You clever listeners no doubt figured out that I was away for the whole month of August. It was the first vacation I’ve had since I joined XM in August of 2004. It was not quite a real vacation, however, as I never left my house. I used the time to finish off a memoir that I’ve titled A Voice in the Box, which is what I longed to be as a wee boy and eventually became. I’ve sent the manuscript off to an agent and maybe it will be a book someday. Ideally, memoirs should be written by old people–and that certainly excludes me, right? Hah! I’m sorry to say that my little project got a new sense of urgency with the deaths of my journalistic colleagues Tim Russert and Tony Snow, both of whom were younger than my 61 years. Both of those guys planned on being around much longer and didn’t make it. We don’t know what fates await us, so I decided I’d better get my story out there while I still could. Just for the record, my health is fine, but the Supreme Court has killed Washington, DC’s ban on guns, so who knows what risks I take going to work there everyday.
In my absence we gave you our very best of the program’s first four years and I loved re-hearing Stewart Udall and Greg Boyle and Stetson Kennedy, and the award-winning documentaries. This week, we went back to original programming and took you to Mississippi with swamp-rocker Jim Dickinson and then to New York’s upper west side with 101-year-old Ruth Smith, champion of women’s rights for all of her long life. Next, a session with the incomparable guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan and we closed out the week with a wonderfully endearing African-American couple from New Orleans’ 9th ward who made home movies of their survival of Hurricane Katrina. Just like New Orleans, The Bob Edwards Show serves up a wonderful gumbo of stories. And there are many more wonderful tales to come. Thanks for being there to share them with us.
Bob
I hope your health is OK, Bob, I’ve been worrying about you. You look a little kyphotic in those Arizona photos, might need a DEXA scan. And your voice is awful raspy sometimes, do you smoke?
Seriously, we miss you and I’m practically hanging on your every word.
Signed:
Licensed to practice medicine in KY.
I really *loved* the James Luther Dickinson show. I went and played a bunch of his stuff on my own radio show the day after I heard it. Thanks so much.
Welcome back Bob. You were missed but I knew you were working hard on your book so could live with the repeats of the great interviews and docs in August. The most moving for me, living in AZ, was your trip to the border. It’s a tough situation with no easy answers and your show was well rounded and showed both sides. What a mess.
Thanks for making my drive to and from work so enjoyable every morning. Your show is such a joy.
Hannah
Phoenix AZ
Bob — you were missed during the month of August. While your motivation for writing the book is a bit morbid, we’re all glad you’ve done it and I personally can’t wait to read it.
Welcome back.