In March of last year, Imus, near completion of a farewell interview on CBS’s “Sunday Morning” following his retirement, was asked if he is going to miss out on radio. Imus had to cease talking a number of times in order to sniff back tears and stifle sobs. Hmm.
In May, 1989 Mike Schmidt, the Phillies’ star third baseman for 18 years, retired. At a news conference, Schmidt, understandably, lost it, tearing up till his farewell words became truncated by sobs.
The next day on their morning drive-time reveal over two-year-old WFAN, station-maker Don Imus and his team took the tape of Schmidt’s emotional goodbye and made– or tried to make– a fool of Schmidt, mocking and mocking his farewell announcement as blubbering, funny unintentional funny.
How do you want it?
As for his Waterloo– his reference to Rutgers’ mainly black females’s basketball group as “nappy headed hoes”– I ‘d heard that, that morning, but didn’t think it even worse than Imus’ free-form, equal-opportunity bigotry and bully-boy standard to be worth attention let alone outrage.
Or should we remember him for his raw, often cruel, defamatory side he provided as careless, vulgar humor that helped make it not just safe however compulsory for go-lower, drive-time shock jocks to deliver? As a historic figure– the very first popular shock jock– was he a gotten taste before he ended up being a required taste?
After all, Imus often derided public figures he apparently didn’t like, making graphic suggestions that they were homosexuals. As sportscaster Len Berman prepared to leave his weekday slot on FAN, Imus repeatedly slurred him as “Lenny the Jew.” WFAN took no action against Imus.
Gilded, as if Imus’ profession should be eulogized for fun times, great laughs and unlimited merriment? He certainly served bumper-to-bumper commuters on the LIE. as such a buddy– in some cases.
Not until 2 days after his Rutgers fracture– when the top blew off– did any WFAN/CBS Radio executive concede that Imus may have gone too far, as the managers waited, determining whether this thing would wishfully blow over or blow harder. When the latter took place, Imus was forced to stroll the plank, eventually to resurface at WABC Radio.
Imus never ever did invoke his only genuine and indisputable defense: “Well, they hired me as a ‘shock jock,’ didn’t they?”
Imus’ legacy is as a shock jock, and one who helped clear the courses for future, no better or higher ideas shock jocks. None could go too far without the wink-and-nod encouragement of those who hired them then pretended, on the day they fired or suspended, to be shocked that they presumed.
Naturally, these big shots– NBC News anchor Brian Williams, CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer, CBS Sports anchor Jim Nantz, among many– might not play dumb to the show’s coarse contents and negligent claims on either side of their looks. Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a constant supporter of household values, was a regular visitor on Imus’ program, as if he didn’t and no one on his staff knew better.
And WFAN was so repulsed by Carton’s behavior on its air and payroll that the interview was promoted for re-airing on FAN’s site.
Therefore when Imus was feeling the heat of his racist fractures, those political and media huge shots were required to play stupid or disappear, as if they ‘d never ever played with fire and had no concept Imus was even efficient in stating such things. Imus who?
Breen, taking the boxing ref’s advice to “protect yourself at all times,” bolted the Imus program before he ‘d be bolted to it.
Don Imus ASSOCIATED PRESS Among those who chose to leave the Imus brand prior to the brand became a stain was Mike Breen. Currently on his method to a respected career as the TELEVISION voice of the Knicks on MSG Network and the NBA on ESPN, Breen was asked one too lots of times how he reconciles his respectful NBA broadcasting with playing low-ball patty cake with Imus as the show’s weekday early morning “commentator.”
Still, Imus & & Co. might be funny, legitimately funny– without targeting some poor schnooks fall for further public penalty or without very first running the gag through the garden compost spot.
However they rarely attempted it. That wouldn’t have actually fit the regards to his engagement or tradition. He was, after all, a shock jock.
Intriguing, too, is that all these post-Imus radio put-down artists– Howard Stern, Opie and Anthony, Carton– would toss sucker punches however could not take a jab, not to mention a punch.
Imus was no fool. When he had newsmen and politicians and newswomen as semi-regular visitors– the cross-promotional worth was high– he ‘d tidy up the content so they would not have to suffer immediate associative public risk. Or so it seemed.
Think about that WFAN was so appalled by Imus’ repugnant words about the Rutgers women’s team, that it soon replaced him with Craig Carton, who quickly asked pro tennis star Jennifer Capriati about her body, then whether she ‘d have sex with a lady, then whether she ‘d engage in a threesome with him and another female prior to she realised that she was the victim of a shock jock ambush.
’round and ’round it goes. It began with Don Imus, dead, Friday, at 79. He was, for better and even worse, the. Did he leave the world a better location? That’s your call.
In the days and weeks following Imus’ termination, it was especially galling to survey the run-for-the-hills, non-responses of some of Imus’s greatest regular big-shot visitors.
In March of last year, Imus, near the end of a goodbye interview on CBS’s “Sunday Morning” following his retirement, was asked if he is going to miss radio. Not till 2 days after his Rutgers fracture– when the top blew off– did any WFAN/CBS Radio executive concede that Imus may have gone too far, as the managers waited, calculating whether this thing would wishfully blow over or blow harder. And so when Imus was feeling the heat of his racist cracks, those political and media big shots were required to play stupid or disappear, as if they ‘d never ever played with fire and had no concept Imus was even capable of stating such things. One of those who selected to leave the Imus brand name before the brand name ended up being a stain was Mike Breen. Imus’ tradition is as a shock jock, and one who helped clear the paths for future, no much better or higher concepts shock jocks.
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