Don’t know how I managed to screw it up, but my short report with pics from the appearance of Bob Edwards at my favorite inside-the-beltway bookstore Politics and Prose seems to have been set to Private…which means, apparently, that no one could see it.

I’m pretty sure I repaired the problem now, but if you can’t get to it, let me know with the contact form over there on the sidebar, please.

My travelling companion

Monday last I kicked off my bunny slippers, hopped in the ol’ jalopy, and headed down to our Nation’s Capital (”Taxation Without Representation”) to see Bob Edwards appear at my favorite inside-the-beltway bookstore, Politics and Prose discussing his book, A Voice in the Box: My Life in Radio. Since I react…badly…to rush-hour traffic on either the Baltimore or Washington beltways, I left a bit early, arriving at the parking lot for the bookstore at around 3:00pm having hit no real traffic at all.

My first stop was, of course, the Modern Times Coffeehouse for a classic cappuccino (seriously, don’t order this if you don’t like the taste of coffee - this ain’t a Star-yucks 70% milk drink) and a little decompress. Then upstairs to spend…ok, a lot…on copies of Bob’s book, and then back downstairs for another coffee. I whiled away a few hours roaming the shelves at the bookstore, taking a walk around the neighborhood, taking this photo of P-Dog (my traveling companion and Katie’s friend) out front on one of the benches, and generally enjoying the warm sunny Autumn day. Seriously, could not have asked for better weather.

Bob in “the big chair,” listening to his introduction

Finally, though, the appointed hour arrived, and Bob appeared with Barbara Meade, founder and former owner of P&P, who promised to attempt to make her introduction using, “Bob-speak;” she tried, but failed. Her amusing suggestion that Bob, “hooked-up” with Susan Stamberg, quickly corrected to, “partnered-with,” raised quite a few eyebrows - including Bob’s!

He read a section from his book, he introduced his finance, Windsor Johnston (News Director of WRTI in Philadelphia), and his daughter Susannah who is responsible for the line-art that adorns his book (I admit I’m partial to the reel that appears before the first chapter, but then I’ve spliced my share of 1/4″ tape). He took questions from the appreciative audience, some about his removal from NPR’s Morning Edition (there are still a whole lot of us unhappy about that whole kerfuffle), others about his “second career” at XM Satellite Radio (now operated by our Sirius overlords). One poignantly commented that he finally canceled his radio, something I understood all too well, and most listened only to the Bob Edwards Weekend compilation program distributed by PRI, Public Radio International. The tone of the questions was considerably different than in 2004, when we were fresh off of his removal from NPR’s morning show; now we’ve had three-quarters of a decade with a different, more contemplative daily program. (I admit finding the irony of the guest at Politics and Prose the following night, though…Steve Inskeep. Poor guy must feel like he’s always following in Edwards’ shadow.)

Signing his latest book; now I have three signed by this author

It finally came time to sign some books, when I had a brief moment to say hello, and a few more photos taken in and around the room. Finally, it was time to leave. Another stop at the coffeeshop for one more classic cappuccino, this one to go, and I hopped into my car for the ride home carrying books purchased and signed, and making sure P-dog’s seat belt was properly buckeled (he has no opposing thumbs, so he can’t handle it himself).

Since I hadn’t the chance before, I hooked my cell phone up to the car radio via Bluetooth and played my recording of that morning’s The Bob Edwards Show. While seeing Bob with many of his other fans at the bookstore was a lot of fun, on the way home that visit was again as intimate as radio can make it…it was just me, Bob, and his guests, having a quiet thoughtful conversation as the miles slipped by. That’s the Bob Edwards with whom millions of people are each intimate, and the magic that radio can still deliver. Personally, I’m grateful he is one of the voices in the box.

Bob Edwards will be discussing and signing his book, A Voice in the Box; My Life in Radio Monday night 17 October at the Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C. - I’m going to kick off my bunny slippers and drive down to attend. ‘Natch, I’ll have my camera and post a few pics afterwards, but if you’re in the area of the Nation’s Capital, stop by. They have a great coffee shop.

…of Bob Edwards’ new book A Voice in the Box; My Life in Radio - get it now while you can! Check out this post at BobEdwards.Info for complete details about the free offer, and this blog post for my review of the book!

Bob Edwards’ new book, A Voice in the Box: My Life in Radio, is free in ebook format for the next week! Until September 9th, 2011, the book may be downloaded free from multiple ebook retailers…check out this post at BobEdwards.Info for complete details!

Ok, let me start out by admitting I am anything but unbiased. I have spent almost my entire adult life waking up to the voice of Bob Edwards, on Morning Edition and now on The Bob Edwards Show, to the extent where I’m not certain what I’ll do to get moving in the morning if the guy ever retires. He is an intimate friend, just as he is to millions more who start their day with him in their ear. So I’m not going to pretend this is an impartial review…I can’t help but bring the last thirty-plus years along.

Now that that’s out of the way, Mr. Edwards’ new memoir, A Voice in the Box: My Life in Radio, begins with what must be the high point of his career, his induction into the Radio Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Edward R. Murrow and the following year Walter Lanier “Red” Barber. This is only a few months after being removed from the role of host on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition in what is certainly NPR’s most idiotically-handled decision ever, and only a few short weeks into his blind leap into the brave new world of satellite radio with his possible listening audience only a pittance of his former program’s weekly rating.

The rest of the book is simply how he started, how he survived, and how he prevailed.

From memories of his childhood in Louisville, KY and his burgeoning desire to be one of the voices in the box he listened to so often, through his first radio job, hired less for his skill at the microphone than you might think, through his work in the American Forces Radio and Television Service (those of us who are familiar with the Armed Forces Radio Service of the 1940’s might have trouble with the frequent name changes of this organization), to his graduate work at American University under the tutelage of his mentor, Ed Bliss, through his hiring at the then wet-behind-the-ears National Public Radio, Mr. Edwards displays a newsman’s respect for the facts while maintaining an irreverence that frequently appears unexpectedly. (When reading about his time in Korea, I swear one line actually made me hear a snare drum rim-shot.) Indeed, the book frequently sparkles when he steps a little away from reportage and allows us not only to see what he sees, but know what he feels.

This is nowhere more achingly apparent than during his removal from National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, the show he took over in a crunch for only a month and owned for over twenty-four years, becoming for many “the” voice of NPR. Those who have been reading this blog a very long time will remember my outrage at this kerfuffle (the rest of you will need to search the archives)…knowing that it seemed to make as little sense on the inside as it did to those of us on the outside is sparse comfort. That Mr. Edwards still can’t answer the simple question, “Why?” makes the whole sordid affair even more puzzling, if such is possible. I do know that, in the reading, I became angry all over again. National Public Radio screwed around with my mornings. No one screws with my mornings.

Oh, alright, it isn’t all doom-and-gloom; in fact, his recollections of this time become an almost medieval saga, complete with dragons, jesters, and even treachery and a Mata Hari…Arthurian legends meet the cold war. Some of the incidents, while serious, can’t help but make the reader laugh. And to completely mangle my metaphors, there’s even a little bit of the Keystone Kops in the stodgy management of National Public Radio, frequently more interested in their own image than in making sensible decisions. The months between NPR’s initial announcement and Mr. Edwards’ decision to leave play out in these pages more convoluted than most feature film plots…it’s almost unbelievable it really happened.

The rest of the book details his, “second career,” that as host of satellite radio’s The Bob Edwards Show. He can finally answer the question, “Who is your favorite interview subject?” (Father Greg Boyle, and I discovered through this book that I was involved in a tiny sideways fashion in the run-up to that interview), and he tells some behind-the-scenes stories about producing seven hours of radio every week (five one-hour morning shows for SiriusXM and the two-hour compilation distributed through PRI to public radio stations, Bob Edwards Weekend).

Throughout the book, Mr. Edwards discusses his personal successes and failures, triumphs and disappointments with honesty and modesty. It is the life of a man who rather inadvertently became a huge part of our national culture while being our surrogate on the national stage; someone who on the worst days reassured us with his calm delivery while asking the questions we wanted answered. The story he tells here is presented in the same manor, by that personal friend of ours who roused us from our sleep and rode beside us on our drive to work.

Since his career is far from over, I look forward to listening to this particular voice in the box, even though that “box” is changing radically from the simple radio he loved as a child, for many years to come. And I expect one day I’ll read the sequel to this memoir detailing the adventures he has yet to experience.

This past weekend (July 30-31, 2011) is the final Bob Edwards Weekend podcast. Next weekend, and for the foreseeable future, there will no longer be a podcast of the Bob Edwards Weekend program, which means new shows will no longer be available on the Bob Edwards Show/Bob Edwards Weekend Forum. Before I go any farther, I need you to remember this was not the decision of the program staff, and I certainly didn’t have anything to do with it, so complaining to me or to the program’s staff won’t do you much good. And don’t complain to PRI, since they can’t do anything about it, either.

Complete information about what you can do is available on the forum.

A while back, Harry Shearer, he of Spinal Tap and The Simpsons, was mentioning on Twitter (@theharryshearer) he was looking for national exposure for his documentary about the disaster following hurricane Katrina, The Big Uneasy. I suggested him as a return guest to The Bob Edwards Show and Bob Edwards Weekend, but I was naturally too late and Senior Producer Chad Campbell, a native of New Orleans, already booked him. That’s when I started to beg, plead, and cajole the poor guy to include some questions for Mr. Shearer about his early days in radio, the radio we celebrate on the Internet OTR Digest. Chad was kind enough to include some in the preparation, and Bob Edwards was generous enough to include a short discussion about those times.

Unfortunately, things being what they are in the world of “real” radio, there wasn’t time to fit them in around the discussion of the documentary (which is available on the Bob Edwards Weekend podcast, and I urge you to give that interview a listen). So Chad Campbell went an extra step, and sent the tape to me for inclusion here on the Nostalgic Rumblings podcast. I cannot thank him, Bob, and the whole staff at The Bob Edwards Show enough for the many kindnesses they’ve shown me over the years, and I think you too will be grateful to them for providing this conversation between Bob Edwards and Harry Shearer.

You may stream the show using the player below, or download it with the link. Remember, by subscribing to this blog with any podcasting client (Juice, iTunes, etc. - just add the the RSS link over on the sidebar) the shows will be automatically downloaded to your computer or MP3 player!

 Bob Edwards and Harry Shearer talk Old-Time Radio [14:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

From The Washington Post: David Broder dies; Pulitzer-winning Washington Post political columnist.

I, of course, came to depend on Mr. Broder’s weekly examination of politics on The Bob Edwards Show - I frequently referred to, “my favorite segment of my favorite show,” a not-to-be-missed start to my work week. Not being good with change, I never did quite get used to hearing him on Friday mornings, but I surely missed his presence the last few months, and always hoped for his return.

Obits are appearing all over the Web; the Washington Post’s Post Mortem contains statements from the Broder family and the White House. And I have on good authority tomorrow’s The Bob Edwards Show will re-play the October 4, 2010 full-hour interview with David Broder - check out producer Chad Campbell’s thoughts on that program. (If you’re not a subscriber to XM, you can hear the edited-for-time version of this interview from Bob Edwards Weekend - Part One and Part Two.)

Edit: The show has made available the entire Thursday broadcast of the show as a tribute to David Broder - you can listen or download.

With permission, for the last time here’s my favorite segment of my favorite show, but this one from the very first program, October 4, 2004 where Bob and David discuss the upcoming election between George W. Bush and John Kerry:

 David Broder, The First Guest of The Bob Edwards Show [7:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So out of general curiosity (and not being able to understand one line), I went looking for the lyrics to a Sister Hazel song, “At Your Worst.” (Yeah, I know, I’m wildly out of their target demographic, but I really like their stuff anyway, so tough. And if you want to taste this alternate rock group for free, check out this Amazon Sampler.) You’d think this would be simple, but apparently every Internet lyrics site steals from everyone else. In this case, they are all wildly wrong.

Example; the first lines read, at every site I’ve found:

I’m never one to fall to pieces
I’m always stead as she goes

I’m “always stead?” Seriously? The line is obviously, “I’m always steady as she goes,” but not one site has the correction. The next two lines make even less sense:

I listened hard to all the teachers
The more I know, the less I know

Amazing how the correct line, “The more I learn, the less I know” makes so much more sense, and is far better imagery.

So clearly I’ve given up on the Internet for song lyrics. Guess I’ll need to buy the Heartland Highway CD and hope they are in the liner notes (and hope that Target still has it on sale for $5.99!).

From RBR.com: Court battle moves on in Sirius-XM anti-trust/fraud case

From the article: “A lawsuit filed on behalf of approximately 20M subscribers to satellite audio service Sirius-XM is being allowed to proceed. The suit alleges that the company is an illegal monopolistic entity, and that it fraudulently used royalty payments as an excuse to increase its subscription price.”

If you review previous postings here on this subject, you’ll see I argued exactly this a long long time ago. Should be fun to watch.

From The Star: CBC host Budd says firing felt like drowning

From the article: “Barbara Budd recalls thinking ‘Why me?’ as she gets ready for her final sign-off”

I can’t help but wonder if NPR executives moved to Canada…it sounds like the same bone-headed move those clowns made with Morning Edition. Now I have another program I’m not going to listen to…

This morning on XM Satellite Radio’s The Bob Edwards Show was another interview with Father Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries. If you don’t subscribe to XM, it would be well worth it to hit XM Radio Online and sign up for a demo account; tune to Channel 133 this evening each hour between 8:00pm and 11:00 pm EDT to hear the rebroadcast of this morning’s interview (also at 4:00 am tomorrow morning, if you’re crazy enough to be up at that hour).

This show was great, but it made me want to hear more, so I went back to the August 11, 2005 The Bob Edwards Show and listened again to the first time Bob sat down with Fr. Boyle.

I thought others, especially those who weren’t subscribers to XM Satellite Radio back in 2005, might want to give it a listen, too, so I posted it to The Bob Edwards Show/Bob Edwards Weekend Discussion Forum - you can easily play it using the embedded audio player.

(Those of you relatively new to the show might not recognize the original theme song, or at least the cut that was used in the early days of the program. Also note that this episode ran during the month or so where the opening was not dated.)

Today we’re making something of a departure from the usual Old-Time Radio podcast; these recordings were made earlier today, March 17, 2010 from various radio stations around the country. They all feature interviews with my friend Arthur Anderson, best-known as the original Lucky Charms Leprechaun. Understand, all of the interviews here are from various “morning zoo” programs, so the local talent may or may not be particularly knowledgeable about Old-Time Radio.

There are three interviews here; KZPS in Dallas, Texas, Ocean 98.1, The Best of Rock in Ocean City, Maryland, and WGTY Great Country 107.7 out of Gettysburg/Hanover, Pennsylvania.

You may stream the program using the player below, or download it with the link. Remember, by subscribing to this blog with any podcasting client (Juice, iTunes, etc.) the shows will be automatically downloaded to your computer or MP3 player!

 Arthur Anderson St. Pat's Interviews [22:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In an apparent attempt to get their Live365 radio station canceled, the hosts of Radio Once More, Ken Stockinger and Neal Ellis, have invited Your Obedient Servant and the Worst Voice in Internet Audio to guest on their program this Friday evening, January 22nd, at 9:00pm Eastern Standard Time, 6:00pm in the west (and in Baltimore it’ll be 9:42).

Please join us at that time, when we will attempt to answer the question, “What the heck is he doing here?” Check out http://www.radiooncemore.com/ for complete details and to listen in.

The blog takes a break from the pressing news of the Jay/Conan/NBC kerfuffle to proudly announce your humble webmaster is somewhat insufferable right now. There is a story to be told, though, before we get to the good stuff.

As my regular readers know, I am a big fan of The Bob Edwards Show. So much so that I created a fan-based site before the show had one of it’s own. The show recently had a very talented artist, Jill Sobule, on the show to talk about the clever way she self-financed her most recent CD.

Now understand, I really pay attention to the show, its staff, and its website. And I noticed they decided to run a contest where Ms. Sobule was providing five lucky people a theme song of their very own…so of course, I entered, since let’s be real, even an old guy like me needs a theme song. I mean, imagine…he enters the kitchen in the morning, theme song playing in the background, while he makes his morning cappuccino to thunderous applause…

After I entered, I kinda forgot about it. Until I got a note from one of the producers that I was one of the lucky winners! (I have a suspicion that, considering my usual luck, there were only five entries, but hey, I’ll take whatever good fortune I can get.) He asked me to write a paragraph about myself, which considering my natural modesty was almost impossible, but I struggled through and finally completed it. (It won’t surprise anyone who knows me that the paragraph was written considerably tongue-in-cheek, although at the same time every word of it was absolutely true - I don’t know if Jill or the producer believe all of it, but I can provide references to back up every strange event and interest.)

Thanks to a screw-up in my spam filters, this theme languished in a filter file until I rescued it this evening. My wife and daughter are trying to decide what to do with me now, since I now refuse to enter a room until my theme is played.

All (or at least most) kidding aside, please listen to the theme at the bottom of this post - and yeah, plan on hearing this, or at least pieces of this, frequently here on the blog. And after you do, head on over to Jill’s website and listen to some of her songs - she makes a rotating selection of her work freely available to enjoy. I think you’ll agree with me that she’s well worth the listen, and if you do purchasing a CD would be a great way to help me thank her for this silly yet deeply personal theme song. I am grateful, and a little humbled, by this. Doesn’t hurt that it makes me laugh every time I hear it, either.

And before I let you get to the song, a special thanks to Senior Producer Chad Campbell. He doesn’t realize how in awe of him I am…I mean, the guy has people like Jill and Carl Kasell on his speed dial, for heaven’s sake. How cool is that?

 Charlie's Theme, by Jill Sobule [0:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As many of you know, my plan was to cancel my two XM Satellite Radio subscriptions…I honestly haven’t listened to the radio for weeks now other than for a minute or two in the car until I get annoyed with the lousy sound quality, and only hear daily The Bob Edwards Show episodes via the on-line feed (something I had planned on explaining once I canceled), but those plans went horribly awry.

Anyone who knows us knows that in all things, I am “bad cop,” where my wife is “good cop.” That is, I have a firm outline of right and wrong and tend to expound on it at the top of my considerable lungs, where she is the diplomat, the one who uses kindness to get what she wants. So I had her call XM to cancel, knowing if I did it and the retention expert started lying to me about where the $1.98 in rate hike is going, I would end up going ballistic for no good reason on some schlub who is trying to make a living getting people to continue to throw money into a dying industry. I told her to handle it, and…er…she did. And we still have two radios subscribed.

Seems the retention expert gave her a deal in exchange for an up-front payment equal to two months without the improper rate hike, and she bit. I still haven’t decided whether or not the poor sound quality and unimpressive programming is worth the $4.00/month/radio, although I pegged the worth of the on-line feed for my listening to one show at $5.00/month (again, something I wanted to explain once I canceled), but this does buy me a few months to get my act together in the car - there’s another MP3 player on-order that you will read a review of once I put it through its paces. And at least we aren’t paying $15.00/month, which I assure you XM Satellite Radio is not worth. (Especially now that the board of directors has extended the contract of the CEO that caused the downfall of satellite radio as an industry, and given him a quarter-million-dollar-per-year raise to boot.)

Edit August 6, 2009: Checked my invoice, and it turns out the guy Annie talked to at XM was a lying weasel. Ok, so it’s only a little over three dollars, but I really hate being lied to and hate it more when someone lies to my family, so they can kiss my patoots come December.

From the New York Times: Music Labels Reach Royalty Deal With Online Stations

Of course, artists don’t get any of this windfall…only the major studios will receive this ransom payment. Still, as long as Slacker Radio lasts for a few more months, I should be able to legally record enough music to last me the rest of my life, so screw the labels.

From the New York Times Gadgetwise Blog: Your Sirius XM Bill to Jump About $2

Gotta love this pull-quote: “It’s not a conundrum: prices go up, services go down, and I go back free FM.”

And if you read my comment on the Gadgetwize blog, you’ll see I’ve decided - July 29th, I will no longer be a full XM Satellite Radio subscriber. More on what I’m doing, how I’m doing it, and how you, too, can stop paying the ever-increasing rates for less and less service in the upcoming weeks.