Remembrance

Nixon at 100: Playing Piano on Paar

By Alex RogersJan. 10, 20130

Nixon’s 1963 appearance on “The Jack Paar Program” restored his public image after losing the California gubernatorial election (“You don’t have Nixon to kick around anymore”) the previous year. Paar, who graced the cover of TIME Magazine in 1958, hired “15 Democratic violinists” to accompany Nixon’s piano performance, during which Nixon played an original tune. Watch below to see why TIME named Nixon one of the Top Ten Performing Politicians:

3 comments

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kbanginmotown

The sound cuts off at 2:09. Another Nixon tape erased. We shoulda known then...

P.S. I was born right around the time this program was taped. I find it horribly sad to think that I will probably never see a Republican play the piano or violin in my lifetime.

DaleBrooks

I was too young to remember Richard Nixon when he was President. I got a lot of great information and a broad perspective from a fascinating look at Nixon by Roger Stone at TheStoneZone. I recommend it for everyone to read, especially “youngsters” like me. http://www.stonezone.com/

bobell

I was going to say I saw this live on TV as it happened, but actually I was in California at the time (having recently voted for Nixon's opponent Pat Brown - Jerry's father - in the gubernatorial election) and saw it on tape delay. For you kids, the other piano player Nixon joked about was Harry Truman. Of course, his reference to his extinguished political ambitions turned out to be premature. Too bad.

If anyone from Time is reading this (or even if they aren't), I lost the audio with the wipe at 2:09. Oh, well, Beethoven it isn't.