Posted on 01/02/2020 5:01:57 AM PST by Kaslin
Washington -- This past Sunday brought the news to the front pages of our leading newspapers of the passing of shock jock Don Imus. Comparatively speaking, it was happy news. At least, it was happy news compared with the news that otherwise adorns the front pages of The Washington Post and The New York Times and is then repeated and repeated in the newspapers' interior pages.
Most of the stories these dolorous journalists cover are stories of squalor, grief, travail and out-and-out evil. Do you doubt me? See how many cheerful stories you can find either on the front pages or on the later pages of your newspaper. That is, if you still read a newspaper. Most of the stories will reflect the concerns of their editors and writers who are generally unspeakably gloomy and consumed with conveying their gloom to their readers.
So the death of Imus was a refreshing break from the newspapers' morbid daily fare. No wonder they are having a difficult time finding readers. Try, fellows and fellowesses, to present the world with an occasional wink.
Imus was a man with a sufficiently dismal view of the world to serve as editor of either of our major newspapers, though I am not sure that his work habits would fit well with the habits necessary for the grind of a daily newspaper. He had bouts with alcohol, cocaine and depression, and he was often photographed wearing cowboy dress ... indoors. He actually wore a cowboy hat in the studio. Also, one of the obituaries reported he walked around his office in his undershorts. Let us pass on to his so-called humor.
Years ago, I had an occasion to comment on his humor when he got himself into trouble. I called it "bleak humor." In his obituaries, the obituarists made a major point of Imus' sense of humor. One, from The New York Times, seemed to be particularly smitten by it. You be the judge.
Imus called Dick Cheney, the former vice president, "a war criminal," which is untrue and leaves Imus sounding like a standard-issue left-wing Democrat. He called Steve Forbes "a mean-spirited creep," which, again, is untrue and leaves me wondering if Imus knows what mean-spirited means. He called Rush Limbaugh "a drug-addled gas bag," a description better aimed at Imus himself. He described Oprah Winfrey as "a fat phony" and Ted Kennedy as "a fat slob." Well, I have been led to believe that obesity is a disability, and to call the former Lion of the Senate a slob might be meant by Imus as a compliment. Saying Newt Gingrich is "a man who would eat roadkill" is at least funny, but as with Imus' claim that Hillary is "Satan," it lacks wit and imagination. As I have said, his humor was bleak.
What got the famed shock jock into trouble back in 2007 was his reference to black women athletes as "nappy-headed hos." Again, there is no truth to his description, or at least no discernible truth to it, and if his audience did greet the remark with laughter, it was most likely nervous laughter. Nervous laughter is often the result of extraordinary rudeness, and such rudeness is often a comic's attempt at a cheap laugh. Apparently Imus took this route rather often.
Imus was, of course, another of the broadcasting media's phony tough guys. After his line about "nappy-headed hos," he immediately collapsed into what I called a "whimpering bundle of apologies." His rush for a cheap laugh put me in the uncomfortable position of siding with Barack Obama, who responded to Imus with, "He didn't just cross the line. He fed into some of the worst stereotypes that my two young daughters are having to deal with today in America." Well, I am not sure of your daughters, Mr. Obama, but I am in agreement with you on the stereotypes.
Why would these newspapers put Imus on their front pages and devote more space to him than they devote to a four-star general, a business leader or any other distinguished citizen? The reason is simple. Don Imus spoke for the media's constituency of morbid, unimaginative pessimists. As I say, his humor was bleak -- exceptionally bleak. There was no joy or wit in it. Now he is dead. And that jolly commentator, Rush Limbaugh, took his place long ago as America's most followed radio commentator.
I agree with you that this is a weird article. Mr. Tyrell’s time has come and gone, and he has become very bitter since his heyday back in the last century.
At least Imus served in the military, what was Mr. Tyrell doing in the 1960s beyond using his student deferments to avoid the draft.
I don’t know what this author is going on about. Tyrell of the very high voice, I might add. Imus was an equal opportunity offender. Everyone got it in the neck. But he did have a fun show with Charles, Rob Bartlett and, of course, Bernard McQuirk who was the one who really got Imus in trouble. Bernie now has his radio spot.
Never understood the appeal for Imus and his phony howdy doody "cowboy" act. Walking around like Mommy dressed him for Halloween. He was a child who never grew up and his sophomoric humor was quite embarrassing to watch coming from a supposed adult. But then I look around at his boorish behavior of his defenders and it makes sense...
I listened to him a few times and found him to be boring and very unfunny. After that I never paid attention to him.
I am not running the man down, only saying that he had no appeal to me.
I listened to Imus quite often.
He had great guests he’d interview and ask questions most others would never touch.
He helped raise hundreds of millions for charity and his ranch for sick kids did great work.
And that’s a damn sight better than any of us.
Kaslin, you have great interesting posts. Keep up the good work and those how think not can kiss my rear.
If not for Imus, Howard Stern never would have had a career.
Imus is dead? How could they tell?
Imus must have done something’s right.
He was a very good interviewer.
He was amused when his staff insulted him - if they were funny
His sophomoric humor was sophomoric. Hence the name. I find tenth grade boys humor to be quite funny, honest, insulting, irreverent, politically incorrect, curious and observant
Not everyone enjoys it.
The larger effect of Imus's humor and commentary was a thorough disregard for the pretensions of politicians and celebrities and a sense of humanity as deeply flawed. Imus was a modern Diogenes of sorts, honorably of the ancient school of Cynic philosophy.
Notably, Imus did have a news segment of his show read by news and radio professional Charles McCord. As banter and comment made clear, McCord, who is now retired, was a conservative and often the adult who reeled Imus back from the brink.
All true, and I thank you for posting this.
The banter between him and McCord and Bernard McGuirk was genuinely funny.
But I will...
I was never really an Imus follower. I know I heard his show occasionally over the last several decades, but not very often and never regularly. Not like I enjoyed Rush or others.
Most of my exposure to Imus was when he did something or said something that caught national attention, the biggest I am aware of being his 'nappy headed hoes" remarks.
Whatever one thought of Imus, that remark or any of his others, he was the existential (hearing that word a lot lately) example of what the first amendment is there for.
I guess he was 79 when he died. I thought he was at least 79 back in the ‘90s. He was interesting for a while, and then he got boring. My husband still is wearing wool shirts from Fred Imus’ Auto Body Express clothing line.
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