Charlie the Liberal from California sounded like a youngish 30-something, a GenXer. A lot of GenXers are still walking the earth.
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COAST-TO-COAST AM Sounding Arthritic
- Thread starter sdwulfdawg
- Start date
How do you know he isn't a plant? Like a producer or intern calling in to get the oldsters worked into a lather.
Radio has been known to do that sort of thing you know.. Character voices include the hosts, production folks, and other staff.
I didn't think Art had that much of a staff.
Sure you think Art, or George screened/screens their own calls? Also, who ran/runs the board?
Art Bell screened his calls. When I called his show during the 1990's the phone just rang until he picked up. He was doing his show from his home at that time. I was 31 when I got hooked on his show. He talked more politics back then and supported Ross Perot.
There are other people at Premiere who could take on the character as needed. You people that think some of these controversial characters over the years are real, crack me up.
Well, I believed Phil Hendrie's wacko callers were real. One night I heard the truth.
For many years, Art was not syndicated by Premiere. You've never been to a crackpot political or fan convention? There was one in Dallas over the weekend.
No, I get enough crackpots right here. There's something to be said for textual separation.
Could you imagine a live, in-person gathering? A bunch of old white guys dressed in:
Pocket protectors, overalls and Khakis, and lots of talk about AM stereo. I'd rather step in front of a speeding train.
Possibility, but Charlie the Liberal from California had the narrative down pat, better than most of the Air America talk hosts or other liberal commentators I've seen or heard from TV. Had the narrative down as well as some left leaning people here, and they aren't plants. If you believe in something, generally you've got the narrative down.
So, to me, he didn't sound staged. And Art's show at the time (early to mid 1990s) wasn't political. The open call-in hours were free form. Art himself was politically all over the map.
The most I could gather was that Bell was libertarian, but he also agreed with the existence and power of the Federal Reserve, something a lot of right wingers are completely against. Bell was a political maverick. He wasn't running a political show. It was paranormal / oddball / UFO / etc. for the most part.
He may have had some plant calls (the guy who sounded like he was on some sort of drugs -- a soundbite that ended up on a Tool album -- and the guy flying into Area 51 seemed suspicious), but I don't think Charlie the Liberal from California was one of them.
Really?? How could you? They all sounded like Phil Hendrie! It was nothing but a funny bit that got old fast. He was playing the audience for fools.
Not to me, they didn't.
I'm Ted Bell!
And then there was that angry Black woman.
The first time I heard Hendrie it was when I tuned into KFI one night and Hendrie was "interviewing" the young teen guy who smoked a LOT of weed, and he was supposedly talking about medical marijuana, and the "interview" got wackier and wackier and wackier.... I had my suspicions, but thought it was some plant caller or plant interview. The real callers themselves reacted the way you'd normally think they would....
Then I found his show on The Buzz here in Seattle and by then I'd figured out his shtick, but it was funny. The characters were funny.
Ted Bell was a funny guy. Such an ego coming across... So was that Jay Santos guy, Citizens Auxiliary Police, he was funny, because he reminded you of the cop and fireman wannabes.... It all was so out there... it made you laugh.
Perhaps the buttocks smooching is, in a way, one of the show's strengths?
Few people have a desire to appear foolish to other people. Were Noory the sort of host who was widely known for taking guests to task for their nonsense, that might discourage a fair number of the oddball/semi-oddball brigade (i.e. most of his potential guests) from wanting to appear on the show.
By treating everyone who appears on the show amiably and unquestioningly, Noory practically guarantees himself a decent-sized pool of guests from which he can draw at will.
Unfortunately for the sake of the listeners, however, your observation is spot on insofar as, should anyone be looking for a chat show host who is sharp, witty, and nobody's fool, Coast is not the show that is likely to deliver.
However, to be fair to Noory, I think his show is a good example of like attracting like in action.
(This is not an easy thing to admit, but from time to time, I give way to some of my more masochistic inclinations and listen to the show. Or to be more precise, I attempt to listen, as the show places a heavy strain on even the most masochistically inclined).
From what I can gather from my spotty listening, his audience does not consist largely of rocket surgeons who are looking to unwind. Rather, his audience seems to consist largely of the sort of people who, while they may be pleasant company, are not the sort of people who spend a lot of time fretting over what sort of display case they ought to buy for their recently awarded Fields Medal.
If ever there was a chat show host who mirrors his audience, I am convinced it is G. Noory.
That's because, unlike what some think on this board, nothing lasts forever.
I remember it clearly
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