NEWS JUNKIE POST
Apr 7, 2010 at 10:18 amImus Rising… Again: Radio Rebel Is No Fright Wing Firebrand
Got into it with a radio fan the other day. I confessed my on-again-off-again-on again love affair with Don Imus. Shocked wasn’t the word to describe the reaction. Appalled, maybe even disgusted comes closer. Then a rant ensued. You know the one where the infamous barb heard round the world is flung with dripping politically correct disdain as exhibit A against the pioneering shock jock. I’m not reiterating the offensive off-the-cuff- comment; if you haven’t been residing under a rock the last three years, you’ve heard it. And if you watched the news and talk cable coverage that followed, you heard Al Sharpton–who led the “Fire the I-Man” chorus–repeat what Imus said once dozens of times.
Of course, I’m not defending that remark. Deplorable, it was laced with both racism and sexism. And a shell-shocked and indignant Imus didn’t apologize fast enough or with enough sincerity for the now 24/7 hyper vigilant media scolds to give him a pass. Okay, I got that. And so did Imus. Big time. After his public flogging and firing, after a contrite meeting with the Rutgers basketball team ( which may have been as media manipulated as the firing itself), and his brief exile, Imus returned. Not entirely unscathed or unchanged. But undaunted.
Though he continues to deny any inherent racism, he did acknowledge the difference between taking pot shots at “civilians”, particularly young people who never asked to be part of what he calls “the freak show” and politicians and celebrities who are eager members of the spectacle and as such fair game to acerbic cuts from a quick trigger big mouth. He also added two African-American sidekicks Tony Powell and Karith Foster. Both received flack from early critics who dubbed them “window dressing.” At the time, Powell told a reporter, “I’m not Don Imus’ lawn jockey.” Foster departed last summer, but Powell continues to compliment the comic genius of Imus stalwart Rob Bartlett ( who I once attempted to entice to defect and become my radio sidekick; Bartlett obviously made the wise career decision).
After a two year “Imus in the Morning” free diet, I re-immersed myself into the show in the months since it has reappeared on TV on the Fox Business Channel. The show’s tone is roughly the same. So if you didn’t like it before, you probably won’t like it now. But there is a profound, if subtle difference. Nearing seventy and battling prostate cancer( the prognosis is good and he talks about it incessantly, turning it into a recurring bit), Imus seems more reflective. I won’t say he cares more, because it’s been evident through his good works on behalf of ill children, veterans, and recovering addicts among whom he openly finds himself, that he has been using his substantial financial and celebrity power for the greater good for decades. But he seems more aware of what his words mean and who they may be affecting.
“There are very few people in public life who have taken responsibility the way Imus has,” said Debra J. Dickerson, an African American author of “End of Blackness .” She wrote a scathing piece against Imus for “Time” shortly after the Rutgers remark, but with the urging of students in a college journalism class she was teaching, reluctantly appeared on his show shortly after the re-launch in 2008. Dickerson was amazed at his candor and sincerity and has returned several times since.
This doesn’t mean “Imus in the Morning” has devolved into a nattering love fest. Far from it, thank God. He’s still taking on all comers. And doing it with his uncanny ability to disarm stuff shirt pols, authors and others willing to spar with the master mouth. And that’s he’s true talent as a broadcaster. He can make folks like McCain and Lieberman (back when they were buddies) sound animated, even interesting. Imus has never worried about stepping on toes or breaking political party egg shells; and that makes for very compelling radio and TV. Watch last week’s lively exchange between Imus and “Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace:
Fans and critics can see Imus is essentially up to his old tricks. He calls Cokie Roberts a “a nice woman,” but manages to squeeze in, “her mind is always in the gutter.” And he sets up the usually staid Wallace to needle Roberts over her alleged staged reporting ploy ( which was, by the way, some years back). Like the little devil on the shoulder, Imus deftly lures the guests into his radioactive lair, making them play his mischievous game, something they may regret later. Of course, most enjoy it enough–or wager its pros outweigh its cons-as they return for frequent re-matches.
A little of Imus goes a long way. I still find what one commentator called the “mumblecore” a tad tiresome. He engages in too much nonsensical banter with his entourage that now includes long time sidekicks producer Bernard McGuirk and news anchor Charles McCord, sportscaster Warner Wolf ( who has replaced the offensive Sid Rosenberg)and and assortment of Fox Business anchors. Less of that babble and more interviews, funny bits with Bartlett and Powell and musical segments would improve the show’s flow. But Imus, who’s been at this radio thing since the early ’60′s, and has won three Marconi Awards, ain’t about to change what he doesn’t think is broken.
So be it. In an era of increasingly toxic talk radio, Don Imus is authentic and unpredictable. His comments, fast, furious and yes, sometimes offensive, will surprise you. No party water carrier, he called Sarah Palin ‘criminally insane” for tweeting conservatives to ‘reload” and post cross hairs on her Facebook page. He’s not exactly an Obama fan, either, but admitted ambivalence over health reform, saying: ” I’m not a bleeding heart liberal meathead, but I do have some empathy for people who have been screwed.” Imagine Limbaugh or Beck showing even an ounce of such humanity. Or honesty. While Limbag never admits he’s wrong, only “uninformed’ when confronted with a blatant falsehood he can’t squirm out of, Imus readily cops to mistakes. Ironic, too, that of all the shock talkers, Imus was the one who found himself–albeit for a short stint–in the penalty box. So while the I-man may have learned a lesson, the other blowhards haven’t benefited from his time-out. The rhetoric, in fact, has only grown more rabid and rancorous with no end–or personal consequence to these hate mongers–within earshot.
Imus also affords the greatest big time platform for authors and musicians, both known and new. Monday morning I awoke to a mini concert by one of his ( and my) faves, Roseanne Cash. He’s probably responsible for more bestsellers than Oprah Winfrey. Holding good writers and performers in high esteem, he can fawn over his favorites like David Remnick and Lily Tomlin. Showcasing his inner fan after all these years makes Imus accessible, even endearing.
I know it’s a love him or hate him deal with Don Imus. And while I tire of the babble, and go through jags of both relentless watching and weary cold turkey, I find myself once again, in the love camp these days. So when critics or my disgruntled fan blithely toss him into the same box with Limbaugh, Beck and Hannity, I cringe. The truth is liberals think Imus is too conservative and conservatives think he’s too liberal. Good thing there are a lot of independents–and over 2 million regular listeners– who enjoy a cantankerous curmudgeon calling it like he sees it. He’ll take on liberals, conservatives, anyone he perceives as a phony or a fool. From Karl Rove to Dick Cheney, Bill Clinton to Joe Biden, no one is exempt.
Check out the “Imus in the Morning” website for local radio affiliates. You’ll also find the show’s Pledge for Politicians. Instructions for a more amusing pol include: “Embrace your inner weasel;, “Emulate heroes,: anything Sanford, Clinton or Edwards did, you can do better,” and “Shoot for YouTube”, advising all embarrassing comments made when you thought the cameras and mics were turned off are best. For the show. And the audience.
“Imus in the Morning” is still honest, unfiltered and politically incorrect. Still one of a kind.
Please follow Amy Beth Arkawy on Twitter. You can also read her other News Junkie Post articles.
I am not a fan of IMUS but you made some good points in your article and as always I enjoy reading your submissions. Perhaps Imus has softened a bit with his years and what he is going through medically.
I could not agree more with Amy Beth Arkawy! There has never been a TV show that I missed on a daily basis as I did IMUS IN THE MORNING. And now he is back and booming – 7 days a week. Yes, there is nonsense. There is also comedy, political banter, sentiment, substance, style, excellent interviews and great music. I hear something worth listening to every day. I learn something worth knowing every day. How many other TV shows can I say that about? Zero. I embrace Don Imus’ opinion that neither the right wing nor the left wing “nut jobs” tell the truth. I am no more Republican than I am Democrat, and I find it so refreshing that Don Imus is willing to spar with politicians on either side of the aisle. I was watching the morning that Imus commented on the Rutgers women’s basketball team. He went too far. Was what he said worse than the disgusting comments that I have heard from Howard Stern and any number of hip-hop “artists?” I think not. I applaud Don Imus for getting past all that. He has reformed “just enough,” and I enjoy him as he is. Seems to me that most of the folks who have no tolerance for Don Imus are those who can’t open their minds enough to sit still and listen long enough to get past all the nonsense. Long live Imus. I hope he is as successful in his battle with prostate cancer as he has been in conquering his critics.
This article I understand…for I am the same way about Don Imus. I have been a long time Imus fan, since Day 2 of Imus’ days on WNNNNNNNN…BC. He’s always been great to listen to, until he was canned by MSNBC/WFAN. Now, as you pointed out ” a little Imus” goes a long way. In my case, about three minutes a day. Otherwise, I listen to another station or NPR. I remember the comment, thought it funny, since I was calling the Rutgers girls ” Dennis Rodman in Drag”, nothing more of it…then the hoo-ha hit the ‘FAN. What truly disgusted me is after YEARS of bashing Sharptongue, Imus cried like Jimmy Swaggart appearing on that racist pilgrim’s program. That was the end of my being an Imus fan. He was disappointing to say the least. I will still be a “hot and cold” fan when it comes to Imus and I wish him the best in retirement, which is coming in two years. He will be missed, but only the Crazy, Funny, Insightful Imus…not the guy who appears on Faux Bizness.