My question for the hosts was about the origin of the Cajun phrase "get down," as in: "Mais, now 'dat I've driven to 'da boudin and cracklin' store, it's time to get down and make some groceries, cha."
Turns out my hunch was correct.
You can listen to my segment of the Dec. 6 show by going to this Web site and forwarding to the 23rd minute of the digital recording.
It was a bit deflating to learn that the show isn't nearly as spontaneous as it seems. Each segment is recorded months in advance then stitched together into a single episode. And the hosts spend several weeks researching each question in advance.
OOPS!!!
Turns out I was completely wrong with my presumption that the hosts of "A Way With Words" spend large amounts of time researching questions. Grant Barrett, one of the show's hosts, cleared things up for me in a comment to this posting. He says they only spend a short amount of time researching just before they conduct interviews with questioners, making their effort even more impressive.
I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions without knowing all of the facts. I certainly wasn't trying to be critical.
My apologies go out to Grant and co-host Martha Barnette.
5 comments:
"Weeks"! I wish we had that kind of time. We spend anything from a few minutes to a couple of hours researching questions in advance, depending on the question. It's the way Car Talk does it, too. Makes for better radio. There's no way we could cart the zillions of books in or libraries to the studio. And we have only so much info in our heads or on our computers in the studio.
Many radio talk shows that are truly live have producers or production assistance doing relevant research on the fly and then feeding it to the hosts via a computer console. It's the same idea, the only difference is whether it happens live or in advance.
—Cheers, Grant Barrett, co-host of A Way with Words
I stumbled across your blog today, and I think I actually heard part of this program on NPR last week...tho not your boudin segment. God I love boudin.
Nice blog. I wanted to give a quick "hey gurlfriend" to another gay tiger in exhile. I've been out of Louisiana for many years and miss is dearly. My partner and friends in DC simply don't get why I'm spend many beautiful autumn afternoons transfixed in front of the TV. LSU Football, even after this woeful year, is as good as a plane ticket home during crawfish season.
If you ever wanna chat a football, you're welcome to drop me a line at tdbick@yahoo
Coolness, my brother! We don't get that program down here, unfortunately. Sounds like something I would enjoy.
i love that show! i miss Richard Lederer on it though, i have to admit... he's the brilliant-est!
And way to go on getting "on the radio" (can you hear Donna Summer singing?)!
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