Glen,

A tip o' the bonnet to you for your efforts to learn Tam O'Shanter.

Jamie -- I have to disagree -- when recited from memory, Tam O'Shanter is very impressive and will hold an audience's attention, believe you me. My best friend Mark learned it several years ago, and his dramatization of Tam's wild ride never fails to keep people on the edge of their seats -- Mark, like many who present the program, puts in his own little touches, acting out various scenes, etc., instead of just reciting the poem.

Glen, I'll recommend a DVD to you -- www.robertburnslive.co.uk -- Chris Tait, a noted Burns impersonator, does one heckuva Tam O'Shanter -- I had the pleasure and good fortune to see Chris "live" in 2004 when he visited Springfield, and while the DVD is great, the real thing is impressive.

It's a pity more folks don't memorize poetry -- it used to be that everybody had their "party piece", be it a poem, song, and so forth.

Regards,

Todd