DON’T CALL HIM SENTIMENTAL

Tom Leykis doesn’t mind if you hate him, as long as you listen. And plenty do. The controversial syndicated radio personality’s “The Tom Leykis Show” (97.1 Free-FM) commands a nationwide audience and is the top-rated afternoon talk radio show in his adopted hometown, L.A. If you’ve managed to escape it, let us bring you up to speed: He is no fan of romance or Valentine’s Day.

Anything good about Valentine’s Day? It’s the best day of the year to meet single women. As I tell guys, the easiest way to get lucky is to capitalize on a woman’s low self-esteem. And any single woman you meet in a bar on Valentine’s Day is feeling lower than ever.

Are there particularly fertile spots you can recommend?

The last two years I’ve gone to Lola’s [on Fairfax]. I’ve told my listeners I was going, so they can see me operate. I picked up one girl two years ago, and last year I had two women flanking me on both sides.

What’s the biggest mistake guys make on Valentine’s Day? Raising expectations. A guy should spend as little as he can get away with. Every time you spend a lot of money, you set the bar higher. Drop $1,000 and there’s no coming back [the next year] with just a single rose. Keep expectations low and expenses and preparations to a minimum. Romance has been perverted to the point where it really has to do with how much money you are spending. Very few people today believe a single flower picked by the side of the road is romantic.

For more of Leykis’ V-Day comments, go to latimes.com/leykis.

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