“I will say this for my dear friend, Alexander Hamilton,” said President James Madison. “He got things done!” In this case Cambridge resident Bil Lewis, who channels the Fourth President of the United States for schools and special events throughout New England, was speaking for his counterpart in a new podcast available this week.
Indicating with a hand below his own shoulder how much shorter the real Madison was, “only 5’4” – small, timid and given to fits” reflected Lewis, “but he knew laws, politics and the classics, and he wrote speeches for George Washington and members of the 1st Congress.”
Bil Lewis effortlessly reels off quotations and stories from the spool of meticulously researched facts. All of this is part of the new series of podcast programs, Mr. Madison, Meet Mr. Chief Justice on Dorothy Wilhelm’s Swimming Upstream Radio Show starting this week wherever you find podcasts. In this case Justice Guy is Richard Guy, Chief Justice, Retired, of the Washington State Supreme Court, where he served for fifteen years.
The show features these two figures who have a wide ranging, at times almost whimsical conversation with Justice Guy questioning President Madison about what was actually happening of at the time of the revolution. “Revolution is Easy,” Madison proclaims. “Governance is hard.” Setting the scene in the days after the revolution brings politics of today into sharp focus, as the conversation reveals that the soldiers who fought in the revolution were not paid the promised benefits and were often left penniless.
“We’re lucky to have Justice Guy’s experience and President Madison’s insight,” said Swimming Upstream creator, longtime radio personality Dorothy Wilhelm, uncharacteristically stepping out of the host’s role to let the two historians build the story. Future episodes will explore issues faces by President Madison and the founders of the new Republic.
The podcast “goes live” this week but will be available at www.itsnevertoolate.com, www.sobradio.com or anywhere you find your favorite podcast. For internet search look for Swimming Upstream Radio Show. Yes, this is a podcast, but since there is a podcast currently for every man, woman or child in the US, there are three named Swimming Upstream. Ours is Swimming Upstream Radio Show.
