P.J. O'Rourke: The 1994 60 Minutes interview

P.J. O’Rourke has died from lung cancer complications. He was 74. In 1994, the political satirist and bestselling author told Steve Kroft about his style of taking middle-aged, Midwestern sensibilities and observations to different places.
"60 Minutes" is the most successful television broadcast in history. Offering hard-hitting investigative reports, interviews, feature segments and profiles of people in the news, the broadcast began in 1968 and is still a hit, over 50 seasons later, regularly making Nielsen's Top 10.
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[@NevadaBoss]

One of the great American satirists...brilliant, funny, smart and original..and understood politics was too unimportant to take seriously. RIP PJ...say hi to Dr Thompson for us mere mortals...

[@jamielancaster01]

In 2016, he endorsed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. O'Rourke stated that his endorsement included her "lies and empty promises" and added "She's wrong about absolutely everything, but she's wrong within normal parameters

[@thedecider1984]

we all make mistakes.

[@ricardodsavant2965]

I didn't vote for Trump but I laughed when Clinton lost....🤣 and the media cried like babies...😭😢

[@MBBurchette]

Even to the end, common sense trumped ideology.

[@ricardodsavant2965]

@@MBBurchette - how about that?

[@humanentity5890]

'normal'

[@alexanderskae5720]

Probably one of the most genuine interviews that I’ve ever seen. Whether you’re left, right, or down the middle, no one can deny that O’Rourke was honest in his intentions. I’m stunned and surprised that I’m just now finding out about this guy. Wow.

[@actownsend7288]

Oh I’m a liberal but PJ made me laugh. He wrote for the best magazines!!!! Funny keeps you from hating each other.

[@gnardawgyt]

Wonderful interview. Thanks for posting. RIP

[@billjordan3639]

His review of his own Subaru in “Car & Driver” is Mark Twain funny.

[@seththomas9105]

I didn't agree with everything P.J. wrote, but since I first discovered his wrtting in Rolling Stone in the 80's I was hooked. RIP and Godspeed you ol' Irishman. Another seat at the table with Twain, Rogers, Dr. Thompson, Hemmingway, Terkel...

[@punchcat0736]

PJ was a great and funny guy in real life

[@jeffrey322]

Great interview! I was a big fan of Nat'l Lampoon Magazine!

[@MrTruckerf]

Some of his stuff I read then, I remember now, over 50 years later. His description of living out in the country in a house full of drugs, guns and weird characters made me laugh till I cried. I have never read it again but I would like to.

[@devinelgert4880]

Somehow, Rest in Peace just doesn't seem appropriate for America's funniest political author. As a fellow New Hampshirite, a recovering leftist and someone who's been reading O'Rourke since he wrote for Rolling Stone, I will greatly miss his shrewd political insights, biting satirical wit and general understanding of the human condition.

[@mjh5437]

"a recovering leftist " lolol,you finally saw common sense.

[@JohnHoffman65]

Wait, wait,..Don’t Tell Me!

[@amaliabouch2694]

He was honest and unpretentious....says it like it is, and has the ability to be as critical of himself as of politics

[@hankochai]

A legend.

[@Moose808]

Hard to believe that this interview is 60 minutes

[@SamhainBe]

"...they don't have common sense on their side..." - an honest man and seer of the real World. You are missed PJ...

[@franciscojose6496]

Let's go watching now

[@SALESPRODUCTIONS]

Great writer. Authentic. Witty. Quite funny. CONservative - but with truth and humor. Which is incredibly rare for a RepubliCON. I am however - very surprised that he even made it to his 70's. He smoked like a house fire and drank so much - it is amazing he lived that long. And Lung Cancer did him in. ( See smoking )

[@stormbringercoming8105]

A very nice CONdescending obituary.

[@mjh5437]

My father died of lung cancer and never smoked a single cigarette in his life.

[@JesusIsKingAndSavior]

@SalesProductions. He likely smoked and drank because he was an intelligent American soul; surrounded by uptight and irritating pod-people like yourself. I get you hate conservatives; I used to during the Iraq war years. The Dims and Repugs are 1 team pretending to be as oppositional as a Harlem Globetrotters game; But how any minority and whatnot special class victim person (myself included) will be able to afford anything or not have to fight off sleeper cells in WW3 soon because of what the current admin is doing in giving the house away and starting fights with everyone at the same time, idk. The US is done. Trump was and is a symptom of how desperate our situation has become that someone as unpolished as him stepped in. And he did a decent job compared to "the club". (You know that's why he was bad right, both sides were the same thing)

[@TheFlygonproductions]

4:41 which band is that on the cover?

[@buttermilkbiscuit1021]

RIP Uncle PJ.

[@VeillonBusinessConsu]

That 60 minutes guy doing the interview hates conservative's and is awfully rude. PJ is a gem.

[@tim72184]

I really liked that guy.

[@whoisdickieschnabel]

RIP

[@seanmiller1740]

He was awesome!

[@markphc99]

I so enjoyed his books , didn't agree with all of his politics

[@davidholt2960]

I was born the day before him and his take on the Baby Boomers is must reading.

[@Raelspark]

He became a hippie .... in order to meet girls. ... It sometimes worked.

[@MLB9000]

It’s only 12 minutes though

[@actownsend7288]

I’m a proud 30 something liberal Democrat and I think PJ was very funny. And smart. I’m not saying I’m becoming more conservative but I understand being more cynical about the world.

[@humanentity5890]

sweet typewriter

[@SolaceEasy]

P.J. and many like him missed the opportunity of the era.

[@JosephGier]

what does that mean; please clarify

[@dennisvickers5752]

My biological mother name is Jerry Sherwood aka Rhonda Puckett and she is looking for me. No one saved Dennis from 6o.min

[@rockturtleneck]

I used to enjoy his pieces in Rolling Stone back in the day. Amazing RS had an in-house "reactionary." They wouldn't have a non-woke person on staff in a million years now, not that anybody reads RS anymore. R.I.P.

[@zapfanzapfan]

You can still say that about Australians and not get ostracized...

[@situated4]

BTW, PJ O'Rourke was wrong about the Americans with Disabilities Act, and I'd have loved to see him interviewed after spending a week in a wheelchair in his hometown.

[@spencerantoniomarlen-starr3069]

They're already was a ramp that was totally usable by people in wheelchairs to that post office. I have half a dozen disabilities and conditions by the way.

[@civlyzed]

Yeah, John Hoffman already posted the exact same sentence above.

[@jamielancaster01]

O'Rourke died from pulmonary embolism/lung cancer at his home in Sharon, New Hampshire, on February 15, 2022, at the age of 74

[@buttermilkbiscuit1021]

He actually died from a blood clot while receiving treatment for lung cancer.

[@MrTruckerf]

He knew all the smoking and drinking could cause health problems but he lived the way he wanted. Still lived a longer and richer life than most teetotalers.

[@peterclark6290]

The hippies were Anarchists. Libertarians are just cashed-up Anarchists. A natural progression.

[@davidhenschel1990]

In 2016, P.J. O’Rourke made an interesting comment on presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. This means he is alive.

[@JohnHoffman65]

BTW - PJ O’Rourke was wrong about the Americans with Disabilities Act. I’d have loved to seen him interviewed after needing to use a wheelchair for a week in his hometown.

[@sunshine3914]

Yes, that definitely needed an update.

[@colin5577]

@@DuffyGabi The new house I'm moving into has disabled access toilets and wide doors. By law. As does every new build house in Ireland. I've to spend money to make the house able-bodied compatible when I move in. All the disabled parking spots in the indoor ski arena and at the adjacent trampoline party-zone near where I work never cease to amuse me either. These provisions went and continue to go way too far in all sorts of areas and are abused by fatties and ambulance chasers.

[@bonzodog67lizardking15]

No wonder he died of lung cancer. Those cigarillos are nasty.

[@TheWayouy]

DURHAM REPORT

[@Nomeandude]

Hey you guys where are the upcoming great Amercican Satirists & Political Commentators since PJ , Buckley & Gore sadly passed away ? jusk askin !

[@hswing11]

The poor coverage you gave on the Durham report I AM DONE WITH 60MIN

[@PumpUptheJam81]

I think the issue is that there is not much to cover.

[@seekingtruth3054]

When Donald Trump advised Leslie Stahl that he was being spied on her response was "This is 60 Minutes" (and) you have no evidence of that. Well, "60 Minutes" is now a proven cesspool of misinformation. The only way they will have my respect again is to make an apology to Donald Trump.

[@MrTruckerf]

I won't hold my breath.