I will forever associate Larry King with the movie “Spin”. [1] It’s a rather brilliant indie documentary about the 1992 (Bill Clinton / HW Bush) election based on a fascinating technological element: back then, Satellite TV feeds would often just keep running during commercial breaks, or warmups.
So the director recorded a TON of footage from these moments where the politicians and news anchors acted themselves, seemingly unaware that anyone was watching.
The segments with Larry King are, um, memorable. Very candid moments.
If you guys think "fuck it, we'll do it live" was bad, you should have seen Barbara Walters. I wish I recorded some of it. All these people in media have egos like you wouldn't believe.
I learned English watching Larry King Live, because that was my father's favourite talkshow during the 90s.
I didn't understand half of what was going on in those conversations, but what stuck with me was the broad spectrum of people he interviewed and how consistently respectful he was towards his interviewees.
Always enjoyed his interviews and his style. I happened to just watched a very short clip of him talking about his fear of death with Norm Macdonald last night. Guess we all have to face that moment, and even though he had a long and successful life i'm sorry for him and his family now.
I linked the clip[1] below, but it may be a bit disconcerting and too soon to view for some.
Definitely more than just an off-hand comment, and, I think, quite a common fear among successful people. Bill Gates, Peter Thiel, Larry Ellison, and a handful of other tech execs have all shared how uncomfortable they are with death ("I don't understand how someone can stop existing", greatest fear is not being able to think, "death is a terrible, terrible thing", etc.).
When I was a kid growing up in a small town in the 1980's, radio was my way of finding out about the outside world. I would stay up late at night listening when I was supposed to be sleeping.
I often ended up listening to Larry King's late night radio show. Although unlikely for the medium and time slot, he was somehow able to attract amazing guests, and I learned about a lot of things. I especially remember his interviews with Isaac Asimov and Douglas Adams, which introduced me to those authors. RIP.
I never cared for his tv shows but I recall enjoying his late night am radio show that I listened to each night at my summer university semester in Texas back in 1992. He was pretty quick on his feet dealing w obnoxious callers. For some reason I still recall (and chuckle) him cutting down a nasty caller with, “you, sir, are lonely by the choice of others”. Amuses me 30 years later.
Part of the reason he was able to attract guests was because he didn't ask tough or technical questions. That's not a criticism, I think there's more than enough room for both the Larry Kings and Isaac Chotners of the world, and they're both important in their own ways.
Decades ago, the news networks used to beam AV via satellite directly from the remote station in the field back to headquarters to be broadcast. They didn’t encrypt those signals, so anyone could pick them up if they knew how. This was raw footage, so there would often be candid segments showing people setting stuff up or getting ready for an interview.
Someone recorded a lot of these and later published a multi-hour compilation of them on YouTube. I forget the name of that compilation, but I can tell you that the following is by far the most interesting segment from it.
When I try to tell people about this segment, they don’t believe me. They write me off as being insane. Decide for yourself. Don’t believe what the news media tells you.
Edit: DanG, why is my comment being collapsed when it has ~20 upvotes?
"Deciding for yourself" doesn't mean jumping to conspiratorial conclusions based on an ambiguous, off-the-cuff remark from 1992, though. And just looking at the comments on that video you can see what sort of agenda these people are bringing to their judgments.
I don't see anything wrong with this. I mean it's like I'm talking to Elon Musk. And I have a friend who really wants to work at Tesla. Yeah I'd be a good friend and mention him to Elon Musk.
yikes, what a sleazebag. Larry hit the anti-Semitic trifecta (Jews, Israel and media moguls in bed with politicians) in under a minute of just random chit chat. The mind reels at the shady backroom deals this man was responsible for.
Tangentially related: the first time I got online with a 56k modem way back in mid ‘99, cnn.com was the first website I could think of pointing my browser (Netscape) to.
I remember being online around '98 and I remember playing starcraft but that's about it. I can't even remember what I read on the internet. I think cheatcc.com? Haha
Went online because I heard Nasa put up pictures of Mars so the first website I went to was nasa.gov
I typed out the entire url like nasa.gov/pathfinder/images or whatever it was after seeing it on TV and writing it down. It took a while to load and then was super underwhelming. I think I searched for Sonic The Hedgehog next.
First time was me and my dad going to the local library, really thinking on what the heck to do. I think we went for lego.com (I must've been around nine at the time?).
Later when we got internet at home we looked up "spelletjes" (Dutch for games) aaand ended up on a porn site. Thankfully not one with images on the front page.
I don't remember what the first site I visited was, but I remember the whole hype about "going online on the internet" and it being rather anticlimactic in the end.
> He has arranged to have his body frozen and then thawed out when researchers discover a cure for whatever killed him — the so-called cryonics approach. (Unlike Williams, King does not wish to have his dead head cut off.) King told me later that the people behind cryonics are ‘‘all nuts,’’ but at least if he knows he will be frozen he will die with a shred of hope. ‘‘Other people have no hope,’’ King said.
Neal Stephenson's most recent novel "Fall; or, Dodge in Hell" is about cryonics. As usual, it's sprawling and arguably too long, but as usual, there are interesting ideas in there on the economics and politics of the idea, on simulation vs resurrection, etc.
"at least if he knows he will be frozen he will die with a shred of hope. ‘‘Other people have no hope,’’ King said."
I've always found it interesting how for most people and in most religions the hope is to be resurrected, go to heaven, and/or live forever, while in Buddhism the point is to escape the cycle of death and rebirth.
It's a completely different approach, which sees more life as something to be avoided rather than desired.
Some great stories in there including one about how in his early days he would play a game with his producer where he’d go in blind and try and figure out who his guest is. I guess this helped him develop his “average guy” style. While series is worth a listen if interview styles is of interest.
My favorite part of this interview about interviewing.
King: "I hate interviewers who don't ask questions but make statements"
Thorn: "Well that's just what I was going to say. One of things about your interview style that's special is you are a very modest interviewer. You're not afraid to ask a simple question.. uh what is this..."
King: then interrupts his statement and riffs as if Thorn had asked the question "Why do you ask simple questions". :D
I saw him several times at Dodger stadium. I never met him as I didn't want to go bother the guy.
For those that don't know, he was a massive baseball and Dodger fan and would sit right behind home plate. He could often be seen on TV.
He would often go to games and just sit at the bar watching from inside. Crazy but I guess he felt more comfortable there at the stadium instead of at home.
In my mind any good he's done was long erased by his informercials for scam supplements -- no wonder old folks hate the Government, most of what they see advertised on TV is fraud in plain site and nobody does anything about it.
One of the more amusing cultural intersections I've seen is Larry King on Snoop Dogg's YouTube channel... though I guess given the latter's collaborations with Martha Stewart it shouldn't be _that_ surprising. RIP.
Larry King was the OG interviewer. To the point, rational, always asking pointed questions, yet not shying from adding a dash of humor. Yet to find anyone on par with him.
[+] [-] gdubs|5 years ago|reply
So the director recorded a TON of footage from these moments where the politicians and news anchors acted themselves, seemingly unaware that anyone was watching.
The segments with Larry King are, um, memorable. Very candid moments.
1: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_(1995_film)
[+] [-] ridaj|5 years ago|reply
This one's pretty good: https://youtu.be/VCUIlV-AKY4
[+] [-] nickysielicki|5 years ago|reply
If you guys think "fuck it, we'll do it live" was bad, you should have seen Barbara Walters. I wish I recorded some of it. All these people in media have egos like you wouldn't believe.
[+] [-] antaviana|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dfee|5 years ago|reply
Kinda disappointing to see content like this virtually extinguished.
Actually, it may be up on YouTube in full: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Uock08dy19s
[+] [-] Tade0|5 years ago|reply
I didn't understand half of what was going on in those conversations, but what stuck with me was the broad spectrum of people he interviewed and how consistently respectful he was towards his interviewees.
[+] [-] unknown|5 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] tux1968|5 years ago|reply
I linked the clip[1] below, but it may be a bit disconcerting and too soon to view for some.
[1] https://youtu.be/8ZKq7CoZv4w
[+] [-] alsetmusic|5 years ago|reply
I don’t identify with a fear of “not existing.” Not existing doesn’t have a negative connotation to me. It’s an absence of awareness, so who cares?
[+] [-] rococode|5 years ago|reply
Definitely more than just an off-hand comment, and, I think, quite a common fear among successful people. Bill Gates, Peter Thiel, Larry Ellison, and a handful of other tech execs have all shared how uncomfortable they are with death ("I don't understand how someone can stop existing", greatest fear is not being able to think, "death is a terrible, terrible thing", etc.).
[+] [-] simmons|5 years ago|reply
I often ended up listening to Larry King's late night radio show. Although unlikely for the medium and time slot, he was somehow able to attract amazing guests, and I learned about a lot of things. I especially remember his interviews with Isaac Asimov and Douglas Adams, which introduced me to those authors. RIP.
[+] [-] audiometry|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] xxpor|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fattire|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] baxtr|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nerdponx|5 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] PIKAL|5 years ago|reply
Someone recorded a lot of these and later published a multi-hour compilation of them on YouTube. I forget the name of that compilation, but I can tell you that the following is by far the most interesting segment from it.
https://youtu.be/VCUIlV-AKY4
When I try to tell people about this segment, they don’t believe me. They write me off as being insane. Decide for yourself. Don’t believe what the news media tells you.
Edit: DanG, why is my comment being collapsed when it has ~20 upvotes?
[+] [-] bane|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tanotcare|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bikitan|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] toddey65|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] na85|5 years ago|reply
What are you seeing there that's so shocking?
[+] [-] qqj|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] danso|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] throwawaycauseT|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] qubex|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] xeromal|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wisam|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] philtar|5 years ago|reply
Went online because I heard Nasa put up pictures of Mars so the first website I went to was nasa.gov
I typed out the entire url like nasa.gov/pathfinder/images or whatever it was after seeing it on TV and writing it down. It took a while to load and then was super underwhelming. I think I searched for Sonic The Hedgehog next.
[+] [-] Cthulhu_|5 years ago|reply
Later when we got internet at home we looked up "spelletjes" (Dutch for games) aaand ended up on a porn site. Thankfully not one with images on the front page.
[+] [-] taneq|5 years ago|reply
Netscape Navigator 4 or something. Good times.
[+] [-] dkersten|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] baccheion|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ignoranceprior|5 years ago|reply
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/30/magazine/larry-king-is-pr...
> He has arranged to have his body frozen and then thawed out when researchers discover a cure for whatever killed him — the so-called cryonics approach. (Unlike Williams, King does not wish to have his dead head cut off.) King told me later that the people behind cryonics are ‘‘all nuts,’’ but at least if he knows he will be frozen he will die with a shred of hope. ‘‘Other people have no hope,’’ King said.
Also see his interview on Conan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF7NpKG_S8g
I wonder he actually ended up signing a cryonics contract or not.
[+] [-] microtherion|5 years ago|reply
I found it an enjoyable read.
[+] [-] pmoriarty|5 years ago|reply
I've always found it interesting how for most people and in most religions the hope is to be resurrected, go to heaven, and/or live forever, while in Buddhism the point is to escape the cycle of death and rebirth.
It's a completely different approach, which sees more life as something to be avoided rather than desired.
[+] [-] kippinitreal|5 years ago|reply
Some great stories in there including one about how in his early days he would play a game with his producer where he’d go in blind and try and figure out who his guest is. I guess this helped him develop his “average guy” style. While series is worth a listen if interview styles is of interest.
[+] [-] djmips|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] libertine|5 years ago|reply
I wonder if they could even fulfill his wish due to covid...
[+] [-] graupel|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hashkb|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kilroy123|5 years ago|reply
For those that don't know, he was a massive baseball and Dodger fan and would sit right behind home plate. He could often be seen on TV.
He would often go to games and just sit at the bar watching from inside. Crazy but I guess he felt more comfortable there at the stadium instead of at home.
RIP Larry
[+] [-] xbar|5 years ago|reply
I wish I had kept as up to date with all of them as I did with Larry King for the rest of his career.
RIP
[+] [-] shimonabi|5 years ago|reply
Jon Stewart made fun of his interview style by writing a Larry King interview with Hitler:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPK1d5Fh0mE
[+] [-] antattack|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] PaulHoule|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] alexjplant|5 years ago|reply
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8awqtaD3LAI
[+] [-] rossmohax|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fakedang|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|5 years ago|reply
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