Former CNN anchor Larry King took some shots at conservative talk radio hosts Monday, in particular Rush Limbaugh.
Appearing on a WTF podcast with comedian Marc Maron, King railed against “screaming, yelling idiots...political crazies...the Limbaughs and these guys are just playing with a loose deck” (video follows with transcript and commentary):
LARRY KING: Well, the radio is a kickoff, because I got a lot of good write-ups and a lot of stories about that radio show.
MARC MARON, HOST: Why was it so, why’d you get so much attention?
KING: Because it was the first national network talk show.
MARON: Okay.
KING: I was the beginning of talk radio. I get a lot of credit as the beginning of talk radio in America.
MARON: Do you like what it evolved into?
KING: No, because it became a soap box - screaming, yelling idiots. A lot of what I hear is pop nonsense, political crazies.
MARON: Yeah, no real discussion.
KING: Political crazies. You know, NPR is good radio. But, the Limbaughs and these guys are just playing with a loose deck. And a lot of it’s an act.
MARON: Oh, I know, yeah, it’s, they’re hustlers.
KING: Some are good broad, I came to respect Howard Stern.
MARON: Yeah, sure.
KING: I used to, when it was earlier on, I didn’t buy a lot of that act, but now I understand his maturity and he’s matured.
MARON: Yeah, I think so. I think that’s true.
KING: He’s a very good broadcaster. But I was raised by the Godfreys and the, there was class. Whenever someone curses on the radio it still drives me nuts.
Let's start with the term "playing with a loose deck."
You think he meant "not playing with a full deck" or is he a card or two short?
And isn't it fascinating that King respects Howard Stern, possibly the original "screaming, yelling idiot" on radio?
I guess neither King nor Maron caught that irony.
It was also interesting to hear him praise NPR.
With that in mind, do you think it's Limbaugh's political views that offend King and nothing else?
Yes, that's a rhetorical question.
(HT Mediaite)
