Talk Radio (film)

Plot summary

Barry Champlain, a Jewish radio personality in Dallas, Texas, is a host with a caustic sense of humor and a knack for cutting people down with his controversial politically liberal views.

Champlain's radio show is about to go nationwide. A former suit salesman, he achieves his rise to fame through guest shots on the Jeff Fisher radio show. Barry begins to steal the show with his sense of humor and sharp wit, which aggravates Fisher. Barry is subsequently given his own show which rises to the top of the Arbitron radio ratings. Barry receives calls from people who appreciate him for what he does and how he does it as well as people who seem to hate him. He has a substantial number of hostile callers, from people who take offense to his attitude to radical right wingers trying to intimidate him. He sometimes receives threatening fan mail, when one caller makes a bomb threat. His rise to fame is accompanied not only with attention from radical elements, but also with the alienation of his wife.

As his show is going through a final audition to go into national syndication, Barry grows increasingly isolated and asks his ex-wife Ellen to come and visit him, saying he needs her input and that she's the only person he trusts. They attempt a return to their relationship. Using a fake name and calling from the radio studio, Ellen talks to Barry on the air—the only place he seems to relate to people openly—in an attempt to reach him, to bring him back from the depression he seems to be suffering from. She begs for him to come back, but Barry refuses and tells her that he will be all right from now on, bitterly attacking her on the call as the radio production staff, all friends of Ellen, watch in horror; Ellen walks away. Barry confesses his sins over the radio, admitting he cares more for personal gain than the societal ills he addresses and refusing to apologize for his hypocrisy. He shouts that the American people scare him because of what has happened to his friends, family, and co-workers. He berates his callers that they have nothing worth saying, that they tolerate his abuse and keep coming back for more, seemingly unaware that he attracts his own listeners and inspires most of the ire he receives. Still, his co-workers tell him it's now the highest rated segment in the show's history. Barry's boss congratulates him on a job well done and says that the show is definitely going to go national.

While walking to his car, a fan asks for his autograph; as Barry signs it, the fan pulls out a gun and shoots him several times, killing him. As the film ends, callers to Barry's show, then his co-workers and Ellen, speak on air about him. They say that Barry was a talented, smart and funny man, but that he loved to push people's buttons and that maybe he finally pushed someone a little too far.

Production

Eric Bogosian wrote the screenplay with help from director Oliver Stone. The script was almost entirely based on Bogosian's original play with some biographical information about Alan Berg, a talk show host in Denver who was murdered in 1984 by white supremacists. In his research for the film version, Bogosian often watched the on-air production of Tom Leykis' talk show, then originating from Los Angeles station KFI. Bogosian's fictional character shares many speech patterns and mannerisms with real-life talker Leykis.

Filming took place mostly in Dallas, Texas and Irving, Texas. Unlike the film, the original play takes place entirely during the on-air broadcast and there are no scenes outside the radio station.

Reception

Talk Radio received mostly positive reviews from critics and holds an 82% fresh rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes based on 44 reviews.

In popular culture

Parts of the film have been sampled by many bands.

Barry's enthusiastic "Hooooo-oyy!" outcry mocking a caller's Southern accent was used prominently in the 1990 Revolting Cocks song "Beers, Steers, and Queers".

The conversation over the air with "Ralph" while Michael Wincott's character "Kent" enters the studio consisting of "Something is wrong... like nobody's driving the train. The system... there's too many people getting sick" was used by the California punk band Lagwagon on the album Blaze.

The anecdote that Barry provides about "...a little dog trotting over this bridge" was used by the New York hardcore band Most Precious Blood in their song "Oxygen Debt" on their album Merciless.

The radio tower featured at the end of the film is used by KDFW, a local television station. At the time of filming, KDFW was a CBS affiliate; however, it has since become a FOX affiliate.

The end theme is "Telephone and Rubber Band" by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.

Sound clips from the film were used by sound collage group Negativland in a December 1991 episode of their weekly Over the Edge program, "Radio Wars". Clips were also used in a series of Radio sweepers for Australian radio station 3RRR during the early to mid 1990s.