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Jon Sopel, Geography cupboards, Accidental bank heist confession

大象传媒's North America editor Jon Sopel joins Simon to chat about his new book 'If Only They Didn't Speak English: Notes From Trump's America'.

Respected journalist Jon Sopel joins Simon to chat about his new book 'If Only They Didn't Speak English: Notes From Trump's America'.

As the 大象传媒's North America Editor, Jon Sopel has had a pretty busy time of it lately. In the 18 months it's taken for a reality star to go from laughingstock to leader of the free world, Jon has travelled the length and breadth of the United States, experiencing it from a perspective that most of us could only dream of: he has flown aboard Air Force One, interviewed President Obama and has even been described as 'a beauty' by none other than Donald Trump.

Through music, film, literature, TV and even through the food we eat and the clothes that we wear we all have a highly developed sense of what America is and through our shared, tangled history we claim a special relationship. But America today feels about as alien a country as you could imagine. It is fearful, angry and impatient for change. Reflecting on his journey across the continent to cover the most turbulent race in recent history, Jon Sopel lifts a lid on the seething resentments, profound anxieties and sheer rage that found its embodiment in a brash, unpredictable and seemingly unstoppable figure.

1 hour, 55 minutes

Music Played

  • Santana

    Smooth (feat. Rob Thomas)

    • (CD Single).
    • Arista.
  • JP Cooper

    She's On My Mind

    • (CD Single).
    • Island.
  • Roxy Music

    Same Old Scene

    • Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music - Street Life.
    • Eg.
  • Alexander O鈥橬eal

    Criticize

    • Hits Album 7 (Various Artists).
    • Hits.
    • 9.
  • Noah and the Whale

    L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.

    • (CD Single).
    • Mercury.
    • 1.
  • CNCO & Little Mix

    Reggaet贸n Lento (Remix)

    • (CD Single).
    • SYCO.
  • Chuck Berry

    Johnny B. Goode

    • That's Rock'n'Roll (Various Artists).
    • EMI.
  • Pretenders

    Back On The Chain Gang

    • The Pretenders - The Singles.
    • WEA.
  • The Four Seasons

    December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)

    • The Very Best Of.
    • Polygram Tv.
    • 11.
  • Shania Twain

    Swingin' With My Eyes Closed

    • (CD Single).
    • MCA.
  • James Blunt

    Don鈥檛 Give Me Those Eyes

    • (CD Single).
    • Atlantic.
  • Talking Heads

    Once In A Lifetime

    • Talking Heads - Remain In Light.
    • Sire.
  • Jess Glynne

    Ain't Got Far To Go

    • I Cry When I Laugh.
    • Atlantic.
    • 005.
  • Jamie Lawson

    Can't See Straight

    • (CD Single).
    • Gingerbread Man Records.
  • Steely Dan

    Black Friday

    • A Decade Of Steely Dan.
    • MCA.

Broadcast

  • Tue 5 Sep 2017 17:05