Become an Ivory Tower Boiler Room subscriber to watch the unedited video interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/69904875
(Content Warning: Sexual Assault)
To introduce "The Crime of the Century," Andrew is joined by two special guests who know a lot about what it would have been like to attend one of Evelyn Nesbit's Atlantic City vaudeville shows. So, why not bring them on to introduce the episode.
Mary, from "True Crime in Academia," joins Andrew to deep dive the murder of Stanford White with author Simon Baatz. Simon wrote The Girl on the Velvet Swing: Sex, Murder, and Madness at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century (2018).
A few hard hitting questions that Simon helps us answer include: Why did Harry Thaw murder Stanford White? What led Evelyn to the vaudeville stage? Why do so many erroneously think that Evelyn had a love affair with Stanford White?
Simon explains why Evelyn's story is so relevant in our current moment and why Stanford White's predatory behavior connects to the #MeToo movement. Simon gives his opinion on how Evelyn, Harry, and Stanford have been represented in pop culture, including Ragtime (the novel and musical), The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, and the new Gilded Age TV series. And yes, Part 2 of our Gilded Age recap will be coming out on Friday and features a conversation about Stanford White (filmed at a Gilded Age mansion)!
Make sure you get your hands on Simon's The Girl on the Velvet Swing: https://bookshop.org/books/the-girl-on-the-velvet-swing-sex-murder-and-madness-at-the-dawn-of-the-twentieth-century/9780316396660.
Or, listen to it on Audible here (featuring Christine Lakin): https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Girl-on-the-Velvet-Swing-Audiobook/B078X147PJ?ref=a_author_Si_c19_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=1ae0e65e-ad09-4aa7-aa73-772cefb1b5e1&pf_rd_r=C0MGRZ6MWC39JHRN01XS
Find more of Simon's work here: http://www.simonbaatz.com/about.html
(Educational Copyright) We hope you enjoyed the Broadway Musical treat, featuring Ragtime's "The Crime of the Century," sung by the incredible Lynnette Perry. Make sure to listen to Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, and Terrence McNally's beautiful album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/1ITaTY1cwy5bnG3Dyoucr1
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Follow True Crime in Academia on Instagram and TikTok: @truecrimeinacademia
Many thanks to the Ivory Tower Boiler Room podcast team:
Andrew Rimby, Executive Director; Mary DiPipi, Chief Contributor; Nicole Arguello, Marketing Assistant; Kimberly Dallas, Editor