1. Comment #49387 by Morro on June 11, 2007 at 6:13 pm

I love the Hour interviews.

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2. Comment #49389 by torgosPizza on June 11, 2007 at 6:29 pm

Hitchens is always a joy to listen to, whether it's in interview or debate. Can any of our Canadian friends tell us, is this show broadcast or Internet only? If only we could have that kind of freedom here in the states. I can't imagine the consequences of a talk show host being anything less than civil to Hitchens. So much for Oprah!

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3. Comment #49390 by oxytocin on June 11, 2007 at 6:40 pm

torgosPizza,
This show is broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation [CBC]. We have a good number of shows in Canada with freedom like this. I am always shocked when I watch American TV...the bias is so overwhelming that it's not even worth watching sometimes.

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4. Comment #49394 by Fouad Boussetta on June 11, 2007 at 7:07 pm

*Not bad, but Christopher Hitchens looks like he's a bit stoned and he also sounds like he's feeling a bit hot (or is it just me?).
*I think he should always drink AFTER interviews, not before, as alcohol definitely affects his performance.
*Still, not bad; I'll drink to his health.

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5. Comment #49396 by Morro on June 11, 2007 at 7:25 pm

Not sure what you mean by "freedom." Lou Dobbs did everything but say "I agree" with just about everything Hitchens said. Hitchens regularly goes on American shows that are, at least, sympathetic towards his message.

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6. Comment #49397 by k1mgy on June 11, 2007 at 7:42 pm

I loathe Hitchens for his IRAQ position and apologetic of the current US mal-administration, and greatly respect him for his statements on religion. The latter has left in me some opening for doubt of the former. He does argue the IRAQ mess well.

In this interview Hitchens, perhaps twice "poker-faced", states as a matter-of-fact that he's of the opinion the religious wackos with "apocalyptic" weapons may well get to use them and "win out". (I suspect that's the US included).

This should have brought stunned silence but instead the interview rolled on as if nothing had occurred.

I believe he believes it and I think there's very good reason to consider this seriously as a damn good reason to take up a personal charge against the encroachment of religion into public and political life.

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7. Comment #49402 by torgosPizza on June 11, 2007 at 8:08 pm

Oxytocin, thanks for the clarification. It's true that much of what we get on mainstream broadcast - or even cable news, is usually fair to one side of an argument more than the other.

Morro, you're right - I had completely forgotten about the Lou Dobbs interview, and I was actually quite surprised at how warm he was to Hitch. Very pleased as well (of course). If only we had more actual journalists like him - people who knew the facts of a story, and don't just read it off a prompter.

Unfortunately it seems like the vast majority of people in the states get their "news" from hosts who like to argue for the religious right - again, most of the time. Even the local channels are usually aghast at any stories involving atheism or the atheistic movement; which is why shows like The Hour are so refreshing, and I'm jealous of people who get to see such programs regularly.

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8. Comment #49404 by Arcados on June 11, 2007 at 8:14 pm

I love the CBC - a lot of people bash it, but the programming is actually very good, if not comparable with the BBC. I'm really liking The Hour, George is a very impartial host.

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9. Comment #49408 by dmcr35 on June 11, 2007 at 8:44 pm

For non-Canadians, the CBC podcasts both audio and video programs including The Hour as well as a number of other excellent shows. You can subscribe to them via iTunes.

Dave

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10. Comment #49417 by MarkSmith on June 11, 2007 at 10:44 pm

Fantastic! Thanks.

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11. Comment #49424 by Zaphod on June 11, 2007 at 11:46 pm

Good interview. George from the Hour was also good with Dawkins. He lets the guest talk but interacts. One of the few interviews where the interviewer isn't a wank like O'Reilly or Hanity.

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12. Comment #49430 by neverdead on June 12, 2007 at 12:35 am

Hitchens is always a great listen. The negative points about
American T.V. are correct. Dobbs on this subject is in the minority.
Paula Zauhn had Hitchens on not to long ago and introduced him as a Neo-Con. Now for a layman to make a mistake like that is understandable because of Hitchens views on Iraq, But for someone who has a "news show" that is on every week night on CNN it's inexcusable. Sorry to say it is typical.

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13. Comment #49438 by Big T on June 12, 2007 at 1:14 am

How come everybody always thinks Hitchens is drunk when he does an interview? He seemed sober enough to me. Besides which, when President Lincoln was informed that Ulysses S. Grant drank a bit, he supposedly said: "Find out what kind he drinks, and I'll order a barrel for all my other generals." Having watched Hitchens on Falwell, parts one and two, and at Politics and Prose, and on this interview, all I can say is, buy all atheist authors a barrel of whatever he drinks!

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14. Comment #49476 by tieInterceptor on June 12, 2007 at 4:11 am

Anyone's got a link to the .mov file or a youtube version??

I can't load it on linux.

:(

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15. Comment #49500 by howtoplayalone on June 12, 2007 at 6:51 am

How come everybody always thinks Hitchens is drunk when he does an interview?

I think he's probably always been drinking (I think the New Yorker talked about 11 a.m. whiskeys), because he never stops. But I've never seen him "drunk", in the way that mortal drinkers take drunk to mean.

I wouldn't care anyway, but considering he's always more eloquent than anyone else at the table, he never "slurs" like people say he does (his wife says she's only seen him act drunk a handful of times), and he claims to have never, ever missed a deadline - with which his output it really, really impressive.

So, I agree with Big T. It seems really lame that someone feels obliged to mention his drinking in every single post; especially since it has never made him say or do anything he'd seem to regret.

He seems to be a very highly functional alcoholic. Good for him. He claims it inspires him (I'd claim the same, but have to admit some slurs and missed deadlines), and he quotes Churchill: "I've taken much more from alcohol than it's taken from me."

buy all...authors a barrel of whatever he drinks!

Right on, Big T., and it's Johnny Walker Black.

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19. Comment #49532 by Logicel on June 12, 2007 at 9:54 am

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20. Comment #49533 by Logicel on June 12, 2007 at 9:54 am

test

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21. Comment #49534 by Logicel on June 12, 2007 at 9:55 am

ok, I successfully closed the italics left open by howtoplayalone

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22. Comment #49537 by pewkatchoo on June 12, 2007 at 10:16 am

Hitchens mentioned some woman in the interview who had died and that her family had been harassed. What was that about?

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23. Comment #49540 by eno on June 12, 2007 at 10:30 am

Another great interview. I really like that show too. Hitch is an old fashioned Brit when it comes to his demeanour of smoking and drinking, just love the guy.

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24. Comment #49543 by howtoplayalone on June 12, 2007 at 10:43 am

ok, I successfully closed the italics left open by howtoplayalone

Opps, sorry, guilty as charged. I have an excuse, but nevermind.

I would submit that we have NPR, with a lot of great interviewers (I don't think I've heard a better interviewer than Terry Gross, and it's certainly not this guy), and Charlie Rose (although, whoa, that interview with Hitchens was dreadful).

I worked with someone once who said "Larry King is a great interviewer." I was speechless.

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25. Comment #49546 by howtoplayalone on June 12, 2007 at 10:52 am

And what about Bill Moyers, now risen from the dead?

I don't want to say a bad word about Canada, where I lived for half a year, but I listened to CBC everyday, and thought it came close but didn't match NPR (I might be wrong), and I thought the TV interviewers -- although I admit I didn't watch much -- were equally lame. I'm just throwing that out. I'm probably mistaken. Speak up, Canadians, and correct me.

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26. Comment #49551 by Rtambree on June 12, 2007 at 11:15 am

Good interviewer - this could have been much longer.

I'd love to see the interview from an atheist's perspective (rather than a neutral one) - in other words, it's already assumed God doesn't exist before the interview begins. What would be explored are issues within atheism: what style of confrontation is most effective, the causes of religious belief, self-delusion versus deliberate fraud in clergy and theologians, how far science and truth should encroach upon other fields (e.g. soft humanities-type academic disciplines, art, love, etc).

Iran - Hitchen's views on Iran seem a little extreme. It's almost as if he's advocating another pre-emptive war without any evidence that Iran has actually got nukes (elsewhere he's stated he wants war).

I'm not sure how helpful this ultra-aggressive stance is to the atheist cause, who are currently engaged in a PR campaign to distance themselves from the great secular totalitarian regimes of the 20th century.

Why not generalise it and say no country, especially religious countries with idiotic religious leaders, should have nuclear weapons? Pakistan and Israel already have nukes. Neigbouring countries will want them too - basic human psychology. Have we learnt nothing in the last 100 years?

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27. Comment #49552 by rzza on June 12, 2007 at 11:15 am

Canada is looking better and better all the time as an escape from this backward country of mine. Too bad it is so damn cold there! Hmmmm, long johns and parkas...could work.

It's 86 degrees in Toronto right now. How hot do you want it? ;)

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28. Comment #49554 by konquererz on June 12, 2007 at 11:25 am

I love watching the Hitch interview. He never pulls punches, never gets too excited, never seems out of control. He really does have a way of slapping you and making you say thank you for it! I haven't read his book yet, I'm behind with so many good ones out there, but I really want to read his soon.

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29. Comment #49557 by USA_Limey on June 12, 2007 at 11:29 am

Comment #49515 by FoundLink:

"Canada is looking better and better all the time as an escape from this backward country of mine. Too bad it is so damn cold there!"

... Just give global warming a bit of time. Canada will be a paradise in twenty years.

Just ask Brian!

:-)

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30. Comment #49562 by ThomasB on June 12, 2007 at 11:42 am

howtoplayalone wrote:

I don't want to say a bad word about Canada, where I lived for half a year, but I listened to CBC everyday, and thought it came close but didn't match NPR (I might be wrong), and I thought the TV interviewers -- although I admit I didn't watch much -- were equally lame. I'm just throwing that out. I'm probably mistaken. Speak up, Canadians, and correct me.

I've got CBC in my DNA - my mother was a 30 year employee - and CBC Radio has been in the background of more of my days than not. I agree with your thoughts on the quality of CBC programming. With a few bright exceptions, much of the programming is really mediocre, but still better than our commercial radio.

CBC's producers clearly have NPR/PRI on their radar. Last year they rebroadcast some episodes of "This American Life" and a few weeks ago, they cloned NPR's "This I believe" personal essay feature. The first few Canadian essays were weak but I expect they'll improve with time.

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31. Comment #49567 by USA_Limey on June 12, 2007 at 12:00 pm

CBC / NPR - Bah!

These are heretical offshoots; false idols worshipped by those who do not know the one TRUE broadcasting God:

THE BBC

:-)

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32. Comment #49569 by kaiserkriss on June 12, 2007 at 12:12 pm

Just reading "god is not great" and greatly enjoying it. Well done Hitch!
After this interview, I just might have to watch more CBC than just "Hockey Night in Canada". jcw

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33. Comment #49576 by Atticus_of_Amber on June 12, 2007 at 12:38 pm

I thought this was one of the Hitch's better interviews.

Someone above said they thought he was drunk. Huh? First, the Hitch is *always* drunk, it's just a question of *how* drunk. Second, I thought he had the right blood-to-alcohol balance here. Eloquent and relaxed.

I still think Hitchens' book is the least persuasive (though perhaps most entertaining) of the new atheism books. But he is great on TV when he's got the alcohol balance right.

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34. Comment #49590 by stevethomas on June 12, 2007 at 1:11 pm

Modern interviews. Six, eight minutes. The CBC learned that from the US. Sad. We've never had anything that could compare to Dick Cavett's interviews that routinely spanned three or four half hour shows. The US, because of its size, usually has better talent. It's a pity it's not being used at present. Even Bill Moyers has to cut his hour long slot into two separate interviews.

So Hitchens supported the first few months of the war. But does anyone know his views on the occupation or future mideast policy?

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35. Comment #49613 by dazzjazz on June 12, 2007 at 2:47 pm

Great to see another interview with Hitch.
Unfortunately that CBC media player is dogdy - talk about stuttervision. I'm on Mac here - anyone else have those problems?

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36. Comment #49614 by Morro on June 12, 2007 at 2:48 pm

"I've got CBC in my DNA - my mother was a 30 year employee - and CBC Radio has been in the background of more of my days than not."

No! A Lamarkian in our midst! Murder, death, kill! Murder, death, kill!

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37. Comment #49637 by Wrought on June 12, 2007 at 4:46 pm

in response to pewkatchoo:

Hitchens mentions the case of Terri Schiavo.

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Schiavo

President's Statement:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/03/20050317-7.html

Hope this points you in the right direction if you're interested.

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38. Comment #49652 by Newton30 on June 12, 2007 at 6:16 pm

Interviewer: "So, what's next for you ?"

Rehab, I hope.

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39. Comment #49691 by pewkatchoo on June 13, 2007 at 2:00 am

Thanks Wrought
I vaguely remember the case now, though not the details. How sad. What an awful statement by your president. Playing politics with peoples lives like that is disgusting. It is, effectively, none of his business. The womans'wishes were totally irrelevant it seems.

We are having similar problems in the UK. It annoys me the overbearing influence that the religious have in these matters. They have absolutely no moral superiority, so what gives them the right to interfere in what is purely a personal matter.

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40. Comment #49729 by Atlas88 on June 13, 2007 at 7:17 am

I have posted the interview to youtube for those not on a Windows platform and who may have difficulties accessing the video on the CBC website.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHmQZwP-cBQ
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9rGhUFJhWY

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41. Comment #50052 by NowlinMD on June 14, 2007 at 6:18 pm

Thank You!



Comment #49729 by Atlas88 on June 13, 2007 at 7:17 am
avatarI have posted the interview to youtube for those not on a Windows platform and who may have difficulties accessing the video on the CBC website.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHmQZwP-cBQ
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9rGhUFJhWY

Flag as: [troll] [spam] [offensive]

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42. Comment #50088 by magetoo on June 15, 2007 at 1:50 am

And here's a direct link:
http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/30569/thehour/videos/20070611_chrishitchens.wmv (ASX file, despite the extension)

Us Unix users can use 'mplayer' to watch. Might have to 'cat' the above ASX file to get a playable URL, or maybe not.

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43. Comment #58098 by robotaholic on July 23, 2007 at 12:04 pm

I like Christopher H

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