TODD: Another one of the staples of Rush’s show, one of innovations of the Rush Limbaugh Show in the early years was the update theme, and when Rush would play a song parody which introduced a discussion of the various issues that he talked about to be on the edge of societal evolution. On his 30th anniversary in 2018, Rush Limbaugh took a look back.
RUSH: Now, the update, which was a musical portion of the program, one of the principal ways that I pioneered combining politics with comedy and music. A lot of people have done it since, but it first happened here, the combination: Serious discussion, irreverent humor, the playing of rock ‘n’ roll music on the programs that people thought the audience would not be interested in. Pioneering stuff. And it was used to educate, to laugh, to create humor, and also inform people of things I wanted them to know about the left.
BEGIN ARCHIVE MONTAGE
RUSH: Dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut! Barney Frank Update time!
(My Boy Lollipop)
RUSH: Dadelut dadelut dadelut! Homeless Update!
(Ain’t Got No Home)
RUSH: Sometimes I sing with this. (Singing along with Clarence “Frogman” Henry)
RUSH: Dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut! Update time! In a Yugo on the Rush Limbaugh Program.
(In a Yugo)
RUSH: General Dinkins Update Theme. Dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut!
(General David Dinkins Where Are You?)
RUSH: It’s time for a Timber Update. Dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut!
(Timber Update Theme Song)
RUSH: Dadelut dadelut dadelut! It’s time for a Gay Community Update Theme, folks! The vocal portrayal here by the late and great Klaus Nomi…
(The Nomi Song)
RUSH: Dadelut dadelut dadelut!
(Born Free)
RUSH: This is our Animal Rights Update Theme, Andy Williams and his elevator shoes with the tune…
(Born Free with gunfire, animal’s in destress)
RUSH: Dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut! Peace Update! Slim Whitman sings.
(Una Paloma Blanca with nuclear blasts)
RUSH: Dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut! A Feminist Update.
(Men by the Forester Sisters)
RUSH: The feminazis are livid at me because of…well…general principles.
(Men by the Forester Sisters)
END ARCHIVE MONTAGE
RUSH: That’s how we taught. That’s how we laughed and made people aware of the mockery of the left and what they really were and the things they believed in. We occasionally go back to the Grooveyard of Forgotten Hits and relive ’em.
TODD: (laughing) Thank goodness he did. On the topic of Rush’s humor, Kelvin in Indio, California, you’re on the Rush Limbaugh program. Todd Herman sitting in for our departed friend. Welcome, Kelvin.
CALLER: Thank you Todd. It’s a pleasure to speak with you. You’re doing a great job, brother.
TODD: Thank you, brother.
CALLER: I appreciate it.
TODD: Thank you.
CALLER: So, yeah. You know, the many, many gifts that this incredible radio icon had. I appreciate his humor, and I’m gonna miss that humor, especially his nicknames.
TODD: Ha! Ha! Ha!
CALLER: I remember when he started talking about Peter “Struck/Stroke,” and because he wasn’t quite sure how to pronounce that last name, he called him Peter Strzok Strzok, and then after the hearing he added “smirk.” I thought that was absolutely hilarious. I was hoping to get a hold of him before he left us and have a little fun with him myself and ask him if we could add one to that, Peter Strzok-Strzok Smirk Schmuck.
TODD: Oh, absolutely. Yeah, how many times did you break out laughing listening to Rush’s show?
CALLER: Oh, many times.
TODD: Yeah.
CALLER: Just the fact that he just enjoyed himself and had fun with that, and it just drove the left crazy.
TODD: It did, and I wish everybody had the occasion to… We get this. I’ve heard Steyn talk about this, Mark Steyn. I think our friend talked about it too. Brett was involved in the creation of some of these things. I hope I’m not giving away state secrets there, but Brett was on yesterday and responsible for some of this artistry that we get to listen to the parodies.
Because they feed this audio down the line to make the lives of production directors everywhere easier, so we know the feed is connected. We get to hear the best of the best of those parodies, and it just somehow… I heard Mark say, “It sort of brings the spirit of the show alive,” and it does.