Mirth on Memory Lane
by Kerry Peace (PD, DJ 1979-1981)
The author in his natural habitat.
Friends, I had some memorable experiences in my WIDB days, triumphs and tragedies alike. The day Slaga handed over the keys to the Program Directorship embodies the former, while the night John Lennon was killed is over-qualified for the latter.
But it’s the silly things I remember best. They just seemed to be in the air at WIDB, ready to ignite at a moment’s notice. Some return in a flash as indelible images (“JOEY RAMONE ATE THIS BREAD!!!”) and some inspire a more substantial reminiscence. Below is one of a handful of my favorite silly WIDB episodes. Fair warning: I don’t swear to recalling events exactly as they happened, etc, disclaimer, fog of war, blah-blah, woof-woof…
SILLY THING #5: SILLY BECOMES US
Sometimes silly happens and sometimes you thrust silliness upon the world. Such was the case in Spring of 1981, when we produced a bunch of funny skits and encouraged general foolishness for April Fool’s Day. There were many highlights, including:
John “Scoop” Dachik’s spot-on impersonation of WSIU’s Erv Coppi in full pledge drive frenzy, for a series of bits that ran throughout the day. Listeners were exhorted to donate during “National Beg Week,” as John/Erv groveled for donations as small as “the juice leaking out of that Tyrolian Special you’re eating at Booby’s.” And each time he came on, the name changed from Erv Coppi (pronounced COPE-ee) to Erv Copy to Erv Photostat to Erv I Can’t Coppi Any More, etc., etc.
The one and only A close approximation thereof
Tim Cawley’s giggle-inducing commercial for the fictitious Paper Thin Mobile Homes. Using a pre-produced bed he found in the production studio, Timmo added some appropriately silly copy, leading off with “Tornado season is just around the corner and you’ll want to be living in a mobile home from Paper Thin Mobile Homes!” and closing the deal with “Act by June 2nd and we’ll even throw in a free boat anchor!”
Randy Lynch’s Monty Python-esque BBC Rock Hour promo, which was really nothing of the sort, just him bellowing an assortment of British colloquialisms and naughty bits over our standard BBC Rock Hour promo music bed. He never even said the words “BBC Rock Hour,” for fuck sake. Breathtaking in its simplicity, it was.
Randy Lynch
Program Director Peace’s tongue-in-cheek apology to the listeners for the aural absurdities the WIDB staff had inflicted upon them that day, which somehow morphed into the spanking of firm little bottoms and oozing skin lotion. Program Director, Perversion Director, what’s the diff?
