I’m normally not one of those people who cite stories they heard on National Public Radio to make conversations more intellectual. (For instance: “Can you believe it, a Manhattan researcher has learned that too many NASCAR races cause brain stem detachment. It’s called the Petty Effect. Can you believe they let those people vote.” Yeah, I hate it when people do that).
But I heard a story from Alex Blumberg on NPR’s “This American Life” from last week that I just loved and would recommend to anyone who likes literature, politics or trashy daytime TV.
Most folks know Jerry Springer as the host of one of society’s worst television programs, a talk show in which ignorant buffoons get into fights and swear at each other. And some might know that Jerry Springer was once a city councilor and popular Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, who fell just short in a run for governor before his television career. But the real story is much more complex. In the “This American Life” segment, friends and political colleagues of Springer’s during the 1970s describe him as THE greatest politician they’ve ever encountered. Indeed, the recordings of his early speeches are so starkly different from the Springer most Americans know that your jaw will drop. Springer’s story is literary; how did this great statesman become the dean of daytime TV garbage? But the clincher for me was the last five minutes of the segment. In 2003, Springer flirted with a U.S. Senate run in Ohio. He gave political speeches across the state including one that was aired at the end of this NPR segment.
This speech will make you cry it’s so good. Jerry Springer could have been one of the great political figures of his generation. Hell, maybe he still could be. Yes, I just typed that.
You can listen to the broadcast or download the free podcast here (it’s also available at iTunes for free). The Springer segment is the first and lasts 31 minutes but I wouldn’t mention it if it wasn’t worth the time.
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