Children love to ask questions, and some kids are more curious than others.
Here’s a few questions that kids have asked:
“In the olden days, was everything black and white?”
“Why are you buying beer, Dad? Don’t you know how much candy we could get with that money?”
“Why do I have two eyes if I only see one thing?”
“Dad, what did it feel like on your last day of being a child?”
The other day I was remembering a particular adult who asked a lot of questions. His name is Larry King, whose talk show ended in 2010. So, out of curiosity, I looked him up online and discovered another interview, but this one was different. In this interview, Larry King was the guest who was being asked questions. After listening to this man, I began to understand more clearly why I’ve missed his brand of journalism.
It was unusual to see the man with the bold patterned tie, matching suspenders, bright shirt and big-framed glasses, answering questions about himself. He looked much the same, and after all these years, his big-framed glasses have become popular once again. But no one else on the planet can pull off the Larry King look quite like he can.
Now, in his 80’s, he looks back at over sixty years of broadcasting in which he had interviewed sixty thousand people. It’s quite an accomplishment, and it was interesting to hear his story. As a little boy, he recalled listening to a broadcaster on the radio, and then locking himself in the bathroom, looking in the mirror and imitating what he had just heard. He said he never knew where the passion for broadcasting came from, but it was always there.
Always a curious child, he remembers sitting behind the bus driver on the way to school and asking the driver, “Why did you want to become a bus driver? What do you like best about being a bus driver?” It was possibly his first interview.
He had great aspirations, but circumstances were not in his favor. His father died when he was nine years old, leaving his mother with two children who were living on government assistance. Nevertheless, he never gave up his dream of wanting to be a broadcaster.
In his teen years, he would visit radio studios and simply stand and listen. Finally, after working at a number of odd jobs, he got his first opportunity to be a broadcaster on radio. It was there that he tried out his new made-for-radio name, and he never looked back.
The studio was his happy place. He explained that even when he was having a bad day, once he began interviewing a guest, his bad day always disappeared.
During his lengthy career, he interviewed people from every spectrum of life experience, including musicians, actors, CEO’s, religious leaders, presidents, dancers, murderers, evangelists and bank robbers. But what I appreciated most about Larry King, was he treated each guest exactly the same. He extended equal respect and dignity, and was completely unbiased during every interview.
I watched an interview from the year 2000. It was the first live interview Monica Lewinsky had given. Although Larry King asked her hard questions, he always delivered them in a respectful, warm-hearted manner.
After talking to such a wide variety of people, King summed up the keys to success as follows: having unbelievable drive and passion, and money was the bi-product of that passion and drive.
But what contributed to his personal success as a broadcaster over a time period of almost seven decades? His answer: he always gave each and every guest his undivided attention. In his own words, he said he never assumed he was better than anyone. He never forgot his humble beginnings, and never allowed success to go to his head. Every day he walked into his studio, left his ego at the door, and chose to just be himself.
He hasn’t retired either; he now has an online talk show. And I wholeheartedly agree with him when he says he hopes the truthful, honest journalism he portrays will inspire more of its kind. We desperately need Larry King to pass on the legacy of old school journalism.
For more, visit kindersleysocial.ca/webarchive/Joan
