I had known of Arsenio Hall since childhood.
As a child, variety shows like Solid Gold entertained and amazed me. Like most children, I wished I was a little bit taller and older when I watched those shows. I nearly envied adults because they seemed to be in tune with the pop music and culture that I was attempting to grasp and assimilate.
Arsenio Hall was a standup comedian on Solid Gold in the 1980s. I never really paid much attention to standup comedy outside of the Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart and Eddie Murphy albums I came in contact with as a child.
Eddie Murphy, as young as he was, was the closest comedian to my generation. However, there was always the risk of my getting in trouble for possessing, listening to and knowing the contents of his comedy.
Hall would join his friend in Coming To America playing nearly as many characters as the lead actor Eddie Murphy. I still remember his creepy preacher introducing Sexual Chocolate as I type.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he would establish an empire of his own with The Arsenio Hall Show. If there was anything “Must See” during his time on television, it was his show. The show was designed and catered to my demographic at the time. Regardless of whether the guest was a legend, hot commodity or someone otherwise irrelevant to me, they were cool because they were on The Arsenio Hall Show.
President Bill Clinton playing the saxophone with the house band of the coolest late-night talk show known to man is easily the most memorable thing about Hall’s show.
The next memorable thing about Hall’s show was the hip hop musical acts that performed on his stage. That also includes the historic final salute when his show came to an end. I had a teenage tantrum when I learned the footage of Gang Starr performing Mass Appeal was recorded over. I was made to learn whose house I was in when I returned home from school that day.
I try to make time for Donald Trump’s Apprentice and caught as much of Hall when I could. I was always happy to hear and see him still in the running. It is obvious I would have wanted him to win.
I admire and state Arsenio Hall as influence on my approach to my Suite Delight radio show. In an odd twist of fate, if I could be blessed to achieve a level of success in league with what Arsenio Hall did with his show, I would be even more blessed to have him as guest.
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