According to today's incomparable Daily Howler, Bob Somerby will be on the radio soon. It sounds like can't-miss radio:
THE O'FRANKEN ADVENTURE: Our entire staff guest-stars today on Air America's inspiring show, The O'Franken Factor. Our segment starts at 12:30 Eastern. With Al's enthusiastic permission, we plan to discuss Wittgenstein's “private language argument,” although our presentation is fairly tight and may not take the entire segment. Punch line: “If they told us that when we were sophomores, we wouldn't have had to take Descartes or Kant!” Of course, if you try to do this on conservative radio, they give you this look like you're nuts.
Excitement builds in the radio world. We certainly hope you'll be listening.
I've listened to Air America a few time in the evening and found it to be just plain awful. To be fair I haven't heard either of what I expect would be the best shows — Al Franken's show and Florida's own Randi Rhodes. But what I have heard is pretty pathetic.
In contrast…no, by any standard, the clips of the Daily Show the Comedy Network puts online are absolutely fantastic.
Franken’s show has gone from bad to better. He’s still not a great interviewer and he still doesn’t click too well with Lampher.
I prefer Garofalo’s show. I do wish Sam Seder would cut out the stupid southerner- and Christian-bashing altogether, but he’s improving, and Garofalo for my money is the best interviewer Air America has.
Randi Rhodes? She’s her same old self, a social-democratic mirror image of the right-wing radio crowd, with all the hyperbole, histrionics and energy that implies. Not exactly factual, but never boring.
That morning show with Chuck D and Lizz Winstead is an unlistenable mess, tho. Chuck in particular seems stifled by the format. He comes off more passionate and more politically interesting during his weekly late-night music slot, which comes off like a shambling freeform college radio show presided over by an old radical with a great record collection. I wish it were longer.
I listened to about half an hour of Garofalo last night and have no plans to listen again ever. Pointless swearing and ranting.