A podcast for architecture and Minecraft, dedicated to saving Notre-Dame de Paris
Friends of Notre-Dame is a non-profit organization leading the international fundraising for the restoration. Donations via this link at cathedraltalk.fm will be made on our podcast’s behalf.
30 – A Change Ringing Roast
Another campanological excursion
The gents do a deep dive into the world of Change Ringing with church bells, comparing and contrasting with other types of ringing.
SEE: North American Change Ringing Towers
SEE: Love’s Guide to the Bells of the City of London
SEE: Love’s Guide to the Church Bells of Kent
SEE: The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers (CCCBR)
SEE: North American Guild of Change Ringers (NAGCR)
SEE: The Ancient Society of College Youths (ASCY)
SEE: Ringing up in peal – Yardley, Derick Obergene Society
SEE: Handbell Change Ringing – ASCY 2021 Dinner
SEE: National Cathedral Bells, 1349 Grandsire Caters 2013-12-31
29 – Britain's Tallest Spire
Salisbury Cathedral: An archetype of English gothic
Zack investigates the origin of Salisbury steak.
Tom compares and contrasts English gothic with French gothic, using Salisbury cathedral to demonstrate the design aesthetics and choices of the medieval English builders.
SEE: English gothic architecture
SEE: Documentary—Britain’s Great Cathedrals w/ Tony Robinson, Ep3 Salisbury
SEE: Britain’s tallest churches
SEE: Original Tower of Salisbury
SEE: Bowing Central Piers of Salisbury
SEE: Salisbury Cathedral clock
Tom shares his latest Minecraft build of Salisbury cathedral.
28 – Modded Times
Demoing the Minecraft Create Mod
Zack demonstrates how to use the Create Mod to build customized factories that can generate a variety of blocks using the power of water, wind, and steam.
SEE: Create, Minecraft Mod (curseforge.com)
27 – Nonlinear Talk
A disaster show duct-taped together
David and Zack run the show, discussing the latest restoration updates at Notre-Dame.
SEE: Restoration Progress at Notre-Dame
SEE: 60 Minutes Video on Notre-Dame’s Restoration
Zack briefly discusses visiting David and Tom on the East Coast.
26 – Masonry Follow-up
Reviewing stonework at Washington National Cathedral
David and Zack get a chance to weigh in on Tom’s interview with Joe Alonso from Episode 25, regarding masonry and the Washington National Cathedral.
SEE: Washington National Cathedral (WNC)
SEE: WNC Slides—Tour & Earthquake
SEE: Tallest Buildings in Washington, D.C.
SEE: Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock
SEE: Russell Sage Memorial Chapel
Tom shares that the construction of Notre-Dame’s main crossing vault is underway.
SEE: Wooden centering for main crossing vault at Notre-Dame—NBC Today
25 – Alonso, Head Stonemason
Restoring Washington National Cathedral
DONATE: Washington National Cathedral Preservation (click podcast box at bottom)
Joe Alonso, Head Stonemason at Washington National Cathedral, discusses repairing the cathedral after the 2011 earthquake in DC, along with a variety of construction topics including structure settlement, mortar application, limestone qualities, and a special visit from the architects of Notre-Dame de Paris.
SEE: Washington National Cathedral (WNC)
SEE: WNC Slides—Tour & Earthquake
SEE: WNC—Art & Architecture Virtual Tours
SEE: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
SEE: George Frederick Bodley (architect 1906–1907)
SEE: Henry Vaughan (architect 1907–1917)
SEE: Philip H. Frohman (architect 1921–1972)
SEE: Notre-Dame Architects US Tour—Philippe Villeneuve & Rémi Fromont
SEE: Cathedral of St. John the Divine
SEE: The International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers
24 – France’s Largest Cathedral
Surveying Amiens Cathedral, the apex of high gothic
The gents further investigate the eccentricities of Trombone Champ.
Tom, David, and Zack examine the architecture of Amiens Cathedral, the one of the largest gothic cathedrals in the world.
SEE: Life of a Cathedral: Notre-Dame of Amiens (Columbia University interactive)
SEE: Notre-Dame de Amiens: Life of the Gothic Cathedral, by Dr. Stephen Murray
SEE: NOVA (2010)—Building the Great Cathedrals (PBS)
SEE: Dolly zoom (camera effect)
SEE: Vertigo (1958 Hitchcock film)
Tom shares his latest Minecraft build—Notre-Dame de Amiens.
23 – Hunchback Dream Cast
Critiquing Disney’s 1996 Victor Hugo adaptation
Tom, David, and Zack discuss the architecture in Disney’s animated 1996 adaptation of the Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
SEE: Disney’s Notre-Dame vs Real Notre-Dame
SEE: Up-wrong bell (clapper strikes counter to bell’s motion)
SEE: Up-right bell (clapper strikes in-sync with bell’s motion)
SEE: Hunchback Intro up-wrong bell (behind title, 9 seconds)
SEE: Palais de la Cité, a.k.a.: Palais de Justice, Paris
Tom, David, and Zack share their proposed casting lists for the upcoming live-action adaptation of Disney’s Hunchback of Notre-Dame. In order of discussion:
QUASIMODO: Original 1996 Casting—Tom Hulce
Jesús Castro—cast by Zack
Rami Malek—cast by David
Peter Dinklage—cast by Tom
ESMERALDA: Original 1996 Casting—Demi Moore & Heidi Mollenhauer
Alina Serban—cast by Zack
Renée Elise Goldsberry—cast by David
Zoe Saldaña—cast by Tom
PHOEBUS: Original 1996 Casting—Kevin Kline
Gaspard Ulliel (deceased)—in memoriam, Zack
Stephen Manas—cast by Zack
Chris Pine—cast by Tom
The Hollywood Chrises—go-to list for David
FROLLO: Original 1996 Casting—Tony Jay
Vincent Cassel—cast by Zack
Charles Dance—cast by Tom
Mark Strong—cast by David, choice 1
Billy Crudup—cast by David choice 2
CLOPIN: Original 1996 Casting—Paul Kandel
Óscar Jaenada—cast by Zack
Tom Hiddleston—cast by David, choice 1
Robert Carlyle—cast by David, choice 2
Maisie Williams—cast by David, choice 3
ARCHDEACON: Original 1996 Casting—David Ogden Stiers
Gérard Depardieu—hard rejection by Zack
Daniel Auteuil—cast by Zack
Brian Cox—cast by David
Donald Sumpter—cast by Tom
VICTOR: Original 1996 Casting—Charles Kimbrough
Stephen Merchant—cast by Zack
Jim Carter—cast by Tom
HUGO: Original 1996 Casting—Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander (why not?)—recast by Zack
Trevor Noah—cast by Zack
Jerome Flynn—cast by Tom
LAVERNE: Original 1996 Casting—Mary Wickes
Tony Shalhoub—cast by Tom
Aisha Tyler—cast by Zack
22 – Dwarfing the Empire State Building
An anachronistic episode about the NYC skyline
Originally recorded as a trial episode back in mid-2020 during the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Tom discusses whether building mega-skyscrapers next to the Empire State Building would disfigure the the New York City skyline.
SEE: The Guardian (2010)—New York skyscraper to rival Empire State Building
SEE: List of the Tallest Buildings in the World
The gents discuss whether cinemas and big-budget movies are on the way out due to all the new streaming services.
SEE: List of most expensive films ever produced
Tom asks David and Zack what the traffic rules are for stopping for a school bus with an active stop-sign on a divided highway.
SEE: School Bus Laws By State—When to stop and when not to!
Zack struggles to contemplate Tyrannosaurus as a big chicken.
SEE: NYT (2019)—T.Rex Like You Haven’t Seen Him: With Feathers
21 – Building Museum
Experiencing augmented reality for architecture
Tom completes the "Phase 1" (1163–1170 A.D.) of his 2:1 scale Minecraft model of Notre-Dame, consisting of the vaulted double-ambulatory and above it, the second-level gallery, complete with various low flying-buttresses.
SEE: THSchutt’s Notre-Dame(2:1) build, Phase 1 (1163–1170 A.D.)
David and Tom recount their experience at the National Building Museum to see the Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition which has been open since April 2022 through September 2022, with countless graphics and interactive applications.
SEE: National Building Museum (NBM)
SEE: NBM—Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition
SEE: Museum of London—Great Fire of London (1666), Minecraft Model
SEE: National Trust, UK—Explore Virtual Ruins in Minecraft (Grian’s Corfe Castle)
SEE: Grian—Using Real Ruins to Create a Castle in Minecraft
20 – The Bells of Notre-Dame
Contrasting the different peals of bells at Notre-Dame
Zack probes Tom and David regarding artificial chimes and carillons that use recorded bell sounds rather than actual bells.
Tom recalls his experience of hearing a full peal at Bath Abbey.
SEE: Bath Abbey Bells, full peal on Oct. 17, 2021
SEE: Royal Crescent in Bath, England
Tom recounts his first trip to Notre-Dame during Easter 2007, when the 19th c. Bells where still hung for ringing in the north tower belfry.
SEE: Notre-Dame 19th c. Bells, ringing Christmas 2011 (ground level)
SEE: Notre-Dame 19th c. Bells, ringing Easter 2009 (galerie de chimeres level)
Tom and David reminisce over their joint trip to see Notre-Dame on Easter 2013, just as the new peal of bells had become operational for Eastertide.
SEE: Notre-Dame 2013 Bells, full peal “Sonnerie du Grand Solemnel”
SEE: Notre-Dame 2013 Bells, ringing Easter 2013 (Tom & David recording)
Tom shares photos provided by the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris foundation depicting the fire damage to the north tower belfry, obtained after much persistence.
SEE: Fire Damage to Notre-Dame North Tower Belfry (scroll down)
19 – Bad Circles
Modeling the Roman Colosseum’s curvature
Tom discusses building the Roman Colosseum in Minecraft, demonstrating how he modeled its curvature based on the theories of Ingegner Giuseppe Cozzo, while discussing its history and influence upon Gothic architecture later on.
SEE: Tom’s Colosseum(1:1 scale) build
SEE: Tom’s Colosseum curvature calculations & plans (Excel spreadsheet)
SEE: Cozzo’s Polycentric-Curve Theory for the Colosseum
SEE: Tom’s YouTube Colosseum video
SEE: Wiki—Classical Roman Arch
David gets inspired to categorize the different types of podcast listeners with his own polycentric modeling; Zack provides helpful feedback.
SEE: The Polycentric Circle of Cathedral Talk’s Listeners (MS Paint work of art)
18 – Budget Neo-Gothic
Ascertaining whether St. Patrick’s, NYC is Gothic
The Cathedral Talk YouTube channel now has the first couple of podcast episodes uploaded with some nifty video footage as an optional accompaniment. More episodes are to be uploaded in the future (at unavoidably irregular intervals).
SEE: Cathedral Talk YouTube Links
More restoration news at Notre-Dame continues to be published now that we have passed the third anniversary of the fire.
SEE: FRANCE24—Notre-Dame Restoration Update for 3rd Anniversary of Fire
Tom discusses the unorthodox decisions made with the construction of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City which put its categorization as a “Gothic” cathedral up for debate. David and Zack consider revisions to our overall definition of Gothic architecture.
SEE: Wiki—St. Patrick’s Cathedral
SEE: NYT Article—Restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, A Gift to NY in Time for the Pope
17 – Entrancing Acoustics
Evaluating the experience of live music
David presents his very late Christmas gift to Zack, reminding Zack to share literature he received for Christmas about cathedrals. Meanwhile, Tom shares an article about a “soundscape archaeologist” who is working to recreate the sounds that would have existed in Notre-Dame during the medieval times.
SEE: The sounds rebuilding Notre-Dame’s previous vaults (article)
Tom, David, and Zack evaluate the experience of live music, judging what its advantages are over recorded music. Tom argues that experiencing cathedral music is one of the hardest live-music venues to replicate. The gents ponder how humans have many different ways to listen to music.
SEE: Deep Listeners, by Judith Becker
SEE: The Organ of St. Paul’s Cathedral
SEE: XKCD Comic 878: Model Rail (nesting concerns)
16 – A Duty to the Truth
Appraising accuracy within historical depictions
Tom shares his latest progress on building the twin-aisled vaulting throughout the ambulatory of the chevet for his 2:1 scaled Minecraft model of Notre-Dame.
SEE: THSchutt’s Notre-Dame(2:1) build, Phase 1 (1163–1170 A.D.)
David discusses how the Steve Jobs movie, written by Aaron Sorkin, is very entertaining yet wildly erroneous. Tom compares this with other loose adaptations of history. Zack debates how to judge characters within narratives.
15 – Terra Transformed
Community building techniques that enhance Minecraft terrain
Tom discusses how different some Minecraft players can build not only epic castles, but also the very mountain ranges that said castles can be nestled into.
SEE: NoxusBolgar’s Tephra Castle & the Town of Noxshire
Zack shows how certain player-made structures can greatly enhance the already amazing caves of Minecraft patch 1.18.
SEE: Jeracraft’s Epic Lush Cave Transformation
David shares his favorite style of building in Minecraft: cliff-side houses with a view.
14 – For the Cause
Rationalizing the worthiness of different charities
Tom inquires about Zack’s fictitious Roomba.
The gents discuss why donating to Notre-Dame is a worthwhile endeavor and how they decide what makes a cause worth donating to.
13 – Triforiums vs. Galleries
Identifying vertical elements of Gothic cathedrals
Tom provides more cardinal errata regarding the different ranks of catholic cardinals.
SEE: Cardinal (Catholic Church)
David discusses his new favorite Netflix movie.
Tom quizzes David and Zack on the nomenclature for different vertical elements of Gothic cathedrals, having already quizzed them in Episode 3 on groundplan lexicon.
SEE: Gothic Cathedral Vertical Elements Vocabulary (matching)
Zack gets confused about ostriches.
12 – Rome’s Ancient Church
Exploring the Pantheon from Ancient Rome
David learns of the author of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Tom showcases the architecture of the Pantheon of Ancient Rome, which was the progenitor of much cathedral architecture that followed afterwards.
SEE: The Pantheon images, models, and diagrams
SEE: The Pantheon (Ancient Rome)
Tom, David, and Zack confuse themselves over the different types of cardinals of the Catholic Church.
Tom gives Zack and David a tour of his Minecraft build for the Pantheon.
11 – Virtual Wishlist
Hopes and dreams of a better Minecraft
Tom provides errata regarding the origin of the term “Gothic” architecture.
Tom, Zack, and David discuss how recent features added to Minecraft have expanded building opportunities, particularly regarding how wall blocks operate in 1.16 and beyond.
SEE: Improved Walls in Minecraft (by Pixlriffs)
The gents also discuss the additional features that they would like to see in the game in the future.