Patric wrote: George's show is really hard to listen to, because he runs out of steam after about the second break. The second hour is drudgery, because George has used up any relevant questions in the first half-hour or so.
By the second hour, George usually trots out his favorite "angel" or "devil" questions (which are mostly absurd). This is apparently just to eat up time. It could be any subject, and he will bore/floor the guest with one of his stock angel/devil questions that take no prior thought: ("Mr. Lipton, do you think the devil has anything to do with this suppression of your biological work?").
The first hour is the most telling. George really has no real personality that he wishes to share with the audience. So he labors through the news, and a few phone calls, which makes the hour seem like an hour longer, because it's so unmemorable.
George is self-conscious, and that's really why he's so guarded, and why his questions are so blah and bland and have no REAL personality. (They call talk hosts with this unfortunate disorder 'lightweights.') I notice the way George asks questions is designed to make them look sharper and more profound than they really are. He always sounds like he takes a deep breath, and follows through with all sorts of highs and lows in his voice. But since the question itself is so poopy, all that extra effort is obscene.
Holy crap! You just said exactly how I feel about Georgie. I mean, a dead-ringer. It's EXACTLY how he is.
Hell, if I had the money, *I* would run an internet talk show, and bring it back to the roots--open lines. I am much like Art--in that I share everything with the folks on my website and forum (Ironworks Forum) and just have laid back conversations with my members, and we know each other well. I am very anti-corporate, and like to do everything myself. Because 'the suits upstairs' usually screw stuff up, and have no idea what their user-base is like, what they enjoy etc.. so disconnected. So when Art ran things, HE controlled everything. HE knew what folks wanted, and that was; him being him. He listened to us.
Art was/is extremely intelligent. That I picked up on right away, and enjoyed. I don't want to waste my time listening to some simpleton *cough* *Georgie* *cough* because I value my time.
Art did all the bumper music lineups, and tons of other stuff. Art KNEW how things ran. Was an older guy, but was sharp for new technologies, and PC's--knew how to fix them. I'm the same way.
I also loved how he did it from his home, because that is exactly how I'd do it. 
Art is 'real', and you CAN feel the difference. I did test out a program called Shoutcast, and I ran some music, talked, and was surprised to get some really good feedback on it--I do have a deep voice, so I guess that helps. But it was fun... Just don't have a bank of phone lines. lol
I stopped listening to C2C in July--minus when Art returned for Ghost to Ghost, which I paid for 1 Month-- and let me tell you, THAT was serious for me to do that. HUGE! I mean... I've listened since 1994-ish, and always looked forward to the shows.
Not now. And when you know that feeling, and others share that feeling, it means the show has lost its spark. I am sad really...
Sorry for the ramblings.. Just sucks to see this flake ruin Art Bell's creation.
That was followed by RCH wailing about the second man to land on the moon Buzz Aldrin spending 40 minutes calling Hoagland nuts. Oh wouldn't I have wanted to be there!