That’s My Brother

Now I've known David for a very long time decades, and David and I are friends, and I want to tell you something about David. And this is very touching to me, and it's something that I will always remember. When the day, that day that Rush gave us the bad news about his diagnosis, it was a very tough day. I got a call um before the show ended that day from David, and David just said, James, I'm just

calling to see whether you're all right. We're all worried about you because we know how much you love Rush. Of course I broke down, and of course you know David was was just as emotional as David can be under those kind of circumstances. We were all just on the edge. And and and that's who David is, and

and that's who this family is. I knew Rush and David's mom, Millie, and I hung out with Millie and I rocked David's one of David's daughters to sleep while we were all traveling somewhere with Rush to to on on one of our great traveling adventures. I don't even remember where we were going, but I just remember hanging out with them. You hear this expression, the salt of the earth, the Limbaugh family. I've met so many of them. These people are the people that you would want to

be your neighbors. They're the people you would want to be your friends. These are the people that you would want to be your family. And you'd be grateful if you were in their family. Not only do they love this country, not only do they love their family, they love their friends, and they create an incredibly loving environment. And it is so easy for me to see where

Rush came from by knowing his family. Whether you listened every day you are at the E I V Network and the Russia Limball program heard on over six hundred great radio stations every now and then nation's leading radio talk show, the most eagerly anticipated program in America. Stories You Never Hurt from the people behind the scenes who

knew him best and loved him most. Rushmod Or having more fundily human being, It should be allowed to hear Rush Limpough, the man behind the Golden EIP microphone, hosted by James Golden. Hey, James Golden here, you know what it's time that you treat yourself to a little bit of luxury. You know the company, It's my Pillow. But what you may not know is that my Pillow makes more than just the incredible pillows that have captivated America. They make sheets. And these aren't just any sheets. These

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comfort you need to experience. Log on to my Pillow Dot com clicking on the new radio listeners specials and use promo code Icon. Lots of incredible offers there. Now that's my pillow dot Com Promo code Icon Today. Special guests we have with us David Limbaugh, Russia's brother. David. Welcome, How are you hey, James, How are you doing? Thanks for having me on. I am so pleased that you're here. David, how are you doing. I am still in a state

of shock and disbelief. I wake up some days and I still can't believe it when I hear Russia's voice. I'm still part of my mind still can't wrap around that Russia's gone. Yeah, it is really u very hard to believe, and it's tough and I kind of compartmentalize sometimes and deal with it that way. But I was very surprised the way it hit. I mean, we expected him, and we knew it was it was going to happen,

but I didn't think it was imminent. And then when Catherine called and said he had really taken a turn for the worst, my heart sunk. And then it was downhill from that point. So yeah, I was kind of shocked, even though we had been well prepared for it. So, David, I want to go back with you today to the beginning of David the younger Brother. I want to know what life was like in the Limbaugh household. I have I have had the wonderful opportunity of meeting your mom.

I never met your dad, but I met your mom. And she was such a wonderful and delightful person. She had sparkling blue lies. She would send me music. I don't know whether you know that or not. She would send me cassettes with music. Yeah, yeah, that she who wanted me to hear that. She had an infectious laugh. She was just such a wonderful person. What was it like growing up in your house? Well, my mom and dad were both unique characters in their own right, very different.

My dad was, as I said in that tribute I wrote to Rush, he was a lawyer's lawyer and brilliant and uh he was pretty serious most of the time and had a worse bark than his bite. Uh. He was tender at heart. But you know, some people sometimes people thought he was gruff, but the truth is he was. He was really good to us, but he disciplined us, don't get me wrong. And my mom was just a cut up. She was a comedian and always funny and happy, and everybody loved her, and and everybody loved my dad too.

Don't get me wrong. People would come over. This was the interesting thing. They come over to our house when we were kids in high school, and people would our friends would sit around in the living room and just listen to my dad pontificate about politics and religion, mostly politics, and so it is. It is gratifying to me to see Rush in his career, put together both of the best attributes of my parents, uh and turn it into the most successful radio show in American history. So that's

really cool to me. It's I see both my parents in Rush, the best of both of both of them. And your granddad was still Rush had your granddad on the air. Your granddad lived to be over a hundred years old, and he was active. He was still practicing lawl right when you would coming here. Oh yeah, I joined the firm in and my grandfather was still there, the patriarch, My dad was there, my uncle was there, my cousin Steve uh so a lot of balls there

at the time. In fact, our cousin John started out there too, So it was very limball heavy and there were some non limballs there too. And my grandfather continued until probably nineteen ninety three or four, when he was almost a hundred four. He died at a hundred four, but he practiced law almost until the very end. My dad died four or five years earlier than my grandfather, so my grandfather outlived him and um, but my grandfather was amazing in terms of how vibrant he was and

how brilliant he was still at at an very old age. Okay, so your kids, what kind I look at my childhood and I contrasted to what I see kids going today, and I am so grateful to God that I had what I considered to be a normal childhood. You know, went to church, went to school. You know, two parents in the home. You know, we did things that most middle class families did. You know, you go to the church, picnics,

you do? You know? I was a little mischievous in school and once in a while, and and and but it was normal. What was your childhood like? This sounds like a leading question based on information you have may have been supplied to you about our past. And I don't know whether or not to invoke the fifth or not at this point, I need to know what your intentions are. My intentions are you with FBI? What was it like, David? That's all my intentions are you? You

wouldn't Russian brothers. You're not that far apart in age. Now. He's two years older than I am, or he was two years older than I am. And Uh. We were mischievous as kids. I mean, I mean, if I told some of these stories, I wonder if the statute of limitations is still open on a few of the felonies we committed. But I mean we were We were really bad on prank phone calls. I mean, it was pretty

much harmless stuff, and we were creative. As I think I saw in one of these Steve Martin movies or I can't remember the name of it, one of his daughters, who was mischievous, called it a dark gift. Well, she had nothing on us. We we were gifted. We had a dark gift for mischief, and we pulled pranks on people all the time, since we sent cabs to people's houses that that didn't order, and we ordered pizzas, then sent a cab for the pizza to Uh to pick up the piece and take it to the people's house.

We ordered cabs for residents addresses that were non existent, and then we're sitting in the houses by the uh these non existent residents, and watched these cab guys perplexed. And I mean it was terribly mean in retrospect, but you know, we we had uh slowly formed conscious consciousness at the time, So that's my only excuse. But we we had a lot of fun. What was your favorite one? If you had to pick, Okay, your favorite too, there was I wonder. I hope no one's still around that

that would have been a victim of this. But we we had to know your Bible contest and know your American history contests. So we would call people randomly out of the phone book and ask them, uh, certain totally easy questions and then they'd answer them. We'd get them right, and so we we told them they'd win prize money. So we sent cabs to pick them up and take them to a certain hotel in town to pick up their prize money. Keep in mind that there was no contest,

there was no prize money. The cab people weren't in on it, so I mean, it was it was pathetic how bad we were, but did you ever get busted? Not for that. We we got busted. I got taken to jail on Halloween for throwing balloons at people's cars. Rush was less was not part of that misdemeanor. But we were eight kids, We were walking around, we threw I mean, we didn't hurt anything. We bet we got we got taken to the police station. But no, we just we just had a lot of fun doing crazy stuff.

But most of it was not miss if I just say that because Russ was so tickled about it talking about those things we did in later years. But Rush was very interested in baseball, uh and pursued pitching and and uh he was a good batter and very good picture. Yeah. Now when you look back on it, did you get

any hints? Did you did you notice anything? Because Russ just talked before about when he started to call games on using the the TV, turning the sound down on the TV and calling a baseball game or the the

carvel toy with radio. Did you was that like, were you conscious that something was going on there or was it just kind of he's you know, well it was We lived on Sunset for twelve Sunset and Cape Girardo Missouri, and I specifically remember that toy at that address, and it would you could broadcast on the A M radio waves within the confines of your home, and so my mom and I would listen to Rush broadcast either as a DJ, spinning records and giving his little commentary as

he went, or announcing baseball games as he watched it on TV and turning down Dizzy Dean or whoever the baseball announcer was at the time. So yes, and I think your question is did we recognize his talent at that time when we were just really young, We probably recognized most his enthusiasm for it, in his devotion to it. But when we moved over to the other house and he was fifteen, he went to Dallas to take to

get his radio license, I don't know the technical term. Yes, and then he then he became a radio disc jockey on the local station. He was really really talented, especially for his age, and people started noticing how gifted he was. We we did some tapes, kind of made an audio movie and that it was just totally creative and hilarious and Rush. Rush could do voices. He was a mimic. He was an impressionist. The first moment that Trump does anything that he is, the unraveling of an Obama agenda item.

Obama's gonna be on TP. Hey, you know what'll gleat you're exclusive Trump Trump about Detroit Obama. Sometimes, you know what I was on a stage like this, I wish I weren't married. And I can say what I I really think. I don't mean that in a negative way. I'm happy. I'm happy, wink wink, you know what I mean. So what does my voice sound like? You roy, sound like Stephen Hawking or something? So like a union FuG

that's really chipped offered me. And if I don't say the right thing here, I might be in some trouble exactly right. Uh And I know that people think he brilliant because the way he speaks, and people think people are brilliant because the way they speak. They say a lot because that's how you make people think of thinking

when you're talking. And uh so, yeah, if I weren't married to her, As you know, in each episode, we've been sharing the biographical journey of Russia's life, chapter by chapter, narrated by some of Russia's colleagues and closest friends. Today, well, this guy needs no introduction. Long time listeners to Rush knew him as f Lee Levin. Today he's a huge star in his own right, radio broadcaster Mark Levin the Life of Russia Limbaugh, Chapter four, narrated by Mark Levine.

Despite being fired from his first three jobs in radio, Jeff Christy a k A. Rush Limball didn't stay down for long. He worked aggressively to return to the airwaves, and by nineteen seventy five landed the afternoon show at top forty k u d L in Kansas City. Still, Russia's time at k u d L was short lived, listening barely two years before he was let go. For the first time in his life, Russia had become disenchanted with radio. After serious thought, he chose to temporarily walk

away from his dreams of a successful radio career. In nineteen seventy nine, Rush said, a new career course major League Baseball. Remember my father when I when I quit radio, was the happiest he ever was. I quit radio age because I figured it burned out, that was playing records the son, what does that mean? I mean, where is that going to take you? When I got that job of the Kancity Royals, making thirteen thousand dollars. He was

happier than he had ever been. Russia's four years with the Royals were successful at had to a lifelong friendship with Hall of Famer George Brett. After baseball, Rush returned to radio in three as the afternoon news and sports anchor at k m b Z Radio. The first time in his career used his given name on the airwaves, Rush Limbaugh. But he even boasted to his general manager quote, It's only a matter of time before you're going to

fire me. Russia's prediction became his reality, and after less than a year at camb Z, he was out by Rush replaced Morton Downey Jr. In mid days on kf b K and Sacramento. Kf b K was a perfect fit for Rush, and he was soon dominating the market in his time slot. I finally got to do a radio show the way I wanted to do it, the things that I cared about, the things I thought people would listen to, and it was basically just sharing my passions.

I love sharing my passions. I come up with things are passion and I want everybody to know about it and want everybody experienced it. I want everybody to agree, and finally all came together for me in Sacramento, California. After three years of ratings success in Sacramento, Rush left KFBK to become part of ED McLaughlin snowly formed e f M Media Network. Still, his departure from kf b K was better. Sweet. I'm just the guy in the radio. When I started this thirty years ago, I never envisioned

any of this happening. What I wanted to become was the best radio guy in the country. I had this great opportunity. I could be me, I could be honest, I could talk about whatever I wanted to talk about, and there was nobody that could tell me I couldn't. And I have to, folks, I have to tell you it is the greatest blessing that I've ever had, is to have the opportunity I do each and every day.

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to do good for America's heroes and their families. Donate eleven dollars a month at T two t dot org. That's t the number two t dot org. So Rush was it disc jockey at a young age. He's a teenage disc jockey in Cape Girardo. Did this lead to him being popular? Was he in the m crowd in school? How did that affect his life and and how did it affect the family's life? Well, Rush was never really into school and he was not that social at a

young age when he was just a workaholic. He was so into his radio show, uh that that he worked all the time, and he just loved it. And but it's kind of a foreshadowing of what would happen. I mean, imagine having been diagnosed with terminal cancer in his final year. He gets his life energy uh of course from the family and friends, but his primary source of energy and motivation to live, in my opinion, was his love for his audience and and what he did, uh, and his job.

He loved doing what he did, and that was the case when he first started out. So while he would have been popular had he had had his priorities been there, he mainly just loved to work. But he developed some friends in in the class ahead of him a few years later when he was like seventeen and eighteen. They they took a particular interest in Russi. He was more mature minded than and more serious. I mean, he's a comedian, don't me wrong, but you know what I mean, he's

he's a serious minded person in his real life. And so he's a guy who never wore blue jeans. For example, I could never remembering him wearing blue jeans. And these guys sought him out, these older guys, and they ended up becoming really good friends. They were at our house all the time, and I I latched onto them like a little kid. But it was just fun having those guys around. And so Rush was extremely popular with them and they looked up to him. They saw his talent

from an ELA's. But truthfully, before that, I think he didn't have as big as social life because he was more into his work and that that. You know, it's almost like he was a mirror of his younger self from what you were describing. Yes, that is so true. And he always stayed true to himself. He he did what he wanted to do. Uh, and luckily what he wanted to do was productive and wholesome. I mean, he wanted to be on the radio and he wanted to

work hard, and those are all obviously good values. Uh. There's been a lot of you didn't ask me this, but I might as well anticipate it and answer it. People have said, well, your dad wanted him. He was probably disappointed because he didn't go to college and didn't become a lawyer and all that. And my dad, like any parent back then, wanted us to go to college. But he never pressured Rush to go into law. My

dad was not that way. He just believed that the best avenue to becoming well rounded for later success was college. You know, they they betted heads about that because Rush saw no value in it. He knew, he knew his own head, he knew his own heart, he knew he didn't want to do it. He did it on his own. He did it his way. My dad has been unfairly criticized for pressuring Rusciple or he never did it, and

he never did it. He did want to keep him in school, and I think that was a reasonable thing, and even Rush would have said later, there's no way my dad could have anticipated that Rush would break all odds and be phenomenally successful, not going the conventional route. So I think Rush, as you say, from the from the time he was young until the time he died, knew his own head, and he was a reflection of his when when he was an older person, he was

a reflection of his younger person. But that's simply because because he never changed, he always knew what he wanted and he went for it. Well, I want to talk to you about you for a few minutes, because you just said something about you knew what you wanted to do earlier on in life. Too, and you wanted to be a lawyer, and did you also want to be

a writer. Because you're an accomplished writer. Between your writings on the political and cultural scene in America and you're exceptionally gifted books on Christianity, you have carved out a real niche for yourself. Interesting question, I I have. Uh, I first one to acknowledge that that, regardless of how well I've done, I wouldn't have been able to uh reach the levels I have, which are very modest compared to what Russia did. Not that I'm competing, It would

be foolished to put myself in competition with him. But uh, it would not have been possible it had Russian out open those doors. Now, I was already a lawyer before Rush God his syndicated show and all that, so I was doing fine. But he opened some doors for me in both my writing profession and my legal profession that we're just awesome. The opportunity to work on his radio contract and and then watching his success inspired me to want to become a writer, a better writer, And um, hey,

my brother is doing it. Maybe I Maybe I I come from the jet same gene pool. Maybe I have enough talent to do a little bit better than I'm doing. So it was inspirational and he was always supportive of that as I As I also said in the tribute, but you you you to answer your specific question that I always know that I wanted to do these things. I can give you tangible answers to that as proof

that I did. One is I remember in in Franklin school when I was in second grade, Mrs Swink, our teacher, asked us to draw a picture of what how we envisioned ourselves. Uh, it went working when we grew up, and I drew a picture of a courtroom. And I don't know why I remembered that all my life, but I just did. And I never deviated for wanting to become a lawyer. I always wanted to become one until I became one. Okay, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. No, I've

enjoyed it. I've enjoyed it, but I but I glamorized it all the way through. I I was one of these weird guys that even like law school because I just loved the study of law. Now, the practice of law, the general practice of law is a hard grind and very stressful, and it is not as glamorous as you anticipate that it will be. But then if you can specialize and you get a better idea of what you're doing, then you feel better about it. And that's what I would recommend anyone to do. So I knew that I

wanted to be a lawyer from an early age. And you asked me about writing why. I was a fanatic on the Hardy Boy books. I read all the Hardy Boys books and Tom Swift was kind of a science fiction thing. Ken Holt, Rick Brant all these series and they can go back and check. And I was a fanatical reader of those kinds of books. And uh, I was so into that those books that I started writing my own books. Although what I called the book was

like seven handwritten pages and I'd color them. The cover I would draw, and I had no talent to draw, but I so I had like forty five books, seven page books, mystery books. And I call him the Right Brothers. And I was obviously just imitating the Hardy Boys. But so yes, from that age, I was probably in second and third grade when I did that. That's amazing. Did you read Nancy Drew? No? Because I thought it would

be a little feminine. So no, I didn't always wondered about it, but I never Some of our girlfriends good I know, I know it was good, but you know, false pride, false mail. Now that I'm a full blown feminist, I'd probably go back and read them. I read The Hardy Boys, the Bobsy Twins. I mean I would read yeah, yeah, yeah, all of that stuff. Tom Swift, that Tom Swift books were excellent. Yeah, I had the whole series. Yes, oh oh, I got it. I got an interesting tidbit about my

dad to show you. I don't know why, but when I when I came an adult, I thought back on this story. I uh, and and what it says about my dad. My dad was just a he was. He was a voracious reader. I get distract and it takes me longer. Rest was like my dad. He was a steel trapped mind. And I'm not cutting myself down. I'm just saying the Rush had my dad's ability to read

fast and to comprehend. One time when I was into the I think I think it was Tom Swift's first book, like The rocket Ship to the Moon or something like that. By the way, they're two Tom Swift's series one when my grandfather was a kidter and then when one we were a kid, or maybe my dad. But I was so enthused about the book when I was reading it, I asked my dad if he would read it and then talk to me about it. Now. Had I had one of my kids asked me to to reign in my A D. D And read a kid's book at

that time, I would have. I would have faked it somehow, but my dad, I don't. I got up in the middle of the night one time, I walked down the stairs and I walked into the living room where he sat in his rocking chair, and he always had a card table in front, and he was reading in the middle of the night, he was reading that book. And uh so he actually read the book and I that was that. In later years, that has been very touching

to me to think about that. Wow. My my dad was in World War Two but in um Flu in the China Burma what they call the China Burma Theater, and a good friend of his was also in the same place, and they wouldn't talk about it. My brother and I would would ask, you know, we'd watch a war movie kids on TV. What was it like. I wouldn't tell us. Um, he simply would not talk about it. None. Let's jump ahead. You know, Russia had went through a series of jobs, but the big success had eluded him.

He had been fired a few times, he you know, and I'm sure that those no one likes to get fired, So I'm sure he had to go through some grief with all of that. At one point he left radio to work with the Kansas City Royals. And do you remember anything about Pilli's perog you're off doing law. You guys have grown now you're often two different directions where you still in touch with each other. What was that like? Yeah, I think what you're getting at is is inquiring about

his professional growing pains. And I would say, yes, he definitely had him. He he knew again he wanted to be in radio. But it's one thing to say he wanted to be in radio and he knew that's where he belonged, and another to believe that it would end up happening. Because you can think you're the best person that ever lived at a certain uh profession or skill and still not have the circumstances in life UH develop and materialized to enable you to to actualize your potential.

And so I think through a series of firings and obstacles, he was getting pretty discouraged. He was not a person to adapt. Again, it goes back, he's never really changed. He always wanted to be who he wanted to be, and that is a commentator. At the time, there wasn't There weren't really even any talk shows, not just political talk shows. There just weren't any talk shows that I remember.

But Rush always wanted to comment. So when he when he did, when he spent spun records for these shows, he would always comment and he and it was funny and he was talented, but that was not his job description. So these program directors invariably got irritated with him and told him to curve it down. That was not what he was supposed to do, and invariably he would disobey because that he knew. That's where that's where his destiny was.

Not because he was intrinsically insubordinate. That's not why he got fired. He got fired because, Uh, he just did what he thought he was born to do. Not that he thought through this film sophically, but he kind of just did what he did and when he get fired a few times, then he talked to my dad and mom and okay, let's go the conventional route. So he'd worked for the Royals, and I think he enjoyed it, okay,

but he's mostly bored. He was director of group sales and he sold tickets and he was really good at what he did, but it was just not for him, and so he was just looking for a way out and he'd get he'd get opportunities, and he would go and get fired again. It wasn't until uh he was and you've heard this story. Wasn't until he went to Sacramento that some program director finally let him be himself and then he just flourished like a rocket ship. It

was explosive. I mean, I went out there to to Sacramento to see Rush and he took me to Alliance Club luncheon that he was the invited speaker because he was already a big celebrity in Sacramento. And I had no idea. I had no idea he was a celebrity really because he didn't brag about it. He he just did what he did. I think he might have taken me there with the hidden purpose of letting me see just how talent he was. And I went there and I'm sitting there, I can't. I don't think I've ever

heard a better speaker in my life. And I'm going, Wow, I'm blown away by my own brother. But when we were growing up, we didn't do a lot of talking. We did a lot of listening. My dad was the talker, and so I didn't particularly know that Rush was as uh talkative as he was capable of being when he got on the air. And I think this is true a lot of celebrities they said Johnny Carson was a little bit shy in his personal life. Rush wasn't shy,

but he wasn't a real talkative person. I mean, he was one on one, but he wasn't the guy guy that would go just be the life of the party and entertain people. But when when he got on the air, he lit up. As you know, when I was with him at that Lions Club luncheon, my my jaw was dropping at how talented he was. It's not that I didn't know he was smart. I just hadn't seen that side of him. And it's it's funny because you know, I saw that side of him next the rest of

his life after that. So David, now let's jump to New York and the next thing you know, he's becoming a household name. Were you surprised by any of this? What was the reaction inside your family, your extended family as well as you know of the family. Well, I think and I remember this, and I could be off by one or two, but I think rest started with

fifty six stations. The sheer talent, uh is what led to the to the explosion of the number of stations, and within a matter of years, I don't know how many years, he was up to six hundred stations, and he held him for the rest of his career. My mom, I will say, my mom was always his biggest supporter and she was so thrilled with with this success. She always knew how talented he was and it was just

extremely gratifying for her to see it. My dad was more of a skeptic because again he my dad, I think, had this preconceived notion that to succeed you had to go through the traditional route, college and all that, and he he was slow to realize that Rush had broken through. But once Rush did break through, my dad was blown away. I'm not saying my dad wasn't a big supporter of Rush, but he wasn't as predisposed too. It happening the way

it happened. And I remember, and you might have heard this story or read it in one of the various biographies of Rush, were my mom and dad are sitting around while Rush is being interviewed by Ted Copple on the what was it not? The what do you call that? Yeah? Nightline? And he Rush made some profound, articulate response to something Ted Copple asked him, and Rush turned my my dad Russia and I always called my dad affectionately Rush. So Rush our dad turned to each other, not to him.

We wouldn't have dared do that, but but so he he uh turned to my mom, Millie, where does he get this? In other words, can you believe how talent he is? And my mom turned in and says, well, you silly, and and the and the answer was, of course that he got it from both of them. But but it was my way of my it was my dad's way of rhetorically affirming just how great Rush was. And that was just a cool turning point, I think.

And I'm glad that Rush got a chance to actually know that you know, and and to understand that that his parents knew, both of them, and and and the the extended family too knew this talent. How was it for you, because all of a sudden, here you are. Your brother's famous. It's not and famous a double edged sword. It's not just the good stuff, it's all the horrible stuff that comes along with beings, and that stuff impacts the family too. What was it like? Well, it's interesting.

I when he was in Sacramento, and I'm just a general practitioner of law, he he asked me to review his contract, his radio contract. Well, I didn't know anything about radio contracts, and he wanted to trust me enough to do it even though I had no expertise in it. And when he did his when he was asked to do his syndicated show, he asked me to do the contract. Well, I had no clue about the business aspects of of syndication.

But I remember I think I spent twelve hours preparing that contract to submit to Ed McLaughlin and his lawyer. His lawyer was Howard Howard Abraham's really good guy and New York lawyer. I hadn't dealt with any New York lawyers and prepared that contract and and so that was really cool that rush brought me. And I was a little intimidated, a little nervous, But I will tell you in terms of how it affected. His fame affected me multifaceted.

But one one thing I remember. I was so excited when he finally inaugurated his national show out of New York and uh he I remember driving in town. I went and I went out in my car to listen to the radio. And when I was so excited when he came on, I I got goose bumps. I said, that's to me. Nobody was with me, that that's my brother. I said, that is so cool. And so I was in ecstatic about his success, so proud of of what he had done and what he was doing. And I saw, wow,

you know all. And I even said to Ed McLaughlin, I said, I there's no reason and just what Ed said, there's it's there's no reason what he did in Sacramento won't translate to the rest of the country. There's no way it won't. I mean, I was convinced. Once I heard him in Sacramento, I knew and so I was I was so supercharged. Uh with that. Now that's the upside to to it, the negative, a negative side of this, a potential of his site. And what he did was

he very controversial on politics. Well, I happen to believe exactly like he believes politically, And so anytime anybody would would give him grief over that, I was just defensive, a protective on his behalf. And if they would go after him, I would I would be very upset about it.

But it never bothered me. And since oh, this is gonna hurt our reputation, our family's reputation because he's controversial, No, I was totally proud of what he was doing because I think he was making a difference and and mainstreaming conservative thought. I mean, Bill Buckley of course is the

father of the modern conservative movement. I'm not talking about Russell Kirk and all these intellectual people, but Buckley brought it, Uh, brought the conservative movement to the forefront, and then Rush brought it to the mainstream. And what he did, but the downside to me seeing him be savagely attacked and scapegoated, that deeply bothered me through the years personally. And that's where he that's where he did. He finally just said, I've got to do my own thing, and I'll do it. Well.

I can't. I can't be all things to all people. And he ended up being one of the most charitable people, celebrities or people period. In fact, as a as a collateral point, he wasn't just charitable with charities. He was so generous with the family, with other people, with fans. Uh. He gave gave away so many things. He's he's been so generous to me and my family, And sometimes he

would offer stuff so much that you'd feel guilty. And then I finally realized, I gotta not make this about me, because HiT's one of his greatest joys is giving things away that he likes himself, such as his uh Apple products. And so if he wanted to give me four watches, I was, uh, you know, I can't. I finally said, okay, give my So one time he gave me four four Apple want this hilarious. I mean, it's it's disgraceful if

you if you're a non capitalist. But he gave me four watches and I put them all on my wrist. This is like a year before he died. Put every one of them. There were different colors. I took a picture of him, send it to him. So here I'm wearing all the watches and he just loved it. I mean he you saw it, didn't He give you those phones all the time and the iPads and watches? Oh yes, oh yes. He was so generous and just, and he loved being generous with the people that he loved and

new sister, you know, he was amazing. First off, today, Happy birthday to my brother David. He turns a weaven today. I don't know this is the eleventh's it's just birthday as sixty five today, and he doesn't look a day over. I'm telling you forty every wait, so happy birthday day of nickname him doctor. I gave him a brand new I've fallen ten my brother for his birthday about two or three weeks ago. So I wouldn't forget it. So

I wouldn't forget it. So, David, time is dwindling down here sadly, and I want to ask you one question. What's the one thing about Rush as a person that very few people know or people would be surprised to hear about him. Is there anything that comes to your mind I'd have to think about this. I'm never good at these open ended questions like that, But I would say he was not an extrovert uh in his private life.

I was even surprised when I first started seeing him display his talent and how he would light up in front of an audience. I just never saw. I mean, I saw glimpses of that when he would perform on the radio and all that, but I had no idea the extent to which Uh he would become, not a different person, but a more open person. It's an interesting paradox to me that he he doesn't He didn't open up to that many people in his private life now.

A lot of times, by the way, he would open up to me when we were younger and have a girl problem. We'd share these issues. What do you think of this? Does she still like me? Does she not like me? So he would open up to me, and I'm sure it's his real close friends. But on the air, I think you would agree that he considered his audience intimate and he would tell them his deepest, innermost thoughts.

And I don't know about you. I think that is so cool, and I think that's one of the things that has made him uniquely popular among his audience that developed a bond, and and since he's died, I have received thousands of communications, emails, Twitter, messages, Facebook, personal letters, unbelievable numbers of people who would say who do say I loved him? I feel a personal void. He was the best friend I never met. Now this is sounds like a cliche unless you read They're not just saying, oh,

I love your brother passively. No, they're saying I feel wounded. I feel a hole in my heart that he died. It is an active presence, centered deeply abiding love that he generated with millions of people. I mean, I don't remember being in the studio the day a guy called in and tried to explain it all, and he just

ended up. He think he ended up in tears and ended us putting us in tearious when he said, I just need to hear your police because it had becomes that much of a comfort to just hear his voice. And people try to figure out why he was so successful, you you just can't put it in a easy define

herble box. He had some the attributes that went into that final product, and I think a lot of it had to do with with his personality is openness, his love of his audience, his love for what he did, his intelligence, his wit, his genuine interest fascination with politics, and his uncanny, I would say, unparalleled insight into politics. As he used to talk about laughingly being able to see the stitches on the fastball. Well that is a great metaphor. He could see the stitches on a fastball.

Maybe I should add to this that so many people who don't get it, see, they just don't get it. And these are not the ones who ended up being his fans. Are the people who think he was full of himself, he was a megalomaniac, that he was a narcissist, because he would brag all the time. That was all stick. Don't get me wrong, he knew he was talented, but when he was talking about his talent, it wasn't to brag. It was just to be over the top ridiculous and

and just to be a performer. And and it stuck. Those kind of things, and people that understood Rush understood that he was saying these things tongue in cheek, even though at the same time he did know he was very talented. But that wasn't the reason he was saying it. He was saying it just for blister and just me. But he didn't. Here's what bothers me. He never said other than when he was joking and putting people on

for a routine. He always said what he believes. So you read these stories and they say he's bombastic, and he wasn't bombastic. And that's another thing. By the way, he might have started off being a little bigger than life, but as as as his show evolved in these later years, they talked about him being mean. Have you ever heard him be mean to a caller? It's the most unfair thing in this crap about him being a racist. I just, I just it blows my mind. He was the tip

of the spear. He took the arrows for all of the rest of us and for the country, and people now are taking some of the heat. He took it before all the rest of us, and he had no one defending I mean, we all tried to defend him. There was no mechanism to defend him. And he was the toughest guy I've ever seen, not just in the way he fought cancer and bounced back and powered through that last year, but his whole career who could be

deaf and be a radio host. And he overcame that, He overcame addiction, he overcame all the obstacles that were placed in front of him, and all the hate for media matters and the rest, and he powered through bigger than every one of them to be the most successful person that I've ever met in my life, and that everyone, at least on our side ended up loving. And I am really really proud of him and really miss him. David.

Thank you me too, And David, I'm happy that you shared and and and and those people that are listening to our podcast series got a chance to know a little bit more about you two. And aside from all of the other accomplishments as an author, as a columnist, and as a great guy, you are one of the nicest, most incredible men I've ever met. It runs into family thank you, So are you just so? I I don't want to affirm everything you say and come across is conceded.

I don't think I am and this isn't false modesty. I have been so blessed. I don't think I'm particularly gifted in any of those areas that I've done, but I. I hope that I've done as well as I could do in in the with the opportunities that I was given. It's an honor to represent the people I've represented. But I will repeat none of that would have been possible without Rush. I wouldn't have had the confidence to do it,

nor would I have had the opportunity. And the fact that that I have, the fact that he wanted me to and open doors for me and tried to get me to and to encourage me in my career, both careers writing and law, shows what kind of selfless person he was. Just another aspect of his self selflessness and brotherly love. So thank you for the compliments. But I realized, tell if I had not had these boosts and these opportunities,

that would never have happened. I'm just grateful for everything that has happened, and thank you for your kind words on that. All right, David, thank you so much. We'll talk my man. Love you, David, Thank you so much. Thank you you too, Love you too. So have no fear. My brother, noted columnist, attorney, broadcast agent, audio video expert send me a little note last night and said, are you okay? How are you holding up. I said, well, what because it was about nine. He said, well, all

this demonization. I said, what demonization? I haven't seen any tonight. Oh it's all over the place, is well, I haven't had the television on him, been doing other things. God love it. My little brother David, My little brother David m thanks for listening to episode four. My very special thanks to Russia's brother David. Now on our next episode, You're not gonna want to miss this. It was a very special moment in the life of not only Rush but Russia's fans. The night Rush was awarded the Medal

of Freedom by President Trump. Sean Hannity joins me to discuss that night on our next episode. It was a night that surprised all of us, including Rush himself. Rush Limbaugh, The Man behind the Golden e I B Microphone is produced by Chris Kelly and Phil Tower, the Best producers in America, production assistance Mike Mamone, and the executive producers Craig Kitchen and Julie Talbot. Our program distributed worldwide by Premier Networks, found on the I Heart Radio app or

wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. This is James Golden This is both Snerdley. This is James Golden. I'm honored to be your host for this in every single episode, mode of Russ Lumbaugh, the man behind the Golden E I B microphone. Thank you for being with us. H