We Love You, Too, Chris

It was a real treat to spend time with Christopher Lydon this week. He is one of the great (and unfortunately underutilized) resources of the public broadcasting world. To have him on our air--sitting in on The Blue Note, rocking with Radio Bob, engaging the North Country in conversation about itself and its future--was a rare opportunity. Lydon is an increasingly uncommon commodity, a public intellectual--unapologetically bright, omnivorously engaged. At a time when private virtue and family values hold the spotlight, he points out the enduring importance of civic virtues and community values. Against the celebrity of notoriety, he pits the celebrity of reputation. While other talk hosts go loud, fast and hip, he goes intimate, interested and incisive. We need him, and a dozen more like him.