Besides, it’s true that time passes faster behind the wheel if you’re listening to somebody, almost anybody, talk rather than listening to music, Boz Scaggs, whom you’re not gonna hear anyway, notwithstanding. Just talk; chatter, raised in the mind of the chatterer to an art form. It has a metronomic effect (save the commercials) that a white stripe could never possess.
If David Foster Wallace writes about something, I tend either to believe him or want to believe him. His essay “Host” in his deliriously brilliant collection of writings, Consider the Lobster, talks about how difficult it is to talk — with cadence, pitch, fluidity — over the course of a three-hour show. It can’t be easy (if Wallace hadn’t told me that, I’d think it might be.) And even with call-ins, there is still, says Wallace, a true talent for handling the response and the (sometimes) resulting conversation; all this between the abounding commercials. AM stations, with either a talk or sports format, must be incredibly profitable, because they are one long commercial drone.I do not know this for a fact. But counting the news — at the top and bottom of the hour — and the commercials, you might be lucky (or unlucky) if you get, say 20 minutes of actual talk in an hour.
This was all years ago (see above), and now lots of us have satellite radio. There’s no lack of talk show abundance there, either. I know that Sirius/ XM tries (I assume) to balance the liberals with the conservatives, but it still seems like the conservatives predominate — probably because the liberals are too self-righteous, and sound, in their own way, like the Southern Baptist preacher one click up on the dial.
Only a few months ago I was experiencing significant “windshield time,” as long driving is called, and flipped through my XM channels only to hear that the horse-faced Laura Ingraham has her own talk show. And then there’s the ubiquitous Glenn Beck, who gives political imbecility a bad name (see below). Our friend Sean Hannity’s around, wouldn’t you know it. Lesser lights also abound (although who could be a lesser light than Ingraham I don’t really know).
Well, there’s Neal Boortz, completely moronic, who has found his space among the crowded conservative nattering (sorry, it’s simply too easy to pass up) nabobs. Let’s not forget Michael Savage (“The Savage Nation”) who recently ordered the playing of music from the Dead Kennedys upon hearing about Sen. Ted Kennedy’s brain tumor. Nice, huh?
Savage not only occupies a niche of imbecility and incivility in this murky world, but also of viciousness. He’s the little boy in 3rd grade homeroom who was shy and demure and always, subtly and unceasingly, kissing the teachers ass — only to grow up and one day open fire in a Wendy’s restaurant, killing 10 people and yet not having the guts after that to put a bullet through his own head.
Article comments
1 - Dave Nalle
Does the smugness and hate make you feel better about the emptiness and inadequacy which fill your days with self-loathing and terrifying doubt?
Dave
2 - Baronius
Sorry about that. Please delete the previous comment (my test comment, not Dave's comment).
I just wanted to say that this article didn't show any insight into the different talk show hosts. That would have been much more intersting.
3 - Baritone
Well, it may be that excepting in respect of their individual personalities, there isn't a hell of a lot of difference to be found between those people. They are all tantamount to snake oil salesmen/women or money grubbing evangelists.
The one name left out of the discussion was everyone's favorite, Ann Coulter, but that I assume is owing to the fact that she doesn't have her own radio/TV show. (At least I don't think she does.)
Dave - all those people - just as with GWB - have over time earned the loathing they receive. Perhaps you look at them as lords of the right, protectors of the great conservative hoard. I (and apparently Stephen) see them all as despicable opportunistic blowhards. I grant you that there are a few such coming out of the left as well, but overall, the right wingers pretty much have the corner on the market.
B
Am I seeing this correctly, they have done away with the "comment preview?"
4 - Clavos
Dave - all those people - just as with GWB - have over time earned the loathing they receive.
As have Bill Maher, Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, and of course, Miss Congeniality, Al Franken.
5 - Baritone
Clav,
Maher - Yeah, pretty much. Franken - Okay, you can have him too. Olbermann - well, sorta, but I kinda like him despite his pomposity, so I can't really give him up.
Maddow? Nope. She's defnitely a keeper. Tell you what, you can have Chris Matthews AND I'll throw in Michael Moore, but I get to keep Rachel. :-)
B
6 - Jeannie Danna
I would be very curious to know what has been deposited in the personal bank accounts of theses voices from the extreme right. I believe they are serving a power we do not ever really see in this country. You know, the same fools that rally against any social programs, at all, for the majority of us are ominously silent when money is funneled to the industrial war complex,Wall Street, AIG, and the banks. The most ironic fact here is that if not for the social programs that grew the middle class to begin with; Glen Beck, Shawn Hannity, and yes! even Rush Limbaugh wouldn't have a microphone in front of them. They would have a serving tray!