RIP Harvey

That was classic Harvey, Master of the Misdirection.

Sad. A bit of America gone there. But even though the news about him today was grim, hearing his name put a smile on my face.

Good Day.

He was indelible, unique, an icon and a part of my soundtrack growing up. It became hard to enjoy his program in later years, first because of frequent absences and later because he was dropped from my local radio stations. He was quintessentially American, which in my book is high praise. May God rest his soul.

Saw this sad news, and thought of Mr. Lileks immediately.

Back in 2000, I was returning home from vacation, and as I drove through eastern West Virginia (or western Virginia, maybe), fiddling with the radio, suddenly there was that familiar voice. Just as he always was…and yet it was strange to hear him on the cusp of the 21st century. Especially when he read the commercials.

– Page 2 –

And now, Paul Harvey will truly experience…The Rest of the Story. God bless.

I know people will hate me for this, but…

I couldn’t stand Paul Harvey. His “dramatic pauses” drove me absolutely insane. That whole “The resssssssssssssst………….of the story” business just irritated the crap out of me. And the way he’d repeat what he just said–as though none of us caught it the first time–was just maddening.

Don’t get me wrong–I’m sure he was a lovely man, and my condolences to his family. But (God forgive me) I’m glad I won’t have to listen to him anymore.

This is a big “it is what it is” moment. One of those things I can share with my elderly parents but not my adult children. Middle age really is all about me.

I used to hear Paul Harvey when he was on 1500 KSTP. I couldn’t stand Rush Limbaugh, so I would listen to something else until his show was over and then would change back to ‘TP just as Harvey’s “Rest of the Story” was coming on. A lot of them were pretty apocryphal. If my students ever wrote anything like his stories, I would insist on sources.

The way they were constructed was usually formulaic, but it was a fascinating formula, like an Encyclopedia Brown story. He would start with one obscure fact about a famous person and then work backward and create a story from that. For example, we might hear the story of T.J., a war hero who took out a nest of enemy snipers with a single shot. We would hear a narrative description of T.J.’s background and exploits and what it felt like for him as he fired the shot, and then about how he got this, that, and the other medal for doing it. And then we would learn that T.J. was short for Timothy James … McVeigh. And that was the rest of the story!

Wow. No kidding–I guessed correctly that Paul was reading an Amway commercial! (What do I win?)

His voice reminds me of coming home from school 35 years ago for lunch (soup and sandwich) and hearing him on the kitchen AM radio.

I don’t think he’s been on around here for some time although I don’t know for sure. I’d assumed he’d retired.

RIP.

I caught his bit on the radio about two weeks ago and went through the routine of “OMG, is he still alive? Did he just record that? He must be 100 years old if he’s alive! I got to look him up on Wikipedia see if he’s actually still alive!”

Then I started joking to myself that it would be funny to describe someone as “… a wise old man, like Gandalf, or Paul Harvey.”

Paul Harvey’s show always made me think of Norman Rockwell, Lawrence Welk, Reader’s Digest and Vick’s Vap-o-Rub.

In my youth, Paul Harvey’s unforgettable, booming voice had listeners hanging on every word of the stories he reported, through which I learned about the power of radio and good writing. Paul Harvey reminded us what a privilege it was to live in America, and our nation is now poorer with his passing. His voice may be still, but for those of us who knew and appreciated Paul Harvey’s life’s work, the memories will linger all the rest of our days. Rest in peace, Mr. Harvey – and thank you for every captivating moment.

I can’t say that I listened to him regularly,but it was
comforting in an odd way when I did. I knew I was at
least the third generation in my family to hear good old
Paul and his kooky news and ads that began “Friends…”

RIP Mr. Harvey

Went with his boots on, too. What a voice, a beautiful instrument over which he had mastery like no other. I’ve heard a complaint or two about factual errors in his ROTS over the years, but they were usually dead accurate. The thing is, by leaving out one small piece of information, he could make something you almost slept through at school seem like the most fascinating story you’d ever hear. That’s more than just excellent storytelling; that is an unflappable fascination with life in all its craziness and glory.

I miss him already.

I am sad that I have missed Paul and Paul Jr. over last couple of months because the dirty dogs at KGO SF switch him over to their conservative sister station that does not come in well at home.

Angel died last year and like many great couples, it seemed he would follow shortly. Angel was an radio icon as well and created the rest of the story.

My intro to Paul came from a school bus driver who played the talk radio in the morning. That was about 1973.

Paul Harvey News and Comment. I hope Bill O’Reilly has been sending the royalty checks! A great solid broadcast master. Patriot and incisive reporter.
There will never be another like him. God love you Paul and good day

I’ll miss that reassuring voice. It’s been part of the soundtrack of my entire life.

They didn’t call him “The Prince of Pause” … for nothing.

Where can I get recordings (legally) of this man’s great oratory and creativity? I am especially interested in the 1950s.

Am I the only one that can’t get the sound clip to play? Did I miss it?

Fred:
Doesn’t work for me, either.

Mr. Harvey “got it” that radio news is not just reading the wire services — and that spoken news (if meaning and effect are to be understood the first-and-only time the words are heard) must be different than text à la the New York Times Stylebook. Dad always had the car radio on when taking us to school. The Paul Harvey morning news segment came on (this would be 1965-ish) just as we were passing the County Hospital in Fresno, California — if we were on time. Thinking of him now I see that road, those trees, and the dashboard of that brown Ford Galaxy 500. I’ll miss him. I guess I’m standing and clapping, too. Well, Paul and Angel are together again.