The recent death of pioneering television talk show host Phil Donahue brought to mind a controversial appearance I once had on his program back on June 13, 1990.
Phil Donahue broke into the business in the late 1960s. He was a decidedly liberal personality who was the first to make his audience part of the program. The Ohio native gave a prominent platform to all kinds of radicals, but also invited conservatives on his show in the hope of discrediting their ideas.
In 1990, I was the Youth Culture Specialist for Focus on the Family. I noticed a disturbing trend in rap music, namely, the lyrics in some of the best-selling albums were nothing short of hardcore audio pornography.
With the release of 2 Live Crew’s “As Nasty As They Wanna Be,” I asked, “Where are the parents? Why do they allow this into their homes?” I had transcribed their bestselling two-record set and found 226 uses of the “F” word, graphic descriptions of oral sex 84 times, and five or six dozen graphic references to women — if you listen to the album just one time.
Keep in mind this audio porn was sold to kids of any age.
The thought occurred to me that parents must not know what the lyrics were since there were no printed lyrics — and Google didn’t exist. To raise awareness on the issue of explicit pornographic and violent lyrics, I faxed my lyrical analysis to the press.
To those under a certain age, a “fax” or facsimile was the most efficient way to relay documents back in 1990.
Media requests for an interview flooded in from ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Time and People magazines, dozens of local and national radio and TV shows, and a host of newspapers. In the stack was an invite to appear on the Phil Donahue Show.
In short, Phil had assembled a “balanced panel” of guests including Luther Campbell (frontman for 2 Live Crew) and his lawyer, Jello Biafra (the Dead Kennedys), Wendy O’ Williams (The Plasmatics), Mike Muir (Suicidal Tendencies) representing the “free speech” side—with a pro-family lawyer and myself supposedly advocates for censorship.
The studio audience was packed with adults. Minors under age 17 were not allowed — which is ironic because the music was being sold to preteens and young teens.
At one point during the debate, to aid in the understanding of what was being sold to kids, I quoted just 12 words from the 2 Live Crew album. Alas, the guy in the sound booth — who should have been bleeping profanity, was either sleeping or out to lunch. Which is why what I said was broadcast live to 11 million people.
That’s when the studio and home audience learned the truth. That’s when the phone lines melted down. That’s when Phil Donahue asked me to apologize for saying the words instead of asking Luther Campbell to apologize for selling audio porn to kids. The hypocrisy of the moment wasn’t missed by the press who called Donahue out for targeting the messenger instead of the message.
That’s why Phil didn’t like me.
Even though Phil was unfair to me on his show, upon reading his obituary, I prayed that Phil made his peace with Jesus before he took his last breath. After all, Jesus said, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44 NIV). Truthfully, I’ve prayed for Phil over the years just as I still pray for Luther Campbell.
On the way out of the building after the show, I found myself alone with Luther in the elevator. Clearly pleased with his performance, he smirked and said, “I just sold another 100,000 records right there.”
I answered, “Luther, how would it make you feel to one day hear that your 10-year-old daughter was sexually molested by a 13-year-old boy who got the ideas from your album?” His smirk faded.
Whether or not Phil Donahue, popular musicians, or social media influences care about what they say, God places a premium on our words: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36 ESV).
Image from Getty.
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