Requiem For A Beautiful Blowhard
A radio host named Bob Lassiter died earlier this week.
Now, chances are, even if you're in the biz, or a regular follower of the talk scene, you've never heard of the guy. And that's a tragedy, because Lassiter was one hell of an entertainer.
He was brash. He was sharp. He was a master at getting a rise out of people. He was a bully, a blowhard, and a true original - and the latter is what killed his career. God knows we have our share of bullies and blowhards these days, but originals? Yeah, right.
The industry has barely noticed his passing. Even his old hometown station has given him little mention beyond a perfunctory obituary.
Lassiter was a relic of another era of personality radio...an era when it was more important how entertaining and compelling you were as a host, than how well you conformed to the industry's notions of what "talk radio" was supposed to sound like.
Don't take my word for it. Listen to Lassiter's work and compare what he does to the current crop of journeyman squawkers. The latter group is, for the most part stiff, dull, pandering, totally predictable - but by God, they keep the geezers happy and they don't make trouble for the front office...
There is simply no place in today's spoken-word media for a guy like Bob Lassiter.
That sucks, man.
Now, chances are, even if you're in the biz, or a regular follower of the talk scene, you've never heard of the guy. And that's a tragedy, because Lassiter was one hell of an entertainer.
He was brash. He was sharp. He was a master at getting a rise out of people. He was a bully, a blowhard, and a true original - and the latter is what killed his career. God knows we have our share of bullies and blowhards these days, but originals? Yeah, right.
The industry has barely noticed his passing. Even his old hometown station has given him little mention beyond a perfunctory obituary.
Lassiter was a relic of another era of personality radio...an era when it was more important how entertaining and compelling you were as a host, than how well you conformed to the industry's notions of what "talk radio" was supposed to sound like.
Don't take my word for it. Listen to Lassiter's work and compare what he does to the current crop of journeyman squawkers. The latter group is, for the most part stiff, dull, pandering, totally predictable - but by God, they keep the geezers happy and they don't make trouble for the front office...
There is simply no place in today's spoken-word media for a guy like Bob Lassiter.
That sucks, man.
posted by Jim Walsh at
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
1 Comments:
I knew Bob Lassiter personally.
I am ashamed to say I didn't see him for many years before he died.
I think he had closer bonds with his listeners than almost anyone but his wife.
Just think about how remarkable it is that you and others are talking about and enjoying shows that are 10-20 years old, mostly from fan collections. Could you imagine someone doing the same with Rush Limbaugh recordings?
You are so right about the journeyman hacks dominating talk radio of today. Do you know who replaced Lassiter at his old Tampa station? Glenn Beck, who brown nosed his way up Clear Channel's alimentary canal to his current pinnacle of suck-sess.
Back to Lassiter: You honor his memory every time you share his genius with another. Don't let this man's unduplicated talent die with his body. Pass it on.
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