A Critique of George Noory’s Coast to Coast

by Jack  ( I had to do something different.  This is a much needed departure from politics)

For many years the king of the late night radio was Art Bell, who hosted the Coast to Coast show.  Bell built this show from nothing.  He was sharp and seemed to be able to carry on an intelligent conversation with any guest on any subject.   Then at the top of his career, Bell suddenly pulled the plug and retired.  He does an occasional show from his new home in the Philippines, but that’s very rare.

Bells successor was George Noory who really didn’t seem to understand what Bell’s show was all about, sure he understood that Bell built his success on UFO stories and nutty callers that claimed to be Satan or from another planet, but behind Bell’s inquiring mind there was a subtle skeptical that sometimes melded into a humorous sarcasm as Bell would probe the caller’s credentials.

That was Bell’s schitk and he was good at it, Noory on the other hand behaves like the character Gomer Pyle, if you are old enough to remember his?  Old George has never met a guest he didn’t agree with, be they from the Planet Zargon or a time traveler from the 5th dimension.  No caller is too preposterous and no guest too crazy, even if they are totally fruit loops George never questions their authority to tell us about life on Zargon.   Noory just plays along, not once does he cry BS!   He’s all ears, acting the part of suck up who can’t wait to agree or add in his own ignorant exclamation point on the absurd commentary.   I swear…your average 6 year old doesn’t behave as gullible as Noory and on top of that act and I do mean act, because I still can’t believe anyone is that gullible and not wearing a straight jacket, Noory says the stupid things almost nightly.   His fans even have a name for these doosies, they’re called Nooryisms, here check it out:  George, “I would guess your mind is part of who you are.”  July 19, 2007.  Good call George!  Yes your mind is part of who you are alright.   How about this one…

George: “It would be great if Saddam just left Iraq, don’t you think?”

Guest Hal: “Yes, but he’s not going to do that. Like last time, he’s going to put his citizens in harm’s way, use them as human shields, and wreak destruction on the oil fields.”

George: “That’s kind of selfish, isn’t it?”

Noory’s intellectual prowess really gets exposed when he’s hosting a really accomplished guest like Astrophysicist Michio Kaku.   Bell and Kaku could carry on an entertaining conversation, but not Noory.  Paraphrasing now, George will cut into the professor’s comment because he thinks he has to interject something to show he’s actually following along, “And that would be a bad thing then, huh?” A dumbfounded, Michio would pause, and give Noory a gratuitous, “Yes, blowing up the world would be a bad thing…”  I bet I can guess what he was thinking…”I can’t believe you just said something that childlike, Noory you’re an idiot.”

Bell was not very political, but he was obviously conservative, in that context I mean he was logical and reasonable on when rare political issues would come up he was well balanced and thoughtful.   Noory on the other hand and I include his occasional substitute host George Knapp, also try to avoid politics like Bell.  However, neither can resist taking an occasional shot at the right.  Knapp refers to the 100 million plus republicans as simply right-wing boobs.  I get the strong feeling both a die-hard Obama supporters, which figures given their bumbling ineptness.  But, apparently there’s a lot of stupid listeners that love this show.  The ratings say Noory has about 15 million listeners now…pretty amazing and a real indictment of the typical voter/listener.

Art Bell built a great show that you could enjoy just before you nodded off, but not anymore, not with Noory.  The entertainment value has plummeted, well, at least in my eyes anyway.   I won’t listen to Coast to Coast anymore,  it’s just way too dumb.  Hey KPAY, isn’t there something else out there you could play after 10 pm?

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22 Responses to A Critique of George Noory’s Coast to Coast

  1. Tina says:

    The listeners are often people who are stuck on the road at night, like coast to coast truckers. Not much radio of any kind to tune in at that late hour but it’s company even if it is nutty.

  2. Harriet says:

    Had to chuckle at the “Nooryisms” reminds me of “Smilin’Joe Biden”.

    As I understand Art Bell went to the Phillipines to get married, he intended to bring his wife back but she was not allowed entry not sure why , so he stayed.

  3. SteveG says:

    I agree. I can’t understand how George got to sit in Art’s seat. I disagree about George’s interjections though. I really think he isn’t listening to the guest during the interview, he’s thinking about tomorrow’s schedule or something. Here is a typical example that happens over and over again. The guest will answer a question that George asks, then explain, how he got into his research, and the next question George asks is “so how did you get into your research?” George reads off a list (made by Tommy) of questions all the time no matter what the guest is talking about. It drives me insane along with all his “witty” comments AND all his mumbling. He mumbles incessantly. I didn’t realize how unqualified George was until I went back and started listening to old Art Bell shows. Oh and another thing that makes me insane. George always interrupts his guests when they are making an important point. That then throws the show off so much that we never get to hear the important points.
    Art, come back!

  4. Jeb says:

    He must have blackmailed his way into this position. He tries to use this show for his quirky ideas like the search for aspiring music artist who are really bad. He must choose them himself.Another joke is the TV show “Beyond Belief” which stinks.Of course he charges for all this mindless crap. John Wells is 100 times better

  5. I occasionally have listened to the show since Art Bell left, but generally the show doesn’t do much for me these days. I agree with your assessment of Noory. Wells annoys me as well for other reasons. However, I would disagree about Bell being a conservative. He seems to be a socially progressive or at least a socially liberal libertarian, maybe even more of a left-libertarian. He supposedly voted for Obama, although he did support Ron Paul in the past (the same for me). Also, he supports the scientific consensus about global warming and has been righteously critical of Fox News. I wouldn’t call him a liberal, maybe generally liberal-minded, but certainly not conservative.

    • Post Scripts says:

      Ben, I’m going to restate my feelings that he (Bell) is a conservative, I like your assessment better. Bell does have conservative issues, but on the whole he is more a libertarian and left of center, but at least he wasn’t pro-democrat!

  6. Bill Brent says:

    My guess is that the producers of the show, years ago, made a decision to go with Noory (as opposed to Bell) because they wanted to appeal to the widest possible audience (more liseners, for any reason = more money).

    Art Bell did his research and had a body of knowledge that he used in his interviews. He tested the premises of his guests. This required listeners to think while listening. This approach, while preferable to those who seek new knowledge, and consistent with the original aims of the show, will necessarily limit the number of listeners.

    Noory does no research and has no body of knowledge. He seems more interested in being pals with guests than with testing their premises. I am sure that he is not a bad person, but he is a lazy and stupid person. Yet unlike Larry King, who gets respect because he has repeatedly admitted that he never prepares for interviews, Noory still seems to want to pretend. He is stupid, and his interviews fail to uphold the original objectives of the show. BUT he attracts far more listeners, such as the listeners that are put off by Art Bell and by intelligent discourse — the low-cognitive-ability listener.

    DUMBER = LESS FRIGHTENING TO MORE LISTENERS = MORE MONEY = NOORY

  7. Wanda says:

    I could not agree more with everything you have said.

  8. mike P says:

    His response to every comment is “well, theres no doubt about that” . This show fronts like hard hitting , buck the system radio reporting but is an illosernati initiated co-opt that acts like “alternative media”. The best way to control dissenting voices is to provide the platform so as to
    maintain control. Simple George is just a stupid stooge imbecile.

  9. arnell anderson says:

    I agree about how uninformed George Noory is. And yes,it’s true, he doesn’t listen. He babbles “That’s true” but if the guest would query George with “what did I just say, George” He, George wouldn’t have a clue what the guest had just said. George is so in a hurry to get to the next caller and I hate those open lines. That’s just a cop out that he needs to get through the week.

  10. mdmiller says:

    what an idiot norry kisses all guest asses with words like absolutely right on the heas you got it like tonight this guy on there never ever doesnt have an answer he the foremost authority on death cancer pyscic bs anything never shuts his pie hole and the whole time that dope norry you got that right lol nailed it and the guys obviously has sever psyco problems

  11. mdmiller says:

    oh yea you ever see a call get through that disagreas
    i once called and said i well we caught a chupa copra down on town lake in austin texas and that we were callin this one his cousin the chupa veiga and george said you got pictures i said sure fax nim some porn an hour later he did admit we got him

  12. mdmiller says:

    oh boy snoorys on a roll tonight talkin about fraud erie geller bending lololololol what a dope and he said hes remote viewing all the time i guess he dont need to go a vacation if he can fly off everynight go where he wants and hes agreing with everything his dopey guest says they must be lovers cause its like he idolizes the idiot

  13. Wendy says:

    George has made the show completely unlistenable. It’s a watered down, boring infomercial. It’s gotten even worse lately. My grievances, in no particular order: #1) Cutting show down from 5 hours to 4 #2) No more unscreened calls #3) Too many commercials #4) Now dividing the shows in half, making for even more superficial interviews

  14. dan says:

    I’ve listened regularly since the late 1980s. The show has deteriorated badly for the following reasons:(1) too much time spent on bump music — Noory really wants to be a disc jockey, and the music he plays is lousy, especially the emerging artists, (2) uninteresting guests, dealing with subjects that Art Bell would never have entertained — in fact, the stuff he’s had on lately is the same thing you might hear on daytime public radio, (3) guest hosts, except for Knapp, that are just no good — I almost think that Noory doesn’t want anyone on the air who might show him up (ask John B Wells), and finally, a seeming reluctance to speak about the new American security state — I think the shadow government people have probably threatened him, and if this is true I can understand it. Also, the #3 comment by SteveG is insightful.

  15. joe says:

    Don’t have anything against George Noory, but he’s just a poor interviewer/host. There was a break on one of his interviews, and the guest wanted to continue with what he was saying…but George wouldn’t have any of it. He had to prove that he was in control and the boss. Very immature. I actually think George Knapp is much more engaging and better host. I stopped listening to the show when George Noory became its host…hardly listen anymore. – See more at: http://www.norcalblogs.com/postscripts/2013/03/03/critique-george-noorys-coast-coast/#comment-52453

  16. Radio2015 says:

    I wish I had been a listener to Coast to Coast when Art Bell was the host, but I didn’t begin listening to Coast to Coast AM until after Noory became the host. However, I have listened to a number of old Art Bell episodes on the internet, and I enjoyed them very much. Art definitely probed his guests to cut through the chaff, which gave the show much more credibility. At times, I felt as though Art was a bit harsh with some of his guests and callers when he could have been a bit more diplomatic, but I suppose that some listeners enjoyed the sarcastic banter.
    I like George Noory as a person, and I believe he is thoroughly interested in the show’s subject matter, but he lacks the knowledge that Art Bell had and it seems as though he does very little research in preparation for the show.
    Sadly, I only enjoy about one out of every five episodes due to the content and the format of the show. There are definitely some incredibly boring and outright ridiculous episodes.
    My second biggest complaint about the show is its overabundance of commercials and bumper music. Over 30% of the show is commercials or bumper music, and it destroys the flow of the show. I could stomach the show much better if they’d cut down the commercial time in half.
    I realize that Noory isn’t the most intelligent or prepared host on Coast to Coast, but I don’t like seeing comments that are downright hateful and cruel. He’s a decent person, and doesn’t deserve hate based comments.
    I’ve read multiple comments insulting Noory’s intelligence, and I agree that his level of intelligence and whit fall far below the bar that Art Bell set, but I don’t think he’s an idiot. I’d be thrilled to achieve half the success that Noory has achieved throughout his career. That being said, I do wish that Art Bell was still on Coast to Coast AM.

  17. Pie Guevara says:

    I can’t believe that any rational person can listen to Coast To Coast without it either inducing nausea or fits of laughter.

    The latter is preferable. The show was once amusing, not so much anymore.

    Art Bell was (is) a genius of entertainment, but he was still a dog and pony show lunatic who spent 99% of his time interviewing and conversing with other lunatics and 1% on hard science — as opposed to the usual, audience capturing pseudo-science.

    Bell’s obsession with Richard Hoagland comes to mind. I could never figure out if Bell was leading him on or actually believed the lunacy Hoagland espouses.

    Nevertheless, it is hard to fault Bell’s success. Bell built Coast To Coast from essentially nothing.

    My favorite call in character back in Bell’s days was the guy who said he invented a parallel universe travel machine from reels of transmission wire and equipment he stole from PG&E.

    The best substitute host Bell ever had was Barbara Simpson. She often worked weekends. Bell should have turned the show over to her, not this George Noory dork.

    You can still listen to Art Bell live on short wave W6OBB. Evidently he is negotiating a return to broadcast commercial radio on the satellite system SiriusXM.

    I disagree that Art Bell was politically neutral. Every time I heard him discuss politics, he was a typical flaming lib.

    Saying Noory behaves like Jim Nabors’ comedic character creation “Gomer Pyle” is unfair to Gomer.

    • Post Scripts says:

      An equally good observation and one I have to agree with too, with one caveat, I have heard Bell come down on the conservative side quite a few times and sometimes not. But, overall I liked him more than Noory who is just too quick to agree with crazy people, I mean really delusional, certifiable crazy… he’s just a go along to get along kind of talk show host.

  18. chop says:

    To call this guy an idiot would be a compliment. He’s worse, just the biggest phony who doesn’t believe 99% of what his guests spout on the show, but pretends to be fascinated with his “Wow’s!” and “Oh My’s.” When he’s not interrupting an even slightly interesting guest with the most stupid and irrelevant questions, he’s dibbling about some other crack pot who’s writing or comments are also irrelevant. My favorite George Noory stupid-ism was when he asked a guest: “Will the children save the planet?”

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