Popular Reviews of Listening to America

I highly recommend the Thomas Jefferson Hour for those interested in history, politics, amusing storytelling and friendly banter. I often listen to podcasts when bicycling long distances. It is illegal to bicycle in Florida while wearing headphones so I use a speaker on my bicycle. I find that podcasts with strong bass and unvarying sound levels push through the background sounds of passing cars and wind the best. With its NPR-style bass and high quality recordings, The Thomas Jefferson Hour is the easiest podcast for me to listen to while cycling. They occasionally have guest phone in and the quality is slightly lower on those episodes. There are also occasional live recording at various venues that might be of lower audio quality. I have been listening to this podcast for about 8 years. The typical format is a short introduction with the two presenters that has been recorded after the podcast was completed for radio play in which they comment on the podcast. This is followed by a long segment with Clay Jenkinson responding to the topic as Thomas Jefferson. This is followed by another long segment of Clay explaining why Thomas Jefferson responded the way he did to the topic. In the last few years, Clay has added a short new section. The Jefferson Watch, which is a short essay by Clay, related to the topic. I particularly enjoy this section. The entire show is about 60 minutes. There is a new episode every week. In 8 years of listening I have never noticed a skipped week. Can learning about Thomas Jefferson for 8 years continue to be interesting? Yes, Clay’s elegant thoughtful delivery keeps it interesting even if I have heard some of the stories on previous episodes. Clay does his best to keep politics out of the podcast; however, it isn’t always possible. He does try to keep the perspective balanced. I enjoy this podcast to the point that I finally added a Sunday to a business trip, flew to Charlottesville, VA, rented a car, toured Jefferson’s home of Monticello and then drove hundreds of miles that evening to my final destination.