Expect thunderous “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” chants Saturday when the Knight Parade rolls through Ybor City.
Springer has been named honorary grand marshal of the annual event considered almost as wild as his famed tabloid talk show.
The Sarasota resident who titled his autobiography “The Ringmaster” (and basically played himself in the movie of the same name) will attempt to tame the rowdy crowd of 100,000-plus by tossing them T-shirts and “Jerry Beads.”
“Think about it,” Springer said. “It’s me. We’re going to have a great time.”
“The Jerry Springer Show,” which airs nationally and locally these days on the MOR network, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.
The program has remained popular by brazenly spotlighting troubled couples, dysfunctional families and all manner of sexual exploits.
But “Springer” tackled much more serious topics during its first several seasons.
“There were 20 shows on TV at the time all trying to go after the Oprah audience,” Springer said in an interview from his show’s studio in Stamford, Conn. “Ricki Lake was the only one going after the kids in high school and college, so I suggested, just as a business model, that we go after that audience.
“So we decided to go young -- only young people on stage, young subject matter,” he said. “Young people are wilder and much more open, much less reserved and every once in a while went crazy.
“Then Universal bought us and basically said ‘Only do crazy.’ No warm, uplifting stories.”
And so went Springer down a path of fame/infamy and fortune that had practically nothing to do with his previous ambitions.
Before becoming what many critics have called a “trash TV talk show” host, Springer excelled in politics and journalism.
According to his official bio, he won a seat at the Cincinnati City Council in 1971 and served five terms before becoming mayor at the age of 33. After an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor of Ohio in 1982, Springer signed with Cincinnati NBC affiliate WLWT. As its anchor and managing editor, he won multiple Emmy Awards.
Springer, who remains politically active, maintains he has never felt guilty or ashamed about hosting a show whose episodes have titles such as “I Refuse to Wear Clothes,” “Brutal Betrayals” and “Revenge of the Crazed Mom.”
“Honestly, not for a second,” Springer said. “I never confused my occupation with my person. I take my politics very seriously; like religion, it’s something I believe in very deeply. Just because I got lucky and got money, I didn’t become a conservative.”
Springer laughed and added, “I realize I’m in show business. I’m a ringleader of a circus if I’m not giving a political speech. Everyone is like that. You act different on Friday night at the club than on Sunday at church.”
The serious side of Springer comes out when he plays the role of pundit.
A regular guest on a variety of shows, Springer verbally sparred last month with “Fox and Friends” cohost Gretchen Wilson over a Newsweek article titled “Why are Obama’s Critics so Dumb?” He told Fox News viewers the network was biased because it criticized the president on a daily basis.
Back home, Springer supports his political party by making speaking appearances such as one scheduled for March 22 at the Democratic Club of Sarasota.
He’s also popular on college campuses. Over the years he has given talks at Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, Northwestern, University of Miami and his undergraduate alma mater, Tulane, as well as numerous other academic institutions.
“Because I’ve been identified as this liberal person that’s known, as a citizen with a point of view, which doesn’t mean I’m right -- but I believe I’m right (laugh) -- I make a lot of appearances,” Springer said. “Truth is, I spend 30 percent of my time doing politically related stuff I don’t get paid for, fulfilling my personal need to be actively involved.”
The British-born Springer, who turns 68 on Monday, has been a dedicated Democrat for nearly a half-century. After receiving a law degree from Northwestern University, Springer signed on with Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign.
The brief time he spent watching the candidate would have a profound effect on the future pop culture icon.
“In fairness, it was only four months because he was killed. But, except for my dad, he remains the most powerful political influence on my life,” Springer said. “He was in politics for all the right reasons.
“Back in ’68, he was the one American politician that could get support from African-Americans, Hispanics as well as Southern whites. People would just say he was ‘so real.’ I loved his authenticity.”
Say what you will about Springer and his merits as a talk show legend who moonlights as a political pundit, he does keep it real.
Wade Tatangelo, features writer/columnist, can be reached at 941-745-7057. Visit heraldbuzzworthy.blogspot.com.
Details: Knight Parade, 7 p.m. Feb. 18, along Seventh Ave. in Ybor City. Information: 813-248-3088 or www.knightparade.com
