Want to take a mind-bending odyssey through the seemingly unrelated worlds of talk radio and white supremacy in the 1980’s? Read Talked to Death, a fascinating book, written by Stephen Singular.

Talked to Death chronicles the life and career of Denver lawyer turned radio talk show host Alan Berg—opinionated, loud-mouthed, ultra-liberal, always fair, and often abrasive.

As one would imagine, a personality like Berg’s attracts opposition, sometimes violent. Interspaced with Berg’s life, we are introduced to the shadowy world of the “Bruders Schweigen,” a neo-Nazi group based in Idaho with members located all over the American West.

This terror group was obsessed with bank robbery, mayhem, and murder, Berg being their #1 target. After a few failed attempts, they unfortunately succeeded, shooting Berg to death in 1984.

How could anyone be so enraged by a radio show that they’d stalk and kill the host? I find it unthinkable, as any rational person would. We must remember: Neo-Nazis are not rational.

To liven up the show, Berg would often engage these lunatics, and spar verbally about hot button issues: homosexuals, race, religion, class, politics, etc. Unable to let it drop, they continued to simmer, plot, and plan—a most frightening scenario.

The murder and its root causes garnered a tremendous amount of interest, as would be expected. Oliver Stone gave it the Hollywood treatment, in a movie version called Talk Radio. It was an exceptionally good movie with a star-making role played by Eric Bogosian. Alec Baldwin is also excellent as the long-suffering station boss.

I saw the movie long before I read the book. Don’t ask me why, but I recall watching it as a teenager at about 3:00am on cable with my dad as we ate Wendy’s takeout. At that age, I was still naïve and it was hard for me to believe it was a true story. My dad, being much older and wiser, was happy to “school me on the facts of life.” (A phrase he’d often use with me and my sisters!)

Many years have passed. I’m no longer naïve, but I’m still incredulous that such evil exists in this world. No law can be passed to ban stupidity, but thankfully there are laws protecting us from madmen and women intent on doing harm.

Alan Berg, who dedicated his life to liberty, was deprived of his own in the ultimate crime. There can be no justice for murder victims, not really, but knowing his killer died in prison after serving 23 years of a 250 year sentence does slightly soften the blow.

God bless you, Alan; you are missed!