Invasion of the Talk-Show Snatchers

I haven't paid a lot of attention to the shakeup at Air America, but this is too funny/sad/pathetic not to share. Weeks after the liberal radio network fired late-night host Mike Malloy, visitors to its website found this unauthorized message:

Hi. Malloy here. It's Monday, September 18, 2006. Well, it's been almost three weeks since we were fired by the really, really strange pod-people who have temporarily taken over Air America. Tonight's program will be hosted by my good friend Peter Werbe. Not sure what he's talking about tonight, but do tune in. If you're wondering how we're writing and posting this mini-blog it's simply because the airheads in Air America's executive suites -- the pod-people mentioned above -- are too, um, stupid to figure out how to handle their own website access.

The door's wide open. Well, eventually their bodies will start to react to Earth atmosphere and they'll have to leave. Meantime, Mike and Kathy here saying, stay tuned!

Footnote: As someone who associates Werbe with Fifth Estate, formerly the chief hub of "primitivist" anarchism, I'm constantly tickled to see him prospering in center-left outfits like Air America. What's next? Ted Kaczynski on All Things Considered?

Comments

[Tim Cavanaugh]

Well, eventually their bodies will start to react to Earth atmosphere and they'll have to leave.

This suggests he's actually referring to Jack Finney's little-read book The Body Snatchers, on which all the various movie versions were based. Spoiler: The pods' being chased back into space was a plot point in the book but not in any of the movies-though the part about reacting to earth's atmosphere is from War of the Worlds, not any of the Snatchers versions.

[t.j.]

i don't really care about anything to do with air america but as far as body snatchers movies go, i think kaufman's 70s version with donald sutherland and leonard nimoy is the best. i like the original siegal film too of course. still haven't seen the 90s abel ferrera update but i've heard it's either terrible or underrated but general opinion is the weakest of the 3.

[Pro Libertate]

What's next? Ted Kaczynski on All Things Considered?

Why, I'd listen to that! Kaczynski may not be radical enough for NPR, but he would add some diversity to their lineup. Okay, I'm kidding, a little, but at least he wouldn't think that the entire world should be viewed in terms of how it affects Washington, the Democrats, and the Republicans.

[Jesse Walker]

I actually prefer the Ferrara version to the one with Leonard Nimoy, though I like all three. (The first is still my favorite, and not just because I'm a Siegel cultist.)

[Paul]

not be radical enough for NPR, but he would add some diversity to their lineup.

Well, no it wouldn't. As an avid listener of NPR, I can say with some degree of authority that the addition of Kaczynski to the lineup would bring the political spectrum range of NPR from A-B to A-C. More diverse? Ok, yes, technically.

[Pro Libertate]

Paul, let's be fair. Kaczynski's editorials would include his "Mail Bomb Target of the Week". I listen to NPR enough to know that that isn't a regular feature 🙂

Thank Zeus for Books on Tape and the Teaching Company. Otherwise, I'd listen to NPR even more often. I'm not listening to anywhere near as much music as I used to. Must be the aging process.

[t.j.]

my favorite siegel film is "the beguiled". i try to tell people about it but most don't seem interested.

[Son of a!]

"Today's Thursday, the day we read from you let--"BOOM!

[joe]

I'll bet Ted Kaczynski would be a real prick to his sound guy.

[Rick H.]

The Reason server is the real Reason server. I know this because it takes me TWO FULL HOURS of wrestling with my browser to post one simple fucking message. I am serious.

How I wish the aliens would take over so that H&R was fun instead of a stupid chore.

[strat]

As much as I experience schadenfreude watching the prig-fest that was Air America implode, I can't help but notice that that particular blog entry reads like a confession to someone's felonious violation of 18 USC 1030 (see the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act).

Given that the standard is "exceeding authorized access", it wouldn't take much for Air America to have him clapped in irons, literally.

(But that would require calling The Man...so it's probably unlikely.)