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Remembering New York's Larger-Than-Life Mayor, Ed Koch

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SIMON: Ed Koch, the former mayor of New York, died yesterday at the age of 88. He was as New York as a salt bagel with an extra schmear. I profiled him when he ran for re-election in 1981.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SIMON: And he was fun to travel with, from the Bronx to the Battery. But moments after our profile aired, Mayor Koch called and harangued me for 10 minutes, for including so many of his critics in the story. Then he suddenly stopped. Well, I've had my say, he said. Now, how are you?

New York politics was his Yankee Stadium, and Ed Koch loved the game. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy.