James Golden — who you may know better as “Bo Snerdley” — couldn’t wait to get to work. This was before his radio days, while he was still in high school. The man just wanted to be gainfully employed.
“Work signified independence and my parents encouraged me to get out there and work,” Golden said. “I had my first part-time job when I was 14 years old.”
He said his first ‘real’ job was with the New York City Housing Authority.
“With the first ‘big’ check I ever earned, I went home and gave my mom some money. I was proud because I felt I could finally contribute and help the family. That’s the way we were raised. Going to church, a respect for God.”
Golden is very proud of his father, who was a WWII and Korean War veteran. Golden has a strong connection to the history of WWII.
“I’ve done a lot of reading about the war,” Golden explained. “My father never liked to talk about his service. He was an amazing man. An educated man until the time of his death. He was always trying to educate himself. He was working on his Ph.D. when he passed. He talked with us often about being kind.”
Golden’s father told a story that took place in a prisoner-of-war camp during the Korean War.
“He told me some American soldiers had gotten drunk and left their weapons lying around,” Golden explained. “But my father had treated the North Korean soldiers so well, the prisoners didn’t grab the guns and use them on their captors. Instead, they turned the guns over to my dad. He used this as an example of how we should always be kind to people – even in the worst of situations.”
Golden said he’s a little concerned younger generations might not have the same reverence for those that sacrifice so much.
“We had a caller talking about the Battle of the Bulge,” Golden said. “I quizzed my radio staff recently. I asked them to tell me about the battle. None could tell me. That’s what we’re losing. I first read about it in Reader’s Digest. We have a whole generation of kids in America that don’t understand the heroism, the sacrifice of previous generations. The greatest generation. These were heroic men and women. Many were in the late teens and early 20s tossed into the single biggest war machine.”
Golden is from Queens and the area has changed a lot since he was a kid.
“We lived in a row house on the corner,” he said. “I went back and saw it when I was older, and it seemed so small. I used to think it was big. My mother passed away, and we sold it.”
Golden said his parents instilled a sense of stability and discipline.
“My parents gave us what we needed, not just what we wanted. I think these are values most people would do well to emulate.”
You can hear Golden on Bo Snerdly’s Rush Hour on 77 WABC and the Red Apple podcast network. The nickname Bo Snerdley was bestowed by Rush Limbaugh himself. Golden Served as a call screener, producer, and engineer for the syndicated The Rush Limbaugh Show for 30 years.
After working for 20 years in the radio business, Golden crossed paths with Limbaugh.
“Working with Rush for as long as I did, I was afforded the opportunity to know who the man really was,” Golden said. “Rush was one of the kindest men I’ve ever met. Not just kind and generous to his staff, but to all people. He wanted to see people do their best. He was proud of being successful. He was always open to disagreement and actually liked it when people did disagree with him.”
Golden said Limbaugh had been fired five or six times during his career and still came back.
“He proved the American Dream was still viable,” Golden explained. “He maintained that idea from the moment he started the show until he died. Through the entire run of his show, he continued to grow a listening audience. Most radio and television shows peak. His audience was forever growing.”
Golden said people consistently ask him what Rush would think about this and that.
“Rush could always find an angle and that’s what made him popular. He had an ability to view things and explain it to an audience in a way that made sense. I’m not trying to paint him as a perfect person. I’ve been around great radio broadcasters all my life, and had 20 years in the business before I met Rush. He was the greatest broadcaster, on a level of his own.”
Golden said Limbaugh genuinely loved what he did. Loved being on the air. He said Rush understood the craft. Understood the business of the business.
“There’s never going to be another one like him.”
Golden and I talked about the recent shooting of a young black man on a white man’s doorstep. Golden said we need to take a breath and step back before we label people and things too quickly. He said he’s cautious about labeling things.
“If you look at the media characterization of that shooting, you have an 85-year-old guy, and a black kid ringing the doorbell. Maybe he’s just ringing the doorbell. Or one of these people peddling their religious beliefs.”
Golden said we live in a society where fear has taken over.
“I feel terrible for this kid’s family,” he said. “I don’t know if he’ll be robbed for his intellectual capabilities or come back from trauma. I’m not going to label this guy that shot him, but he should have to answer for what he did.”
He explained how nobody is listening to each other, we’re too quick to judge.
“We act as though we really understand things, but we don’t,” Golden said. “Some people more than others make it obvious they don’t understand.”
On his show, Golden has been talking about the transgender issue, as most people are.
“I understand for some people, dysphoria is a real thing. It’s not about, ‘I don’t like this body anymore.’ It goes deeper than that. It doesn’t mean we have to negate someone else’s experiences to have our own point of view. Society had lived under certain precepts until man was able to articulate his views. If you want to rise up against that, it doesn’t mean society has to bend over and grab their ankles for you. Be tolerant of others.”
Golden said we were all created from one entity. The idea we should hate each other dispels the idea we can love God.
“Yes, there are religious edicts,” he said. “I’m not God. I’m not going to pretend to be. God will judge his own creations. I can’t speak for God as I have my own difficulties. It’s a struggle, but we must attain the good in ourselves. Overcome the weaknesses. I’m not pointing my finger, we all need to work on this. This is the mission in life.”
He’s not what people would call a knee-jerk figure on the right. Golden wants to do good and is not about being a polarizing figure that drives people apart. He wants to leave behind a positive legacy.
“If people listen to me on the air, I’m trying to promote the idea that despite the differences we have with each other, we should focus on love. Love for each other.”
When asked what he’d like to be remembered for or what he wants his legacy to be, Golden was quick to point out he wasn’t finished quite yet.
“I would like to think even if a lot of people define themselves politically, they understand the world is bigger than that. I like to help bridge divides. I know that might sound strange coming from someone who is viewed through a political lens as someone on the right.”
Jim Cryns writes features for Barrett News Media. He has spent time in radio as a reporter for WTMJ, and has served as an author and former writer for the Milwaukee Brewers. To touch base or pick up a copy of his new book: Talk To Me – Profiles on News Talkers and Media Leaders From Top 50 Markets, log on to Amazon or shoot Jim an email at jimcryns3_zhd@indeedemail.com.
