I am not at all suprised by Imus. I can’t imagine actually having to watch him. I can’t stand his voice. His humor or “politics” leave a lot to be desired, so I don’t listen to him, always change the radio channel if he’s on. The amazing thing to me is that he actually makes a living doing what he does.
Rather in-depth observations from someone who is out of this world.
[semi-hijack] (I like your new avatar Lamby 
) [/end hijack]
To sleep, perchance to rub,
Ah, there’s the dream!
Happy St. Pat’s everybody!
[semi-hijack](Thank you, Izz! I like it, too! Steve’s a fine man and a finer photographer!)[/end hijack]
Come on, quit beating around the bush…tell us what you REALLY think!
Imus is a huge Delbert McLinton fan… which may or may not shed light on the subject.
I always enjoyed his show, when I could pick it up on the radio…guess I’ll have to look into that brow-raising surgery, after all.
… OK, he’s a self serving racist prick. 
Imus is a legend. He was a good DJ long before there was this whole talk-radio thing; a fush-hour DJ before the whole rush-hour thing was big and syndication and programming services became big. He didn’t start the whole thing with skits, etc., till the late 70’s, 10-20 years after he was the second-best-known DJ in New York (after Wolfman Jack).
I hadn’t heard a thing about him in 20 years before he was a guest on some pundits show. Imus, the DJ, talking politics??? He’s simply risen to his level of incompetence. He’s giving the audience what (most of) the audience wants.
I’m with Dub on CTL. I’ve seen them twice, ill-advisedly bought a couple of their discs, and they simply don’t do a thing for me.
I sometimes avoid defending Joanie Madden and CTL on this forum. I have a conflict of interest because Joanie is a friend.
And, of course, in matters of aesthetic taste, there’s really no arguments to make: People are free to like or not like the music.
Joanie & CTL get attacked sometimes for not being traditional enough–the age-old debate about pure forms of a musical genre vs. more broadly- appealing approaches (and more commercial) applies here.
But, putting aesthetics aside, I’ll just point out that no person(s) on the planet, in my opinion, with the exception of The Chieftains, is more responsible for public interest in Irish music than Joanie Madden. Among other things, there’d be no C&F had I not heard Joanie play.
The truth is, there may not be enough fans of the “pure” forms of any musical genre (the Blues, comes to mind, too) to financially support the pure forms. And further, all the purists owe a debt to the non-purists, or popularists, we might say, which they seldom acknowledge while snobbishly looking down their noses. How many people got interested in real nitty-gritty Delta Blues by first listening to B. B. King (NOT a blues purist)? How many people, like myself, ended up spending a good bit of money on “pure” Irish Trad, because he or she first heard The Chieftains or Cherish the Ladies?
/raises hand
Apologies to chas. I shouldn’t have quoted his post in mine. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with not liking CTL, or not liking Mary Bergin, for that matter.
Not a problem. I’ve got absolutely nothing against CTL, and I have a lot of respect for some of their current and past members. (Anyone who helped expose the world to Win Horan and Mary Rafferty is fine by me.) They’re just not my cuppa.
I came to traditional music through Steeleye Span, and they’re the one and only constant in my listening over the last (cough cough) 30 years. Not exactly the most traditional of the traditional bands, the originality in their arrangements is certainly one of the things that attracts me to them.
I sometimes avoid defending Joanie Madden and CTL on this forum. I have a conflict of interest because Joanie is a friend.
I wouldn’t consider her being a friend a conflict. I posted a link to a friend’s website last week. His being my friend doesn’t mean he’s not a great musician, just as Joanie being your friend isn’t the primary reason you like CTL’s music. (Just a guess, but I suspect liking her music predated y’all being buds, too.)
I just remembered the best part of the article on him.
He was trying to get to an airport back in his cocaine/booze days and decided that the best way to do it was… to buy a Cadillac on the spot and drive himself there. The interviewer asked where it was and he said that, to that day, he had no clue. That is a story for the grandkids (minus the coke).
Me, too.
In my case, I needed something sufficiently rompous, yet not irritating, to wake up to in the morning. Borders was playing the Chieftains over the sound system for St. Pat’s and . . .
There’s a variation on that story told about Mike Tyson. He was out somewhere, got caught in a rainstorm, dashed into a sports car dealership, bought a car, drove home. Good story, even if untrue.
Untruths are sooooo much more entertaining than truths.
The media is the message
Slan,
D.
He probably listens to the Backstreet Boys.
Honestly, it sounds like the fellow has an utter lack of manners, and deserves to get a less than happy letter. (Or a few less than happy letters, for that matter.) That is no way to treat anyone, let alone guests on your show.
I mean, “don’t play your dopey instruments”- good gracious! He’s asking for a slapping.
Going on a show like Imus’ is taking a risk anyway. i’ve only seen bits of the guy and don’t get the attraction. You had Stern and Imus out there in New York and they’re both major league horse’s asses. i guess you have to be there to get it.
Imus couldn’t carry Howard Stern’s Jock Strap. Wear it on his head, maybe.
As for Dale’s comment about JM and CTL being second only to The Chieftains in terms of bringing people to Irish Music… Dale, I’ve got two words for you: Michael Flatley.
Loren
OHHHHH, crap.