Turns out the guy who wrote the original rhyming story for "Rudoph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" -- don't recall his name offhand, but you could look it up (here it is, Robert L. May) -- was an underpaid copywriter for Montgomery Ward catalogue way back when. MW wanted a Christmas story and asked him to write it, which he did. Montgomery Ward released it to huge popularity, but the lowly author never saw a dime. However, some years later, the CEO of MW assigned the rights to the lowly copywriter. It so happened that the LC's brother-in-law was well-known composer Johnny Marks, who wrote the music for it. It was recorded by Gene Autry, and the LC made a bundle and everyone was happy.
So why am I telling you this nice little Christmas story?
Because I heard it on NPR when I punched out on Gordon's O-Deck vaginal steam cleaner story, which apparently went on for quite some time because when I punched in after the NPR story had concluded, they were still talking about it, until Junior forcibly brought the whole wretched segment to a merciful conclusion.
And my thoughts? Im sorry I missed that segment. One thing I realize, never trust any information you get from The Ticket News segments. More often than not when Gordo or Corby refer to a story they may have only read the headlines & skimmed the article. Gordo is useally alot better prepared, and Corby is useally reading the article for the first time LIVE. If anyone recalls, last week Gordo read the story about Aaron Cheung. The owner of BACON & FRIENDS. This is a favorite hang out for me & my friends. Cory is the biggest offender. They will spend segments on a big game & it seems like he didnt even watch it. Seems like Danny is always having to pipe in & give The Snake some info. Anyone else want to punch the radio/computer when the hear misinformed Ticket personalities?
ReplyDeleteJust this morning Craig was saying that if the season ended today the Mavs would be fourth in the west because they didn't win the division. I called Killer and told him they changed the rule for that after the '05-'06 season when the Mavs won 60 games but were fourth in the west. Craig normally knows his stuff. It was kind surprising that he didn't know that rule. Especially since it was made because of the Mavs.
ReplyDeleteI have heard the story of Rudolph before. It is one that has a special significance for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I missed the Rime of the Ancient Mariner-length piece on vaginal cleaning. Sounds pretty dumb. Had I been listening, I probably would've switched over, as well.
And yes, P1S, I frequently punch my dashboard during Corby's uninformed segments - often music-related ones. I have no idea why a guy with such a limited musical knowledge does a regular segment on it. Just give Nude Music to Danny. I remember one of their on-air fights over this. Yes, Danny might pull the occasional music snob card, but at least the segment would have some credibility.
The ones that drive me nuts though, are Gordon's attempts at political pieces. He likes to put on the "I'm above this stuff" hat, but he usually has a very shallow understanding of the topic. I don't expect everyone to be a political junkie, but if you're going to work the "I'm above all this" angle, you'd better know what you're talking about.
-Anonymous B
Anon B, I thought perhaps you were going to tell us why that story is meaningful to you. The Rudolph story, not the vaginal steam cleaning story.
ReplyDeleteActually, I thought of Confessor Doug when I heard that story, because I believe he is a copywriter, if I'm clicking through to his Blogger page correctly. Doug, I hope good fortune similarly comes your way.
Corby isn't exactly Mr. Show Prep, but I guess I've kind of resigned myself to it. It's only when lack of prep brings the show to a screeching halt that I'm tempted to punch out. Actually, Mike R and I are on the same page musically -- my two all-time fave raves are Jeff Beck and Steely Dan, both of which get frequent reverential mentions.
This Anonymous Confessor may - or may not - have been a lowly copywriter at some point in his life. And if he were - though he may not have been - this May fella may represent some sort of hope for those who toil at the most underappreciated art of copywriting.
ReplyDelete-Anonymous B
Yes Plainsman, I am, which is why my incorrect usage and spelling of "moniker" last entry left me completely embarassed.
ReplyDeleteI then realized both my blogs listed under my profile name were very old and outdated, which was also not completely flattering.
The Rudolph story is a good one (and not one I've heard). It does provide some inspiration to young LCs like myself (and I promise you I'll never mess up "moniker" again).
I find myself having some musical tastes as Rhyner too. Usually on an intro back in (when they're playing a song from Mike's Ipod), it will sometimes be a one hit wonder that I can relate to. He is a fan of 1st Wave on XM too and I love that type of 80's music.
ReplyDeleteA complete word to P1 Steven's post (btw, P1 Steven, I have a shower radio question for you).
ReplyDeleteIf I had had time, I would have made an audio file listing all the instances when Corby said something baseball-related during the post season that was incorrect and Danny had to jump in and correct him. It almost seemed a daily occurrence! I think the Texas Rangers post season was the best thing to happen for The Hardline because it allowed knowledgeable Danny to shine.
It seems weird to me that Corby - with his limited sports knowledge - dismisses anyone in the sports news he's never heard of as being someone with little importance. He'll say (arrogantly, imo) "I don't even know who that is," and then Mike will fill him in. I don't know if he's trying to play the "Average Joe" role of the show and we're supposed to relate to him, but it comes off as just ill-prepared. The last time I can remember that happening was when the Rangers were seeking a new batting coach and Thad Bosley's name was being tossed around.
My most fervent memory of Corby clearly not having watched a game: on the night of Mike Modano's last Dallas Stars home game, both Corby and Mike went on and on about how this was going to be special and how everyone should tune in for the game because Mike Modano meant so much to the city, yadda, yadda, yadda. So I did watch, and it was awesome! It made me sports cry. The next day, they talk about the game, and it was clear Corby didn't watch. I. Could. Not. Believe. It. Why would you implore the listeners to watch a game you didn't watch yourself?! If you weren't able to watch it that night, why didn't you tape it and watch it before your show that starts at 3 pm?! The fact that it turned out to be quite the special night for Dallas sports made it all the harder to accept that my local sports talk show host didn't experience it.
Sorry for the Corby rant. I don't think that's what Mr. Plainsman envisioned the comments section going...
I do think Corby's a good storyteller. So there.
OH! I only caught the back end of the offending segment in question - Gordo made Killer read the story and Killer was, uh, struggling, to put it nicely. That aspect was sorta funny. Hmmm, maybe I'm just not affected by "gross" body talk. I sorta expect those topics from The Musers and The Hardline now.
I'm sure The UnTicket will update their Muse in the News page soon with the audio in question.
I heard the Killer segment this morning. Made me laugh too... Makes me think of a drunk uncle making his nephew do something embarressing for his on amusement. I agree with Christy, body humor just doesnt bother me. Maybe I too have grown comfortably numb. Christy, I wish I knew which shower radio to tell you to get. I can BARELY get The Ticket at my house. I couldnt even get it in the shower. My shower radio is the only one that gets 1310 without extreme static. When I listen I have to point the radio torwards the Dallas area. I would suggest doing research maybe.... I think my shower radio was bought at Wal-mart.
ReplyDeleteI am really digging all these drops history moments during the John Radigan / Mike Sirois Show (sorry, I haven't caught the official name)! I hope The UnTicket will string them all together in one audio post...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Grubes!
Agree re the drops history.
ReplyDeleteAlthough . . . it's weird. I could have sworn I heard the original "I have a flask in my car" segment and I don't remember it AT ALL like Grubes recounted it.
Perhaps I should clarify my position on vaginas.
ReplyDeleteI favor them.
I have as dirty a mind as the next P1 and, as a result of my vast experience, probably dirtier than some, maybe even most.
OK, so it's not all that vast.
My issue is not with Ticket reportage on reproductive organs generally. I can tolerate a high degree of dick talk and even muff talk. It's the extremely clinical and misogynistic cast that too much of the Ticket stories devolve into.
Now I punched out on that story this morning pretty early. I didn't hear the Killer stuff. (By the way -- how do we all feel about the condescension to the less-frequently-heard staffers?) It might have been good for a giggle, and maybe the story wasn't as bad as it was trending at the outset.
But having sat in the old SRT8 and shaking my head at The Hardline's recent foray into female plumbing, I needed a break.
Damn you, Howard Stern.
I guess I've been lucky enough to have missed such gruesome stories...so I can't really comment.
ReplyDeleteI'm not in favor of the "condescension to the less-frequently-heard staffers". I'm not a fan of anyone wearing a dog collar (Tom Gribble). I can't remember other forms of condescension at the moment...the bets for Killer to eat something raw...calling Ty a power down?
What is it with guys and hazing?
Killer was just so bad though (and I only caught the tail end and wasn't listening closely to boot) that it came off as the Boom Goes the Dynamite guy. Or, the Lexi ticker. Hee.
It seems like the newer Ticket guys feel like they need to play along with whatever the mischievous hosts throw their way - all in the name of Radio Gold, of course. Being on the air is a good thing no matter what, right? But then that's all they're known for, and then they have to work doubly hard to be a legit radio personality. I think we're watching that transformation attempt with Ty Walker, Killer (he's a fill-in producer), and TC (funny how Jake Z was able to skip this step).
But I'm sure all the hosts have had to go through a similar stage and look where they are now! So, it's totally okay for them to do the same.
OH! Sorry for posting back to back, but...
ReplyDeleteDoesn't Jake Z sometimes come across as Dylan the Argumentative Teenager?! But instead of things being lame, they're "super gay." And instead of being argumentative, he's unabashedly and arrogantly the authority of cool...and what's super gay.
So, to summarize...
ReplyDeleteWe can count on The Ticket for 10 - 20% reliable sports, depending on when you listen.
The rest of the time reminds me of sitting around in college with roommates and others, talking big, busting balls, VERY grateful when ladies dropped by, (thanks Christy), and overall buffoonery.
It is funny though, we still love it, still listen. BTW, tried listening to other options this week, as dry dock has arrived.... MEH.... Back to KVIL for Christmas music.
I do wonder what, if any, new things are on the horizon to be enacted with the move to Victory.
Jake Z's meteroic rise could be comapared to that of Corby Davidson. Corby got a great gig very early in his career. Jake Z also got a great gig. I am always for something along the vein of old school ticket programming. A late night Ticket show along the same type of show like THE ORPHANAGE. It would be awesome to hear live local radio on the way home from work on a Saturday night. (just like the rant use to be). BTW The Jake Z "Super Gay" comment came from his & TC's weekly pod cast. It is very much a natural setting type of pod cast. Two dudes just chillin' type of vibe.
ReplyDelete@Christy - You can bet I'll be posting that audio. I was planning on doing it today, but for some inexplicable reason, I found more entertainment in running out my 2010 calendar work year by awkwardly and enthusiastically kicking an Arkansas Razorbacks hackey-sack against my office wall.
ReplyDeleteI particularly enjoyed the "blue-queef" line of humor, but I'm somewhat biased as I am a big fan of the Killer. Also, the steam-cleaning story appeared twice on the ticket, with the first reading being given by the Rich Phillips Newsdesk. He seemed to be a fair bit more informed about the story, and their delicate treatment of the subject still managed to paint some hilarious pictures on my mental canvas.
Multiple copy-writers, huh? Suddenly I'm feeling rather self-conscious.