The Boring Rush Limbaugh

Yesterday afternoon I went home early to take some cold medicine, Advil, and a nap. It was about 1:45 p.m., 45 minutes into the three-hour Rush Limbaugh radio show.

I graduated from college in 1992, about the time the Limbaugh show was hitting the national airwaves. He was quite a phenom. His topical updates were hysterical, complete with themed music. He was creating an empire, one listener at a time, and entertaining them along the way. When Bill Clinton was elected, Rush (self-proclaimed conservative and truth-teller) really hit stride. During this period of time I was a frequent listener.

The last 10 years, my jobs and office environments have not been conducive to mid-afternoon radio listening. So, I've fallen out of touch with Rush, never catching more than a few minutes of his show at a time. Yesterday I listened for 135 minutes. What a bore.

Gone, apparently, are calls from listeners. Rush took about 3 an hour. Instead, he'd rather listen to himself speak. No homeless updates, no them music, no plugging of his necktie line (production ceased many years ago). He's still behind the "golden EIB microphone" and reading articles from his "formerly nicotine-stained hands" (never mind that Rush is a frequent cigar smoker, I guess that doesn't count as nicotine).

Rush has been through a lot the last 10 years. He has been divorced, he's had a failed television show, he lost 100 pounds, he was arrested for illegal prescription drug use, and he arguably helped elect a president.

Now, it seems he's just churning out a radio show that helps maintain his millionaire status. It was not entertaining, or amusing, or fun. It was boring. It left me with the feeling that if I go another 10 years before I tune in again, I won't miss much.