Mancow's Morning Madhouse

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Mancow’s Morning Madhouse is an American radio show hosted by Erich “Mancow” Muller. The show is broadcast to a number of markets of mainly FM radio stations throughout the United States.

The live broadcast of the show was briefly halted on July 11, 2006 when Q101 discontinued the airing of the show. It was one of the most popular radio shows in the Chicagoland area, even earning airtime in various cities across America. Mancow's Morning Madhouse has resumed live broadcasting on July 18, 2006 nationally through Talk Radio Network and heard over most of its network affiliates, however the show cannot be heard over the Chicagoland airwaves at this time due to the current lack of a local affiliate in the area.

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[edit] History

Mancow first started his show in Chicago, Illinois in 1994, shortly after his departure from California. Originally, the show was a regular program on WRCX-FM (Rock 103.5) located in the John Hancock Center. In 1998, he left WRCX-FM in favor of WKQX-FM (Q101) (101.1), Chicago’s most reputable alternative rock radio station.

Mancow’s career with Q101 was cut short on July 11, 2006, when the station’s management decided to discontinue airing show as of July 14, claiming it was rapidly losing popularity. In order to fill the gap left behind by the show’s absence, Q101 filled the void with the station’s “On Shuffle” music programming [1]. To the disappointment of Q101's management: on the day of the first Arbitron Ratings to be announced for the Chicago land area since Mancow's absence from Q101, he came in first place for his demographic [reaching more listeners than he ever had before].

On July 13, Mancow appeared on Fox News Chicago, and lashed out at Q101’s current management, and claimed he was fired in favor of an “iPod”. Furthermore, Mancow retaliated to Q101’s claims of a his diminishing popularity by claiming the station’s management considered him a loose cannon due to his biting political and social commentary. Before the interview ended, Mancow promised he would not only return to the Chicago radio scene, but also bring forth a radical change, either within the next six or twelve months [2] [3]. [4]

Marissa Sanchez "La Latina Heat" (right) with Actor/Gothic Illusionist Ron Fitzgerald
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Marissa Sanchez "La Latina Heat" (right) with Actor/Gothic Illusionist Ron Fitzgerald

[edit] Roster

[edit] Current Roster

Main Cohorts:

  • DJ Crazy Lipz, Music news commentator & Assistant Technical Producer
  • Details, Mancow's Producer

Other Cohorts:

  • Period Face (show intern), "The Homosexual-sounding Heterosexual".
  • Dr. Phil, (Not the real Dr. Phil)
  • Big Gooney (Jim McDermott)
  • Bob Noxious (Seth Feldman)
  • The Brow (Ken Webster), On-the-streets" reporter.
  • Philthy Gumz, a Chicagoland area Rap Artist
  • Magellon
  • Mini-Freak, Mancow's "homeless" errand-boy.
  • Crazy Mary, from the "insane asylum"
  • Dewey (Dewey Gosnell), "Lord of the Fat Chicks", Webmaster of Mancow.com
  • Britta (show intern)
  • Buttermilk

Dial-Tone characters: Created by voice talent, Abe Kanan:

  • "Dong Pow" (catchphrase is, "MMM so good")
  • Friggin' Pete (his catchphrase is "I want a friggin' cigarette!")
  • Henrietta Huxtable
  • Leslie Anderson (an extremely effeminate homosexual)
  • Mr. Parker
  • Rochelle (his catchphrase is "Ooooh, you gotta fat ass!")
  • Rusty Cooter

[edit] Former Roster

Mancow's Morning Madhouse in 1997
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Mancow's Morning Madhouse in 1997

Former Main Cohorts:

  • Turd, the Bartender (Jeff Renzetti), Discovered by Mancow while working at Pauly's Pub, a Chicago southside tavern and an alumnus from the Illinois Center for Broadcasting.
  • Irma Blanco, the Cuban Bombshell, Former News Reporter and the "voice of reason."
  • Ryan, the Gay Mexican (Ryan Manno), Former Music Reporter and a heterosexual Italian.
  • Jim Jim, the Yelling Guy, formerly known as "Jim Jesus" (Jim Lynam) Traffic Reporter.

Other Former Cohorts from the Q101 era:

  • Prison Bitch (Jay Love)
  • Carrie Ann DeYoung, daughter of former longtime Styx lead singer, Dennis DeYoung
  • Al Lewis (aka Grandpa Munster), the late actor from the legendary U.S.-based TV show, The Munsters
  • Vic, the Prick
  • Stacey, the weather girl
  • Heather (Erin Carmen), now a DJ on sister station WLUP-FM)
  • Tara
  • Amy Bristle (Amy Bristle-Sessoms)
  • Lindoo, the Hindu
  • Angie (last name Congine), the Phone Girl
  • Brian, the Whipping Boy (Brian Paruch)
  • Scotty Ferrall, a sportscaster who briefly co-hosted the show after Freak departed in early 2004.
  • Kathy, Freak's Niece
  • Rice (first name Daniel)
  • Wade, the Gimp
  • Ballz (Dan Levy)
  • Crazy Cory
  • Kramer (John Desjardins), producer for a short time.
  • Jeff Milford, writer and consultant for the show from the KDON days to Q101. A close friend and also Mancow's next door neighbor in Pacific Grove, CA.
  • Shrimp, former producer
  • Bad Breath Bobo Hobo
  • Two-fingered Genie
  • "Coochie Galore" (Sandy Ferrando), who later became Mancow's wife and mother to his twin daughters.
  • Ann, the Phone Girl
  • Sgt. Leo and his left hand club

Former Cohorts from the Rock 103.5 era:

  • John Wayne Gacy, the Killer Clown on Sports (Bill Hainsworth): Former Sports Reporter, who is a local actor from the Chicagoland area.
  • Casanova Ace (Clemine Girard)
  • Todd Bridges, former actor from the U.S.-based TV sitcom, Diff'rent Strokes.
  • Psycho Steve, the Sports Slob
  • Industrial Joe
  • Retard Bill
  • Spazz
  • Biohazard Boy
  • Virgin Boy (aka "Coop")
  • Plummer
  • Phil Ostermann
  • Mick
  • Sergeant Hair Club (Dave Richards), who was Mancow's boss/program director during the Rock 103.5 era.
  • Psycho Freaky Francis (Randy Rous), currently a morning host on KRNA in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
  • Allan Fee, first producer in the Rock 103.5 era. He currently does mornings/PD at WQAL in Cleveland, Ohio.
  • Big Butt Boy

[edit] Radio Show Segments (present and past)

Mancow's Morning Madhouse has, over the years, developed a repertoire of daily acts, some of which change frequently, and others that have been discontinued. Among these radio acts are:

  • The Answer is C: Participants are given a "quiz" where the staff reads out a question with a multiple choice answer of 'A,' 'B,' or 'C.' The answer is always 'C,' and is usually highly sarcastic in content.
  • Bob Noxious: A hilarious candid audio recording is played of a man saying offensive things on a street setting and people's shocked responses.
  • Chop Song-ee: A contest where segments of a popular song are played backwards and callers can try and guess the song. This act is accompanies by a satirical impression of a Chinese man, complete with fake karate sounds in the background.
  • Christopher Walken Theater: A staff member performing an over-the-top, satirical impression of actor Christopher Walken reads lines from a movie, and then has callers try to guess the movie.
  • Chuck Norris Facts: The staff reads from a list of hyperbolic praises of actor Chuck Norris.
  • The Dirty: Mancow's entertainment and gossip report. Hosted by Marissa Sanchez or Ryan, the Gay Mexican.
  • Drunk Chick Friday: Muller invites a group of (supposedly) attractive women to visit the studio on Friday mornings, who then become highly intoxicated and obnoxious as the show progresses. This bit was inspired by Lex and Terry's "Drunk Bitch Friday"
  • Fact or Schiznit: The staff reads unusual items and offers prizes to callers who can distinguish between the true and false items.
  • Jimmy D., Sports Philosopher: Comedic sports commentary reportedly performed by current late night TV talk host, Jimmy Kimmel.
  • Mystery Ringtones: Mancow plays a ringtone from a cellphone on the air, and callers try to identify what song it is from, usually from popular culture or 80s/90s music.
  • On the streets: Mancow's on-the-streets report, usually delivered by the Brow. A parody of a topical news 'street' poll segment.
  • One Minute Inside a Woman's Head: A hilarious segment devoted to the thoughts and ponderings of a typical woman about everyday life, from her boyfriend, Jimmy, to skin cancer, to cosmetics, to her mother and so on.
  • Pete, the Movie Manatee: Mancow's weekly Florida-based movie reviewer.
  • Phone Scams: The term the show uses to describe prank calls. Typically, the show broadcasts the prank calls ten minutes after the hour.
  • Reality Bites: An update of happenings on all currently-airing reality television shows, delivered by DJ Luv Cheese.
  • Skid Theater: The staff pays homeless Chicagoans to act out scenes from movies, and then holds a contest for listeners to name the movie.
  • Sports With Al Roker, Jr.: The show's sports news segment, delivered by Al Roker, Jr. The segment always opens with the line, "Open wide for Chunky...," and always ends with the catchphrase, "Kiss my black ass if you don't like it."

[edit] Running jokes

  • Muller's new wife is considerably younger than him, and both staff members and callers often try to get in a dig at his expense. Before his marriage, when Muller pondered where to hold the reception, Turd sarcastically suggested Chuck E. Cheese. After his marriage, when he complained his wife couldn't cook, a caller managed to say the following before being cut off: "Well, Mancow, in a few years, when your wife goes to high school, they have this class called home ec-"
  • Turd is considered by other staff members to be an alcoholic, so the others try to find ways to stop him from drinking, such as looking for booze so disgusting that he couldn't consume it.
  • Sometimes, Turd will start to tell a story, only to be stopped by Muller, who reveals that the "story" is actually ripped off of a popular movie, fairy tale, or television show (in this sense, it resembles numerous comedic acts, such as those on Late Night with Conan O'Brien). The show then invariably plays an audio loop which involves Muller slapping Turd.
  • Callers and staff members alike call Turd's mother a whore, which invariably elicits the response "My mom is not a whore!"
  • Philthy Gumz, Luvcheez, Al Roker, Jr and DJ Crazy Lipz are all members of 40 Records, the fictitious rap label well known for hits like, "Bounce That Stack," "Sip Sip," and "The Luvcheez Anthem."
  • Al Roker, Jr. an obese African-American plays to the stereotype that all black men want sex with white women. The words have become somewhat of his catchphrase; he uses them even in his reporting outside of the morning show.
  • Any time the name Menominee or the word phenomena is mentioned, or any other such word that sounds like those, the background crew members respond with a "Do-do do-do-do" tune. This is a reference to the famous song "Mahna Mahna" regularly played on The Muppet Show.
  • Thomas West, the owner of a hair salon next door to Muller's studio, is a reoccurring victim of pranks from Muller, his staff, and his celebrity guests. Most of the prank calls typically involve questioning West's heterosexuality and making obscene business propositions. West's catchphrase "I'm going to put you through the frickin' window!" stems from his initial response to the phone calls.
  • More recently, when Mancow says the phrase Morning Radio (usually after telling a self-admittedly bad joke or pun), the entire staff responds with "It sucks!"
  • When a caller addresses Muller as "you crazy bastard", Muller responds by saying "you son of a bitch".
  • Muller constantly insults Chicago suburb, Joliet, Illinois, with snide remarks and insults calling it "Toilet", to the point of creating a mock folk song, "The Joliet Big Trash Mountain." When listeners from outside the Chicago or Illinois area call, he often tries to trick them by claiming that folk song is a "famous" song that's been around for decades (although the show created it less than a decade ago).

[edit] FCC problems

Mancow's Morning Madhouse ran afoul with the FCC's indecency regulations in at least six separate incidents during 2000 and 2001. As a result, the FCC levied $42,000 in fines on Emmis Communications, the licensee of Mancow's then-home station WKQX-FM. In 2004, Emmis Communications signed a consent decree with the FCC sharply restricting indecent content and requiring the payment of $300,000 to the US government. [5][6]

[edit] External links

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