Ever since the right-wing talk station in Portland switched from O'Reilly's radio show to Glenn Beck's, I must admit that I've found myself drifting over to it from time to time. All I can say in my defense is that it's sort of perverted fun to listen to this nutjob go through a slow-motion mental breakdown -- either that, or engage in a cynical snake-oil salesjob to millions of gullible, enraged right-wingers. Whether listened to ironically or with wild-eyed seriousness, Glenn Beck delivers some really bizarre entertainment.
This morning I switched over to Beck during a Thom Hartmann commercial break and heard something that simply blew my mind, and I'm wondering if anyone else heard this I-can't-believe-what-I'm-hearing moment.
Today, Beck decided to honor Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in his own Glenn Beck way. He read, I believe, from the Gospels of John and Mark, both of which describe the Crucifixion (it's been a while since my religious studies courses, someone please correct me if I'm wrong). Now, someone simply reading aloud the account of Christ's sacrifice is not in itself a cause for stunned disbelief. Or offense. Or laughter. But this is not your typical preacher or devout believer we're talking about here. This is GLENN BECK.
He read the sacred texts in a voice that was essentially no different from the voice he usually employs on his shows -- sarcastic, hucksterish, bordering on hysterical. So the tone was, shall we say, odd. But what really drove home the nuttiness of the exercise was his choice of backing music. It was...and I pause to giggle..."The Great Gig in the Sky" by Pink Floyd. That's the song from "Dark Side of the Moon" with wordless female vocals that might be described as passionate shrieking. And it was mixed LOUD, so much so that Beck had to practically shout (which, come to think of it, is what he usually does anyway).
I assume Beck used this music because the vocals in his mind adequately captured the pain and anguish of Christ's ultimate sacrifice. That's his take, fine. But it was...weird. And considering that the music came from a band whose creative leader is an avowed atheist, it was all the stranger (much like how Rush Limbaugh's theme music comes from a song whose lyrics bemoan economic and environmental degradation, or how Ronald Reagan's campaign completely misinterpreted "Born in the U.S.A.").
Glenn Beck is clearly grooming himself to be the heir to Rush Limbaugh's gasbag throne, and I must say he is doing a bang-up job. I consider his material total comic gold. I just wish more of his listeners felt the same way.
EDIT: Thanks to wisco kid's link (see below -- I don't know how to put it in the main diary), you can hear the Lunatics That Are in Glenn Beck's Head for yourself. Turns out that I heard only a small part of the full, 15 MINUTE Christo-rock extravaganza, which uses much of Side 1 of "Dark Side of the Moon."
EDIT 2: Turns out that Beck did this Pink Floyd thing back in 2003 and apparently replays it every year around Easter.