This is John Bachelor, a conversation with Anthony Everett, the author of Nero, Matricide Music and

Murder in Imperial Rome.

He wrote this with Roddy Ashworth. It occurs to me as we prepare for a presidential

contest in America, we prepare for a parliamentary vote in France, we prepare for a government vote in the United Kingdom

that we're missing out on one version of a world leader that was in place long 2,000 years ago and that is the stage performing

leader. Niro was an actor. He saw himself as a stage actor and musician.

He won contests in Greece as the Emperor of Rome but also as an actor.

He saw himself right at the end as an actor. He saw himself right at the end as an actor in his suicide who was

depriving the world of a great actor. We have several actors on the stage

on the world stage right now.

Moscow to Paris, to the United States.

Actors.

The actor talent and political talent, 2,000 years, successful?

Perhaps?

This is the story of Agrippina, Nero's mother, who decides it's time for Nero to be Emperor.

In the way is the Emperor Claudius.

You remember Claudius of I-Claudeus?

Well, this is an unusually different kind of Claudius.

He's tyrannical and greedy and short-lived, short memory, and he loves mushrooms. Here's the story of the end of Claudius, according to Agrippina, one day in Rome.

More of this tonight.

Thank you.

All right, it's 54 a.D now and Agrippines decided to make her move.

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