Farewell, David

[quietann]

David Brudnoy, WBZ's evening talk show host, died of cancer at 6 p.m. this evening.

Whenever I got tired of the nattering classes doing their schtick on NPR, I knew I'd be able to switch over to WBZ 1030 in the evening for something completely different. DB was a gay, HIV positive, ~conservative libertarian, with whom I agreed surprisingly often. He was very good at doing talk radio without being a twit, and even when his guests were idiots, he managed to salvage the conversation.

He was one of the first on the red side of the media spectrum to realize that Shrub was NOT going to be the libertarians' friend. He was pro-gay marriage. And he was a guy who wasn't afraid to be intellectual.

Best quote from tonight's WBZ memorial call-in show (in heavy Bahw-stin accent): "I'm just a blue collar guy, ya know, drive a truck an' everything, but every time I listened to that guy, he made me feel smarter."

I'll miss his voice, not the least because I didn't remember to switch over to listen to him often enough...

Comments

[spaceshotscot.livejournal.com]

My grandmother listened to him every night she could for as long as I knew her. I enjoyed his show as well. Was only this morning that I heard that cancer was back and he had a farewell show.

A cousin died on tuesday. Man what a week.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

I listened to him all the time. It's sad. May he Rest in Peace.

[deguspice.livejournal.com]

I first listed to him on the air nearly 30 years ago when he was on WHDH. I'd listen to his show on a small transistor radio that was almost as old as I was. I usually disagreed with his political views, but I always enjoyed listening to his show.

Last night, speaking from his hospital room, he essential presided over his own wake on his radio show. This evening they had loyal listeners calling in and reminiscing about him.

WBZ Radio has an obituary and pointers to various bits (include an interview from yesterday).
http://wbz1030.com/topstories/topstoriesbos_story_343145722.html

Today's Boston Globe has an article about him, and I suspect that tomorrow's will also.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/12/09/brudnoy_in_cancers_grip_prepares_for_end/

[juliansinger.livejournal.com]

I haven't actually read any of the news stories, but it kind of sounds like he did a subrosa "take just enough morphine to wander off" routine.

If so, good for him.

Gonna miss him. And also the /idea/ of him. Intelligent talk radio. Yes please.

[quietann.livejournal.com]

well, officially, he said in his interview the day before he died (see Ben's link) that he'd asked his doctors to do that, but they refused. It was pretty clear from the interview that he didn't have much longer at the time. He had a super-positive attitude about it.

The interview left me in tears, BTW...