Glenn Beck’s decision to give Andrew W.K. a radio show on his conservative TheBlaze network was met with a lot of raised eyebrows when it was first announced — how would a conservative pundit and liberal rocker exist under the same number on the radio dial?
Rolling Stone recently spoke to both men about their new collaboration, and Beck explained why he decided to offer the musician his own show. “I saw Andrew as a guy who believed in some basic principles that I thought we always believed in: We have to be decent to each other; we have to start seeing people as people and not as political parties or policies or anything else but people,” Beck told the site.
Andrew W.K. Getting His Own Radio Show on Glenn Beck’s ‘TheBlaze’ Network
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“We all make mistakes,” Beck added. “Now let’s move forward in a positive way and try to find people that are not basing everything on how you feel about the Keystone Oil pipeline or were you for or against the Iraqi surge.”
The kicker? Beck has never heard W.K.’s music. “But I’m not going to him for his music,” he said by way of defense. “I’m going to him because I think he’s a very inspiring guy.” Beck went on to explain that his company was actually very diverse, featuring both a woman and “an Orthodox Jew” in executive roles.
“We can sit here and talk about the things we don’t have in common all day long,” Beck says, but they’re decent, they’re smart and we actually like each other.”