As singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen so pointedly put it:
Don’t give me no broccoli
Or any Swiss fondue.
Baby, if you want to rock me
Give me good ole barbecue
What’s not to love? Barbecue ranks up there with world peace, faith and family values, all of which have been subjects of essays on the “This I Believe” segment of National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.”
Barbecue gets its due on “ATC” today (5 p.m., KCFR 1340-AM), thanks to Denverite Jason Sheehan.
“This I Believe” is a rebirth of Edward R. Murrow’s 1950s series about Americans’ core values and beliefs. What could be more core than barbecue? Since its reincarnation as part of “ATC” 4 1/2 months ago, “I Believe” has generated more than 5,000 submissions from listeners, according to NPR. Everybody’s a commentator.
Back in May, Sheehan was writing a review of Big Papa’s BBQ as part of his day job as restaurant critic for Westword.
As he frequently does, Sheehan was listening to “All Things Considered” on his car radio and caught an essay by Errol Morris on the search for Truth. He had a revelation. “My subject was sitting next to me, in two plastic bags, filling my car with the earthy scent of wood smoke,” Sheehan wrote in his review.
NPR bigwigs found out about his ode to ‘cue and asked him to tape a segment, shortened considerably from his review – a handicap he happily overcame.
“I believe in barbecue,” said Sheehan, who tumbled for bones while growing up in Rochester, N.Y. “There was a really good barbecue joint in the bad part of town. They cooked it over plywood in an old oil drum. I loved that stuff!”
His five-minute paean to pork puts him in fast company. John Updike, Colin Powell and Gloria Steinem have said their piece on “I Believe.” Due up are Bill Gates, Robert Redford and former President Clinton.
“It’s five minutes of my 15 minutes of fame,” said Sheehan. “I’m waiting for the party when we all get together.”
Around the dial
Happy tidings to Dan Caplis and Craig Silverman – and their “silent” partner Ward Churchill – for reaching the first anniversary of their KHOW 630-AM talk show without strangling each other. … Actor Jack Klugman, who starred in the long-running TV series “The Odd Couple” with the late Tony Randall, talks about his friend and co-star at a Denver Athletic Club luncheon on Oct. 25. Reservations, 720-931-6810. … Sirius Satellite Radio debuts its “Super Shuffle,” a sampling of its 65 offerings, on Sept. 29. … ESPN’s “SportsCenter Across America” concludes today in Washington, D.C., having visited 50 states in 50 days since July 17. … Quotable: “When I’m feeling good, I want barbecue. And when I’m feeling bad, I just want barbecue more.” Jason Sheehan
Dick Kreck’s column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He may be reached at 303-820-1456 or dkreck@denverpost.com.
