Air America hangs up on Lars Larson

What a moment it was, 6:55 pm today, when I heard arch-conservative talk show host Lars Larson call in to Randi Rhodes’ arch-liberal Air America radio program. Lars and Randi are two of the most irritating people on radio, proving that pomposity, big egos, impoliteness, and ill-informed opinions can be found equally on both the left and right sides of the dial.

Lars phoned to tease Randi about being “punked” by her guest the preceding hour, Patti Smith (the singer). I didn’t hear all of the interview, but got in on the end of it. They were talking about Ralph Nader, who Patti said was a friend of hers. Patti was miffed that Randi said, “Ralph Nader doesn’t care about anything except himself.” (All quotes just my best recollections, of course).

Patti didn’t want to talk more about Nader, but Randi kept pressing her about why he hadn’t formed a political party during the past four years, if he was so concerned about changing America. Patti kept defending Nader in a calm and collected fashion, while Randi did her usual high-pitched, sarcastic, talk-over-anyone-who-doesn’t-agree-with-you thing.

Then a “thunk” was heard, and Randi said, “Oh, Patti is pissed at me. She just threw down her headphones.”

Soon Patti came back on the radio and spoke about how emotional Randi was about Nader, and how much that bothered her when she expected to be treated better as a guest. Randi then proceeded to rant and rave about how she wasn’t being emotional at all, that she was just expressing her rational, factual opinion, and that Patti was the emotional one because she was Nader’s friend.

That led to another “thunk,” which apparently was the studio door slamming as Patti left in a huff. Can’t blame her. After listening to Randi Rhodes, an ardent Kerry supporter, I almost felt like voting for Nader myself.

Just before the 7:00 pm break Lars Larson made his call. I can’t imagine why Air America put him on the air, because Randi Rhodes didn’t come off very well in the interchange. Lars’ opening words were, “I just wanted to call in about Patti Smith punking you on the air.” (“Punk’d” is a MTV show that sets up celebrities in embarrassing situations and then films them as they react).

He added, “And why do you have such a thing about my gun?” (Larson is a notorious concealed weapon carrier and must have had a previous run-in with Randi about this). Randi said, “As a girl I like men to have their gun in front, not in back.” Larson replied, “I’ve got a gun in both places.” Sweet! I wanted this catty interchange to go on forever. Sadly, Randi started talking over Lars, just as Lars does so often with those who call in to his show, and soon she hung up on him.

With the airwaves all to her own massive ego, she ended the hour with a pathetic, self-absorbed monologue directed at the person she didn’t have the guts to talk to directly: “Lars, I’m beating you in your time slot in Portland. You’re toast. You’re history. Conservative talk radio is dead. It’s a dinosaur. It’s over, Lars, admit it.” And so on. And so on. Until, blessedly, the hourly news.

At that moment I said to myself, “A pox on both your houses.” Randi Rhodes and Lars Larson, along with Michael Savage, represent the worst in American talk radio: divisive, shrill, uninformed. I listen to Randi a lot more than Lars, because I generally agree with Air America’s liberal positions. But when I heard Randi rail on one day about how there was more torture in the Abu Ghraib prison than in Saddam Hussein’s regime, I was convinced that this woman was as half-blind with her left eye as Larson and Savage are with their right eyes.

Laurel and I have been getting to the point where we can barely stand to listen to Randi Rhodes. After I heard her trash and insult Patti Smith this evening, I’m over that point—at least until, as a good liberal, I decide to give Randi another chance. At the least, I’m going to write Air America and plead that she be given another time slot, like 2:00 am to 5:00 am.

If I were an undecided voter and tuned in to Air America to learn more about how a Kerry supporter sees the world, a few minutes with Randi Rhodes would make me want to turn to the right side of the dial. When you preach solely to the choir, you’re not going to be persuading new singers to join up. Especially not Patti Smith, that’s for sure.

Comments

[Jessica]

Thank you! I have come to similar conclusions about Randi Rhodes. I wince when I listen her tear into someone like a T-Rex, then hang up on them in disgust, and trash them for several minutes after she has cut them off. This is, to my mind, a level of immaturity that I rarely see on the left...among adults, at least.
I had the same reaction as you did to the Patti Smith interaction. Patti maintained a well modulated voice, refused to be put down, refused to be manipulated, and did not call names in the process. Randi, on the other hand, tried to illogically equate a condemnation of Ralph's so-clled failures with the Greens to "Ralph Nader is only interested in Ralph Nader." She followed this by trying to illogically equate Patti's polite request to forego discussion of Ralph to having broken some kind of unspoken pact about what is supposed to happen "on a political talk show." When Patti persisted in resisting her, she literally YELLED, "YOU brought it up! and I have an opinion!!" Finally, she said, "I'm sorry you are upset that this is a political talk show." What i learned from that final statement is that she is not only nasty, but manipulative too, quickly figuring out a way to make Patti look wrong (or stupid), repackaging her rudeness into Patti's shortcoming.
Though I agree with many of Randi's perspectives, I would like to see a different talk show host in her time slot.

[Lori]

The Randi-Patti exchange has bothered me for two days, because before it happened, Randi had made me laugh with her attitude enough to make her rudeness just part of the schtick. But it's pretty ugly to invite someone onto your show and then trash her relentlessly. Randi has some excellent points to make about Nader--the one I am so glad to hear someone finally say is that he has done nothing to build a Green Party, he seems above running for any office other than president, and he seems for these reasons to be disingenuous. But still, make your point and move on, Randi, ya know? It was riveting radio for 20 minutes, sure, but you just lost me for all the days ahead. I think this must be what happens to someone whose used to being able to talk on the air, blah blah blah blah blah, without engaging in conversation. You lose the ability.

[roliviar]

(Hi. I found this by searching for reactions to the Rhodes/Smith interview.)

I listen to several shows on AAR, and love most of them. Randi's impressed me with her knowledge and sense of humor. I've been put off a couple times, which was frankly hurtful, because she's so knowledgable and cares about researching to find answers.

I also love Patti Smith. For obvious reasons.

I've heard the interview twice. I have to admit I don't think Randi was so wrong. Yes, she sounded loud and aggressive sometimes. But honestly, she sounds like many New Yorkers (that is not an insult). Anybody who has listened to her often knows that is how she talks, even if she's happy. Patti "sounded" calm and collected, but the content of her answers were more hostile than Randi's. Patti was almost mumbling (which can be passive-aggressive), and was dismissive and avoidant every time Randi asked something that was difficult instead of easy. Listening again, to the content, Randi's statements were factual and her questions appropriate. Patti disagreed with facts--Ralph himself said he accepted money from Republicans--and just said she "disagreed" and that Ralph was her friend instead of engaging Randi's questions. When Randi said Ralph didn't care about anyone but himself, Patti's response wasn't to explain why he isn't, just to grouse. Randi shut up when Patti said she was monopolizing the interview, but Patti said nothing meaningful.

It was uncomfortable to listen to, because the two were antagonistic, but I really think Randi was trying to keep the topic at an intelligent level while Patti expected her words to be accepted. Randi called a spade a spade when she saw it. And she wasn't hostile, just frank. Challenging questions can seem hostile. Patti "didn't want to talk about it," and said "Ralph is my friend." Furthermore, she brought up the topic. She was fine with talking about Ralph when she wasn't being challenged.

That was sad. It was pathetic when she took off her headphones.

I felt sorry for Randi. I knew that would hurt her, and later we learned it did, since Smith was a childhood idol and someone she respected now. I admire Randi all the more for that. It would have been easier, and more desirable, to "get along" with Patti Smith. Instead, she opted for smart follow-up questions. It was a chance for Smith to be interviewed. It felt like Smith wanted to be slavishly listened to, or praised.

And that disappointed me alot. It's unfair Randi is being cast as someone who trashed her guest just because she had a real conversation with her.

[nlocke]

Yeah Rolivar, you're absolutely right on point.

If anyone had been listening to the actual interview, they would have heard that Randi tried several times to pull the conversation to the area of music-- a place where Patti Smith would have been more comfortable--put Patti insisted on talking about politics. I for one, have a lot of respect for her that she didn't allow Patti Smith--someone she idolized--to come on her show and misinform people about Ralph Nader.

I think that exchange points out a common problem in politics that my girlfriend and I both experienced working on political campaigns -- the difference between ACTIVISTS and POLITICOS. Activists don't really know anything about politics at all. Some don't even know anything about their issue, but they believe that they know right from wrong and move from that position. Politicos understand how politics work and understand what needs to be done to get as much of your agenda accomlished as possible with the power and strategy that you have. Patti is an activist and Randi is a politico.

Finally I would just like to say this in defense of Randi Rhodes. I've been listening to her long before anyone ever even thought about making Air America, so I'm a fan. And I'm a fan precisely because she's an attack dog with facts and when you get the facts wrong or your strategy stinks (like voting for Ralph Nader), she'll tell you in no uncertain terms.

Liberals need to drop their self-righteous indignation about her tone and listen to her message. Because frankly for too long we've been coming to a knife fight with a rubber chicken. We've spent too long trying to be reasonable with people who don't have any desire to be reasoned with. And that's why we're out of power in all three branches of government watching Republicans dismantle everything that we've worked for over the past 50 years.

And honestly, indignation isn't going to speak for us when it becomes dangerous in this country to be a liberal and the way things are shaping up that may be pretty soon. We're going to need someone with a big mouth and a loud voice.

[monica]

i didn't hear the interview but i heard randi say,i think last friday, that she couldn't care less about what differences she and patti smith had over nader, but that she was just upset because of the obvious "condition" that patti was in. does anyone know what she meant by this? i'm just curious because i didn't hear the interview.

[the amazing one]

monica,

There is no "condition", Patti Smith is just fine. Randi came on Friday first complaining about how people where trashing her on her own message boards, then went into character assassination mode and drop all this innuendo about Patti to try to save face for her own poor behavior the day before.

FYI -- if Randi gave Patti a chance to speak then perhaps Randi would have found out that Patti does not back Nader in this election. Smith endorses Kerry, but is still a personal friend of Naders, so of course she is not going to want to hear crap about a friend -- even one who may think is going wrong.

All and all, I think Ms. Rhodes is the one who "needs help".

[don]

Air America is nothing but nasty hateful crap. Randi, Ed and Al all call people stupid, morons, etc. Hate speech plain and simple. I would rather hear honest discourse not name calling.

[uscman]

Randi at the end of her run in with Lars said to him "go to hell Lars"

How lame can you get??? Air America is the mirror image of all that they say right-wing talk radio is. No different in tone or spirt. Slam-bam-thank-you-mam!!

When will we all grow up and TURN OFF THE NOISE!!!!!

You can't love people when you HATE THEM ALL DAY LONG!!! You can't agree on anything when you love listening to your own voice go on and on and on.

Mike Malloy is the worst I have ever heard in radio, he makes Michael Savage sound like a nice old drunk guy at the park playing checkers. He is spiteful, hateful and I can only imagine what the world would be like if he was in charge. Every one that ever went to a Christian church would be ushured into the death camps again.

Diversity means you don't want to kill everyone just because they don't think the same as you do.

Kill your television & your radio.

USCMAN

[alok]

I could not agree more. Mike Malloy is the worst radio personality who has ever put up a show.

The kind of abusive language he uses and the kind of hate he airs is unprecedented. If anyone could

ask him to stop doing this-it is urgent. This guy is a scum who would like to befriend Osama Bin Laden if by doing so he could defeat the Republicans.

[Damail]

Just a quick reminder: Randi Rhodes once "joked" about how President Bush should be assassinated just like Fredo in "The Godfather, Part II". That was back in May 2004. I think that meets the definition of "hate radio".