December 24, 2021 • 34 mins
Guest host Michael Berry fills in on a special Christmas Eve tribute to Rush, the greatest of all time. James Golden (aka Bo Snerdley) shares some of his personal memories and stories about Rush. An EIB Rush tradition dedicated to Rush: Silent Night.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to today's edition of the Clay Travis and Buck
Sexton Show podcast. He's the host of his self titled
radio program Hurt Nationwide. Here's Michael Berry in for Clay
Travis said Buck Sexton. Hello America, this is Donald Trump,
your favorite president, I hope, and I just want to
(00:21):
give a big shout out to Michael Berry, who's doing
a fantastic job. You all know he's from Houston, but
he's guest hosting and he's going to make it a
very merry Christmas and a happy New Year for everybody.
So Michael, do a great job today. Merry Christmas to you.
I'll be filling in for Clay and Buck today and
(00:41):
all of next week. Today will be a very special
tribute to Rush Limball, and I'll explain why in just
a moment. Next week we'll be back to the traditional
format of pointing out how Joe Biden and the Democrats
are ruining the country. Rush Limball used to say that
you should find your joy not in the news, politicians, celebrities, musicians, athletes.
(01:04):
Find your joy inside yourself and your family and your faith,
the people around you, the influences, the special joys and remembrances,
and today that will be what we do. We will
not talk about politics today. I will ask you to
give that a break, as Rush always did on Christmas Eve.
But first I want to thank Clay Travis and Buck
(01:26):
Sexton for the incredible opportunity to speak to Limball Nation,
particularly on this the most important day since Russia. Limball
is passing on February seventeenth, to talk about Rush Limball
because of what happened last year. And I'll get into
that in a moment. I want to thank Clay and
Buck for giving me this great opportunity. I want to
(01:47):
thank them for being willing to do something that everyone
in radio wanted to do, but there was so much
fear to do, and that is to follow Rush Limball.
Nobody can replace him and think they've done a wonderful job.
I think they get better by the day. They're pouring
their hearts and souls into it. And if you've noticed,
every day is in some way or another some form
(02:09):
of tribute to Rush Limball and his listeners. And there
are a lot of people to thank for that. And
that's the folks who gave us an opportunity to be
here today. That's Ali Murroch, Murachkovski, Murachkovsky, that's a long name.
That's why they just call her Ali, Engineer Crash, Mike Caragliano, engineer,
Mike Maman. These are the folks that we're with Rush throughout.
(02:33):
Julie Talbot, the head of Premier Craig Kitchen, Rush's conciliary,
the folks who were with Rush till the end. They
are the Rush Limball Show, along with the folks that
you knew, Cookie Dawn, George Coco, all those folks. It's
an incredibly talented team and getting ready for today. You
(02:54):
see the passion and commitment they have not just to
make great radio, but to make great radio that would
be proud of excellence in broadcasting. And you can't mention
that without talking about bos Nerdly, how special he was
to Rush, and he will be our guest coming up
in the next hour. He has a new book out,
Rush on the Radio, but we're going to talk about
(03:15):
what Rush meant to him personally. A year ago, Rush
Limbaugh did his Christmas Eve broadcast and he talked about
why Christmas was important to him. Rush viewed Christmas as
even more important than Thanksgiving as a time to be grateful,
to be thankful, and he talked a lot about that.
(03:38):
In preparing for the show, Ali, one of his producers, said,
you know, Rush would get would get giddy like a
child over Christmas. He was, He was like a child.
His brother David Limbaugh tells the story that he would
fly into Missouri on his jet full of presence for
all the kids, and he was like a big Santa
(03:58):
Claus and at the parties he would be caroling and
singing and having such a great time. This was a
very joyous occasion. And you're going to hear some of
his remarks on that last broadcast of the year last year,
and that's why it was so special that we would
get to be with you here. This is not my
show today, this is yours, and this is an opportunity
(04:21):
for you to share what Rush meant to you over
all those years. And I tell you, going back and
listening to the shows, to the Christmas shows that meant
so much to him, and hearing how he was affected,
especially that last Christmas a year ago, how he was
affected by what you meant to him and what he
meant to you, and hearing those stories, and I thought
(04:45):
we'd do that again today, Rush's team said, Hey, you know,
we're honored to have you guest host, but would you
mind that first day on Christmas Eve because of this
is the first Christmas Eve for us and for Limball
Nation without Rush. Would you mind you seeing this opportunity
to let the listeners tell their stories and let this
be absolutely of course, what an honor to get to
(05:08):
be here. So this is your show. What would you
tell Rush if you could talk to him today? I
like to think he's listening. One eight hundred two eight
two to eight eight two one eight hundred two eight
two eight eight two. Of course Rush was talented. Of
course he was the greatest of all time. There'll never
(05:31):
be anyone like him. He set a whole different bar.
He saved the AM radio five Marconi's it could have
been five thousand. It's an incredible story. He was not
just America's anchorman. He was our teacher, our coach, our mentor,
our friend, our adviser, our inspiration, our motivation, our guidance.
(05:52):
It was everything. He was bigger than a show or
a man. He was a movement. The medal of Freedom
when it was given had an entire nation gathering together
and say, yes, this is President Trump. What we've wanted
for this man, the entire nation honoring him. The woman
(06:12):
on the other end of the phone when you call
one eight hundred two eight two two eight eight two
today is Ali who was there with Rush all along.
And I can tell you she's had some tearful moments
since February seventeenth and before, but I can assure you
that this week she's had tissue at hand. As we've
gone through, clip by clip by clip, winnowing them down.
(06:33):
How do you find those special, precious few moments of
Rush telling you what you meant to him, and listening
to you as to what he meant to you, and
seeing his reaction, hearing his reaction. But it's dear to
the mind. You can see his reaction. It's been a
tough week for a lot of folks, but today is
(06:53):
a celebration. It is a celebration, and I hope this
makes for a very special Christmas for you. That's the
gift Rush gave us. Our thoughts and prayers go out
to Rush's immediate family on this Christmas Eve. This has
to be a tough time, especially his bride Katherine, his
dear brother David, Limbaugh, his close friends and family. Throughout
(07:16):
the show, you will hear the musical stylings of Mannheim Steamroller,
and you probably heard because Rush would often tell He
once said, Manheim Steamroller, it's all instrumental. I have a
bit of an emotional attachment to it. It happened to
be some of the first Christmas music I by happenstance.
Happened to be listening to it upon learning of the
(07:36):
death of my father. And he told the story about
He's at thirty five thousand feet in a flight going
to la and his father's just passed and he's listening
to Mannheim Steamroller and how much that meant to him.
And so that is why Ali in his honor, plays
Mannheim Steamroller songs from Christmas to New Year at every bump.
(08:02):
That's what Rush wanted, and his legacy lives on in
that music. I'd tell you an interesting backstory to Mannheim
steam Roller and the connection Rush Limbaugh had to Chip Davis,
the founder, And there's a real interesting Heartland of America
connection between the two of them that I bet you
(08:23):
didn't know that I'm going to be sharing with you
in just a few moments. But today is going to
be a lot of Rush Limbaugh, a lot of your calls,
some boast, nerdly, maybe some tears, but a lot of
joy celebrating the life of Rush Limball. I'm Michael Verian
for Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. Time slots on loan
from Rush, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton EIB Network. He's
(08:56):
the host of his self titled radio program heard nationwide.
Here's Michael Barry in for Clay, Travis, s and Buck Sexton.
If you loved Rush Limball, you know he loved James Golden,
known to the world as Bo Snardley, call screener, official
(09:17):
Obama criticizer, official program observer, and dear dear friend and
confidant to Rush Limball. James Golden, Bo Snardly, Welcome to
the show, sir, Welcome back. Oh my pleasure to be here.
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas to you. I want to talk
(09:37):
about the book, the podcast, your health, your life, all
of those things. But first I know this has to
be a tough day for you, as it is for Catherine,
as it is for the entire team, for David. What
are the emotions today? A year after that special broadcast
by Rush and this the first Christmas Eve he's not
with us. Well, it's a mixture of the was it
(10:00):
sad It's gratitude for the all the years that he
did give us, and the sadness I don't think ever
will go away. But you know, there are other things
now that helped layer it. Like I said, with gratitude,
the tremendous gratitude for Russia's life and um and what
he was about. There was an opinion piece written by
(10:20):
Diana a Loco that was Fox News Today about Rush
and how much we all miss him at Christmas. I
know you're carrying on and doing a great show for
all of us who have similar emotions. I mean, this
time last year, after listening to the last broadcast that
Rush did of the of the year, the way he
(10:41):
ended it, he obviously knew that he wasn't going to
be with us this Christmas. I remember last year, I
couldn't even leave the house. I was just so despondent.
But um, you know it is now now, almost a
year later, a lot of gratitude for who Rush, who is,
what he represented, and that comes with obviously the deepest
(11:07):
missing of him. That Diana Loco piece is beautiful and
I'm going to be quoting from that in our last
segment today as as we sign off and go to
Silent Night, And for folks who want to get that,
it's at foxnews dot com. James Golden boats Nerdly, I
want to talk about the book you've just written, Rush
(11:28):
on the Radio, A tribute from his sidekick for thirty years.
You did the podcast earlier today, Rush Limball the Man
earlier this year, Rush Limball, the Man behind the Golden
EIB microphone. Your book dropped November twenty three. It's already
in the top twenty and after today we're going to
drive it to number one. Rush on the Radio attribute
from his sidekick for thirty years. You did a very
interesting interview with Dean Kerry Annis, who who was part
(11:52):
of the TV program has been around a long time,
and you talked about the reason you wrote this book
is the history needs to be told. Kind of quote
Winston Churchill when he was asked will history be kind
to you? And he said yes, because I will write it.
It's important to you to tell Russia's story and not
let his haters do so whine because Russia should not
(12:15):
be defined by people who never listened to him, never
understood who he was, and who have a political act
to grinding. The only reason that they would bother the
comments at all is to advance their own political ideology
or their own or some other reason which I wouldn't understand.
(12:35):
But Russ should, his legacy should be defined by those
of us who listened to him, who loved him, who
you know, one of the things that we're not trying
to do. We're not trying to deify Russian and make
him into a god. But Russ was an extraordinary human being,
and he was extraordinary in many ways, and he was
(12:55):
very generous, not just to us personally, but Rush and
this audience, this audience, the talk radio audience, and there
would be no quote unquote talk radio audience if it
were not for Uss. These are extremely generous people. You
look at the tens and tens of millions of dollars
(13:16):
raised for leukemia research. Lukemia doesn't have a political ideology
or agenda. It constrike anybody. And that research has paid off,
and that research began paying off while Rush was living
and we saw advances. And then you look at what
Russian Catherine did with the charity to help the families
(13:38):
of fallen first responders. Now, imagine the horror of losing
your parents in the line of duty or your spouse,
and then that's compounded by the worry of your security. Well,
I have a house to live in now. Well, Russian
Katherine stepped in and raised millions of dollars in cooperation
with Power of for Tunnels to make sure that the
(14:01):
families of first responders could have a secure place to
live again. These things aren't political. These things are about humanity.
They're about love of your fellow human being, love of
this country. And that's primarily what Russia's legacy was about.
It was about love. He loved this country, He loved
(14:22):
doing what he did. He was passionate about it, and
he was great at it. He was the goat. And
he also loved human beings and he loved people. And
his legacy has to be about that, and it has
to be written and told by all of us, by
the people who loved Rustling Ball. James Golden boss nerdly
(14:46):
is our guest. In your interview with Dean, you made
the statement I took detailed notes because it's so good.
You said you were taught out working with him. And
when you started all those years ago, and you said,
somewhere during that first year, I realized I really loved
this and this man really loved me. This kind of fellowship,
this kind of brotherly love, this deep abiding love, seems
(15:07):
to be something that was shared by this team. But
talk a little more about how that manifested itself, because
I heard you tell some stories that I've never heard before,
and I'm hoping those are all in the book Rush
on the Radio, a tribute from his sidekick for thirty years.
They well, one of them and some of them are
in the book. Some of them may not be because
they were just so many over the years, and it's
(15:29):
hard to encapsulate thirty years of history with somebody and
get it all. But you know, first of all, everyone,
there are two things I want to say about that.
Everyone that heard Rush from the very beginning knew that
he was a unique talent. And those of us and
(15:51):
you know what this is like. You're in this business.
We all come to this business and we all want
to do well and succeed, but we also all are
passionate about radio. Because if you're not, you're not really
in this business, I mean not long term anyway, And
so all of us at WABC in those days recognized
that Russ was something unique in terms of his on
(16:13):
the air of the show. It was unique. There was
no other show like it now. In addition to that,
it was easy to love Russian Number because he was
to a fault generous with everyone. He believed in sharing
the things that he liked, that he loved. He was approachable,
(16:36):
and he was a good, decent guy. What's not to
love about that? And I think that all of us
that saw the rise of Rush from not from from
when he came to New York to becoming a household name,
we're so pleased with his success because he earned every
(17:00):
head of it. And along the way he put together
a staff that stayed with him for decades and decades.
And how does that happen in this business. It happens
because you treat people properly. It happens because you respect people.
And he is a case study in good management and
(17:20):
great management. He's a case study in good business practices,
the best business practices, as they call today, best practices.
That was Rush Limbaugh, you know. And on top of
all of that, he engendered the kind of loyalty that
he got because he was loyal to the people that
were loyal to him. James Golden bo s Nerdly, you
(17:43):
were only committed to one segment, but I know I
want to hear more from you. I know your friends
in Limball Nation want to hear more from you. Can
you stay around for one more segment? I'd be delighted
to thank you. A detail about bos Nerdly you did
not know it came out in the book, which you
haven't read yet, but you're going to buy it today.
(18:04):
I'll tell you that in just a moment. I'm Michael
Berry in for Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. James Golden
bows Nerdy coming up, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton a
new form of broadcast excellence inspired by Rush on the
EIB Network. I'm Michael Berry and for Clay Travis and
(18:29):
Buck Sexton. We are paying tribute to Rush Limbaugh this
Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve was his favorite show of the year,
he said so many times, And it wouldn't be a
proper Rush Limball tribute if we weren't joined by James
Golden bos Nerdy, and we are honored to be so.
He's just written a book called Rush on the radio,
(18:49):
a tribute from his sidekick for thirty years. And I
hope you will buy it and not wait a minute
more to buy it. Let's send it to number one
James Golden Bow Snerdley in the book You Reveal it's
been a tough year. Rush passed on February seventeenth. Your
mom passed and you had cancer this year, something most
(19:10):
folks did not know. Yeah, well I've had cancer. I
had cancer before this year. And you know, here's a thing.
I've been monitoring my situation for years and then it
flared up into an aggressive nature. And the folks here
at the EIB Network, all of them. Wasn't just Rush.
(19:31):
It was Julie Childhood, Craig Kitchen, the engineering crew, everybody
during the Chinsky Brian everybody just really did an amazing
thing for me. They had to get treated up in
Maryland and I was treated for I had to move
there for half a year while I was being treated,
(19:51):
but I still worked almost every single day, and they
made it so easy for me to work. They found
me an office space that was within within a fifteen
minutes of where I was being treated, and the gifts
and everything and There was one weekend in particular where
(20:13):
I had a break in treatment. I was so homesick
and I didn't want to really say anything, but Rush
just brought me a first class take it to come
home and so I could be with them, be with
the staff, and be with these guys down here for
a few days. It was things like that. And so
when Rush made his announcement, which incidentally, he made his
(20:38):
announcement five years to the day that our beloved chief
of staff Kid Carson left us with cancer, it's just
sort of surreal some of the things that have happened
during this experience. I felt so confident that Russ was
going to just be able to beat this like everything else,
you know, and I never gave up hope, even though
(21:02):
I knew, and I knew last Christmas Eve the message
that he gave us, he knew that he wasn't going
to be with us this Christmas, And like I said,
last Christmas was just really depressing for me because that
message kind of sunk in his sign off. He knew,
but I'll tell you what, he was such a trooper,
(21:26):
you know. I think about what Russian went through, and
he did the show every day that he was not
in treatment or suffering from the results of a treatment.
His bucket list was this audience. He who left nothing
on the table every single day he could. He came
(21:49):
to work because he loved what he was doing. And
when that on air light went on, you couldn't tell
that there was anything wrong with Rush. It was only
afterwards that those of us that were and looking across
into the control room could from the control room into
the studio could see how much had it taken out
of him in terms of energy to do those shows.
(22:12):
But what a wonderful example he was of courage, of
how to be cheerful, and of good cheer. I go
back to even his announcement. You know, he apologized to
us when he told us he says he felt like
he was letting all of us down. And that still
bothers me so much, because this had to be the
(22:35):
singular worst day of his life, one of them worst
days of his life, and he was concerned about us.
That's this man. And so when people said, well, why
are you his legacy, because those of us who knew
him have to tell the story of what a wonderful
human being, an incredibly incredible man that Russ Lamball was
(22:59):
he said in your interview with Dean, all of us
who knew Rush and loved Rush, we have an obligation
to tell our story and you have led the way
first with the podcast earlier this year Rush Limbaugh, the
man behind the Golden EIB microphone, and now with the
book Rush on the Radio, a tribute from his sidekick
four thirty years. I want you to you know our
(23:22):
clock better than I do. It's your show. I want
you to take the last minute and a half two minutes,
and I want you to share, if you would, James
Golden Boston nerdly, how much those calls, how much those
listeners meant to him, because I know we're going to
play some of them as the show goes on. But
you were the call screener. You you were the gatekeeper,
and that was important to you to get the right
(23:44):
calls on What did those calls mean to him? You know?
I think, and I want to thank you for saying that.
I want to thank the callers to this show. And
because during the last year of Russia's life, most of
us never get a chance to hear what we mean
to people. And during the last year of Russia's life,
(24:05):
over and over again. The callers to this show, in
eloquence that is unsurpassed, told Rush how much he meant
to them, how much they loved him. Now, this is
really unique for someone in media, because this relationship that
(24:27):
Rush had with this audience transcended what most hosts will
ever experience. There was a genuine love people that did
not ever meet him in persons loved him as they
loved a family member, and he had become a family member.
He had become someone trusted in all of our lives.
(24:51):
He was our friend. We could count on him to
tell us the truth, we could count on him for optimism,
and the audience let Rush know that, and that was
just one of the most beautiful things of this entire experience.
James Golden bos nerdly thank you for sharing your time
(25:12):
as you shared your love, passion, and many many God
given talents with Russia Limbaugh and all of us. Over
all these years. We loved Rush Limbaugh and we love you, brother.
Thank you, Thank you, Michael, much love to you, God,
Bless Merry Christmas, everybody. I cannot put into words what
it is like to be on the phone with James
(25:38):
Golden known to us as bos nerdly talking to Limbaugh
Nation about Russia. Limball Chills doesn't begin to tell you.
I'm Michael Berry And for Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.
You're listening to Clay Travis and Buck Sexton on the
(26:00):
EIB network. Diana Aluco a Loco was the former managing
editor of the Limball Letter, very close to Rush, and
she wrote a piece that is posted to Clay and
(26:22):
Buck dot com. You can read it there for yourself.
In it, she says, now, during what may be the
last shared American tradition Christmas, an absent Rush is a
palpably missing presence, a missing voice amidst the celebrations. I
(26:43):
almost couldn't do it, but finally I put on Mannheim
steamrollers still knocked. The achingly beautiful silent night that Rush
broadcast every year. As he signed off before Christmas, he
would deliver his heartfelt year end well wishes, and then
let them speak the holy season for him. The impossibly
(27:04):
sweet violin and swelling orchestra subsiding into an echo of
distant sleigh bells against a rushing wind. I last heard
it a year ago, as Rush spoke over the opening
melody in an obvious goodbye. Uncharacteristically, his voice briefly trembled
with emotion, but then with the exquisite timing of a
(27:25):
consummate broadcast professional. To the very end, Rush used the
musical backdrop to convey what he distilled into his most
important message, gratitude to his family, to us, his beloved audience,
and to his creator. God is with me today. He said,
(27:46):
I won't read the rest of that, because you're going
to hear it in just a moment. That's the way
Rush's show team wanted us to end today. That's what
they wanted you to take with you away from this
remembrance of Rush Limbaugh. To sit in Rush Limbaugh's chair
(28:09):
and speak into the golden microphone on Christmas Eve the
first time after he could not do it himself, is
an honor beyond all hopes and dreams. As someone who
loves the medium, and I know everyone who speaks into
a microphone understands that, and every single one of us
(28:31):
is derivative of him. There would be no AM band,
there would be no talk radio had he not paved
the way, had he not created that moment. And I
want to challenge you if you didn't make a call earlier,
or you weren't listening. As my friend Eddie Martini, who
got me into radio, often says, if it is to be,
(28:52):
it's up to me. I want you to ask yourself.
As important as Rush Limbaugh has been to you, coming
into your d into your car, into your office, into
your home. If you while you're cooking, you would stir
the sauce while listening to the wisdom of Rush and
share that with your husband when he came home in
the evening. If you shared that with your spouse because
(29:16):
you were driving around, If on the way back to
the office, you would listen to his wise words and
make notes because you wanted to be able to repeat
exactly what he had said, or go to whatever source
he said. I want to ask you, does the wisdom
of Rush die out with his passing on February seventeenth,
or is the torch carried on through you? Do you
(29:40):
take his guidance and save this country? Or have you
given up? Are our nation's finest hours ahead of us
or behind us? There have been darker days than this
in American history, trust me, including our founding. Go back
and study howficult it was. Go back and study the
(30:03):
circumstances under which Washington's troops actually crossed the frigid Delaware.
And we will get through this if we rise to
that occasion, using the inspiration of Rush Limbo, using the
words we heard him say every single day, go forward,
(30:28):
make it happen. I want you to love on your
family tonight. I want you to thank the people who've
been special to you, and then I want you to
set about saving this nation because it's up to us now.
Rush has laid down his burden. It is up to
us now to carry on his tradition. Let's hear from
(30:51):
him a year later, shouldn't we wrap up with Mannheim
steam Roller and the Silent Night and my ongoing attempts
to thank everybody in the audience, all of you for
everything you mean to me. That last call, that's it
(31:18):
reminds me how much I love all of you, how
much I so appreciate everything you've meant to me and
my family. You don't have any idea how I know
so many people think this program has changed their lives
for the better. You have no idea what you all
have meant to me and my family. The day is
(31:40):
going to come, folks, where I'm not going to be
able to do this. I don't know when that is.
I want to be able to do it for as
long as I want to do it. I want to,
but the day will come where I'm not going to
be able to. And I want you to understand that
(32:02):
even when the day comes, I'd like to be here
as I have this sense of needing to constantly show
my appreciation for all that you have done and meant
(32:23):
to me. So I hope you all have a great Christmas,
a great new year, and I hope that the things
that are in store for all of us in the
coming year are certainly better than what we have endured
in twenty twenty. I don't know too many people have
(32:45):
enjoyed twenty twenty, probably some sickos out there who have.
But twenty twenty one has to be better. We're going
to try to make it that way here at the
EIB Network. Again, folk, thank you so much. I wish
there were a way to say it other than thank you.
(33:08):
You're just the best. My family is just the best.
Thank you. Merry Christmas, everybody, from all of us to
all of you, make it happen, To make it happen
(33:35):
Let's roll. If it is to be, it's up to me.
God Bless the Rush limball team who helped us put
today together. Gosh, they loved that man. God Bless Catherine David.
God Bless America. Let's carry on the torch and light
the way for America's renewal. Merry Christmas to each of you.
(34:08):
You're listening to Clay Travis and Buck Sexton on the
EIB Network.
Welcome to today's edition of the Clay Travis and Buck
Sexton Show podcast. He's the host of his self titled
radio program Hurt Nationwide. Here's Michael Berry in for Clay
Travis said Buck Sexton. Hello America, this is Donald Trump,
your favorite president, I hope, and I just want to
(00:21):
give a big shout out to Michael Berry, who's doing
a fantastic job. You all know he's from Houston, but
he's guest hosting and he's going to make it a
very merry Christmas and a happy New Year for everybody.
So Michael, do a great job today. Merry Christmas to you.
I'll be filling in for Clay and Buck today and
(00:41):
all of next week. Today will be a very special
tribute to Rush Limball, and I'll explain why in just
a moment. Next week we'll be back to the traditional
format of pointing out how Joe Biden and the Democrats
are ruining the country. Rush Limball used to say that
you should find your joy not in the news, politicians, celebrities, musicians, athletes.
(01:04):
Find your joy inside yourself and your family and your faith,
the people around you, the influences, the special joys and remembrances,
and today that will be what we do. We will
not talk about politics today. I will ask you to
give that a break, as Rush always did on Christmas Eve.
But first I want to thank Clay Travis and Buck
(01:26):
Sexton for the incredible opportunity to speak to Limball Nation,
particularly on this the most important day since Russia. Limball
is passing on February seventeenth, to talk about Rush Limball
because of what happened last year. And I'll get into
that in a moment. I want to thank Clay and
Buck for giving me this great opportunity. I want to
(01:47):
thank them for being willing to do something that everyone
in radio wanted to do, but there was so much
fear to do, and that is to follow Rush Limball.
Nobody can replace him and think they've done a wonderful job.
I think they get better by the day. They're pouring
their hearts and souls into it. And if you've noticed,
every day is in some way or another some form
(02:09):
of tribute to Rush Limball and his listeners. And there
are a lot of people to thank for that. And
that's the folks who gave us an opportunity to be
here today. That's Ali Murroch, Murachkovski, Murachkovsky, that's a long name.
That's why they just call her Ali, Engineer Crash, Mike Caragliano, engineer,
Mike Maman. These are the folks that we're with Rush throughout.
(02:33):
Julie Talbot, the head of Premier Craig Kitchen, Rush's conciliary,
the folks who were with Rush till the end. They
are the Rush Limball Show, along with the folks that
you knew, Cookie Dawn, George Coco, all those folks. It's
an incredibly talented team and getting ready for today. You
(02:54):
see the passion and commitment they have not just to
make great radio, but to make great radio that would
be proud of excellence in broadcasting. And you can't mention
that without talking about bos Nerdly, how special he was
to Rush, and he will be our guest coming up
in the next hour. He has a new book out,
Rush on the Radio, but we're going to talk about
(03:15):
what Rush meant to him personally. A year ago, Rush
Limbaugh did his Christmas Eve broadcast and he talked about
why Christmas was important to him. Rush viewed Christmas as
even more important than Thanksgiving as a time to be grateful,
to be thankful, and he talked a lot about that.
(03:38):
In preparing for the show, Ali, one of his producers, said,
you know, Rush would get would get giddy like a
child over Christmas. He was, He was like a child.
His brother David Limbaugh tells the story that he would
fly into Missouri on his jet full of presence for
all the kids, and he was like a big Santa
(03:58):
Claus and at the parties he would be caroling and
singing and having such a great time. This was a
very joyous occasion. And you're going to hear some of
his remarks on that last broadcast of the year last year,
and that's why it was so special that we would
get to be with you here. This is not my
show today, this is yours, and this is an opportunity
(04:21):
for you to share what Rush meant to you over
all those years. And I tell you, going back and
listening to the shows, to the Christmas shows that meant
so much to him, and hearing how he was affected,
especially that last Christmas a year ago, how he was
affected by what you meant to him and what he
meant to you, and hearing those stories, and I thought
(04:45):
we'd do that again today, Rush's team said, Hey, you know,
we're honored to have you guest host, but would you
mind that first day on Christmas Eve because of this
is the first Christmas Eve for us and for Limball
Nation without Rush. Would you mind you seeing this opportunity
to let the listeners tell their stories and let this
be absolutely of course, what an honor to get to
(05:08):
be here. So this is your show. What would you
tell Rush if you could talk to him today? I
like to think he's listening. One eight hundred two eight
two to eight eight two one eight hundred two eight
two eight eight two. Of course Rush was talented. Of
course he was the greatest of all time. There'll never
(05:31):
be anyone like him. He set a whole different bar.
He saved the AM radio five Marconi's it could have
been five thousand. It's an incredible story. He was not
just America's anchorman. He was our teacher, our coach, our mentor,
our friend, our adviser, our inspiration, our motivation, our guidance.
(05:52):
It was everything. He was bigger than a show or
a man. He was a movement. The medal of Freedom
when it was given had an entire nation gathering together
and say, yes, this is President Trump. What we've wanted
for this man, the entire nation honoring him. The woman
(06:12):
on the other end of the phone when you call
one eight hundred two eight two two eight eight two
today is Ali who was there with Rush all along.
And I can tell you she's had some tearful moments
since February seventeenth and before, but I can assure you
that this week she's had tissue at hand. As we've
gone through, clip by clip by clip, winnowing them down.
(06:33):
How do you find those special, precious few moments of
Rush telling you what you meant to him, and listening
to you as to what he meant to you, and
seeing his reaction, hearing his reaction. But it's dear to
the mind. You can see his reaction. It's been a
tough week for a lot of folks, but today is
(06:53):
a celebration. It is a celebration, and I hope this
makes for a very special Christmas for you. That's the
gift Rush gave us. Our thoughts and prayers go out
to Rush's immediate family on this Christmas Eve. This has
to be a tough time, especially his bride Katherine, his
dear brother David, Limbaugh, his close friends and family. Throughout
(07:16):
the show, you will hear the musical stylings of Mannheim Steamroller,
and you probably heard because Rush would often tell He
once said, Manheim Steamroller, it's all instrumental. I have a
bit of an emotional attachment to it. It happened to
be some of the first Christmas music I by happenstance.
Happened to be listening to it upon learning of the
(07:36):
death of my father. And he told the story about
He's at thirty five thousand feet in a flight going
to la and his father's just passed and he's listening
to Mannheim Steamroller and how much that meant to him.
And so that is why Ali in his honor, plays
Mannheim Steamroller songs from Christmas to New Year at every bump.
(08:02):
That's what Rush wanted, and his legacy lives on in
that music. I'd tell you an interesting backstory to Mannheim
steam Roller and the connection Rush Limbaugh had to Chip Davis,
the founder, And there's a real interesting Heartland of America
connection between the two of them that I bet you
(08:23):
didn't know that I'm going to be sharing with you
in just a few moments. But today is going to
be a lot of Rush Limbaugh, a lot of your calls,
some boast, nerdly, maybe some tears, but a lot of
joy celebrating the life of Rush Limball. I'm Michael Verian
for Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. Time slots on loan
from Rush, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton EIB Network. He's
(08:56):
the host of his self titled radio program heard nationwide.
Here's Michael Barry in for Clay, Travis, s and Buck Sexton.
If you loved Rush Limball, you know he loved James Golden,
known to the world as Bo Snardley, call screener, official
(09:17):
Obama criticizer, official program observer, and dear dear friend and
confidant to Rush Limball. James Golden, Bo Snardly, Welcome to
the show, sir, Welcome back. Oh my pleasure to be here.
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas to you. I want to talk
(09:37):
about the book, the podcast, your health, your life, all
of those things. But first I know this has to
be a tough day for you, as it is for Catherine,
as it is for the entire team, for David. What
are the emotions today? A year after that special broadcast
by Rush and this the first Christmas Eve he's not
with us. Well, it's a mixture of the was it
(10:00):
sad It's gratitude for the all the years that he
did give us, and the sadness I don't think ever
will go away. But you know, there are other things
now that helped layer it. Like I said, with gratitude,
the tremendous gratitude for Russia's life and um and what
he was about. There was an opinion piece written by
(10:20):
Diana a Loco that was Fox News Today about Rush
and how much we all miss him at Christmas. I
know you're carrying on and doing a great show for
all of us who have similar emotions. I mean, this
time last year, after listening to the last broadcast that
Rush did of the of the year, the way he
(10:41):
ended it, he obviously knew that he wasn't going to
be with us this Christmas. I remember last year, I
couldn't even leave the house. I was just so despondent.
But um, you know it is now now, almost a
year later, a lot of gratitude for who Rush, who is,
what he represented, and that comes with obviously the deepest
(11:07):
missing of him. That Diana Loco piece is beautiful and
I'm going to be quoting from that in our last
segment today as as we sign off and go to
Silent Night, And for folks who want to get that,
it's at foxnews dot com. James Golden boats Nerdly, I
want to talk about the book you've just written, Rush
(11:28):
on the Radio, A tribute from his sidekick for thirty years.
You did the podcast earlier today, Rush Limball the Man
earlier this year, Rush Limball, the Man behind the Golden
EIB microphone. Your book dropped November twenty three. It's already
in the top twenty and after today we're going to
drive it to number one. Rush on the Radio attribute
from his sidekick for thirty years. You did a very
interesting interview with Dean Kerry Annis, who who was part
(11:52):
of the TV program has been around a long time,
and you talked about the reason you wrote this book
is the history needs to be told. Kind of quote
Winston Churchill when he was asked will history be kind
to you? And he said yes, because I will write it.
It's important to you to tell Russia's story and not
let his haters do so whine because Russia should not
(12:15):
be defined by people who never listened to him, never
understood who he was, and who have a political act
to grinding. The only reason that they would bother the
comments at all is to advance their own political ideology
or their own or some other reason which I wouldn't understand.
(12:35):
But Russ should, his legacy should be defined by those
of us who listened to him, who loved him, who
you know, one of the things that we're not trying
to do. We're not trying to deify Russian and make
him into a god. But Russ was an extraordinary human being,
and he was extraordinary in many ways, and he was
(12:55):
very generous, not just to us personally, but Rush and
this audience, this audience, the talk radio audience, and there
would be no quote unquote talk radio audience if it
were not for Uss. These are extremely generous people. You
look at the tens and tens of millions of dollars
(13:16):
raised for leukemia research. Lukemia doesn't have a political ideology
or agenda. It constrike anybody. And that research has paid off,
and that research began paying off while Rush was living
and we saw advances. And then you look at what
Russian Catherine did with the charity to help the families
(13:38):
of fallen first responders. Now, imagine the horror of losing
your parents in the line of duty or your spouse,
and then that's compounded by the worry of your security. Well,
I have a house to live in now. Well, Russian
Katherine stepped in and raised millions of dollars in cooperation
with Power of for Tunnels to make sure that the
(14:01):
families of first responders could have a secure place to
live again. These things aren't political. These things are about humanity.
They're about love of your fellow human being, love of
this country. And that's primarily what Russia's legacy was about.
It was about love. He loved this country, He loved
(14:22):
doing what he did. He was passionate about it, and
he was great at it. He was the goat. And
he also loved human beings and he loved people. And
his legacy has to be about that, and it has
to be written and told by all of us, by
the people who loved Rustling Ball. James Golden boss nerdly
(14:46):
is our guest. In your interview with Dean, you made
the statement I took detailed notes because it's so good.
You said you were taught out working with him. And
when you started all those years ago, and you said,
somewhere during that first year, I realized I really loved
this and this man really loved me. This kind of fellowship,
this kind of brotherly love, this deep abiding love, seems
(15:07):
to be something that was shared by this team. But
talk a little more about how that manifested itself, because
I heard you tell some stories that I've never heard before,
and I'm hoping those are all in the book Rush
on the Radio, a tribute from his sidekick for thirty years.
They well, one of them and some of them are
in the book. Some of them may not be because
they were just so many over the years, and it's
(15:29):
hard to encapsulate thirty years of history with somebody and
get it all. But you know, first of all, everyone,
there are two things I want to say about that.
Everyone that heard Rush from the very beginning knew that
he was a unique talent. And those of us and
(15:51):
you know what this is like. You're in this business.
We all come to this business and we all want
to do well and succeed, but we also all are
passionate about radio. Because if you're not, you're not really
in this business, I mean not long term anyway, And
so all of us at WABC in those days recognized
that Russ was something unique in terms of his on
(16:13):
the air of the show. It was unique. There was
no other show like it now. In addition to that,
it was easy to love Russian Number because he was
to a fault generous with everyone. He believed in sharing
the things that he liked, that he loved. He was approachable,
(16:36):
and he was a good, decent guy. What's not to
love about that? And I think that all of us
that saw the rise of Rush from not from from
when he came to New York to becoming a household name,
we're so pleased with his success because he earned every
(17:00):
head of it. And along the way he put together
a staff that stayed with him for decades and decades.
And how does that happen in this business. It happens
because you treat people properly. It happens because you respect people.
And he is a case study in good management and
(17:20):
great management. He's a case study in good business practices,
the best business practices, as they call today, best practices.
That was Rush Limbaugh, you know. And on top of
all of that, he engendered the kind of loyalty that
he got because he was loyal to the people that
were loyal to him. James Golden bo s Nerdly, you
(17:43):
were only committed to one segment, but I know I
want to hear more from you. I know your friends
in Limball Nation want to hear more from you. Can
you stay around for one more segment? I'd be delighted
to thank you. A detail about bos Nerdly you did
not know it came out in the book, which you
haven't read yet, but you're going to buy it today.
(18:04):
I'll tell you that in just a moment. I'm Michael
Berry in for Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. James Golden
bows Nerdy coming up, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton a
new form of broadcast excellence inspired by Rush on the
EIB Network. I'm Michael Berry and for Clay Travis and
(18:29):
Buck Sexton. We are paying tribute to Rush Limbaugh this
Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve was his favorite show of the year,
he said so many times, And it wouldn't be a
proper Rush Limball tribute if we weren't joined by James
Golden bos Nerdy, and we are honored to be so.
He's just written a book called Rush on the radio,
(18:49):
a tribute from his sidekick for thirty years. And I
hope you will buy it and not wait a minute
more to buy it. Let's send it to number one
James Golden Bow Snerdley in the book You Reveal it's
been a tough year. Rush passed on February seventeenth. Your
mom passed and you had cancer this year, something most
(19:10):
folks did not know. Yeah, well I've had cancer. I
had cancer before this year. And you know, here's a thing.
I've been monitoring my situation for years and then it
flared up into an aggressive nature. And the folks here
at the EIB Network, all of them. Wasn't just Rush.
(19:31):
It was Julie Childhood, Craig Kitchen, the engineering crew, everybody
during the Chinsky Brian everybody just really did an amazing
thing for me. They had to get treated up in
Maryland and I was treated for I had to move
there for half a year while I was being treated,
(19:51):
but I still worked almost every single day, and they
made it so easy for me to work. They found
me an office space that was within within a fifteen
minutes of where I was being treated, and the gifts
and everything and There was one weekend in particular where
(20:13):
I had a break in treatment. I was so homesick
and I didn't want to really say anything, but Rush
just brought me a first class take it to come
home and so I could be with them, be with
the staff, and be with these guys down here for
a few days. It was things like that. And so
when Rush made his announcement, which incidentally, he made his
(20:38):
announcement five years to the day that our beloved chief
of staff Kid Carson left us with cancer, it's just
sort of surreal some of the things that have happened
during this experience. I felt so confident that Russ was
going to just be able to beat this like everything else,
you know, and I never gave up hope, even though
(21:02):
I knew, and I knew last Christmas Eve the message
that he gave us, he knew that he wasn't going
to be with us this Christmas, And like I said,
last Christmas was just really depressing for me because that
message kind of sunk in his sign off. He knew,
but I'll tell you what, he was such a trooper,
(21:26):
you know. I think about what Russian went through, and
he did the show every day that he was not
in treatment or suffering from the results of a treatment.
His bucket list was this audience. He who left nothing
on the table every single day he could. He came
(21:49):
to work because he loved what he was doing. And
when that on air light went on, you couldn't tell
that there was anything wrong with Rush. It was only
afterwards that those of us that were and looking across
into the control room could from the control room into
the studio could see how much had it taken out
of him in terms of energy to do those shows.
(22:12):
But what a wonderful example he was of courage, of
how to be cheerful, and of good cheer. I go
back to even his announcement. You know, he apologized to
us when he told us he says he felt like
he was letting all of us down. And that still
bothers me so much, because this had to be the
(22:35):
singular worst day of his life, one of them worst
days of his life, and he was concerned about us.
That's this man. And so when people said, well, why
are you his legacy, because those of us who knew
him have to tell the story of what a wonderful
human being, an incredibly incredible man that Russ Lamball was
(22:59):
he said in your interview with Dean, all of us
who knew Rush and loved Rush, we have an obligation
to tell our story and you have led the way
first with the podcast earlier this year Rush Limbaugh, the
man behind the Golden EIB microphone, and now with the
book Rush on the Radio, a tribute from his sidekick
four thirty years. I want you to you know our
(23:22):
clock better than I do. It's your show. I want
you to take the last minute and a half two minutes,
and I want you to share, if you would, James
Golden Boston nerdly, how much those calls, how much those
listeners meant to him, because I know we're going to
play some of them as the show goes on. But
you were the call screener. You you were the gatekeeper,
and that was important to you to get the right
(23:44):
calls on What did those calls mean to him? You know?
I think, and I want to thank you for saying that.
I want to thank the callers to this show. And
because during the last year of Russia's life, most of
us never get a chance to hear what we mean
to people. And during the last year of Russia's life,
(24:05):
over and over again. The callers to this show, in
eloquence that is unsurpassed, told Rush how much he meant
to them, how much they loved him. Now, this is
really unique for someone in media, because this relationship that
(24:27):
Rush had with this audience transcended what most hosts will
ever experience. There was a genuine love people that did
not ever meet him in persons loved him as they
loved a family member, and he had become a family member.
He had become someone trusted in all of our lives.
(24:51):
He was our friend. We could count on him to
tell us the truth, we could count on him for optimism,
and the audience let Rush know that, and that was
just one of the most beautiful things of this entire experience.
James Golden bos nerdly thank you for sharing your time
(25:12):
as you shared your love, passion, and many many God
given talents with Russia Limbaugh and all of us. Over
all these years. We loved Rush Limbaugh and we love you, brother.
Thank you, Thank you, Michael, much love to you, God,
Bless Merry Christmas, everybody. I cannot put into words what
it is like to be on the phone with James
(25:38):
Golden known to us as bos nerdly talking to Limbaugh
Nation about Russia. Limball Chills doesn't begin to tell you.
I'm Michael Berry And for Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.
You're listening to Clay Travis and Buck Sexton on the
(26:00):
EIB network. Diana Aluco a Loco was the former managing
editor of the Limball Letter, very close to Rush, and
she wrote a piece that is posted to Clay and
(26:22):
Buck dot com. You can read it there for yourself.
In it, she says, now, during what may be the
last shared American tradition Christmas, an absent Rush is a
palpably missing presence, a missing voice amidst the celebrations. I
(26:43):
almost couldn't do it, but finally I put on Mannheim
steamrollers still knocked. The achingly beautiful silent night that Rush
broadcast every year. As he signed off before Christmas, he
would deliver his heartfelt year end well wishes, and then
let them speak the holy season for him. The impossibly
(27:04):
sweet violin and swelling orchestra subsiding into an echo of
distant sleigh bells against a rushing wind. I last heard
it a year ago, as Rush spoke over the opening
melody in an obvious goodbye. Uncharacteristically, his voice briefly trembled
with emotion, but then with the exquisite timing of a
(27:25):
consummate broadcast professional. To the very end, Rush used the
musical backdrop to convey what he distilled into his most
important message, gratitude to his family, to us, his beloved audience,
and to his creator. God is with me today. He said,
(27:46):
I won't read the rest of that, because you're going
to hear it in just a moment. That's the way
Rush's show team wanted us to end today. That's what
they wanted you to take with you away from this
remembrance of Rush Limbaugh. To sit in Rush Limbaugh's chair
(28:09):
and speak into the golden microphone on Christmas Eve the
first time after he could not do it himself, is
an honor beyond all hopes and dreams. As someone who
loves the medium, and I know everyone who speaks into
a microphone understands that, and every single one of us
(28:31):
is derivative of him. There would be no AM band,
there would be no talk radio had he not paved
the way, had he not created that moment. And I
want to challenge you if you didn't make a call earlier,
or you weren't listening. As my friend Eddie Martini, who
got me into radio, often says, if it is to be,
(28:52):
it's up to me. I want you to ask yourself.
As important as Rush Limbaugh has been to you, coming
into your d into your car, into your office, into
your home. If you while you're cooking, you would stir
the sauce while listening to the wisdom of Rush and
share that with your husband when he came home in
the evening. If you shared that with your spouse because
(29:16):
you were driving around, If on the way back to
the office, you would listen to his wise words and
make notes because you wanted to be able to repeat
exactly what he had said, or go to whatever source
he said. I want to ask you, does the wisdom
of Rush die out with his passing on February seventeenth,
or is the torch carried on through you? Do you
(29:40):
take his guidance and save this country? Or have you
given up? Are our nation's finest hours ahead of us
or behind us? There have been darker days than this
in American history, trust me, including our founding. Go back
and study howficult it was. Go back and study the
(30:03):
circumstances under which Washington's troops actually crossed the frigid Delaware.
And we will get through this if we rise to
that occasion, using the inspiration of Rush Limbo, using the
words we heard him say every single day, go forward,
(30:28):
make it happen. I want you to love on your
family tonight. I want you to thank the people who've
been special to you, and then I want you to
set about saving this nation because it's up to us now.
Rush has laid down his burden. It is up to
us now to carry on his tradition. Let's hear from
(30:51):
him a year later, shouldn't we wrap up with Mannheim
steam Roller and the Silent Night and my ongoing attempts
to thank everybody in the audience, all of you for
everything you mean to me. That last call, that's it
(31:18):
reminds me how much I love all of you, how
much I so appreciate everything you've meant to me and
my family. You don't have any idea how I know
so many people think this program has changed their lives
for the better. You have no idea what you all
have meant to me and my family. The day is
(31:40):
going to come, folks, where I'm not going to be
able to do this. I don't know when that is.
I want to be able to do it for as
long as I want to do it. I want to,
but the day will come where I'm not going to
be able to. And I want you to understand that
(32:02):
even when the day comes, I'd like to be here
as I have this sense of needing to constantly show
my appreciation for all that you have done and meant
(32:23):
to me. So I hope you all have a great Christmas,
a great new year, and I hope that the things
that are in store for all of us in the
coming year are certainly better than what we have endured
in twenty twenty. I don't know too many people have
(32:45):
enjoyed twenty twenty, probably some sickos out there who have.
But twenty twenty one has to be better. We're going
to try to make it that way here at the
EIB Network. Again, folk, thank you so much. I wish
there were a way to say it other than thank you.
(33:08):
You're just the best. My family is just the best.
Thank you. Merry Christmas, everybody, from all of us to
all of you, make it happen, To make it happen
(33:35):
Let's roll. If it is to be, it's up to me.
God Bless the Rush limball team who helped us put
today together. Gosh, they loved that man. God Bless Catherine David.
God Bless America. Let's carry on the torch and light
the way for America's renewal. Merry Christmas to each of you.
(34:08):
You're listening to Clay Travis and Buck Sexton on the
EIB Network.
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