Peter Sagal, host of news quiz show NPR : Wait Wait… Dont Tell Me has written a new book that’s being offered as a premium on pledges of $120.00 per month. Sagal is hosting this morning’s pledge drive, and with his quick wit, it actually is fun listening to WBEZ begging for fundage. Actually, as stations go, BEZ does a pretty good job of making pledge drives endurable; they shorten them by a day or so by running a promotional drive at the beginning with crazy big goals – if they reach the goals, they cut the length of the drive.

This morning’s drive will probably be pretty successful; Sagal’s book is called The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them) and in an extended interview he taped with Scott Simon, he described some activities he researched, such as private establishments where people swap partners… and also how he checked out strip clubs in the company of a posse of female sociologists.

As one of the other pledge drive announcers noted drily, they’ve already had over 50 calls during this morning’s campaign. I’m thinking they’ll do even better during Car Talk and WWDTM…

David and I had a lively discussion as to whether Peter is likely to suffer any backlash from that segment of the populace that has an over-developed righteousness bone, yet lacks a funny bone. I mentioned a post I’d seen lately about how impossible it is for people to talk across a religious divide, because they have completely different frames of reference that often don’t overlap.

Actually, we’re thinking The Book of Vice might make a great gift for someone…