Harvey Goldberg - What Amazing History Sounds Like

Like history? These lectures are some of my favorites. By Harvey Goldberg, an amazing historian and electrifying orator. His lectures are all like this: fast paced, enthusiastic and incandescent. Often his lectures would go over the duration of class. Students would come and pack the halls, back when you could still actually do that as a student.

Harvey was a proper Marxist. He knew his shit. He could drill it home. He lectured without notes, which is astonishing considering how expansive his topics got.

As his wikipedia poignantly states:

No one who witnessed his lectures at Madison could forget the drama of his meticulously crafted performances, delivered with an actor's sense of timing. Goldberg waited in the wings, then approached the podium and paused for a few beats. He would then take off his glasses, look off to the side of the stage as if expecting a cue, and then turn to the audience, waving his finger and declaring, "The point is, you know..."[6] And once he had warmed to his topic, there was no stopping him. Because of Goldberg's reputation for consistently overrunning the 50-minute period, the History Dept. eventually learned to schedule his class in the de facto last slot of the day, 2:25 to 3:15, to minimize students being late for other commitments.

Harvey Goldberg died of liver cancer. His lectures, previously hosted by the now defunct Brecht Forum, can still be found here. Not all are here, though. Many are on Youtube still.

All are highly recommended!