What is the deal with Don Imus? Did this guy actually have some kind of

broadcasting mojo at some point in the distant past?

Sorry to offend those who are fans, I understand him to have a few listeners here at DU. There was a time I tried listening to his AM radio show, and there was a time I used to wake up with the TV on ?MSNBC? where his AM show was on TV.

Sorry but I just find it unlistenable/unwatchable. When did this guy get famous? Did he used to be better than this but too much drugs burned out his brain or something?:shrug:

in limited exposure, though. He just seems like a suck-up to whoever his guests are. And the bits he did too were just not funny.

To each their own!

He takes that whole straight, American white man's burden/priviledge thing to a whole new level.

Makes my skin crawl just listening to him

back in the late '70s, early '80s, on the old WNBC in New York (now WFAN, with him still on it, for some reason).

He and his staff would impersonate a whole stable of characters, like "Geraldo Santanabanana", "Earl C. Watkins" ("Earl C. Watkins, he's our man, he'll send Carter to Eye-ran"), and so on.

They sent him to Cleveland ("the mistake on the lake", "dreary on the Erie" as he called it) once when he f'd up with the drugs and booze. He did come back, but it was never the same after that. And now, well, you know. :puke:

Edit: Vintage Imus included "nuking" the Nassau Coliseum, home of the then-winning New York Islanders hockey team, complete with sound effects. First they did it after an Islanders loss. Then they noticed the Isles were winning after the nukings, so they started doing it before every game. "Are you ready, gang? Nuke 'em!" :nuke: Any unlucky caller who had the misfortune to tick off the host in any way would get nuked, too.

I grew up in NY and we listened to him every morning when I was young, even back in the early 70's, perhaps even late 60's.

on edit: I just checked - he came to NY in 1971.

broadcasting his show from there for promotional reasons. I don't remember if he was cool or not. He didn't look quite as dead, back then.

he had then left him a long time ago, in my opinion.

... picture of the guy, you'll understand that he is well past his prime :)

But he got bought off and sick and divorced and drugged out and now he get's his money from the Corporations and Repugs and is a Media Whore, who uses sick kids for tax breaks.

But, Lieberman, Russert, Biden and some others just love him and suck up to him whenever they get a chance to appear. I've also read he can sell alot of books. Sort of like a "male Oprah."

So, there you have it...

would live with this jerk.

are very good at that. It doesn't make sense to me. But I'm not complaining :)

I swear his face would crack if he ever smiled, the grouchy old bastid.

I still remember his remarks at the National Press Club Dinner with the Clintons. It was fun to watch, in much the same way that public suicide and train wrecks are fun to watch. Hillary looked ready to kneecap him.

but remember, he was the very 1st shock jock...he led the way for Howard Stern & all other imitators.

He was never as outrageous as Stern, but it was a different time.

And there was a time that he was incredibly funny, & was a respected DJ. He played hard rock on AM radio, when most of it was bubble gum crap.

He stopped being funny when he went off booze & drugs.