RUSH: We’re gonna go back to the phones to Phoenix, Arizona, and we have somebody here, folks… For those of you who have been lifers, we used to have a semi-regular caller came in over the transom way, way back. One was Mick from the high mountains of New Mexico. The guy was a classic, he was an American classic, and he instantly became an audience favorite here. We have Matthew from Phoenix. You are Mick’s son? Is that right? Or grandson?
CALLER: (garbled cell connection) No, I’m his son.
RUSH: You’re his son.
CALLER: Yes, I am.
RUSH: Well, this is amazing. You know, I met your dad at Dan’s Bake Sale. He showed up. That was the only time I ever met him — and, I tell you, Matthew, he looked exactly the way he sounded.
CALLER: Yep, he did. Just one quick question to you. Do you still have the elk skin that hung on your back wall with your TV set?
RUSH: Do I still have the elk skin?
CALLER: The one he sent you.
RUSH: Oh, yeah, we still have that. It’s just like the Legacybox. I do not throw that stuff away.
CALLER: Great. I’m one of four generations that have been listening to you. My Millennial son listens to you. He’s an avid follower, solid conservative, his wife also. And then my three grandsons, every time that they’re in the kitchen, you know, with the radio on, they’ve got you on. And I just wanted to thank you, you know, for educating America and also, you know, every time you have an anniversary show, I hear my dad’s clips on there and it just brings a smile to my face. And, you know, thank you for educating America. But my old man would have backed Trump a hundred percent. There’s no doubt in the world.
RUSH: Matthew, how old would you have been back in the early nineties when he was calling here on a regular basis?
CALLER: I was about 26, 25, 26. I’m 55, 56 now.
RUSH: Okay. So you were an adult when he was making those calls.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: I mean, you had to be laughing yourself silly every time he got through ’cause the guy was a genuine American classic.
CALLER: Rush, I actually got on the show with him and with you, and we talked about his stories, you know, talking about, you know, some of the things he talked about, (garbled), you know, things like that. And, you know, he was — he was genuinely a great character, and just a great man.
RUSH: Oh, he was. Folks, I’ll just give you one example. He would call here and describe how to prepare roadkill and make it edible, or the latest animal he had killed for food. Just irritating the animal rights crowd. The animal rights crowd was huge back then, and he tweaked them out the wazoo and he made it sound like it was the most natural thing in the world to go out and slaughter wildlife to convert it to food and so forth. He was just an original — and you’re right. When we do anniversary shows, sometimes we go back and play clips and stuff from previous shows, and he’s always a highlight. So he was calling from the high mountains of New Mexico. You live in Phoenix now. Is that right?
CALLER: I do. And, you know, to be honest with you, I’m getting up early and I’m carting myself up to northern Arizona, picking up my son, and we’re gonna go squirrel huntin’. And, you know, this is what we do.
RUSH: (laughing)
CALLER: So, you know, I’m passing on my legacy. This is what we do.
RUSH: Squirrel hunting? Who goes squirrel hunting?
CALLER: I promise you! I’m not lying to you.
RUSH: I know you’re not. I’m not trying to express disbelief. I’m just… (laughing) Squirrels, everybody has ’em in the yard. Who has to go squirrel hunting? But there you are out hunting the things. Anyway, Matthew, I’m glad you called. I’m glad you waited. We all loved your dad here. Like I say, he was a classic. Folks, he was so good that people initially thought he was a paid actor and character on the program, and he wasn’t. None of his calls were ever staged.
Whenever he appeared on the program, he had taken the trouble to get through. We never stage calls. We have never done that. Sometimes we move people to the front of the line, but we do not call people unless we held somebody on for so long and couldn’t get to them, we’ll ask permission to call ’em the next day. But in terms of setting things up as actors and scripts and stuff, it doesn’t happen. Matthew, thanks for the call. It’s really gratifying to know that you and the whole family are still out there. That’s tremendous. I appreciate it.