Sunday, February 17, 2013

I Wander Ticketstock


Notes from my Friday afternoon visit.  I wandered the floor for an hour or so, visited a few vendors, listened to some of The Hardline.  Thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Reviews have been excellent, and The Ticket should be congratulated.  In fact, let me start with this:

Kudos.  First, how about a hand for the CTO?  Sure, the thing is sponsored, and a lot of it is pretty sponsor-promotional, but it's a lot of work, a big time commitment for the whole station, very entertaining for the P1.   A real nice kiss for listeners, and when we smack the CTO around for one or another sin, let's remember cool stuff like this.  I'll have a further thought on this in conclusion.

Parking.  I could have sworn I heard hosts saying parking was free.  Five bucks to get into the garage.

General.  The floor was less crowded with stuff this year.  Seemed to me like there were fewer sponsors, but that may have been because the did not have the basketball court this year so the joint just had a more wide-open feel.

Shoop.  I put some geld into Michael Gruber's pocket by purchasing a SHOOPY t-shirt portraying him laboring lovingly over what appears to be a Les Paul Custom.  I asked the vendor whether Michael got a royalty for the use of his image and was pleased to hear that he does.

Ticket Guys Generally.  Passed by Gordon, Norm, and Craig out on the floor.  Norm and Gordon had destinations they were hurrying (in Norm's case, slowly) toward, but Craig was taking a stroll and chatting with attendees.  I considered introducing myself, but decided against it.  Everything for the bit, right?  Well, being The Plainsman is my bit, lame thought it may be.

A Confessor on the last thread wrote:  "It was an incredible night, I left the rest of the guys alone [Confessor had chatted with Grubes, Donovan, and Sean Bass]  but to anyone that says they are too big for the P1’s, they are just wrong. All of them walked around, shook hands, took pictures and spent time with their fans, it was a pleasure to watch. I really walked away thinking “we can do what they can do, but they can’t do what we can do.” And looking at my twitter tweet P1 time line, there were a lot of folks who had just as much fun. "  Second that with enthusiasm and could not have put it better.

Un.     While I did not beat down any Ticket guys, I did see some guys wearing UnTicket t-shirts at a booth advertising a way of recording streamed radio, and I asked if they were with that incomparable site.  Turns out they all were, and I was honored to meet DP and two of his invaluable henchmen (sorry, gents, I have forgotten your UT monikers) in assembling Ticket audio.  Great guys.  ap, alas, is stuck in The Great White North.

It's a pleasure to call your attention to their new venture, THINKIT MEDIA.  The are marketing their proprietary system under the uSave.it brand for recording streamed radio. (DP reports that they have some P1s using their system to record their favorite station.)   They also offer other services to businesses such as blog development ("ThinkIt Social) and increasing their profile in the online world.  I may give him a call.  You can read more about it here:  ThinkIt Media  I'm linking it to it on my "Ticket-Friendly Sites" if you ever need to find them.

I neglected to ask DP if he minded if I used his real name (obviously, I was star-struck by the three of them), so I'll keep that valuable information to myself.  However, he and his colleagues were kind enough to let me take their picture at their booth (DP is on the right):


And to top it off, I was deeply honored that they scrounged one of those snazzy UnTicket t-shirts for me.

Ticket Chicks.  Seems to me there were fewer Ticket Chicks abroad, and I did not see a photo area where us mere mortal P1 schlubs could get their picture taken with these lovelies, although I have no doubt that any of them wandering about would have accommodated a request for a quick snap.

T.   As last year, the testosterone clinics were there in force and doing a brisk business.   Apparently I appear to be down a couple of quarts, as I was approached a couple of times by young ladies who worriedly pressed brochures into my infirm grip.

Michael.  The Ticket acknowledged MJ's half-century with a statue.  


However, I couldn't help noticing that he was going to have trouble with this particular dunk, as the anchor for his Airness appeared to have had him stepping in a nasty wad of gum:



I Discover the Theme of Ticketstock.   Last year, I was puzzled by the Mardi Gras theme since it had not been advertised.  This year, it was a collegiate theme, which I realized when I purchased one of the long-sleeved shirts and observed that it had a large "U" in the background.

But with my keen reportorial instincts (which failed me when I didn't get the UnTicket guys' screennames), I ferreted out the true theme.  It was:

"Slanty Boards with a Hole in the Top End Into Which Attendees Were Invited to Attempt to Drain Square Bean Bags Slightly Larger Than the Hole."

(1) The Dallas Stars had the most elaborate set up -- this picture only portrays only two of the four slanty boards:


(2)  Top Golf:



(3)  FIOS:


(4)  Ticket #1:



(5)  Ticket #2/Budweiser, charmingly presented by two fetching Ticket Chicks:




(6)   Hooters had a more inviting variation on the slanty board/hole trope:



And I thought I had snaps of a couple more, but they do not seem to have survived.

Closing Thoughts.  All the Ticket events, but especially Ticketstock, remind us of what an extraordinary phenomenon The Ticket is.  Of course we're unhealthily, sometimes absurdly, obsessed with who's hosting, who's got next, the JV, the shows themselves, what goes on behind the scenes.  As I looked around the place with men and women having a great time, the Ticket guys enjoying themselves, the same phrase kept playing:  This is a club.  A private club that anyone can join just by tuning in.  And think how astonishing it is that it has been maintained for 20 years, and what kind of effort must be going into trying to figure out how to keep it going another 20.  I don't envy them that task.

I hope we're helping.

A big thanks to The Ticket, the CTO, the sponsors, and, of course, Grubes.  Michael, don't spend all my royalty contribution in one place.

*     *     *

Twitter:  @Plainsman1310
Email:  ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com


66 comments:

  1. I was on hand for both days of this year's Ticketstock, and I honestly can say this year's was a lot better.

    The Plainsman is dead on when he says that the floor was a lot less crowded. It helped open up the floor, give the P1s more room to mix and mingle. Also, the slanty board game you referenced as all over the place is commonly called "cornhole." Yes, make your jokes but I won several prizes(including a Ticket t-shirt and CD) being good at the games.

    As for the hosts, I also couldn't agree more with regards to their accessibility. I was able to talk to any of them I wanted, including day 2 when the great Mike Sirois and I spent a good amount of the time together. Donny, Jub, Norm, Donovan, Shoopy, Danny, I can't report a negative experience at all.

    All in all, I loved Ticketstock. It truly is something we can do that they can't, in so many ways. Anyone who hasn't checked it out should, because you'll never experience something like it anywhere else. It's like Mecca for the P1s, as we make our yearly pilgrimage to Irving to pay tribute to our leaders.

    twitter.com/thesamhale

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  2. The slanty board game is called "cornhole" Its a popular game played at college football tailgates.

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  4. I'm not able to hang around for the TimeWasters but heard the three cuts on the O-Deck this morning. Three thoughts:

    (1) Pretty good.

    (2) Over the holidays, a young teen in my extended family heard Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas" and asked "why is that man moaning?" (Interesting choice of words, since one of Bing's nicknames was "The Groaner.") It struck me that today's consumer of pop music (not including country here) almost never hears the masculine baritone anymore. Pop seems to be mostly high-pitched male voices (or falsetto) and screeching divas. Exhibit 1: American Idol. When a fine baritone does come along, it's a revelation. Exhibit 2: Scotty McCreery winning American Idol. And it's why The Doors still sound fresh.

    So when our not-suffering-from-low-T hosts attempt these songs, they have a real hard time reaching a lot of the big moments. Actually, they reach them -- but it's an obvious strain to hit them at pitch.

    (3) Gordon and George were remarking on the lack of reaction from the crowd. They reported that the Pan-American Catman theorized that it was because the P1 is accustomed to listening to hosts, not moshing in front of them.

    Maybe. I think it's because those hosts who go to concerts blast the overexuberant audience members who dance and pump their fists and sing all the songs and stand for the whole show and carry on and say bad words in support of the performers. The P1 does not want to be like that. The P1 wants to be cool like Gordon and Corby and Danny. (And they are.)

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  5. I heard one of the shows mention on Friday that the free parking was on Saturday only and that it was going to be $5 on Friday.

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  6. I want to say that, in relation to the Unticket monikers, I'm pretty sure that DP stands for Don't Wanna Poo Poo in some form or fashion, and that it used to be stated that way on some Ticket blogs. Not sure what ap stands for and who the 3rd in the pic might have been. Regardless, Unticket, we appreciate all you guys do for us P1's.

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  7. AP lives in Canada so he ain't pictured. DP and Jerusalem Jackson and someone else is who's pictured reading from their responses on twitter.

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  8. It's been said here before, but the sage words of Mr. Michael Rhyner bear repeating (and I paraphrase): There will never be anything like this. Once it's gone, you'll never see its likes again.

    He's right as rain. And here's to another 20 years of Ticket greatness. Yes it's changing, as all things do, but it's still at heart the same, good old, Ticket.

    After, what, a few years now of loud calls by commenters for IJB to be given a chance, it looks like it's being given that chance and I've only read two or three comments about Sunday's performance. I'm a bit surprised.

    I for one dug it. They compliment each other, and so the show works. Looking forward to more shows and to seeing them grow.

    @Plainsman@D.A.@duckandcover
    Also digging the back and forth you guys seem to be having. Learning some stuff from D.A. and Plainsman/duckandcover nicely articulate some of my own thoughts. Good stuff by all.

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  9. Going back and listening to the Rodman podcast today, he didn't sound so much drunk as drugged. But then this morning the Musers said something about him asking for beer, so it was probably the former.

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  10. BaD was saying how he had to have 2 tall boys before he would hit the stage. And how beer was very important to him during his time at the Irving Convention Center.

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  11. I have no idea what the deal is, but Greggo seems to be out again. What's more, he's not being talked about. And what's even more is that Mike Fisher is, I guess, filling in for him. To the extent that he now has his own named and time allotted segments. If I just discovered RaGE for the first time, I would think that Fish and Richie were partners and Jasmine was the third man, er woman, in the booth. Anyone know the skinny? I'm sure he's either out sick, once again, or on vacation, but if you listen to the show, it sure seems to have a different vibe than that. Dunno. I do know one thing. We know from past Greggo FAN related f ups that the station and Whitt are not adverse to trying to sweep things under the rug/pretend they never happened. Recall the Twitter zaniness a year or so ago.

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  12. it's worse than you think.

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  13. Can you explain further, 8:58? Or are you just being a funny guy?

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  14. I know last week he was tweeting the funeral procession to Austin or wherever for that Navy Seal who died. It was during the show so I assume he had some scheduled time off or demanded the time off to take part. If it was the latter, maybe there was some fallout stemming from that. Wouldn't surprise me in the least based on how childishly he reacts to things.

    I haven't been able to listen much lately but just one random thing that really amused me: Bob during some segment kept saying "Skoal lip dip" over and over and over and it was driving me fucking crazy. A day or two later they have a segment reading e-mails from listeners and one of them said "for the sake of my sanity please explain why Bob keeps saying Skoal lip dip". I found this hilarious because I had the same reaction; it was absolutely driving me crazy.

    (Apparently, it was just a completely random thing Gribs said while doing urinal interviews a while back and Bob wanted to randomly throw it in, keeping with the spirit)

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  15. BBQ, I've been wondering the same thing. The few times I stop by, I noticed Greggo hasn't been there. It seems to me Greggo is getting annoyed and frustrated with Richie. I know one thing, that Fish is about one rung up from Wally Lynn. I think Greggo back on THL would make the show better.

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  16. @slinky One can debate on whether Greggo's return to THL would make it better (personally, I don't think so). But what can't be debated is the fact that (i) Mike wouldn't allow it and (ii) neither would the station. He served them with a cease and desist. Corporations don't take too kindly or are forgiving of such things.

    @BBQ@Steve@slinky I'm a semi regular RaGE listener. I hit it for at least one if not two segments per day. Though sometimes I will skip a day or more. I've also noticed that Greggo's seems annoyed with Richie. It might have to do with the flaunting of his relationship with Sybil (which is so unprofessional, I don't know where to begin) in conjunction with Greggo perceiving he's getting less airtime due to that relationship? And-or it might be about Fish's new presence. You know that he knows what a veteran media vagabond like Fish is after (a job just like his). So maybe he's feeling the heat or the squeeze? That was his thing with Corby. He felt he was being maneuvered out of the forefront and into the background. Maybe he thinks it's happening again? There does seem to be something going on. But what it is and what it means, anyone's guess is as good as mine. Last thing I'll say is that I have heard more of those sort of under the breath and not so veiled Greggo references lately on WTDS and THL. Kind of sideways pokes along the line of "been there, done that, I could've have told them, they should've known."

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  17. Been wondering about Greggo as well. He hasnt tweeted in 5 days and last time I heard him on RAGE he and Richie had a, uhhhhh, disagreement. That was thursday or friday.

    They were talking about gun control again and greggo claimed someone at the chris kyle funeral, a joint chiefs of staff member, told him the govt was considering moving to semi auto weapons for the military. Richie called him out on it and it didnt end well with them cutting to break. I didnt hear the next segment so not sure how they were afterwards.

    Shan shariff has made twitter comments about greggos mysterious disappearance. Richie tweeted that he, fish and armen are heading to daytona on friday. No mention of greggo.

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  18. I think this is Greggo's girlfriend. If you read her tweets there seems to be a medical issue.

    @MoNkeyJeNN71

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  19. Greggo ain't coming back to THL and I'm glad of it. I was ready for his departure when he finally departed.

    It does seem to me that, with the exception of a couple of excursions off the reservation, he has worked hard to be a good on-air partner. I've caught several Greggo-based segments that I thought were very good indeed.

    In any event, I wish him well and hope that his absence is more in the nature of scheduled time off, or even a professional spat, and not a health/substance issue.

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  20. I continue to fear the bad outcome for Greggo.

    Stay hard, Hammer.

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  21. 607: Re that "cease and desist": There was misunderstanding about this when Greggo departed. One of my earliest contributions to a Ticket thread way back when (that eventually led to my opening of this site) was to suggest that there was almost certainly no "cease and desist order" issued on behalf of Hammer. Those are only issued by courts after a lawsuit has been filed and a hearing held (sometimes without a hearing). I never saw any reports on an actual lawsuit having been filed over his departure.

    The Ticket probably did get a cease-and-desist demand from Greg's lawyers threatening suit if they mentioned his name on the air or defamed him or who-knows-what, but that doesn't bind anyone to do anything. The Ticket probably voluntarily shut down on-air references to Hammer while it was working out some kind of severance deal.

    A minor distinction, perhaps -- but based on what I saw, Hammer never, ever, had the legal upper hand in the end-game with The Ticket.

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  22. Not to disagree with the Plainsman, but didn't Greggo's departure actually go to court? I remember in Full Disclosure that they had to reach a settlement in order to continue playing his drops.

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  23. Like Plainsman, I too hope that if in fact there is a Greggo-related issue going on over at RaGE, I hope that it is personal/professional in nature, and not medical.

    Having said that, I do start to wonder. . .

    Mike R, once you get past his gruff exterior, seems to be a genuinely nice and caring person. A guy who by all appearances and from his own experiences would seem to be able to, at some point, forgive and forget. Specially if the person in question is someone as important in his life as the Hammer has been. And specially if this person, while screwing the pooch royally, causing problems, etc., was mentally ill while behaving as such; that this person is and will always be battling mental issues. You'd think. But he does not. Not in the slightest. Indeed, quite the opposite. Which leads me to believe that Mike doesn't buy it. Any of it. That he thinks it's purposely and even cynically used as a convenient and bulletproof excuse for the behavior of a very flawed man. Basically it's the doings of a manipulative person. Perhaps Whitt is on that same boat now? I've no idea, but it does make me wonder. And quite honestly, it wouldn't surprise me. I've known a few people who fit that M.O.. And let's face it, finding a doctor who will judge you to be depressive or anxiety-ridden or you name it and to write you out the accompanying prescriptions is so easy, it's scary. Who knows what the deal is.

    As I said, and I truly mean it: I hope this spat has zero to do with Greggo's psychological issues. Whatever that might actually mean. But what is for certain, something is going on.

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  24. 1014: No problem, I'm happy to be corrected on this if there was in fact a court proceeding.

    However, parties do not have to be involved in a lawsuit in order to "settle" their differences in a written document. I believe that is what happened here. Probably some severance dollars, an agreement not to defame one another, perhaps some modification to any existing noncompete agreement to which Greggo might have been subject. Pretty typical stuff.

    Having said that, I haven't checked court records and could be wrong. However, I don't believe either side ever filed a lawsuit. If they had, we would have seen accounts of it online and excerpts from the pleadings, and I've never encountered either.

    If anyone out there can correct me on this, I'd be pleased to have that information.

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  25. In typical RW fashion, he's already scrubbed his Twitter account of Greggo related Tweets. The Daytona Tweet is gonzo, too. The link to Greggo's gfriend's account is the real deal. Jeez, by reading it, you'd think he's in I.R. or something. Very dramatic stuff. Imploring others to be adults and respectful, that all will be told when they find out what's going on. Either Greggo's in the shits for real or he's got this chick fooled into taking the heat and covering up for him. Oh well. Agreed with others that I hope the dude's OK. But damn, it's one thing after another with this guy. He can't seem to go 5 months without something going down. Good luck to ya, Greggo and Stay Hard!

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  26. Gotta wonder if Whitt, and maybe management, has had enough. All of his tweets mention he, Fisher, Sybil, and Armen but no Greggo. Either that or maybe he knows Greggo's gonna be out for a bit and so there's no reason to mention him? Dang it Greggo, hope you're well, buruuuuutha.

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  27. So I finally read the article that was linked earlier about the JV team that would eventually take over the little Ticket. Was it just me, or did it seem like it was written by one of their friends?

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  28. I'm pretty sure Amanda is a friend of all of the Ticket folks. I know the Hardline mentions her from time to time.

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  29. It wasn't just you. But if you read publications like The Dallas Observer and that ilk, it's pretty much par for the course. They write about their friends or those with whom they'd like to call friends. Effusive praise, fudging of facts and/or influence, and rather unrealistic projections of future dominance. From music to art to cooking to owning a bike shop to being a part time host/full time board op or Tickerman, it's all the same. Good for the "Team Fun." Seriously, good for them. Though it has to be put into perspective. I swear I've read better attempts at journalism on this site than I have in the Observer or Frontburner. Publications by petulant teenagers, for petulant teenagers.

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  30. Why was TC not mentioned as part of this "Havin' Fun" team? I have never heard Mike Marshall before, so why has he seemingly jumped TC in the JV pecking order?

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  31. I dont think Team Having Fun is really a JV pecking order type thing - its just a group of friends as far as I know.

    I didnt know Jake was part of it until that article. I thought it was just a sirois show thing (mike, cash, machine and kt)

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  32. Anonymous said...

    I didnt know Jake was part of it until that article. I thought it was just a sirois show thing (mike, cash, machine and kt)

    February 19, 2013 at 6:06 PM

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  33. Damn, Jake just played "Get Off the Sick, Cat" at the end of the Hardline. Wonder what they know?

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  34. Ok. Ok. Jake is playing the famous Fake Greggo "Get off the sick, Cat" bit as I type this. There is absolutely no coincidence going on. First off, I don't know why they would do it. Why do they care enough to make a deal out of something that MIGHT be going on at another station? A station that they crush. And about a former host who left or was fired (depending on who tells the story) under unpleasant circumstances. I don't get it. Maybe there is behind the scenes industry stuff that goes on that we're not privy to. Maybe that's what drives the never ending Greggo drops, fake Greggo bit replays, and Greggo comments (usually unflattering)? If Mike doesn't give a rat's ass, like he always says he doesn't, then why does he make at least 5 comments per week, every week since Greggo left/was terminated? I don't get it. Moreover, why are The Ticket guys paying so much attention to what goes on with RaGE? It isn't as if they're any competition. In fact they're a joke. None of it makes any sense to me, unless, as I said there's more of a backstory that continues on to this day than we know, or Mike and some of the other guys are just total pricks who can't leave it alone. Even if they've beat his and The FAN's ass 6 ways to Sunday.

    Whatever it is, one thing's pretty obvious by now. Something more than Greggo just being out with the flu is going down on RaGE. Why The Hardline cares so much is another story.

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  35. If you go to Greggo's I guess girlfriend's Twitter feed (someone provided it in these comments), you'll see what pretty much passes for a whole lot of drama, "it's all lies," "the truth will come out," and a bunch more stuff like that. She describes herself basically as Greggo's protector or life manager. I'm not a part of their scene so I'm not going to pass judgment, but man it sure seems like some codependency going on. I'm with Anonymous Ron. I don't think any of this bodes too well for Greggo. Hope not. Hope it gets worked out.

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  36. The latest Where's Greggo? meme is starting to get some traction over on the radio-info board. Which usually means whatever the issue is it's gone beyond listener questions and is now a part of local industry interest. Supposedly FAN management is ignoring any queries on the subject. Longtime DFW host Neil Sperry wrote "It was never a matter of if, but when." Yikes.

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  37. I think bit a the end of the HL was more of a dig at the fan and not so much Greggo. A few of the hosts, producers and PM's thought they could ride Greggo's coat tails to success and overtake The Ticket along with their massive signal and being the cowboys station. Something is up, I just don't know what it is.

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  38. I have to disagree with you, Slim. That was aimed squarely at Greggo and whatever situation is happening with RaGE. There's a lot of Ticket ex pats at The FAN that are still very good friends with The Ticket guys. All Ticket digs aimed toward 105.3 are direct shots at RaGE. Whitt burned, scratch that, incinerated the bridge between himself and The Ticket. As far as Greggo goes, we all know that story.

    My heart tells me to feel bad for whatever Greggo's going through and wish him the best. But my head can't help but think that Greggo might not be the victim of addiction and mental issues he's made out to be. I don't know. I'll probably never know. So I'm just going to go with my heart and wish him the best and a speedy recovery and path back to his job.

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  39. So are the shots fired at Richie or Greggo? I think the only Ticket guy that hates Greggo is Ryhnes, the rest have have had interaction with with, either via twitter or in person.

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  40. Not sure if anyone hates him. I don't think Danny is too big a fan, for whatever reason. With the exception of Dan, it's pretty much been Greggo going out of his way both privately and publicly to make contact. Not that that's a bad or wrong thing. But from my understanding that's the way it's been. In other words, it's not like there's a relationship of really any sorts taking place between Greggo and his old coworkers. Plus, I don't think Mike hates him, he just is done with him and wants to leave the past in the past. But his barbs and bites say otherwise. Which is what I don't understand.

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  41. If the Girlfriend is saying "it's all lies," that suggests that there are some lies known to the Twitterverse, or the public generally, to which she is responding. No one on this thread appears to have heard anything of substance about his departure.

    Anything popping up on the radio info boards?

    If Greg were ill (or even on some kind of bender) AND . . . I repeat AND they expected his return, surely they would say "Greggo's a little under the weather and we expect to see him RaGing again soon." I gather there has been no such on-air suggestion.

    I'm wondering if the new general manager/program director over there (his name and title escape me) has determined to make some changes in RaGE that were not to Hammer's liking, and he's pouting, going on a little wildcat strike.

    The combination of guns, pharmaceuticals, tragic family history, and a volatile personality at Compound Greggo has gravely concerned me for a long time. (From 2010, see:
    http://myticketconfession.blogspot.com/2010/03/greggo-hey-greggo.html)

    Whatever his current disposition, I think the key is that he not remain isolated. Despite his issues, he still has lots of friends and fans and I hope he is finding some way to be in touch with them.

    I'm pleased to see so many Confessors, whatever their misgivings over Greg might be, sincerely wish him the best. He needs those good wishes and I hope he's feeling them as he ponders his next move.

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  42. Anonymous said...
    it's worse than you think.

    February 18, 2013 at 8:58 PM

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  43. Whatever Greggo's issues are, at least this should be the last time we have to be subjected to his drama and he can fade away into oblivion for good. He seems like the type of person who always blames everyone else for his problems; in other words, trash. I can certainly do without him and not feel like I'm missing anything.

    I'd suspect that his girlfriend is referencing something to do with a fight between Greggo and Fan management. I still also suspect that it's somehow tied in with the Chris Kyle funeral or his feelings around the whole thing. His last online communications are all surrounding Chris Kyle, including this article on CBSDFW, which was supposed to have a follow up the day after it was posted (follow up still yet to be seen):

    http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/02/13/a-rare-medium-well-done-2-13-13/

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  44. I went over and checked out Richie's blog for the first time. Theres two things that sure havn't changed. Richie's stupid Top Ten Observation list, and his nut sack taking a continuous daily speed bag style pounding!

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  45. His girlfriend is clearly referring to a "medical issue", talking about waiting on lab techs, being in a hospital, etc.

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  46. I enjoy Greggo - he's the only reason I listen to RaGE. And he is probably more articulate than his radio personna. But when I read the piece on Chris Kyle, my first thought was - this doesn't sound like Greggo. I'm not convinced he wrote it, and the current mystery causes me to doubt it even more.

    But I could be wrong.

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  47. While I love to speculate and predict when it comes to all things Ticket, when it comes to a subject as murky as this I become leery. I do believe, like most things, the truth lies somewhere inbetween. By inbetween in this case, I mean that I think Greggo most likely has an addictive personality and all that comes with it: e.g., OCD and issues with substances. And I also mean that there might be some truth to the claim that he uses these issues to his "advantage" when things don't go the way. Now this other side of the ledger is also a classic byproduct of those with addictive personalities (who can't keep things in check). Same can be said for habitual lying, which, as we know from The Hard Lie and other sources, is another issue Greggo seems to wrestle with. I tend to agree with Plainsman's assessment that if this was purely medical (i.e., illness) or even a scheduled vacation, it would've been addressed, and often, by RaGE. It hasn't.

    In truth, I don't know what to make of it. We've seen this movie before with Greggo. We've seen it four times now: The Ticket, ESPN, John Clay Wolfe, and Richard Hunter. And we've sort of seen it with RaGE (the Twitter fiasco and more absences in two months than most people get vacation time in a year).

    I wish the best for Greggo. Though I must say that, at least from the outside, the support network and environment (work and otherwise) he seems to have erected around himself, again from the outside looking in, appears to be counterproductive.

    In closing, let's all hold a good thought for him. Whatever is going on and whatever the outcome, no one wishes ill will toward him (and I'll bet the house that Mike R feels the same).

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  48. Replace WASHED UP norm with greggo and seabass. This has been the lamest 2 hours. - Tim

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  49. On the Fan's RaGE pAge, someone left a comment a few minutes ago: "This morning the morning show ran through the names of other hosts, left off Greggo, inserted Fish...."

    If true: Folks, this is about as official as it's going to get -- Greg Williams is gonzo at The Fan. Of course there is nothing preventing his return, but if he's persona non grata on station promotions with no announcement of a leave of absence or any attempt to spin some kind of indefinite-but-not-permanent sabbatical, it strikes me as very unlikely that we'll hear him again on 105.3.

    I may not get to be by the channel at the right time today: Are they still calling RaGE "Richie and Greggo Extravaganza" on recorded returns, promos, and the like?

    Interesting how his departure from The Ticket was massive news in the metro. His present disappearance, present company excepted -- barely a ripple.

    ATTENTION ROBERT WILONSKY: Who is going to write the 2013 version of "The Hard Lie"?

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  50. It wouldn't surpise me if this was some ploy to somehow gain ratings.

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  51. I think it is associated with the prank that was played on Greggo. Here is the link that I posted a week or so ago.

    http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/11/27/rage-plays-a-prank-on-greggo/

    On Jen's twitter:

    Failure Jesus ‏@failurejesus

    I had no idea that you were recording me. @ElfandSlater @Slatersnews @iamelf

    Failure Jesus ‏@failurejesus

    @MoNkeyJeNN71 In Texas as long as 1 person knows it's being recorded it's okay but don't think I'll won't keep an eye out 4 @Slatersnews

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  52. I don't know if I'd call a post on the facebook page "official" plainsman. What a surprise, MTC is blowing something miniscule out of the water.

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  53. Good thing there is still the GBAG nation!

    *crying cause laughing so hard*

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  54. I can report that at the top of the 3 o'clock hour the show was ID'd as "RaGE with Richie Whitt and Greg Williams."

    (I did my detective work while I was waiting for WTDS).

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  55. @3:01
    He said "If true," you numbskull. I wish you'd take the time to actually read the posts you comment on before making your idiotic thoughts. Or better yet, just stop visiting this site, moron troll.

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  56. From Greggo's girlfriend / handler:

    "The woman behind the scenes. As Jenno I plan to rule the world well ok maybe just make sure Greggo is taken care of. RAGE weekdays on 105.3."

    Sorry, but that's just weird. And a few other things come to mind as well, but I'm not going to say them.

    Not sure if we've seen the last of Greggo at The FAN, but things are obviously not right over there at RaGE. Something tells me they'll work things out. Whitt won't let it happen if it gets down to Greggo actually leaving. RW knows that without GW his little fantasy land run at local yokel celebrity will soon end (ditto his out of his league girlfriend / co host). He might think he's the man now, but when the second RW's overly gelled spiked hair plugs are flattened by reality, he'll do whatever it takes to get the Hammer back.

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  57. Yeah, after listening to that prank, that's definitely the reason he's gone AWOL or whatever. You do get the sense from listening to the set up and the sustaining of it that Greggo rules the roost up there. Or more like it that he used to and now the rest of the crew have found their balls and Greggo isn't adjusting to it very well.

    Greggo, if you're out there and reading this stuff, get back on air and rip those guys a new one.

    Hey, maybe he's playing a prank on them?

    One more thing is that the Hardline is playing Greggo drops like mad today. I mean like mad.

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  58. I think @3:01 is doing a bit. Five pages of comments (if they were paginated), and then BAM, there he is.

    And now, for the CAPTCHA. (sigh)

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  59. I don't see why no one can like 1310, 105.3 and 103.3 AND still comment here.

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  60. I think the Greggo thing is a bit also. Trying to gain listners. I'm not sure how since everyone can get the news elsewhere, we don't have to listen to the fan, but nothing would surprise me now with that station. I think they are in desperate mode now.

    I also think our fan guest is armin, rw is too big time now to even look at this blog.

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  61. the entire station is in full meltdown mode. you are giving the station far too much credit to think they are capable of third level marketing to hatch a plan as complex as hiding one of their most high profile hosts, and then plan a big reveal to reap the ratings rewards. the real hard truth is that they are a mess and the only show with even a breath of a chance at surviving the impending apocalypse most likely just had a divorce. even if greggo was to come back he's coming back to a situation where his other two cohosts are sexing each other and to a person with fragile professional self worth that spells the kind of them against me trouble that will have him circling the drain.

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  62. @7:45 Nailed it, dude. Nailed it. I have to wonder if Greggo was looking for a reason to get pissed and go away? Ya know, "nope, I didn't go down on a sinking ship, I saw the writing on the wall and got outta there."

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  63. I really doubt his disappearance has anything to do with the vandergriff prank - that was 2-3 months ago I believe.

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  64. This might have something to do with it: From a comment off of RaGE's Facebook page...


    "Tom Braudrick
    Last week a fan called in and basically insulted Chris Kyle and said he deserved to die.Greggo went off and told the guy to f himself.If that caused him to be suspended or fired,that would be ridiculous.The fan was a jerk and an idiot.The fans deserve to know if Greggo is coming back.Fish is entertaining but he is not Greggo.
    Like · · 2 hours ago"

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  65. If anyone nailed it, it's the 4:25 anon! There's no two bigger douche bags than Richie and that jerk Gavin!

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  66. Female listener for several years now. Love The Ticket!

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