This Weekend’s Show

Bob Edwards Weekend, November 26-27, 2011

HOUR ONE:

The art of political name calling in this country goes back to the beginning. Now it’s “latte liberals” and “tea-baggers,” then it was “pettifoggers” and “slang-whangers.”  Linguist Rosemarie Ostler has compiled the history in her new book, Slinging Mud: Rude Nicknames, Scurrilous Slogans, and Insulting Slang from Two Centuries of American Politics.

Werner Herzog’s latest documentary Into the Abyss concerns a death penalty case in a small Texas town that explores themes familiar from his previous films: death, violence and time. Although the details of the triple homicide are grisly, Herzog focuses the film more on the effect the crime had on the families of the victims, the families of the killers, and the killers themselves. 

In this week’s installment of our series This I Believe, we hear the essay of Korinthia Klein.  She is a lifelong musician who knows the power of the perfect song. When Klein was young, her grandfather was her biggest fan, but he always requested one song she didn’t know — “Amazing Grace.” When her grandfather was dying, and medication could not ease his pain, Klein played “Amazing Grace” for him, and saw the comfort her music brought.

HOUR TWO:

Bob spends the hour with Chris Thile, Noam Pikelny and Chris Eldridge, members of the bluegrass group The Punch Brothers. They discuss their musical philosophy, their nicknames, how the band formed and how it got its name. The group just finished recording their latest CD for release next year, but Thile and Pikelny also have brand new side projects out now. Banjoist Pikelny’s solo album is called Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail while Thile appears on Yo-Yo Ma’s CD The Goat Rodeo Sessions.

Bob Edwards Weekend is heard on Sirius XM Public Radio (XM 121, Sirius 205) on Saturdays from 8-10 AM EST.

Visit Bob Edwards Weekend on PRI’s website to find local stations that air the program.