Yes, and he really was a great host and interviewer. Although I sometimes felt a little sorry for people who innocently called on the wrong line and were subsequently shut down, it was pretty neat when he either toyed with a heckler (masterfully) or vigorously shut down a hater.
We stumbled across his “Coast to Coast” show years ago and especially enjoyed the “Ghost to Ghost” each year. It was difficult to keep up with his multiple retirements and new shows but we tried.
Sad to see him go but I hope he does rest in peace.
Peach
Listen to Art Bell long enough and you got a sense of him as a person. For me, three of the most revealing Art Bell moments were: his angry banning of Kreskin after he pulled a con on Art and the audience; a heart-wrenching first night back on the air after the death of Art’s wife Ramona, with Art spending an hour reminiscing about her; and an hour Art spent one night taking calls, struggling with his printer, getting toner all over himself, and then capping it by reading the package warning about the dangers of coming into contact with toner — all with laughter and self-deprecating comments along the way.