Harry Shearer's Le Show

Harry Shearer has among his credits two of the most quoted properties in popular culture: The Simpsons and This is Spinal Tap. Since 1983 he has also hosted a weekly radio program called "Le Show" on the Santa Monica public radio station KCRW. It consists, in essence, of whatever takes Shearer's fancy that week. As KCRW's publicity puts it, in an attempt to corral the show into a single sentence, it is an "hour-long romp through the worlds of media, politics, sports and show business". There's music, too.

A lot of what catches his attention is politics (much of it domestic US politics). He is unsparing of anyone he considers phony or incompetent, from the President down. Shearer has a house in New Orleans and a regular target of his ire is its mayor, Ray Nagin. As Hurricane Gustav bore down on the city recently, Shearer had plenty to say about Nagin, none of it good. Satirical sketches and songs break up the commentary on the news of the day.

Shearer's style is very laid-back. As experienced as he is, this is no slick piece of work. His delivery contains strangely timed pauses, there are miscues and stumbles. And yet it is oddly listenable. Intimate, idiosyncratic and unpredictable, it is rewarding far more often than not. To listen, click here.

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