PotterCast 155: We Fly, Of Course Transcript

News Talk (0:00 - 5:32)

Frankie Franco III (FF): (sings) Welcome to PotterCast 155!

Sue Upton (SU): (sings) Five! Fifty-five!

John Noe (JN): Okay.

FF: (sings) One fifty-five!

All: (sings) Five! (All laugh)

SU: It's the musical cast, everyone! (FF laughs) Welcome to PotterCast (JN sighs) 155, where we sing.

JN: One-five-five. Because everybody- (FF: One-five-five.) (SU laughs) because everybody failed the audition process to replace Melissa this week. (SU laughs) (FF clicks tongue) We are here.

SU: Aw.

FF: We had many applications, too, but no one compares to Melissa.

JN: We did, no one could do it. (FF: No one can.) Even Moochka tried out, but (FF: She did.) she was the closest.

FF: She threatened to cut us and (JN: Yeah.) send the basilisk on us, but (JN: Which was a good gesture.) we said, "No, no, Moochka, no."

SU: No.

JN: Yeah.

FF: "It's not gonna happen." (JN laughs)

SU: No, no, no, no, no. (JN laughs) No, no, no, no, no.

FF: "No means no, Moochka." (JN and SU laugh)

JN: Anyway, (FF: Pam! Pam, pam, pam!) here, this is John Noe, here with the lovely Sue.

SU: Hello!

JN: And the lovely Frak, (FF laughs) Frankie.

FF: I am quite lovely.

JN: (laughs) He is a lovely man. (FF laughs) And we are here with PotterCast 155, and we have a fun show this week, actually. This is a massive Phoenix Files show. (SU: It is, yes.) We have the (FF: It's pretty...) entire battle for you, (SU makes explosion noise) with our second-to-last ever Phoenix Files. We have lots of news this week, including some highlights from Jo's amazing, awesome commencement speech at (FF gasps) Harvard University the other day. (SU: Yes, marvelous.) So that will be cool, too. So, without any further screwing around, (SU: Mm-hm?) shall we jump into the news?

SU: Yes. Our lovely Miss Jo, for those of you who do not know, gave the commencement address at Harvard University this past week, on June 5th. And it was a very moving, very inspiring speech. In the morning, Jo received her honorary degree. I think a Doctorate of Letters is what she got. And then in the afternoon, Jo gave the commencement speech, which is a very famous honor, and in the speech, she spoke about two things. She spoke about failure and imagination, and you might think to yourself, "Well, now, how is that a good thing to give to graduating students who are about to make their way out into the world?" But Jo, in the course of the speech, really talked about how failure can influence your life in the actions- as you go through your life. Jo spoke during her thing about her failures and her struggles as a single mother before she achieved her extraordinary successes with the Harry Potter books, and she talked about, first time, as I can recall, her speaking about Amnesty International. And she's obviously talked about it before, but she spoke very movingly about an event that happened to her, and how that (JN: Yeah.) can influence your life, and that was just...but then, the power of imagination. It was just- I don't know. It was one of the best speeches I think I've heard in a long time, (FF: Mm-hm.) and if not one of the best commencement speeches I've ever heard. But that was brilliant. What'd you guys think?

JN: Yeah. It's just something about listening to her talk, and just reading. I read the transcript of it first, and then I went and listened to it. (SU: Mm-hm.) But it's just- she just totally has this amazing way with words, and I couldn't help but think on the funny idea, as I was sitting there reading that, and also having CNN on in the background, listening to everybody trying to give their speeches to campaign for president. Could you imagine if she campaigned for somebody, just how more- she's ten times more eloquent with her words than any politician we have running right now. (laughs)

FF: Yeah, her vocabulary, it's just amazing. Just the words she chooses, (JN: Yeah.) and... (SU: Yeah.) I agree.

SU: She takes things- she referenced only very slightly Harry Potter books. She made a joke at the beginning, and there was a big (JN laughs) hooha, "Oh, she reference the- Mr. Dumbledore." And then, but I thought- this line really, really stayed with me. It said, "We do not need magic to change the world. We all carry the power we need inside ourselves all ready. We have the power to imagine better." And that's (FF: Hm.) just- there's so many great quotes that Jo said, that people everywhere are already writing them down and just taking them to heart, but I just- (JN: Yeah.) that's what the real magic is, what you can do with your own imagination, and you can overcome, and for me, when I remember when I was graduating and sitting there, I can't remember either of my graduating- (JN laughs) that I heard. Either one. (laughs) Sorry! And...

FF: Mine was only three years ago, and I still have a hard time reflecting back on what it was. (SU: Mm-hm.) Oops.

JN: I think I'm actually graduating next week, or something, come to think of it. (FF: You're walking?) No, I'm not even going, (laughs) actually. For some- I don't know why, I'm not gonna be in town, but- (SU laughs) random. I will definitely not remember what the person said (SU laughs) at my graduation.

FF: You can't go, or you don't want to go?

JN: Ah, it's gonna be a very small thing.

FF: Okay, (SU: Yeah.) the answer I'm looking for (JN: So...) is you can't go, because if you say you don't want to go, I'm gonna lecture you. So I don't know if you want to get a lecture.

JN: Mm, a little bit of both. (FF: Jonathan!) Now you're just opening me up to emails on it, too, so... (FF laughs) anyway, Jo. Let's pause here and play a few highlights from that amazing speech.