TALK RADIO
Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Eric Bogosian and Oliver Stone
Starring Eric Bogosian, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Greene
Released in 1988
Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Eric Bogosian and Oliver Stone
Starring Eric Bogosian, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Greene
Released in 1988
Alan Berg was a Denver talk radio host. On June 18, 1984, members of a white supremacist group calling themselves The Order shot him thirteen times as he stepped out of his car at his home. He died. The Order was a neo-Nazi gang inspired by The Turner Diaries. They were also inspired by the curse of minuscule penises and inferior brain capacities. If The Turner Diaries sounds familiar to you, that may be because the badly written 1978 novel by William Luther Pierce was the same book that was loved by Timothy McVeigh of Oklahoma City Bombing infamy. It was also mentioned by John King, the evil racist who dragged James Byrd by the neck from the back of his car. Eric Bogosian rants about him the book in the 1988 Oliver Stone movie Talk Radio, the movie based on the life and death of Alan Berg.
As we get into a discussion of this movie, I should perhaps mention that I strongly dislike shrivel-dicked neo-Nazis, just as I strongly dislike lots of other types of people, including folks who discriminate against others, folks who like things without knowing why they like them, stupid people, knee-jerk reaction people, folks who have to read a book to know what to do, obsessive people, compulsive people, people who forget to wipe their noses (or other orifices), and people who shout "Wheeeee!" out of moving automobiles for no discernible reason. That said, Talk Radio is a blast, mainly because Eric Bogosian's portrayal of Barry Champlain is a warts-and-all examination of not only the Alan Berg on-air personality, but also of the frequently psychotic types who tuned in to listen to him. To be very good in the talk radio world requires something bigger than just ego; it requires a level of narcissism that is beyond most of us and the ability to communicate this trait without seeming like a fool is hard. Bogosian--no stranger to ego--pulled off the characterization like the genius I suspect he is.
The screenplay, a collaboration between Bogosian and Stone, is first rate, based as it is on the star's own stage play, which in turn was based on the Stephen Singular book Talked to Death: The Life and Murder of Alan Berg. The love interest stuff gets in the way a bit, as one might expect, but otherwise the pace of this extremely monologue-driven narrative jumps right along like a speeding train in search of a set of tracks. This is a Big Issues movie and with Stone in the chair, the audience is not spared a well-deserved bang on the noggin for making the mistake of identifying with any of the support characters.
One of the most moving scenes in the film occurs at some type of athletic ceremony when, after getting sprayed with coffee by a hostile fan, Barry approaches the microphone to speak and is roundly booed by most of those in attendance. His few supporters are the lunatic fringe who give him little comfort.
But the best scene of all involves a true believer head case named Kent who drops in the studio to show his mania.
This may just be the finest moment in any Oliver Stone motion picture. The movie features several folks you will recognize, including John C. McGinley ("Scrubs") as Stu the phone guy, Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock") as Dan the boss, and John Pankow ("Mad About You") as Dietz, the corporate dude who is in charge of deciding whether or not Barry's show will go national. But this is Bogosian's movie from start to finish and even the masterful cinematography cannot take away from what should have been an Oscar-winning performance. That in years since, Eric has been diminished to playing the honcho in a Dick Wolf TV cop show is a sad commentary, but not as sad as what happened to Alan Berg in Denver.
As we get into a discussion of this movie, I should perhaps mention that I strongly dislike shrivel-dicked neo-Nazis, just as I strongly dislike lots of other types of people, including folks who discriminate against others, folks who like things without knowing why they like them, stupid people, knee-jerk reaction people, folks who have to read a book to know what to do, obsessive people, compulsive people, people who forget to wipe their noses (or other orifices), and people who shout "Wheeeee!" out of moving automobiles for no discernible reason. That said, Talk Radio is a blast, mainly because Eric Bogosian's portrayal of Barry Champlain is a warts-and-all examination of not only the Alan Berg on-air personality, but also of the frequently psychotic types who tuned in to listen to him. To be very good in the talk radio world requires something bigger than just ego; it requires a level of narcissism that is beyond most of us and the ability to communicate this trait without seeming like a fool is hard. Bogosian--no stranger to ego--pulled off the characterization like the genius I suspect he is.
The screenplay, a collaboration between Bogosian and Stone, is first rate, based as it is on the star's own stage play, which in turn was based on the Stephen Singular book Talked to Death: The Life and Murder of Alan Berg. The love interest stuff gets in the way a bit, as one might expect, but otherwise the pace of this extremely monologue-driven narrative jumps right along like a speeding train in search of a set of tracks. This is a Big Issues movie and with Stone in the chair, the audience is not spared a well-deserved bang on the noggin for making the mistake of identifying with any of the support characters.
One of the most moving scenes in the film occurs at some type of athletic ceremony when, after getting sprayed with coffee by a hostile fan, Barry approaches the microphone to speak and is roundly booed by most of those in attendance. His few supporters are the lunatic fringe who give him little comfort.
But the best scene of all involves a true believer head case named Kent who drops in the studio to show his mania.
This may just be the finest moment in any Oliver Stone motion picture. The movie features several folks you will recognize, including John C. McGinley ("Scrubs") as Stu the phone guy, Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock") as Dan the boss, and John Pankow ("Mad About You") as Dietz, the corporate dude who is in charge of deciding whether or not Barry's show will go national. But this is Bogosian's movie from start to finish and even the masterful cinematography cannot take away from what should have been an Oscar-winning performance. That in years since, Eric has been diminished to playing the honcho in a Dick Wolf TV cop show is a sad commentary, but not as sad as what happened to Alan Berg in Denver.
