SAVAGE TALK: A former herbalist has remade himself into the vitriol-spewing king...

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 2/6/2003 | Dan Fost, Chronicle Staff Writer

[SunStar]

Michael Savage is egotistical, opinionated and profane. He yells at callers to his radio show, "The Savage Nation," and hangs up on them -- even some who agree with him.

He's the son of an immigrant who bashes immigrants, a former academic who rips academia, a well-heeled professional who strikes a chord with the common people.

[txradioguy]

Well, I can't say that if I was in their position I wouldn't try to grab all the money making efforts thrown my way that I could. There's an adage in radio that "you're only as good as your last ratings book". And that saying alive and well I'm said to say. Overall radio pay is atrocious, unless you are a Stern, Imus, Limbaugh, Rick Dees etc. But even they had to work for less than a burger flipper at Mickey D's at some point. Rush talks a lot about that phase of his radio career. So I think they are just striking while the iron is hot so to speak. When I signed on the dotted line to go back active duty, I immediately got a $400 a month raise over what I was making as a Program Director for Clear Channel. And my station was #1 in it's demographic for two books and showed a rise in the numbers for three consecutive books. If I was in their position with their ratings and listening audiences, I wouldn't do anything different.

[txradioguy]

And on and on and on and on..........

[weegee]

Just a question, was Laura Ingraham's book on Hillary in the "Woman's issues" section of your bookstore?

[GVnana]

One of my favorite Savage-liners for the anti-war hoards:

"If it weren't for war, you'd be a bar of soap."

[txradioguy]

my favorite is "RedDiaperDoper babies"

[Cultural Jihad]

Honestly, I find him absolutely awful - completely unbearable.

You just have to be appreciative of the phenomenon of his words, being modulated with a Bronx voice, and carried over the verdant Cascade Range hills and valleys of the occupied Bay Area.

[GVnana]

Yep. And Alioto's cioppino is the best!

[F16Fighter]

"Hannity is #2? How absurd. Not an original thought in that man's head, and a totally ineffective debater. I am amazed. I find his fratboy drivel unlistenable."

IMO Hannity is quite effectively winning over converts with an uncomplicated vanilla style of communicating conservative consensus with genuine honesty and integrity -- AND helping bleed the "undecided" middle away from the Democrats.

Good job Sean...

[Thraka]

I'm not "dismissing him as a blowhard." I'm saying that I think his show's awful, whether I agree with him or not. Even when I agree with him (which is, frankly, more often than not) he's neither entertaining nor particularly enlightening. Rush is a blowhard, but I find his show to be usually both of those things. Savage is a blowhard, and I find neither.

IME, Savage is one of those things that grow on some people over time. Some people simply don't like his style, and you may be in that category. But some people I know who have objected mightily to him at first have eventually come to really dig his show. He has warts, no doubt. But that, IMO, is part of his appeal. He's very human, he's very alive, he's very flawed, but IMO, those are positives.

Thraka

[F16Fighter]

"Howard Stern is the smartest man on radio, simply in terms of IQ and intellectual engagement and being-in-the-moment, which to me--and as a buddhist, I may be biased--is what great radio is all about....[But] my gut tells me hannity--and i've been a guest on his TV show, interracted with him off camera --is another [phony]."

As a "buddhist" you've got the instinctual karma and brain waves of a very tall stalk of celery.

[Thraka]

Bernie Ward is scum. so is Ray "If that IS your real last name" Taliafero

I have a confession to make: I _love_ listening to Ray Taliafero, when the opportunity presents itself; usually, that's sometime when I come home after working really late, the wife has already gone to bed, and I kick back to decompresss a bit before joining her. I disagree with pretty much everything he says, and his positions often annoy me, but there is something about sitting alone late in the night, with a good whiskey and a last smoke, listening to Ray sounding like a fire and brimstone preacher, that I just really enjoy. Bernie just makes me ill, though.

Thraka

[DennisR]

Sean is great!

[ApesForEvolution]

In an American (and international world) world now compromised of movers and shakers, it's boiled down to patriots versus communists. And we ain't takin no mo crap from the communist scumbags. I'd just as soon run over a commmunist as brake for one...when people ask why I have a big ole rack on my S-U-V, I tell them that when I run over communists, it saves the body damage - to my S-U-V.

[ApesForEvolution]

He's actually a brilliant patriot and has reached his fill...I understand it all too well.

[Anticommie]

He (Michael Savage) relishes ripping liberals here in the Bay Area.

Go Michael go !

Liberals hate conservative blacks and Jews, who spoil the image of utopian liberal plantation.

[NYC Republican]

That's a great example. He allowed Clemmon to sound like an absolute fool.

[American Preservative]

Thanks for the ping STL.

A bump and a ping for Michael Savage!

[Johnny Gage]

GO SAVAGE!

RED DIAPER DOPER BABY-ISM.

my favorite line.

[Carry_Okie]

I don't think I've ever heard Morgan and Rodgers even mention his name.

Now that you mention it, I think you're right. I can't stand Savage's endless self-promotion. He really isn't that deep.

Rodgers on the other hand, is the best talk-show host on radio, without peer.

[NormsRevenge]

All together now.. W A S S WE ARE SO Skrewed!