The Bob Edwards Show, January 16-20, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012: In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday we bring back Bob’s conversation with Clarence Jones. Jones served as Dr. King’s attorney and advisor for eight years and helped craft some of King’s most beloved speeches. Then, Bob talks with Rolling Stone contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis about a collection of CDs titled Let Freedom Sing: The Music of the Civil Rights Movement.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012: Alan Bennett is the playwright and author behind The Madness of King George and The History Boys. His latest book is titled Smut: Two Unseemly Stories.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012: Actress Angelina Jolie is now something she swore she would never be: a director. Bob talks to Jolie about the making of her directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey. Then, Catherine the Great’s life was one of coups, plots, murders, regicide, and lovers. And it was a life that intersected with the likes of Voltaire, Diderot, Mozart and Frederick the Great. Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Massie is the author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and The Romanovs. Now he tells the story of another of history’s most intriguing figures in his book Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman.
Thursday, January 19, 2012: As a banjoist for The Punch Brothers, Noam Pikelny has helped expand the sound of bluegrass. He earned the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music, and now has released his second solo album, Beat The Devil and Carry A Rail. Pikelny joins Bob in the Sirius XM Performance Studio to discuss his work and play a few tunes.
Friday, January 20, 2012: Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for the Los Angeles Times joins Bob to discuss the latest political news. Next, in the new film Joyful Noise, Dolly Parton plays a Georgia choir member who is trying to lead her group to victory at the “How Sweet the Sound” competition in Los Angeles. The Queen of Country Music talks with Bob about working on the movie, her long musical career and her philanthropic work in her home state of Tennessee. Then, Bob talks with Mervyn Warren, the music producer, composer and arranger behind Parton’s new film. Then finally, in this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, we hear the essay of Tim Wilson. He is a sergeant in the California Highway Patrol. A few years ago, Wilson wrote a letter to his children, offering advice about life. It sits in an envelope in his locker at work, to be opened only in the event that he does not make it through the day. Wilson says he’s seen life snuffed out many times during his career, and seeing the letter every morning in his locker reminds him to be careful out on the highway.