Author Michael Wallis will be interviewed Wednesday by Steven Colbert on The Comedy Channel’s “The Colbert Report.”
Wallis says Colbert wants to discuss Wallis’ recently published “The Lincoln Highway” book and other old roads — presumably Route 66 one of them.
Wallis is familiar with Colbert’s sly satire, so don’t expect him to get ambushed. Wallis can pull someone’s leg with the best of them, too.
“The Colbert Report” will air at 10:30 p.m. Central on Wednesday.
I saw Michael Wallis last night on the Colbert Report, and I have to admit, it was kind of a thrill, since I’ve had his “Route 66: The Mother Road” book for several years, and I had the pleasure of briefly exchanging a couple emails, or maybe we spoke on the phone, a few years ago when I was just starting the research for “C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race.” (And then to my horror, I lost his contact information, but that’s another story.) I’m not writing to plug my own book, though, which Ron of Route 66 News was kind enough to give a very nice review to recently. I just thought I’d say that I thought Michael Wallis did a fantastic job on “The Colbert Report.” I had never seen him interviewed before, and so it was fun to see him banter with Colbert, and I thought he did very well and it prompted me to finally order his new book, which I’ve been dying to read for awhile now. Probably the best exchange in the show was when Michael referred to Route 66 as “my highway” (if my memory’s correct, he said something along those lines–I don’t have Tivo, so I have to rely on my recollection–and, of course, if anyone deserves to say “my” highway, it’s Michael, but of course, any Route 66 fan watching knew what he meant), and then Stephen Colbert wanted to know if he could get his own highway. In any case, it was a very entertaining interview, for anyone who wants to try to catch the show today in reruns on Comedy Central, and I think Colbert and his producers should be applauded for constantly interviewing authors with interesting, non-sensationalist books that might not normally get national television exposure… and, yeah, okay, now I’m plugging my book! You like books about road trips? What about a book about 199 guys on a cross-country road trip along a highway–but without cars? In 1928-era sneakers? Colbert, I’m here! Call me!