RIP Don Imus

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

3 minutes ago, Marv's Neighbor said:

Never lived in an area where his radio show was broadcast.  Did enjoy his AM TV show.  Made a lot of $$ being controversial.  RIP I-man.

 

...didn't miss anything.....moving on..........

[RochesterRob]

12 hours ago, row_33 said:

Started to hear him on WFAN in the 80s, didn’t find anything enjoyable about him

 

  The guy peaked in terms of desired demographic around 1975.  Had to go out of my way quite a bit to hear him and just could not listen to him.  I am not a Stern guy either.  Rochester, NY had Alan Levin aka Brother Wease who had a huge audience back in the 1980's and 1990's and I was pretty meh about him.  Some of the guests were interesting such as a rising comedian who was playing a local club but the debauchery I could have lived without.  

Edited December 28, 2019 by RochesterRob

[row_33]

2 hours ago, Rico said:

RIP. The poor man’s Howard Stern.

Says it all for me,  it I only go back to 1987 for their rivalry

 

 

Edited December 28, 2019 by row_33

[row_33]

4 hours ago, Gray Beard said:

The incident with the women’s college basketball championship team (Rutgers?) was epic.  He made a racist, snide remark about them, and they responded by arranging a panel discussion with him.  The women were all articulate, intelligent, soft spoken, well mannered, and gracious.  He just sat there and mumbled.  He was embarrassed and humbled. It was great. 

I also think he was taken off the air for a while as a result.  I was disappointed that he was allowed back on.

It was the last I heard of him aside from Stern attacks

 

 

[leh-nerd skin-erd]

4 hours ago, Gray Beard said:

The incident with the women’s college basketball championship team (Rutgers?) was epic.  He made a racist, snide remark about them, and they responded by arranging a panel discussion with him.  The women were all articulate, intelligent, soft spoken, well mannered, and gracious.  He just sat there and mumbled.  He was embarrassed and humbled. It was great. 

I also think he was taken off the air for a while as a result.  I was disappointed that he was allowed back on.

I lived in lower Hudson valley in the early 80s-90s. I didn’t think he was funny really at all, but put the “Nappy headed hos” comment in the context of a poor attempt at humor.  As I recall, they had a bit going and it was supposed to be edgy, and it was.  Too edgy, mean spirited but I would be surprised if he thought any more than “this should get a laugh”.  When you pay a guy to be controversial, and the whole point is pushing boundaries, it happens. It’s not at all surprising he would look foolish in a panel discussion with collegiate athletes trying to defend some dopey thing he said.  He had as much of a chance beating them one-on-one. 
 

given the current state of the world and what can be said/done/implied by all manner of celebrity on air or via Twitter, it’s fair to say he was just ahead of his time. 

Edited December 28, 2019 by leh-nerd skin-erd

[CowgirlsFan]

RIP

 

My condolences.

 

Thank you for your contribution to the entertainment business.

[row_33]

25 minutes ago, CowgirlsFan said:

RIP

 

My condolences.

 

Thank you for your contribution to the entertainment business.

Please tell us how you admired his contribution 

[KD in CA]

5 hours ago, row_33 said:

Please tell us how you admired his contribution 

Based on the quantity and content of your posts in this thread, it seems you are really struggling with this news.

 

Maybe we can all chip in and get you the ‘Best of Imus in the Morning’ box set to help you get past your grief.

[Needle]

18 hours ago, row_33 said:

Please tell us how you admired his contribution 

I don't know a lot about Imus but he must own some real estate in your head. That is kind of amusing I guess.

 

RIP

[GG]

14 hours ago, KD in CA said:

Based on the quantity and content of your posts in this thread, it seems you are really struggling with this news.

 

Maybe we can all chip in and get you the ‘Best of Imus in the Morning’ box set to help you get past your grief.

 

This is a very appropriate eulogy by Mike Lupica who didn’t shy away from their decades long friendship.  

 

The Rutgers episode appropriately was the flashpoint of his career, but also unfairly tainted a near 50-yr revolutionary career.  You can argue that day ushered in the cancel culture and showed the cowardice and hypocrisy of many in the media world who immediately abandoned Imus, even though he made their careers.  

 

He wasn’t a dime a dozen morning radio zoo shock jock, which is how most articles describe his career.   He’s also largely responsible for the rise of sports talk by saving WFAN, and for being a huge part of building the MSNBC audience.  He had an oversized impact on elections because he wasn’t any party loyalist and gave equal time to both sides prior to 2007.  If more recent history has him being some right wing nut job, it’s only because the left abandoned him in droves.  Yet even after the episode, he didn’t turn into a partisan hack.

 

You hear about the awkward Correspondents Dinner appearance and the alienation from the Clintons after that, but you rarely recognize that Clinton would likely not be President without Imus’s enthusiastic support.  The same way that he was in Obama’s corner early in the ‘08 primary race. 

[row_33]

18 hours ago, KD in CA said:

Based on the quantity and content of your posts in this thread, it seems you are really struggling with this news.

 

Maybe we can all chip in and get you the ‘Best of Imus in the Morning’ box set to help you get past your grief.

best of imus?

 

i only have a 45 minute side of a Maxell platinum cassette tape open

 

5 hours ago, Needle said:

I don't know a lot about Imus but he must own some real estate in your head. That is kind of amusing I guess.

 

RIP

I just asked for any funny or entertaining anecdote that is remembered by dedicated Imus fans. 
 

Not a single one has been forthcoming..

 

 

 

 

What a burn that is to realize you have been played, eh?

 

cue the Jackie the Jokeman laugh for 3 hours.

 

 

Edited December 29, 2019 by row_33

[Rico]

42 minutes ago, row_33 said:

best of imus?

 

i only have a 45 minute side of a Maxell platinum cassette tape open

 

I just asked for any funny or entertaining anecdote that is remembered by dedicated Imus fans. 
 

Not a single one has been forthcoming..

 

 

 

 

What a burn that is to realize you have been played, eh?

 

cue the Jackie the Jokeman laugh for 3 hours.

 

 

There is some very funny stuff on Youtube of Howard just destroying him on-air...that's all I've got.

[row_33]

53 minutes ago, Rico said:

There is some very funny stuff on Youtube of Howard just destroying him on-air...that's all I've got.

Hey baby, how’s your Donkey Kong....

 

sadly Stern is off till next Monday for the eulogy, memories of old times of Imus calling Robin something mean

 

Edited December 29, 2019 by row_33

[Tcali]

On 12/27/2019 at 4:30 PM, GG said:

Another radio legend drops the mic

 

https://www.wabcradio.com/2019/12/27/legendary-new-york-radio-great-don-imus-passes/

 

tremendously entertaining...--I loved his regular guy on the show who did all the character skits---the godfather,sal from brooklyn, margaret thatcher

 

[KD in CA]

2 minutes ago, Tcali said:

tremendously entertaining...--I loved his regular guy on the show who did all the character skits---the godfather,sal from brooklyn, margaret thatcher

 

That was a key to the show; guys like Rob Bartlett, McGuirk, McCord, various others (basketball fans may be surprised to know Mike Breen was Imus' hilarious sport reporter before he became the NBA's lead play by play guy), were all integral to the show.

[KD in CA]

5 hours ago, GG said:

 

This is a very appropriate eulogy by Mike Lupica who didn’t shy away from their decades long friendship.  

 

The Rutgers episode appropriately was the flashpoint of his career, but also unfairly tainted a near 50-yr revolutionary career.  You can argue that day ushered in the cancel culture and showed the cowardice and hypocrisy of many in the media world who immediately abandoned Imus, even though he made their careers.  

 

He wasn’t a dime a dozen morning radio zoo shock jock, which is how most articles describe his career.   He’s also largely responsible for the rise of sports talk by saving WFAN, and for being a huge part of building the MSNBC audience.  He had an oversized impact on elections because he wasn’t any party loyalist and gave equal time to both sides prior to 2007.  If more recent history has him being some right wing nut job, it’s only because the left abandoned him in droves.  Yet even after the episode, he didn’t turn into a partisan hack.

 

You hear about the awkward Correspondents Dinner appearance and the alienation from the Clintons after that, but you rarely recognize that Clinton would likely not be President without Imus’s enthusiastic support.  The same way that he was in Obama’s corner early in the ‘08 primary race. 

 

Yup.  He had guys on his show that were running for President....multiple sitting Senators....major media figures like Brokaw, Russert, Greenfield, etc.   But I guess he didn't have enough porn stars on for some!  

 

This was probably the best summary I read on his career.  The Lupica article was good too.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/don-imus-talk-show-host-who-turned-bad-behavior-into-big-ratings-dies-at-79/2019/12/27/330a3f2a-28f9-11ea-b2ca-2e72667c1741_story.html

 

[snafu]

I liked his show when he was on WFAN. It was very entertaining. He knew how to do a good interview.  He knew that powerful people lined up to kiss his ass and get airtime, and he didn’t kiss their asses back. Seemed like an honest guy — if he liked you, you knew it; and if he didn’t like you, you knew it. He had good taste in music.  His regulars were great additions to the show, and tried their best to give him crap when he was being a pompous douche. He was a bridge between old time radio jockies and newer replicants of his style. 

 

I didn’t listen to him when he came back on WABC. I’d moved on with my normal listening habits by then. 

 

For anyone who’s posted that they didn’t like him, it’s a matter of taste.  No reason to get your panties in a bunch.

 

RIP, I-man.