Moving has become one of those much-talked about "jobs that Americans won't do." Unless that is, you happen to be a thrifty American of Irish descent.
This Saturday, with temps forecast to be in the upper 90s, our own Saint Paul will pack up his earthly belongings (sans his extensive collection of "Swank" magazines) from his hip bachelor pad in Saint Paul (the city) and relocate to a palatial estate on the outskirts of Stillwater (the quaint river town where wives drag their husbands on the weekend).
Rather than loosening up his purse strings a bit and paying someone to perform this most menial of labor, he has instead recruited a crew of friends and blogging colleagues with the lure of food and beer. I imagine that this involves a twelve-pack of Milwaukee's Best, a 12" sub sliced into very small pieces, and a grab bag of Cheetos. You got ten minutes to eat and wash up and then it's back to work, understand?
"Taking it off, Boss?"
"Take it off, Atomizer."
The awesome responsibility involved in overseeing this operation (imagine Saint Paul in a straw hat with shades on, chewing a toothpick and stroking a shotgun) means that he will miss this week's edition of the award winning Northern Alliance Radio Network show. He will miss the collegial banter, he will miss the Loon of the Week, and most of all, he will miss This Week In Gatekeeping (can you hear the music?).
He will also miss an opportunity to chat with Eric Burns during the show's second hour. Mr. Burns (excellent) is the host of Fox News Watch (which can be seen locally on Saturdays at 5:30pm on Fox News) and the author of the recently released Infamous Scribblers: The Founding Fathers and the Rowdy Beginnings of American Journalism:
Infamous Scribblers is a perceptive and witty exploration of the most volatile period in the history of the American press. News correspondent and renowned media historian Eric Burns tells of Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and Sam Adams?the leading journalists among the Founding Fathers; of George Washington and John Adams, the leading disdainers of journalists; and Thomas Jefferson, the leading manipulator of journalists. These men and the writers who abused and praised them in print (there was, at the time, no job description of "journalist") included the incendiary James Franklin, Ben's brother and one of the first muckrakers; the high minded Thomas Paine; the hatchet man James Callender, and a rebellious crowd of propagandists, pamphleteers, and publishers.
He also has penned a book called, The Spirits of America: A Social History of Alcohol. A guest well-versed in the media, the history of journalism, and alcohol? Yeah, I think we might be able to come up with an insightful question or two for him.
Such as, is Neal Gabler really as humorless as he comes across on the show?
Tune in Saturday at 11am to AM-1280 The Patriot if you live in the Twin Cities or listen live on the 'net.
Oh and if you're not busy on Saturday, Saint Paul could always use another strong back. Just don't go talkin' any of that union nonsense around him.
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