Friday, August 14, 2009
David Broder ofThe Washington Post joins Bob to talk politics and then, in honor of the passing of Les Paul, we’ll revisit Bob’s April 2008 interview with the legend. Dissatisfied with the electric guitars sold in the 1930’s, Les Paul came up with what he called “The Log.” It was a bridge, pickup and guitar neck attached to a piece of fence post – and it worked. Paul’s innovations made rock and roll possible and his playing got him recognized as one of the 20th century’s guitar masters. Bob visits with him at the New York club where he played a weekly gig with the Les Paul Trio. Then, in this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, Bob talks with executive director Dan Gediman about the essay from Bernard Baruch. He rose to prominence as a financier and member of the New York Stock Exchange. Baruch advised Presidents Woodrow Wilson during World War I, Franklin Roosevelt during the New Deal and World War II, and Harry Truman in the post-war era.