David Brudnoy, RIP

David Brudnoy, "the most recognized voice of Boston talk radio for more than a quarter of a century" and one of the great hosts in the history of the medium, is dead at 64 from cancer. Reason extends condolences to his loved ones and listeners.

A frequent contributor to our pages in the '70s and '80s, David's work and life was marked by fiery tolerance, independent thought, and a refusal to apologize for an alternative lifestyle and contrarian views that ultimately earned him respect from both right-wing conservatives appalled by his homosexuality and left-wing identity politics mavens dismayed by his embrace of minimal government.

We did a short interview with him in 1997, on the occasion of his publishing autobiography, Life Is Not a Rehearsal. The Q&A is online here, the memoir here, and many obituaries here.

Comments

[Jim walsh]

Condolences to Brudnoy's friends and family. He was a great broadcaster and a true class act.

[Warren]

Nick,
The Q&A link is broken

[Nick Gillespie]

Link's fixed.

[Umbriel]

Living in Philadelphia I could typically only hear him during the Standard Time months, when it gets dark earlier and WBZ's signal reached farther south at the appropriate time. Sometimes on my summertime drive home I'd find myself looking forward to the winter for just that reason.

Particularly sad after his recent apparent remission. I know I'll miss him.

[Eryk Boston]

I had the fortune to have Mr Brudnoy speak at my commencement and I've been an admirer of him ever since. In a field saturated with loudmouthed firebrands, he was a voice of intelligence and dignity. Massachusetts is a little darker this morning without him. He will be missed.

Thank you, Mr. Brudnoy.

[TWC]

Way back in the Stone Age Brudnoy was a frequent contributor to the OP-Ed pages of the Orange County Register (the country's only major daily with explicitly libertarian opinion pages and home of Alan Bock).

That was my exposure to him and I loved his columns. Although I didn't notice at first, one day I realized his stuff wasn't around any more. Much later I was pleased to learn from the Reason piece Nick mentioned that he was still working back east.

63 is much too young, especially by today's standards. That's not just talk from an old fool who is closer to 63 than 23, even my kids think 70 is "not that old".

Go placidly Mr. Brudnoy. May you rest in peace.

[Kevin]

TWC:

Check the Las Vegas Review Journal's editorials.
Shockingly, wonderfully libertarian (atleast when I lived in LV a few years ago).

[Baylen]

I feel exactly how I felt when Peter McWilliams died -- which is depressed but fortunate to have been able to enjoy the words of someone so bright, principled, tough and courageous.

[TWC]

Kevin, absolutely right, the LV Review-Journal Op-Ed pages are libertarian--including occasional bombs dropped by Vinnie take-no-prisoners Suprynowicz and (until recently) former Reason Wa Editor Rick Henderson. The difference is that they don't explicitly refer to themselves as libertarian.