I Miss Him Still

I’m probably going to open my show today at noon eastern with The Pretenders. Today is the first anniversary of Rush Limbaugh passing away and the reason I am now noon to 3 ET. I miss my friend and not a week goes by that I don’t think about him.

None of us in radio would be doing talk radio but for Rush. He pioneered the format. I literally would not be doing radio but for him. He pushed me into it. He challenged me. He told me he’d never speak to me again if I didn’t do it. He found me my agent. He helped me map out my strategy for my morning show. He was the guy I could turn to day or night and just ask for basic advice.

Most importantly, Rush gave me license to be me instead of doing a bad impression of him.

I told him after I got started and had hired, as he advised me, “my designated a**hole,” that I never wanted to do national radio as long as he was around. There was no point in trying if there was no way to be number one.

He laughed and told me not to worry. Even if he were dead, I’d never be as good as him. We could laugh about that. We got it. Rush was unique.

I know many people disliked him. I was always kinda shocked how many of my conservative friends did not like him. I adored him. He found joy in life. He found joy being with his audience. They were his friends.

One time Rush told me doing interviews was inviting a third party into a listener’s relationship with Rush and he better have a really good reason to do it. It was an insight into radio a lot of people miss — how intimate the medium is. He insisted I have a relationship with my audience that, though it might not be directly personal, seem as personal as possible because people want to be entertained and kept company and friends do that best.

My ratings in Atlanta this past year moving into his slot were actually higher than his show’s ratings in 2020 during the presidential election. He was gone a lot with guest hosts filling in. But I kinda know he’d appreciate that. I’ll never be Rush. I’ll never be as good as Rush. But I’m me and only because he told me being me is what I’d need to do to succeed. It has worked.

Everyone has a mentor they can turn to for advice. Rush was that guy for me. He’d answer emails day and night. A few times he called to check on me. Everyone gets to a point when they turn to ask for advice from their mentor, the mentor is no longer there to give it. I turn now and there is no one there. It’s just me. But I have the memories and the microphone, neither of which I’d have but for him.

I miss Rush Limbaugh. He was and remains the best.