Five days, five states, the mood of one nation

Simon Mayo had a hectic schedule this week as he traveled from Detroit, down to Fairborn (near Dayton, Ohio) and Louisville then on to Chicago via Indianapolis.

Simon gauged the opinions of ordinary Americans on the credit crunch, who they intend to vote for in November's election and more.

Monday: Detroit, Michigan
One of Simon's guests was soul legend Martha Reeves, now a Detroit councillor.
Listen in iPlayer | Download the podcast with Martha Reeves

Tuesday: Fairborn, Ohio
Immediately after Monday's programme, Simon hit the freeway for the long drive to Fairborn.  Tuesday's programme came from Fairborn High School where Simon heard from people who know and have worked with John McCain.
Listen in iPlayer | Download the podcast

Wednesday: Louisville, Kentucky
Simon met The Mayor of Kentucky, Democrats, Republicans, the CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center and spoke about Kentucky culture - including chicken, bourbon and horse racing. He even had bluegrass from the Louisville Bluegrass Music Association live on the show. You can hear more from them on MySpace or at their official website
Listen in iPlayer | Download the podcast

Thursday: Indianapolis, Indiana
On the fourth day of the trip, the show came live from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500 and one of the world's most famous motorsport venues. The Born Again Floozies played live.
Listen in iPlayer | Download the podcast

Friday: Chicago, Illinois
On the final day of the trip, the programme came from Chicago university where Barack Obama lectured law. He spoke to guests about the Presidential candidate, to Steve Levitt author of Freakonomics, and of course caught up with Mark Kermode about the week's film reviews.
Listen in iPlayer | Download the podcast with Steve Levitt