POLITICS AND HUMOR

Program 04-10-10-A Listen!

To The Best of Our Knowledge
from Wisconsin Public Radio

The Capitol Hilton. The Eve of then-President Clinton's Alfalfa Club Speech, one of four humorous speeches of the so-called Washington "silly season." In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the story of a White House joke-writer, a contentious egg-timer, and the night Bill Clinton learned to appreciate self-deprecating humor. Also, the song that's become an ode to a regular guy who lives down the street - Al Gore.

 

SEGMENT 1:

Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show", gives Steve Paulson his take on the 2004 Presidential Election Campaign, and gives good reasons why people should vote for George Bush and for John Kerry. And we hear clips from the TV show. The Daily Show staff has a new book, called "America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction."

SEGMENT 2:

Mark Katz was a joke writer for the Clinton White House. He tells Jim Fleming what a presidential joke writer does, how his team managed to get through the Lewinsky affair and what taught Bill Clinton the value of self-deprecating humor. Katz is the author of "Clinton & Me." Also, Robert Ellis Orrall (aka Bob Something) is a musician who lives in Nashville, on the same street where Al Gore bought a house. So he wrote a song about it! We hear the song, and Orrall tells Steve Paulson why he wrote it and what Al Gore is really like.

SEGMENT 3:

Stephen Elliot decided to immerse himself in politics for the 2004 campaign and traveled with the Democratic candidates throughout the primaries and conventions. Now he's written a book called "Looking Forward to It, Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the American Electoral Process." He tells Anne Strainchamps he began as a Dean supporter but felt he was mean to the press; admires Cucinich but doesn't think he's qualified; and came to a new appreciation of how hard politicians have to work to get votes.

Cassette copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 04-10-10-A.

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Books:

  • Stephen Elliot, Looking Forward to It, Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the American Electoral Process (Picador)
  • Mark Katz, Clinton & Me: A Real Life Political Comedy (Miramax Books)
  • Jon Stewart & The Daily Show Staff, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America the Book: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction (Warner Books)

Music:

Music:

  • -Squid/ Los Straitjackets/ "Supersonic Guitars in 3-D"/ YepRoc
  • -Opening Mandelbrot/ Blue Man Group/ "Blue Man Group Audio"/ Blue Man
    Group Records
  • -Snatchin'/ Bela Fleck & the Flecktones/ Little Worlds/ Columbia
  • -Tarantula/ Los Straitjackets/ "Supersonic Guitars in 3-D"/ YepRoc
  • Al Gore Song:
    Al Gore/ Monkey Bowl/ "Plastic Three-Fifty"/ Infinity Cat
    www.infinitycat.com

Distribution dates:

week of 10/10/2004 - hour 1 Listen!

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Questions and comments can be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org

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