Ringmaster, Outrageous, Controversial, Scandalous, The Master of Trash.
April 27, 2023 7:27 PM Subscribe
Jerry Springer has passed away at age 79. When others went low, he went lower. Cheating spouse reveals. Baby daddy reveals. Teenage stripper reveals. Racists, badasses and brawlers. Springer, who died Thursday at 79, mined the depths and put what he dredged up on his show.
The child of Holocaust survivors, he had been a lawyer, a political operative for Robert F. Kennedy and a member of Cincinnati’s city council, all by the age of 27. He lost his council seat after being convicted of soliciting a prostitute, but then regained it in the next election and went on to become the city’s appointed mayor (before direct elections) — significant achievements in an era when it was still difficult for the unserious to succeed in politics. He then became the city’s most popular anchorman, winning multiple Emmys for his short commentaries. His talk show, beginning in 1991, was at first a failure...
Springer’s swan dive into TV nihilism seems to have been inspired by another syndicated talk show of the time, hosted by Jenny Jones. Springer took Jones’s tabloid sensibilities and refined them like enriched uranium.
The child of Holocaust survivors, he had been a lawyer, a political operative for Robert F. Kennedy and a member of Cincinnati’s city council, all by the age of 27. He lost his council seat after being convicted of soliciting a prostitute, but then regained it in the next election and went on to become the city’s appointed mayor (before direct elections) — significant achievements in an era when it was still difficult for the unserious to succeed in politics. He then became the city’s most popular anchorman, winning multiple Emmys for his short commentaries. His talk show, beginning in 1991, was at first a failure...
Springer’s swan dive into TV nihilism seems to have been inspired by another syndicated talk show of the time, hosted by Jenny Jones. Springer took Jones’s tabloid sensibilities and refined them like enriched uranium.
🪑.
MTV’s The Real World gets a lot of credit for cheap, voyeuristic reality TV as we now know it, but without the tabloid talk shows of the’80s and ‘90s, we never would have discovered that working-class, less-telegenic people could also be exploited the same way.
TLC owes him a debt of gratitude, that’s for sure.
posted by armeowda at 7:44 PM on April 27, 2023
MTV’s The Real World gets a lot of credit for cheap, voyeuristic reality TV as we now know it, but without the tabloid talk shows of the’80s and ‘90s, we never would have discovered that working-class, less-telegenic people could also be exploited the same way.
TLC owes him a debt of gratitude, that’s for sure.
posted by armeowda at 7:44 PM on April 27, 2023
Jesse Thorn had a great interview with Springer on The Turnaround (his short-lived “interview the interviewers” podcast). He’s remarkably frank and perceptive about the nature, evolution, and role of his show and his career.
posted by staggernation at 7:45 PM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by staggernation at 7:45 PM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
He, like many of his ilk, presented trans people as sick and wrong. For that, may he be ensconced next to Rush Limbaugh and Morton Downey Jr., their suffering broadcast through Hell.
posted by mephron at 7:46 PM on April 27, 2023 [34 favorites]
posted by mephron at 7:46 PM on April 27, 2023 [34 favorites]
From the excellent Jerry Springer: The Opera here's Every Last Motherfucker Should Go Down + Jerry Goes to Hell.
He will be missed.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 7:50 PM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
He will be missed.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 7:50 PM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Americans sure do love their angry assholes.
posted by aramaic at 8:00 PM on April 27, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by aramaic at 8:00 PM on April 27, 2023 [10 favorites]
I watched him in my uni days, thinking that I knew so much better than any of the participants. Later, I was a fan of The Apprentice for much the same reasons. However smart I thought I was, I didn’t realize that a good many people were taking Jerry and Donnie entirely seriously, and that I was far outnumbered. Shows what I knew…
posted by Capt. Renault at 8:03 PM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Capt. Renault at 8:03 PM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
From Thunderous Prophet on Mastodon: "I know it's not the norm, but I hope a fight breaks out at Jerry Springer's funeral. I think Jerry would've wanted that."
posted by Pronoiac at 8:09 PM on April 27, 2023 [17 favorites]
posted by Pronoiac at 8:09 PM on April 27, 2023 [17 favorites]
Jerry Springer sucked in many ways (I'm trans) but his sign off -- "take care of yourselves and each other" -- encapsulates my values as succinctly as anything could. Rest in...something Jerry Springer.
posted by an octopus IRL at 8:12 PM on April 27, 2023 [18 favorites]
posted by an octopus IRL at 8:12 PM on April 27, 2023 [18 favorites]
Americans sure do love their angry assholes.
We know ourselves when see us, I’ll say that.
posted by ryanshepard at 8:13 PM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
We know ourselves when see us, I’ll say that.
posted by ryanshepard at 8:13 PM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
He occupies that very slim overlap in the Venn diagram between "television talk show host" and "subject of an opera".
.
posted by hippybear at 8:14 PM on April 27, 2023 [6 favorites]
.
posted by hippybear at 8:14 PM on April 27, 2023 [6 favorites]
I moved to Cincinnati after college in 1998 before the web of knowledge was always at your fingertips. In those early years it felt like every few months a Cincy lifer would whisper to you "psst...did you know Jerry Springer was our mayor AND our newscaster? Oh and did you hear about what he did with a personal check?"
It like secret knowledge passed down to the youth.
posted by mmascolino at 8:18 PM on April 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
It like secret knowledge passed down to the youth.
posted by mmascolino at 8:18 PM on April 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
.
posted by Small Dollar at 8:20 PM on April 27, 2023
posted by Small Dollar at 8:20 PM on April 27, 2023
*
posted by lalochezia at 8:50 PM on April 27, 2023
posted by lalochezia at 8:50 PM on April 27, 2023
Time to trot out the story of my encounter with Jerry Springer. Around 1970, I was a 10-year-old Junior Girl Scout living in a Cincinnati suburb. Our troop leader was active in the local Democratic party. Jerry Springer had been in the Army Reserves and had been called up for active duty and stationed at Fort Knox. Our troop had a field trip to Fort Knox at the time he was discharged, so thanks to our troop leader he hitched a ride on our bus back to Cincinnati to run for office.
A mid-twenties guy in an army uniform creates a bit of a sensation among a bus-full of singing 9- and 10-year-old girls. He could have just sat up front and ignored us - but instead he sang along with us. I remember he introduced us to some alternate lyrics to "This Land is Our Land". This land is my land - it isn't your land - if you don't get off - I'll blow your head off.
Regardless of what he got up to in the years after, and references to casual gun violence aside, looking back on it, I was impressed that he chose to interact with us at all. It is a fond memory.
posted by rekrap at 9:07 PM on April 27, 2023 [38 favorites]
A mid-twenties guy in an army uniform creates a bit of a sensation among a bus-full of singing 9- and 10-year-old girls. He could have just sat up front and ignored us - but instead he sang along with us. I remember he introduced us to some alternate lyrics to "This Land is Our Land". This land is my land - it isn't your land - if you don't get off - I'll blow your head off.
Regardless of what he got up to in the years after, and references to casual gun violence aside, looking back on it, I was impressed that he chose to interact with us at all. It is a fond memory.
posted by rekrap at 9:07 PM on April 27, 2023 [38 favorites]
🪑
posted by loquacious at 9:13 PM on April 27, 2023
posted by loquacious at 9:13 PM on April 27, 2023
Jerry Springer's story on This American Life.
I believe that I've only watched his show once, when I was home sick, and the topic was "Midget Klan." That was more than enough.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:25 PM on April 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
I believe that I've only watched his show once, when I was home sick, and the topic was "Midget Klan." That was more than enough.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:25 PM on April 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
My wife is one of the few people who saw Ringmaster in the theatre. There was only one other person in the audience and the generally unpleasant cinematic experience was worsened by the fact that there was a sex scene. Featuring Jerry Springer.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:28 PM on April 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:28 PM on April 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
Un-dot?
posted by blue shadows at 9:29 PM on April 27, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by blue shadows at 9:29 PM on April 27, 2023 [5 favorites]
It like secret knowledge passed down to the youth
I have a third degree connection to Jerry Springer via an ex's dad who worked for him at the time the check thing went down. He didn't talk about it, but he more than landed on his feet. One of the few times I wish we were stiill together so that I could a) have more of the story (and tell it much more often), and b) be a little more revealing about proximity. Regardless, if I had ever seen him on the street I would have told him I knew X and it would have been fun to see his reaction. I'll listen to some of the interviews to see how much those were the bad old days. I'm not sure I'd say Jerry landed on his feet.
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posted by rhizome at 9:29 PM on April 27, 2023
I have a third degree connection to Jerry Springer via an ex's dad who worked for him at the time the check thing went down. He didn't talk about it, but he more than landed on his feet. One of the few times I wish we were stiill together so that I could a) have more of the story (and tell it much more often), and b) be a little more revealing about proximity. Regardless, if I had ever seen him on the street I would have told him I knew X and it would have been fun to see his reaction. I'll listen to some of the interviews to see how much those were the bad old days. I'm not sure I'd say Jerry landed on his feet.
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posted by rhizome at 9:29 PM on April 27, 2023
Jerry Springer was the antithesis of Phil Donahue, who would ramp up the sentimentality and get people to hug and cry. For all the flying chairs and hair-pulling instigated by Springer (selectively recapped on comedy shows like Talk Soup), he knew it was real. He held a mirror to a nation that liked to think of itself as almost perfect, especially among those who got most of their information from tabloids. Then came the internet to prove the point.
posted by Brian B. at 9:37 PM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Brian B. at 9:37 PM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
“It’s chewing gum, it’s silly, it’s outrageous, it’s stupid, it’s a spoof, it’s a fraternity party on the air, it’s crazy … These people aren’t committing crimes. They’re yelling at each other,” [Springer] said. “If anything, they’re coming out and being honest. If someone’s cheating and saying, ‘Hey, I’m cheating,’ what’s the crime in that?” He continued. “I mean, American television is so upper white middle class,” he said. “On mainstream television, that’s the only perspective we see. And so here you have a show that just defies all these traditions, where the people on it don’t speak the king’s English, they’re not rich or powerful, and most of them don’t have an education. But the critics don’t want to see that. And that’s very, very elitist.” (Springer, to Rolling Stone in 1998) (Rolling Stone obit)
On the legacy of his show, he said that it might have ruined modern culture and could have set up how we see social media today. “It’s just the democratization of the whole culture,” and in his show “the audience becomes entertainment.” He told David Yontef’s Behind The Velvet Rope podcast, “I don’t think you can be a grown-up in today’s world and be shocked by anything anymore.” [Asked] if he’s on board with the title “The Granddaddy of Reality TV” he responded, “No, I just apologize. I’m so sorry. What have I done? I’ve ruined the culture. I just hope hell isn’t that hot because I burn real easy. I’m very light-complected, and that kind of worries me.” (Yahoo)
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:56 PM on April 27, 2023 [9 favorites]
On the legacy of his show, he said that it might have ruined modern culture and could have set up how we see social media today. “It’s just the democratization of the whole culture,” and in his show “the audience becomes entertainment.” He told David Yontef’s Behind The Velvet Rope podcast, “I don’t think you can be a grown-up in today’s world and be shocked by anything anymore.” [Asked] if he’s on board with the title “The Granddaddy of Reality TV” he responded, “No, I just apologize. I’m so sorry. What have I done? I’ve ruined the culture. I just hope hell isn’t that hot because I burn real easy. I’m very light-complected, and that kind of worries me.” (Yahoo)
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:56 PM on April 27, 2023 [9 favorites]
Well, Jerry Springer's existence did lead to this absolute gem of a parody song by "Weird Al" Yankovic.
posted by Metro Gnome at 10:00 PM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Metro Gnome at 10:00 PM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yyyyyeah, I revisited that “One Week” parody tonight, and roughly half the lyrics are about it being funny and shocking when people are gender non-conforming.
I’m glad Al has evolved over the intervening years, as we all should have.
The best-aged joke in the song is “Come over here and pull on my finger,” which — I’ll grant you — is timeless.
posted by armeowda at 10:21 PM on April 27, 2023 [6 favorites]
I’m glad Al has evolved over the intervening years, as we all should have.
The best-aged joke in the song is “Come over here and pull on my finger,” which — I’ll grant you — is timeless.
posted by armeowda at 10:21 PM on April 27, 2023 [6 favorites]
Just to add to stuff, since his show was on a pretty tight schedule, often times segments would feature actors/improvisers instead of real people in the stage seats. It was a type of soap-opera theater for the type of daytime tv he was trying to create. Whether that type of theater should exist is up for debate (I debate no), but the fact that it had the Fargo-type establishment of reality with hardly anyone questioning it at the time is kinda wild. I find it dirty, dishonest and vile to portray people the way his show did using actors without any caveat that it was fake.
He built something cruel, and profited from it greatly. At least he knew what he did but if you fuck up that badly without a full earnest attempt at reconciliation/reparation in the time you have left on this earth, your awareness means jack shit. No dot.
posted by Philipschall at 10:56 PM on April 27, 2023 [5 favorites]
He built something cruel, and profited from it greatly. At least he knew what he did but if you fuck up that badly without a full earnest attempt at reconciliation/reparation in the time you have left on this earth, your awareness means jack shit. No dot.
posted by Philipschall at 10:56 PM on April 27, 2023 [5 favorites]
if Jerry Springer had been Amish his show would have been called Jerry Rumspringa
posted by Jacen at 11:13 PM on April 27, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Jacen at 11:13 PM on April 27, 2023 [5 favorites]
And then there's Dr Evil on the show...
posted by DreamerFi at 11:42 PM on April 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by DreamerFi at 11:42 PM on April 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
All these assholes keep dying and none of them are Kissinger.
posted by flabdablet at 12:25 AM on April 28, 2023 [44 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 12:25 AM on April 28, 2023 [44 favorites]
He occupies that very slim overlap in the Venn diagram between "television talk show host" and "subject of an opera".
If you add the circles of “born in Highgate tube station” and “mentioned several times in WKRP in Cincinnati,” you’re down to like three or four people tops.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:10 AM on April 28, 2023 [5 favorites]
If you add the circles of “born in Highgate tube station” and “mentioned several times in WKRP in Cincinnati,” you’re down to like three or four people tops.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:10 AM on April 28, 2023 [5 favorites]
This is going to sound like shameless self-promotion and get me into trouble, but I'm working on a project (completely altruistic and awesome, I believe) to help organize kids who were on these shows. Identity Exploitation Media to be exact. If anyone has experience or knows someone who does I'm happy to share my plans and resources. Also, bye Jerry. Don't let the door hit ya.
posted by lextex at 4:21 AM on April 28, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by lextex at 4:21 AM on April 28, 2023 [6 favorites]
Strangely, I had never watched the music video for Peter Gabriel’s “The Barry Williams Show” until yesterday, when I heard the news. Still sums it up as well as anything could, I think: https://youtu.be/BLGkpFXiMOg
posted by McCoy Pauley at 4:50 AM on April 28, 2023
posted by McCoy Pauley at 4:50 AM on April 28, 2023
America loves sensationalism. Jerry Springer's show fed that hole.
posted by DJZouke at 5:04 AM on April 28, 2023
posted by DJZouke at 5:04 AM on April 28, 2023
Ah, the Jerry Springer Show. That staple of TV when I skipped school. I would not have been able to resist calling the FPP "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!" so kudos to you, OP, for having taste and restraint.
posted by Kitteh at 5:35 AM on April 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 5:35 AM on April 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
Nah, I have nothing nice to say. He and his producers unsealed a terrible thing. Fuck them all.
posted by The Vice Admiral of the Narrow Seas at 5:39 AM on April 28, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by The Vice Admiral of the Narrow Seas at 5:39 AM on April 28, 2023 [10 favorites]
One of the Glee Gal's friends was on Jerry Springer. She'd cheated on her husband, and decided to tell him on the show. She'd also stolen her husband from the GG, so that worked out well for us.
posted by Spike Glee at 6:29 AM on April 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Spike Glee at 6:29 AM on April 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
I didn't watch Jerry Springer's show very often, but I am pretty sure I remember seeing the "mother and daughter car jacking team" episode. I thought that was pretty outlandish, even for a show that promoted scandal and controversy..
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 6:51 AM on April 28, 2023
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 6:51 AM on April 28, 2023
Yyyyyeah, I revisited that “One Week” parody tonight, and roughly half the lyrics are about it being funny and shocking when people are gender non-conforming.
I’m glad Al has evolved over the intervening years, as we all should have.
I just listened to it for the first time in years, just so I could count every "joke" like this. I got five. Al is a better human being now.
As for Jerry (who even guest-starred on an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway?), he was a cultural icon. What conclusions we can draw about the sort of culture that would make him an icon, well...I'd elaborate, but I don't want to start a fight.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:28 AM on April 28, 2023
I’m glad Al has evolved over the intervening years, as we all should have.
I just listened to it for the first time in years, just so I could count every "joke" like this. I got five. Al is a better human being now.
As for Jerry (who even guest-starred on an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway?), he was a cultural icon. What conclusions we can draw about the sort of culture that would make him an icon, well...I'd elaborate, but I don't want to start a fight.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:28 AM on April 28, 2023
I only watched a little Springer, back in the '90s, but it seems a bit odd to blame him for current culture. All the outrage and voyeurism of Springer's show was curated, if not scripted. It was like an amusement park ride that promises to go off the rails... you know when it derails it's not really real, and you aren't actually going to die. It seemed like everyone was in on the joke and just there for the spectacle. It's like blaming Art Bell for Alex Jones or WWE for Trump... although the more I think about it, maybe bad things were set in motion and it just wasn't obvious.
It still seems to me that those bits of culture weren't really pernicious until the unlimited reserves of hatred and resentment got tapped into by 9/11 and Fox News. It's like blaming a fizzy drink for being flammable after you mixed in a bunch of gasoline.
posted by netowl at 7:32 AM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
It still seems to me that those bits of culture weren't really pernicious until the unlimited reserves of hatred and resentment got tapped into by 9/11 and Fox News. It's like blaming a fizzy drink for being flammable after you mixed in a bunch of gasoline.
posted by netowl at 7:32 AM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
I think trying to identify a show or individual as The Reason for anything is foolhardy, you might as well jump in the ocean and point to a square inch of water as the spot that got you "most wet."
it's not about blame though. whatever culture is or was, when Jerry Springer showed up a lot of us were gleefully prepared to indulge in that shit
posted by elkevelvet at 7:36 AM on April 28, 2023
it's not about blame though. whatever culture is or was, when Jerry Springer showed up a lot of us were gleefully prepared to indulge in that shit
posted by elkevelvet at 7:36 AM on April 28, 2023
I remember not knowing what to think about shows like his...I didn't like them, but was I just snobby?
Then I read something about how French nobles used to go to insane asylums and watch the mentally ill for entertainment.
This is no different. These shows are either fake or the people on them need help and therapy, not being told to use their pain for our entertainment.
posted by emjaybee at 7:42 AM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Then I read something about how French nobles used to go to insane asylums and watch the mentally ill for entertainment.
This is no different. These shows are either fake or the people on them need help and therapy, not being told to use their pain for our entertainment.
posted by emjaybee at 7:42 AM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yeah, Undot from me. He normalized and mainstreamed anti-trans lies in America for amusement, and seemingly never felt remorse for it. Save him a spot in Hell next to Limbaugh.
posted by Fiberoptic Zebroid and The Hypnagogic Jerks at 8:59 AM on April 28, 2023
posted by Fiberoptic Zebroid and The Hypnagogic Jerks at 8:59 AM on April 28, 2023
It's like blaming Art Bell for Alex Jones or WWE for Trump
That's fair.
I do, both.
posted by flabdablet at 10:00 AM on April 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
That's fair.
I do, both.
posted by flabdablet at 10:00 AM on April 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
Jerry Springer held humanist values, even if he had to use sensationalism to explore them. He was also against the anti-mask brigade and wasn't above making fun of himself, particularly. Today, I will think of Chris Morris's interview with the man. May his memory be a blessing.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:10 AM on April 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:10 AM on April 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
it seems a bit odd to blame him for current culture. All the outrage and voyeurism of Springer's show was curated, if not scripted.
But the “LOL, look at these rubes” reality shows today are carefully staged and edited as well.
And the outrage-baiting of cable news and social media feeds is also carefully programmed to maximize engagement.
No one is saying Jerry was single-handedly responsible for these problems, but I can’t imagine that he didn’t help lay the foundation for them, or that media didn’t know contempt was so profitable until circa 9/11.
Fox News took it to new heights at that point, sure. But media like Springer had been priming the canvas for years, with a similar philosophy:
1. Run your thinly-veiled freak shows when you know they’ll reach people with low self-esteem and way too much time on their hands.
2. Appeal to their need to feel superior to someone. Get them hooked on smugness and righteous indignation.
3. Sell them a slightly higher dose tomorrow.
4. Write the victims off as collateral damage.
Maybe he did it more artfully and creatively than his peers in the flag lapel pins, at the expense of a little surface polish, but he still did harm. It will be his legacy, though certainly not his alone.
posted by armeowda at 10:23 AM on April 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
But the “LOL, look at these rubes” reality shows today are carefully staged and edited as well.
And the outrage-baiting of cable news and social media feeds is also carefully programmed to maximize engagement.
No one is saying Jerry was single-handedly responsible for these problems, but I can’t imagine that he didn’t help lay the foundation for them, or that media didn’t know contempt was so profitable until circa 9/11.
Fox News took it to new heights at that point, sure. But media like Springer had been priming the canvas for years, with a similar philosophy:
1. Run your thinly-veiled freak shows when you know they’ll reach people with low self-esteem and way too much time on their hands.
2. Appeal to their need to feel superior to someone. Get them hooked on smugness and righteous indignation.
3. Sell them a slightly higher dose tomorrow.
4. Write the victims off as collateral damage.
Maybe he did it more artfully and creatively than his peers in the flag lapel pins, at the expense of a little surface polish, but he still did harm. It will be his legacy, though certainly not his alone.
posted by armeowda at 10:23 AM on April 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
There has only been one moment of Jerry Springer Show worth watching, and it is because of GWAR. (vid is low res, but you can see that Oderus left the Cuttlefish at home because some things are too risque for even Springer to host on stage)
posted by FatherDagon at 11:11 AM on April 28, 2023
posted by FatherDagon at 11:11 AM on April 28, 2023
Un-dot. Glad he's dead. May he rot in unpeace.
posted by humbug at 11:59 AM on April 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by humbug at 11:59 AM on April 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
From by Neronomius' link:
This fascination with the dark mirror image of my own upbringing continued into college, where I gleefully joined kids from wealthy suburbs in making fun of the “trailer trash” we saw on Springer. This performative contempt masked a deep insecurity: “Maybe they won’t know I’m here on scholarship,” I thought. “Maybe they won’t smell my dishwashing job on my clothes.”
posted by doctornemo at 12:07 PM on April 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
This fascination with the dark mirror image of my own upbringing continued into college, where I gleefully joined kids from wealthy suburbs in making fun of the “trailer trash” we saw on Springer. This performative contempt masked a deep insecurity: “Maybe they won’t know I’m here on scholarship,” I thought. “Maybe they won’t smell my dishwashing job on my clothes.”
posted by doctornemo at 12:07 PM on April 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
Somebody on Hobby Drama wrote up Jerry Springer: The Opera.
“Jerry, you come out of the show really well, but you do come out of it dead.”
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:16 PM on April 28, 2023
“Jerry, you come out of the show really well, but you do come out of it dead.”
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:16 PM on April 28, 2023
I keep trying to figure out where all of this trash tv/rage tv started, and although I usually knee-jerk to Jerry Springer and Maury Povich, I can't help but wonder if this guy had a hand in getting the ball rolling/lowering the bar. Maybe it's my age, but this is the first time I recall seeing shock TV (separate from shock radio, because I also came of age listening to WNBC during the Stern/Imus era).
posted by sundrop at 5:09 PM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by sundrop at 5:09 PM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
In any case, I'm not mourning Jerry's passing. It's just my opinion, so don't come at me (because, Metafilter), but I can't get past the fact that he saw something ugly and exploited it, for some reason.
posted by sundrop at 5:23 PM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by sundrop at 5:23 PM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
I thought the chair ref belonged first to Geraldo (CW violence) from 1988.
Thinking about Springer always brings these movie scenes to my mind:
Network, 1976, Max's (William Holden) daughter Caroline: "I want to see if anybody's yelling!"
Also Network, The Tube lies (CW language)
Orlando, 1992, Reaction to victim trapped within a frozen pond, 1610 AD (CW death)
posted by zaixfeep at 6:55 PM on April 28, 2023
Thinking about Springer always brings these movie scenes to my mind:
Network, 1976, Max's (William Holden) daughter Caroline: "I want to see if anybody's yelling!"
Also Network, The Tube lies (CW language)
Orlando, 1992, Reaction to victim trapped within a frozen pond, 1610 AD (CW death)
posted by zaixfeep at 6:55 PM on April 28, 2023
Springer re: exploitation.
Some back story: Springer volunteered for RFK's campaign. In his late 20s, the army reservist ran for Cincinnati city council on an antiwar platform, winning in 1971 and retaining his seat in 1973.
As a council member, "Springer always seemed to get attention. Wearing bell-bottom blue jeans, he spent a day working with a garbage collection crew, hauling cans from the curb and dumping the trash in the back of the truck. When the city took over local bus service, he hijacked a bus during the Fountain Square ceremonies and drove it around the block. He spent a night locked up with prisoners at the old jail, a dungeon known as The Workhouse, saying he wanted to hear their problems and bring attention to their plight. He borrowed a camper van and drove it to city neighborhoods on weekends to listen to residents. He said he did it because many people couldn't get to City Hall so City Hall should go to them. He prided himself on responding to the 'everyday problems of the average citizen.'"
Councilmember Springer paid for sex in December 1973 and January 1974 (via check; amounts were $25 and $50). When the scandal "broke"* at the end of April 1974, the 30-year-old resigned, made an apology in a televised press conference (his wife of less than a year, Micki, attended) at City Hall the following day, and the day after that, testified at the trial of three men accused of operating a Kentucky "health club" where Springer admitted to going twice for sex.
Pamela Jean Knight (paid with the $25 check) and Norma Jean Hall were given immunity for their testimonies in the Northern Kentucky trial. Knight testified that she also worked in Cincinnati and that Springer had given her $30 in cash "two or three other times." At his City Hall news conference, Springer said he had gone to health clubs in Cincinnati but denied ever having sex there.
"They were solely for legitimate purposes," he insisted. "To the best of my knowledge, no club in Cincinnati which I visited was engaged in any improper or illegal activities."
In 1975, Springer was re-elected to his council seat: Celebrating with his raucous campaign workers, Springer made a tearful victory speech, giving credit to his wife for his re-election and twice breaking into sobs.
"There have been times in the past year and a half I wanted to quit," he said. "There is something good about our system that says we recognize people are human beings and people are to be judged on what they can do to make this a better place for all of us." The following year, Springer ran for mayor and won. He was in-office 1977-1981, and his 1982 bid for Ohio governor was unsuccessful. Less than a decade later, Springer's show was on the air.
*Springer said his conscience drove him to contact the FBI after he paid for prostitutes, and he was never charged at state or federal level.
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:30 PM on April 28, 2023
Some back story: Springer volunteered for RFK's campaign. In his late 20s, the army reservist ran for Cincinnati city council on an antiwar platform, winning in 1971 and retaining his seat in 1973.
As a council member, "Springer always seemed to get attention. Wearing bell-bottom blue jeans, he spent a day working with a garbage collection crew, hauling cans from the curb and dumping the trash in the back of the truck. When the city took over local bus service, he hijacked a bus during the Fountain Square ceremonies and drove it around the block. He spent a night locked up with prisoners at the old jail, a dungeon known as The Workhouse, saying he wanted to hear their problems and bring attention to their plight. He borrowed a camper van and drove it to city neighborhoods on weekends to listen to residents. He said he did it because many people couldn't get to City Hall so City Hall should go to them. He prided himself on responding to the 'everyday problems of the average citizen.'"
Councilmember Springer paid for sex in December 1973 and January 1974 (via check; amounts were $25 and $50). When the scandal "broke"* at the end of April 1974, the 30-year-old resigned, made an apology in a televised press conference (his wife of less than a year, Micki, attended) at City Hall the following day, and the day after that, testified at the trial of three men accused of operating a Kentucky "health club" where Springer admitted to going twice for sex.
Pamela Jean Knight (paid with the $25 check) and Norma Jean Hall were given immunity for their testimonies in the Northern Kentucky trial. Knight testified that she also worked in Cincinnati and that Springer had given her $30 in cash "two or three other times." At his City Hall news conference, Springer said he had gone to health clubs in Cincinnati but denied ever having sex there.
"They were solely for legitimate purposes," he insisted. "To the best of my knowledge, no club in Cincinnati which I visited was engaged in any improper or illegal activities."
In 1975, Springer was re-elected to his council seat: Celebrating with his raucous campaign workers, Springer made a tearful victory speech, giving credit to his wife for his re-election and twice breaking into sobs.
"There have been times in the past year and a half I wanted to quit," he said. "There is something good about our system that says we recognize people are human beings and people are to be judged on what they can do to make this a better place for all of us." The following year, Springer ran for mayor and won. He was in-office 1977-1981, and his 1982 bid for Ohio governor was unsuccessful. Less than a decade later, Springer's show was on the air.
*Springer said his conscience drove him to contact the FBI after he paid for prostitutes, and he was never charged at state or federal level.
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:30 PM on April 28, 2023
He's really one of the more complicated figures. His show was trash, but he knew his show was trash and didn't defend it at all. He became somehow a kind of global cultural hero even while he was creating the worst of what we had on media at the time. He is deeply respected and perhaps even more deeply hated.
We won't have anyone like him again. Truly.
posted by hippybear at 7:38 PM on April 28, 2023
We won't have anyone like him again. Truly.
posted by hippybear at 7:38 PM on April 28, 2023
His show was trash, but he knew his show was trash and didn't defend it at all.
I agree. He recently answered questions about authenticity, where he admits to about 2% of the show featuring those who fooled the producers into getting an audience. I was surprised to learn he was born in a subway tunnel in London by parents fleeing the holocaust from Germany. When he brags about ruining the culture in terms of his white skin being burned in a hell he doesn't believe in, that interests me because he burned white culture by exposing it. It is morally consistent to look down on people's behavior and believe that it is a duty to help them understand their problems, or help policy makers understand, without tipping one's hand. Interesting social facts about talk shows.
posted by Brian B. at 8:43 PM on April 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
I agree. He recently answered questions about authenticity, where he admits to about 2% of the show featuring those who fooled the producers into getting an audience. I was surprised to learn he was born in a subway tunnel in London by parents fleeing the holocaust from Germany. When he brags about ruining the culture in terms of his white skin being burned in a hell he doesn't believe in, that interests me because he burned white culture by exposing it. It is morally consistent to look down on people's behavior and believe that it is a duty to help them understand their problems, or help policy makers understand, without tipping one's hand. Interesting social facts about talk shows.
posted by Brian B. at 8:43 PM on April 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
Thanks for that, Brian B.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 12:04 PM on April 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 12:04 PM on April 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
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But what he brought into this world. The hatred and ugliness, the things that defined his tv show and then pretending that he was above it all, I think that's all you can use to define him. You could say that he mined the depths but he created those conditions and fanned the flames for tv. This is a very kind telling from someone who worked on his show.
I think he created a legacy that is going to take decades to scrub clean.
posted by Neronomius at 7:44 PM on April 27, 2023 [22 favorites]