Reporter Alice Furlaud drums up support for her campaign to replace presidential debates with a time-honored method for solving disputes among political rivals: the duel. Jonathan Ames revisits slightly demented scenes from childhood. And Cecil the Singing Dog performs his greatest hits.

This week, on The Next Big Thing...THE BEGINNING. Our debut show.

So what's the next big thing?
Robert Krulwich, ABC News Correspondent (audio clip)
Jen Gonnerman, Village Voice (audio clip)
Grandpa Al Lewis, star of "The Munsters," and senatorial candidate (audio clip)

A Modest Proposal
Alice Furlaud wonders: why not forgo the handshakes and kisses and let Gore and Bush settle things like Hamilton and Burr? Off she goes to the site of the infamous duel in Weehawken, where the Fleckenstein brothers give her a tour of the grounds.

Grandma's Got a Brand New Epee
74 year-old Ruby Watson is a champion fencer. At the World Masters Games, she won both the gold and silver medals. True, there was no one else competing in her age group, but let's not split hairs (or else Ruby might split ours.)

Taste This!
Jim Leff calls Dean at 1 A.M. to describe the heavenly barbecue at Flint's in Oakland.

Breathe Through Your Mouth
Dog walker Lowell Marin doesn't like scooping poop, but it's better than an office job. As he puts it: "I'd rather pick up crap than take it."

Cecil Chanteur
His favorite tune is "Give My Regards Broadway," but he barks a mean "Mr. Moon." Cecil the singing Terrier took first place at the North America's Best Singing Pet Competition. His singing will hurt you -- and you'll like it.

Chewbacca's Progeny
Writer Jonathan Ames tells the story of childhood friends who communicate through a sound he describes as "going hairy." As you might expect, a girl comes into the picture and nearly tears the hairy-ators apart, but then...

Bone, Thugs and Spanikopita
Maryo and the Tombourlika Ensemble play Rembetika, an urban style of Greek music from the turn of the century. The sound is rich, and the lyrics are all about dark subjects - drugs, thieves, love.

WNYC archives id: 8935