaining stories but don't have a lot of time. The stories in this podcast are short and tough or short and sweet. Few exceed ten minutes, the outer limit of the average American's attention span. Simpson has been writing fiction for a long time and has perfected the short short story. Subject matter varies considerably. Sidewinder features a hip young couple who have left Silicon Valley for New Mexico where they've opened an adult toys shop, but suddenly their one-year-old is about to crawl onto the tracks of the Union Pacific. In After the Wedding, a pair of young lovers find themselves confronting an OxyContin overdose in the middle of the night in an abandoned motel. In Music by the Sea, a middle age woman who has recently lost her husband finally overcomes the stage fright that had for decades silenced her brilliant cello playing. Wham Bam Stories by Simpson are packed with humor, pathos, vulnerability, humanity, and originality. Read by the author without editing, polishing, or any high tech gadgetry. Just the raw material for the listener's listening pleasure. Sit back, turn up the volume, as Simpson can be a whisperer, and enjoy.
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THE LAST SUPERMODEL
As a kid, because of her looks, she was used and abused, deceived and exploited. They used her to hawk perfume and blue jeans, underwear and dreams.
But she was tough, resilient, ambitious. She channeled that abuse and exploitation to build her own company, to make millions, to beat them at their own game.
But at what price?
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THE MAN WHO CAN'T GET IT UP
A monument to virility. Manly to the core. Fifty years chasing the ladies. But, alas, not so much anymore.
He started young, made women his vocation. Unfortunately it's looking like he'll need a fresh inspiration.
Times they are a-changin, machinery all worn out. Poor boy's emasculated, of that there can be no doubt.
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THE RACIST
Trouble at the mall.
White kids tangled up with black kids. The N-word careens around the food court. One kid pushes another kid. Fists fly. Blood spills.
The cops arrive. They put the white kid in a chair, the black kid on the floor. Tempers flare. Guns are drawn.
What's Gus going to do? What's Gus going to say?
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THE NEW ECONOMY
The suits at corporate tell Sam to go home. Relax. Enjoy life. He no longer needs to report to the office.
"I'll be working from home?"
"Nope."
"What then? Am I fired?" Sam asks.
"Good God, no, Sam. Paycheck and health insurance safe and sound."
Sam, baffled but delighted, heads home. Tells Shelley. She's suspect. Wants the details.
"Chill, Shel. It's the new economy."
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INSOMNIA
She's been having some trouble sleeping. A lot on her mind. Kids. Job. Boss. Ex-hubby. Noisy furnace. Bad trans. Vlad Putin. School shootings. Ultra-processed foods.
And on and on and on. No end to the toils and troubles.
She put up the black-out curtains. Stuffed her ears with wax plugs. Meditated. Found something to be grateful for. And fell fast asleep lickity split.
But now it's just three stinking hours later. 2:33 a.m. And she's awake. Wide awake. In the pitch black of early morning. Body and brain buzzing. Can't lie still. Can't quiet the monkey noise in her head.
Madness. She feels right on the edge of madness.
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Customer Reviews
Sexy, funny, thought-provoking
These bite-size stories are a blast. Some are sexy, some are funny, some are both, and all are interesting and thought-provoking. At the end of each story, I want to hear more. Tight writing and great narration.
Great short stories
After randomly discovering the author’s book, The Caretaker through an odd google search, I delved into what else he had to offer and these stories are quite short yet interesting. It added a fun element to my day as I discovered and listened to them in succession.