On the weekend of Toby Keith’s all-male Riyadh revue, we consider country music as propaganda from the Depression to 9/11, against enemies without and within. Discussion includes an essay by Andrew Boulton, Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.," Darryl Worley's "Have You Forgotten?" and Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue."

Our first episode tackles the most ubiquitous of bro country narratives: the country boy who woos a sophisticated lady away from the city with his down-home charm. Discussion includes an essay by Jocelyn R. Neal, Billy Currington's "Good Directions," Justin Moore's "Bait a Hook" and the Dixie Chicks' "Cowboy Take Me Away."