Whether he talks about politics or news or show biz, Jerry Springer will have a lot to share when he speaks in Ackerman Grand Ballroom today at 7:30 p.m. The event will be followed by a Q&A session and autograph signing.
Though we may all know him as the host of the tabloid talk show sensation, “The Jerry Springer Show,” where physical fights, profanity and nudity are not uncommon, he’s also giving speeches, raising money, organizing campaigns, inspiring operas and hosting this season’s “America’s Got Talent.” And as mayor of Cincinnati from 1971-1974, he still has a deep interest in politics.
In an interview with the Daily Bruin’s Paige Parker, Jerry admits his show is the silliest on television, offers words of wisdom to students, and shares his true motivation for his 2006 turn on “Dancing with the Stars.”
Daily Bruin: Your show is still on after 18 years. How has it reflected the times?
Jerry Springer: To a certain extent, our show’s like a time capsule of the changes that have taken place. Even though our show is about outrageousness, it’s interesting to see how what is considered outrageousness has changed. In the early years of the show I remember we once did a show on interracial dating. Now we have a product of interracial marriage running for president. Early on we did shows about gays. Now it doesn’t mean anything. Big deal, it’s not shocking anymore.
So even though the show continues to be about things that are outside the norm, what is outside the norm has changed over the years.
DB: What do you hope to achieve by talking to UCLA students?
JS: Why I really like going to universities is that I can keep in touch with what’s going on in pop culture. It’s so easy to become isolated in a television world. We’re all living in this television reality, but there’s a world outside, which goes on a separate plane, so that just kind of keeps me in touch, especially since our show’s target audience (is) younger people anyway; so I just find it educational for me.
DB: Why do you think it is that college-aged students make up a large portion of your show’s audience?
JS: I mean, let’s face it, it’s the silliest show on television. And it really is to one extent, I would say, of no redeeming social value other than it’s an escape. But other than that, I just think younger people are just much more open to outrageousness, to things that are different. They’re less steeped in tradition and willing to push the boundaries more. So when an older person might say, “Oh we can’t have that, that’s inappropriate,” younger people are always pushing the edges.
And I think our show is frankly kind of like a fraternity party ““ a Friday-night fraternity party ““ and it’s a hoot, and no one takes it too seriously.
DB: Your show really has no redeeming social value?
JS: If there’s any side product of the show I think it’s the battle against elitism. I never tell people to watch the show ““ I think it’s stupid. I mean it’s fun to do, and it’s an OK one-hour escape, but I really over the years have defended the show, even though I don’t tell people to watch it.
When people used to try to get rid of the show, I would really defend it because the argument against the show is elitist. … So when there is a kind of objection to the subject matter that comes up on the show, it isn’t really the subject matter. It’s just that the critics don’t like the people who are on because they don’t look good ““ they don’t speak the king’s English.
So along comes our show, and it’s not like we’re shocked that these people exist. I mean, you can’t be grown up in this world and not know that these people exist. But they’ve never been on television before, and I think that’s what was shocking. We just don’t want to see that.
So even though the show is put on purely for entertainment and that’s its only purpose, it does have a side effect, and the side effect is it shows us a part of America that is very real and much more substantial than we admit to.
And the fact is that it just may not be as pretty, but they’re not morally inferior to us. And part of that is what I’ll be talking about, is that whole elitist movement against anything that isn’t beautiful and wealthy.
DB: As a TV icon and former mayor of Cincinnati, you have achieved success in very different career fields. Do you have any words of wisdom for students looking to pursue a career in either political science or entertainment?
JS: If you’re pursuing something in the political arena, that has to be based not on having the career. I would argue that has to be based on having a belief in something ““ there’s some cause, some issue that drives you into it.
I don’t think you should look at politics as a means of making a living. Politics has got to be like a religion, something you really believe in and you work hard for because you get to hopefully make the community, world better because of it.
What you are in control of is loving what you do in the business. If it’s acting, you love every day, getting up in the morning and teaching acting, acting in a small, regional theater, acting in commercials, whatever it is, you just enjoy the process of acting. And there are probably too many people that go to Hollywood dreaming of becoming a star instead of loving the idea that they sing or loving the idea of acting or writing or whatever it is.
So, love the craft, and the rest is just something that comes with it. Maybe you’ll have it, and maybe you won’t, but don’t have your happiness depend on whether or not you become famous because then you just lose your center.
DB: Why did you decide to make the move from politics to journalism to show business?
JS: So for me, politics is pure. So to keep that pure, I would never make a living doing that; I would make my living doing something else. The fact that it turned out to be the entertainment industry was pure luck. I had nothing to do with it.
I was hired by NBC after I was mayor to anchor the news for Cincinnati. Because I’d been mayor there, I knew the community and so I did that for 10 years, and we became so dominant in the ratings the company then took me to lunch one day and said, “We’re starting a new talk show.”
So they assigned me to do a show. I didn’t audition, I didn’t try out, I never had any interest in doing a talk show, and there I am all of a sudden hosting a talk show that took off, so I’d never had any desire to be in entertainment.
I’m not talented at all. I’d say I’m a nice guy, reasonably bright, but I’m not talented, and all of a sudden here I have this career in entertainment.
DB: How has “America’s Got Talent” and “Dancing with the Stars” been a continuation of your career?
JS: “Dancing with the Stars” was a breakthrough in one sense because either as a news anchor or a mayor or (the host of) my talk show, I’ve been on television virtually every day of my life for the last 30 years; but being on “Dancing with the Stars” was the first time I was on television as myself ““ without playing a role. I wasn’t playing the news anchor or the mayor or the crazy talk show host. It was just me, the basic schlub trying to dance.
DB: And what do you think of a “basic schlub” inspiring “Jerry Springer: The Opera,” which showed in New York City in January?
JS: Well, my mother would have been proud because I’ve got culture: I’m an opera. They did a very good job with it.
I mean, I wish it were about somebody else. I always thought country music was my show put to music. But once I saw the show, I thought, “You know what, opera is my show put to music,” because our show has all the classic themes of opera. It has the chorus, or the chanting, it has the mock tragedy, it has the fighting, the farce, the comedy, the gender misidentification ““ all these things you have in opera and it’s just without the music. And the people that wrote it really got that. That’s why it works. So now I’m an opera, good Lord.
Of course, normally the opera’s over when the fat lady sings. Well, our show continues because they never sing ““ we get the fat ladies, but they don’t sing.