Tom Snyder RIP

Tom Snyder died yesterday. He was host of "Tomorrow" on NBC for 8 years, every night at 1 am. And though I had school the next day, Tom Snyder charmed me into staying up most nights (all the way through Carson's Book guests) and watching his parade of the interesting, the forgotten, the weird, and the wise.

Snyder was not an intellectual, but he was the best of broadcasters and interviewers; he listened to the answers to his questions. And though he may have not known anything about a guest before a show, he knew how to draw information out of him.

I remember, perhaps most of all, his late 70's interview with Ayn Rand. Rand, by then, had long been wary of the media, who she felt (justifiably so) misrepresented her and her writing. But she gave Tom an hour of her time.

Tom Snyder had just the right touch with Rand. She was ready to be attacked, defamed and smeared, as she had been so many times over the years. But he figuratively took her by the hand, and caressed and charmed this old lady philosopher, who by the end of the hour looked as if she had fallen love with Tom Snyder. He had treated her with respect and dignity. And this giant of the 20th century was unused to that coming from the media.

Tom would bring on every type of person possible. I first saw old time radio stars on "Tomorrow". And from Wendy O. Williams to Charles Manson, and the cream in between, the 8 years of the "Tomorrow" show was better than almost anything on the air.

Tom deserved a longer and better career. But he did us a great service. He respected his audience enough to ask serious questions of serious people and funny questions of funny people.

I'll end on this; Tom once asked Edgar Bergen why he moved his lips when he was performing his ventriloquism. Bergen replied that he wanted to be honest with the audience about where the sound was coming from.

I miss Tom Snyder already.

Joe Postove