I am not so sure this was JL's exact quote...can you cite where this comment was ever referenced?
If it's just a circulating rumor that he said this, then I would tend to be skeptical...
Im not trying to be combative T, but asking somebody to cite a comment made on a radio show is asking for a higher level of proof than is realistic. Unless somebody out there is recording, cataloging, and saving every JL radio show, or written transcripts that are publicly archived and searchable exist, this is pretty much impossible.
I didn't hear the comment personally, but enough people seem to have that I will take their first-hand accounts at their word.
Now perhaps we're putting too much stock in an off-hand comment made years ago, and maybe JL was speaking of raw, undeveloped talent. I think holding JL to the fire over something like this is a bit nitpicky, myself.