Ron reagan: "what other people think of me is none of my business."

An in-depth profile we've written of KIRO talk host Ron Reagan (m-f, 12-1p) appears today in the September issue of Seattle Magazine.

Reagan has lived in Seattle since 1994, but since he's an intensely private guy, he always kept a low profile. For a decade, his was one of the most sought-after interviews in town; and few locals ever scored one. Then he got a news magazine show- Coast to Coast on MSNBC (cancelled in Jan.) Suddenly, he became very available- as a matter of fact, MSNBC flacks sent out press releases and press avails to local media. Because he wanted the press attention, he became radioactive- to be avoided like a bad clam. Seattle print media is known for treating anyone they suspect of being even remotely self-promoting like they're dead.

So we had no trouble getting the interview, especially since he'd become member of another untouchable class- that of radio talk show host.

The biggest worry we had was sneaking into KIRO to sit in on his show. We are not exactly persona gratis around KIRO since we've been savaging them all these years.

Fortunately, few at KIRO know what we look like and when making the arrangements with Sprince Arbogast, then Reagan's producer, we enunciated our first name, and mumbled our last.

No one was the wiser.

So there we were, in the belly of the beast. Ron & Don swirling around us yukking it up the way they do. Dori Monson brushing by us looking terse and narrow minded; Heather Bosch and Dave Ross, and Tina Nole and PD Tom Clendening looking at us but not seeing .

There was Frank Shiers over here and Bryan Styble over there. It was like being at Oscars night in Radio Hell. We were afraid that someone like Dave Boze or Dan Sytman (who know what we look like) might spot us, pull an alarum and the KIRO mob would string us up and burn our ass, like those poor dudes on that Baghdad bridge.

But no one noticed us.

Ron Reagan is a nice man. We had a couple of talks over the weeks, but we can't say we know him any better after we talked than before, so private is he and guarded with his personals.

Can't blame him, really- he's been in the fish bowl all his life. He's the only one in his family who hasn't written a tell-all book about life with his father the late President, and his mom, Nancy Reagan. He's pretty good at giving nothing that isn't pre-measured and pre-cooked.

We didn't get all that much that was new for the story.

Being the son of a very popular yet widely derided (especially in liberal Seattle) president is something Reagan understands he'll never escape. He said after his father's death. "It just never goes away — I'm always going to be somebody's son."

Many conservatives won't go on the record to publicly criticize a member of the Reagan family. But after he addressed in the 2004 Democratic National Convention on embryonic stem cell research, a Reagan Republican told a reporter, "He is seen as someone who didn't hesitate to embarrass his family."

Although his parents never seemed to be embarrassed by son Ron's life, they had reasons to be: he has always been at odds with the conservative ways and politics of his famous family.

He's an atheist, a Democrat, and while Ronald Reagan the father was running in Republican presidential primaries against incumbent Gerald Ford in 1976, Ronald Reagan the son left Yale to follow his dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer.

He and his wife of now 25 years, Doria, whom he'd met in dance class in LA, moved to New York so he could join the Joffrey Ballet. He never started dancing until he was 18 years old; but he took to it like a pro, working his way into the first company of the respected ballet troupe.

Thus began the never-ending speculation that Ronald Reagan's son Ronald was gay. "To certain AIDS activists, Larry Kramer being the primary, it became important to paint me as gay and therefore make me responsible for the AIDS crisis [because] I didn't somehow persuade my father to act sooner."

Larry Kramer, the writer who founded ACT UP, "outed" him in 1989 on the Larry King Show.

"Ron Reagan could have been the biggest hero in the world," he said, "if he had the courage to come forth and say he was gay, to shame and encourage his parents to do something about this epidemic, but because he didn't, more of us are dead."

Being outed as gay 15 years before gay was cool, was a big deal- even more so if you were the President of the U.S.'s son and you were straight!

"I was amused by the he's-a-ballet-dancer-he-must-be-gay stuff," Reagan says. "I'm not insecure about my sexuality, so who cares what they think? It's like if he called me Chinese- there's nothing pejorative about that- it's just incorrect."

Reagan likes to quote Dennis Kucinich- "What other people think of me is none of my business."

But he stopped being amused when Kramer not only held him personally responsible for the AIDS crisis, but "... implied my marriage was a sham. He was not just calling me gay, he was implying that my wife was a liar. And that I would not accept."

Reagan wrote Kramer a letter and told him to stop publicly disparaging Doria- explicitly or implicitly. Kramer's answer in the Advocate shows why the gay rumor fits in too well with too many agenda for it to ever go away.

"I suspect by now Ron Reagan Jr. actually believes he is straight," Kramer wrote, "By now he may very well be. He may very well have been all along. He just looked so suspicious, and of course it was this suspicion that, one way or the other, is what caused his father to murder so many of us."

We liked the opportunity to meet Reagan and delve into his life in the minor way that we did. We're pretty positive about his radio future. He's an experienced TV broadcaster; he has the talent, the Rolodex, the national licks, and the name to be successfully syndicated.

He told us, "It's not my intention to stay small, I intend to take this as far as it can go." 

(Seattle Magazine has made us a Contributing Editor of the urban monthly glossy in lieu of a medical plan. You'll have to buy this on a newstand or read it in the supermarket- this mag is invisible on the web- unless you wanna buy a subscription).

 

Comments

[coochie mama]

Me likey Ron.

[joanie]

So funny! How does one look narrow minded? I'm picturing Dori with a mallet-shaped head . . .

You made the appointment with Sprince - what happened to her?

All those people were in the office at the same time?

Joffrey - my fave ballet company of all time. And my fave ballet Astarte - I actually went to see it (one of the first - maybe only? - rock ballets - so cool!) four times one year. I even went backstage and acted like I knew what I was doing back there . . saw 'em all close up. I loved that company!

Finally, I love Ron Reagan. He is so urbane, well-spoken, smooth, totally a nice guy to everyone, never defensive or argumentative. He lets negative stuff run right off him. No bad vibes at all. Also, I heard a caller going after his dad a day or two ago. . . Ron just listened and let the guy have his say. He was totally agreeable to the guy.

One more thing . . . I heard a writer on CSpan quite a while ago who had done a book on the sons of presidents. Most of them don't fare to well. One, the son of a Roosevelt I think, was actually tracked down to one of our islands - Bainbridge maybe - and when he learned he was outed, he left the area. I think Ronnie, the dad, did a darned good job with his son.

[Liz]

Thanks for the "review", Joanie. I respect your opinion, and based on this, I will make an attempt to be home at that time (not so great in my schedule) so I can listen online. I saw him in a couple of television interviews sometime ago, and felt the same way you do. He is one of the KIRO hosts I have not had the "pleasure" of hearing.

Speaking of which, I did tune into about one hour last night of what was being billed as "The Frank Shiers Show." Frank offered a response to the number of emails wanting to know "where's Cocoa" by saying "he's fine, he's away," and that they both do fill in shows, and now it is his turn. Then he mocked an emailer who suggested that perhaps he should move. The rapier witted host returned with "perhaps YOU should move." Too much time in the junior high classroom, I guess.

[Tommy008]

That smug, lying ass! Shiers has never had a timeslot for more than a few days, whereas Van Dyne basically was given the old Webb Show, although it asn't official yet. He's had the slot for months- even Turie Ryder had enough manners and class to say "Turi in for Bob Van Dyne" when she filled in. Now this ignoramus Shiers is trying to put himself and Bob on the same level- both just "fillins"? The little turd is obviously jealous and resentful of Bob- if Shiers had any shot at getting that timeslot he already would have it. He's jealous that Bob Van Dyne was brought in out of the blue to take over after Webb was fired and his instation replacements, including Shiers, who has been here for 2 years, underwhelmed everyone.

[Tommy008]

Last Friday I heard that patronizing ass Shiers say at the end of the shift, after not mentioning a word about Bob for four hours,"We've enjoyed having Bob Van Dyne here at KIRO for the past 2 months," in a tone that sounded as if he was part of station management, and had been in on selecting Van Dyne as a hire. Jackass.

[sparky]

Im sure by now Ron has heard it all so he doesn't take any of it personally.

I think it is hilarious that you were there incognito, so to speak, Bla'M! I can imagine what it might have been like if Dori had known he had walked so close to his favorite blogger....heh

[AprilMayJune]

Go Ron! But stay here in Seattle, please.

[adc]

RR is a total class act, and stands head and shoulders above all local talkers, save for Dave Ross.

I'm speaking of his emotional maturity, intelligence, (even though I do not always agree with him), thoughtful insights, and his treatment of all callers.

Hopefully after his MSNBC contract is up, he will land a full time gig at KIRO.

Give him the noon-9:00pm time slot. There is absolutely nothing worth listening to on that station between 1-9 now.

[coochie mama]

"There is absolutely nothing worth listening to on that station between 1-9 now."

Completely agree.

[Tommy008]

Is Bob Van Dyne on vacation or not? I would assume he is since he left Friday for a wedding in Eastern Washington, we've got that much info out of Baron Shiers. Beyond that Frank has been deliberately vague about what exactly is happening. I tend to think it is nothing more than management giving Van Dyne a couple of weeks off since Shiers also admitted he'll be here for two, interminable weeks. You might say I'm being petty, but it really hacks me off that this poser Shiers refuses to say he's filling in for Bob. Instead he plays this game that he's on an equal status basis with Bob in the 9-1 time slot. I'm calling Baron Shiers out- I know you're reading this Frankie. Say it- after me "Frank Shiers in for Bob Van Dyne" Frank Shiers in for Bob Van Dyne"say it Frank, you jackass-"Frank Shiers in for Bob Van Dyne".

[joanie]

Hysterical, Tommy! I was going to tell you (before I finished reading your post) that Frank must be loving the attention! I'm sure he's hamming it up big time just for us Blatherers . . .

He sure has staying power with management, I'll say that for him.

[Oly]

I used to work at the little Benjamin bookstore (R.I.P.) out at Sea-Tac. Ron R stopped by a couple of times over the years for a little transcontinental reading material. I don't recall what sort of books he bought, but he is an almost frighteningly nice fellow, and very nearly the perfect customer. (Certainly a far better customer than the money-grubbing sharks at the Sea-Tac Borders deserve, IMHO.)