The Nose: Songs Of Summer And The Enigmatic Glenn Beck
Everyone has a jam for those warm muggy days.
With each passing year, we seem to have less of a single national culture. Is there really one song of the summer -- the one everybody knows -- the one you can't get away from?
If there was one this summer, it was probably by Katy Perry, and I bet 75 percent of the people listening to me couldn't pick Katy Perry out of a line-up.
It's the same with political commentary. Glenn Beck proved last weekend he could get a few hundred thousand people to assemble in Washington. He told them not to bring political signs, and they obeyed. But I bet 75 percent of the people listening to this have never watched more than a 3-minute clip of him, if that.
For today's show, I sent myself to Glenn Beck school and summer pop music school. You know what? Glenn Beck has a great act. He's really good and what he does. Katy Perry, maybe not so much.
You can leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.
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Glen Beck
People have no business complaining about the show's treatment of Beck. The guy is nothing short of a religious huckster and both the hosts and guest of the show were fair and honest in their discussion of his role in American broadcasting. I think callers like the guy who seemed to think it was inappropriate to refer to Beck by his name probably should have their heads examined.
WNPR host Colin McEnroe is intolerably condescending, juvenile a
Dear Mr. McEnroe,
As the title of this url suggests and the middle name of NPR states: you and I are engaged in discourse on the public airwaves.
It's not likely that you and I will agree on many matters of a political nature.
However, I think that we both know the the difference between fair and balanced coverage of a topic.
I am very interested in hearing all sides and points of view of an issue in a dignified and professional manner.
Judging from your continual contemptous judgement of people to the right-of-center politically, you are doing a tremendous disservice to the public at large with your poor manners and blatant bias.
You treated me and the topic at hand obnoxiously.
You used my name in your blog during your last piece on: "Obama as a Muslim:, even though I was only a caller and did not write in your blog.
I was shocked that you singled me out again in today's show, before I even called in!
You really like to use people's names in a very specific way, don't you, in order to isolate and marginalize them?
And you call public news-enterainment public figures demagogues?!
It's unheard of to cite a caller on the air or write about them because of their opposing view.
I can assure you, John Dankosky or Faith Middleton don't do that.
You are ill mannered and do not care what happens on your show, as listeners are beginning to experience your run-amuck ego and obnoxious style.
You even had your side-kick in on the fun, by way of her continually mocking Glen Beck's dissertation style and joking about Weatherman bomber William "I don't regret setting bombs...I feel we didn't do enough - William Ayers in a NY Times 09/2001 interview".
Really funny -
What is it with you?
I hope that you have enjoyed your one year anniversary at WNPR.
Your ego, lack of self-control and demeaning style are bound to ensure that you won't be at WNPR for very long.
Wishing you success somewhere else,
Scott
2010 song of the summer
Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX0D4oZwCsA
E-mail from Phil
I caught the first part of your show this afternoon. You were perhaps the most centered of the assembled crew. I found the discussion of Beck's style to be stilted, in that your cast failed to mention that his affect on those who share similar beliefs is frankly small potatoes to our "leaders'" (i.e. the president, Chris Dodd, JFK, Dickie Blumenthal and many many others) effect on those for whom the message resonates. Both Beck and Obama - as are all gifted politicos, elected or informal- are gilded tongue orators who have the capacity to say nothing while saying everything. Those who are receptive to the message will swoon, and completely overlook the incontisistencies and illogic of what is being said.
It's Sinclair Lewis' Elmer Gantry all over again, in the White House, the Congress, and radio.
It is disingenuous to cast one group as somehow sinister without addressing the same characteristic of the other. Beck and his followers are no better or worse, less or more dangerous, than are the followers of Obama et al ....
E-mail from Paul
Hi I just happened to hear part of your program regarding your discussion on Glen Beck and your expressed interest in how he could possibly be so popular and succesful etc etc.. First of all I am not a fan of govenrment supported programs such as NPR, especially ones that only present one side of the story.. Having said that I collect a government pension for 28 years of service in the armed forces but feel strongly that government should be as small as possible.
Any way I digress, Colin, you need to move from Connecticut and live in other parts of the country, such as the south ( I know that would be tough for you) or the west , both left coast and the real west, or even the mid west. You get the idea . We in the north east really don't have much of an idea what our country is really like and all about. In the northeast we tend to have an incredibly arrogant, self important and ego centric view of the world. It is truly suprising how we have "evolved" from our Pilgrim/Puritan roots .
Listener E-mail from Anonymous
check with susan campbell but i think she would agree with me that the best summer song ever is "the fishin' hole". and henry kaiser's version with the actual words and not just whistling is the bee's knees. plus there's a cool electric guitar break.
E-mail from Eileen
Is Katie Perry's California Girls what is considered the song of this summer? Someone forwarded me a You Tube video parody-ing the song with the words "Staten Island Girls". If you don't know anything about Staten Island, one of the borough of NYC, it may be enough to explain that Snooki of Jersey Shore fame and the Melanie Griffith character in "Working Girl" are stereotypical Staten Island girls... Once you see the video, it's all you can think about when Katy's version comes on... And, yes, I grew up there but left long long ago!
E-mail from Neil
Your caller who was irate about the coverage of Glen Beck was referring to segment done on NPR the same day as your anniversary show. It was about 20 minutes in length and focused on the Fox Network and Glen Beck. I thought it was poorly done. It did not even have a hint of evenhandedness in condemning Beck and Fox. The right will value it as food for fodder.
The villain during the Jewish Holiday of Purim is Hamen. He is so despicable that during the reading of the story of Purim any time his name is said it is supposed to be drowned out by noise. In order to do this the children present turn a "grogger" which makes an annoying sound over which nothing can be heard. Perhaps your caller would like to have static rather then the name of anyone with whom he disagrees.
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