Farewell Don Geronimo

Cafe Society
1

After 23 years on the air in Washington, DC (and relatively sparse national syndication), “The Don and Mike Show” is no more. Don Geronimo was originally scheduled to retire on May 30, but it was announced today he will not be returning, except for a possible farewell show on April 11th.

The show has been a guilty pleasure of mine since I was about 16; the perfect time to ensnare me with fart jokes, strip trivia, and diabolical prank phone calls. But they really hooked me by seeming like two regular guys with whom I could relate, something that Howard Stern and other “shock jocks” never managed to accomplish.

Among those of you that have heard of them, I expect a lot of “meh” responses to the mention of Don and Mike. That’s cool. But talk radio is a weirdly intimate medium, and as a die-hard listener it really feels like I’m losing a friend. Although there were occasional lapses in my listenership, I’ve heard the vast majority of what they’ve had to say on the air over the last 13 years, and, hermitic soul that I am, that probably amounts to more spoken words than I’ve heard from any other pair of individuals.

Since Don’s wife died in 2005, his heart just hasn’t been in the show, and this is the last in a series of unannounced absences over the past few years. As a listener, it’s been frustrating, and on the surface has seemed unprofessional on his part, but as a human being I can totally understand.

Anyway, the show will go on, at least for now, with Mike O’Meara piloting solo. In the past, Mike-only shows have been pretty shaky, but I’ll tune in (podcast) for as long as it lasts. Mike was definitely the second-banana, much more guarded than Don, but I’m hoping he’ll surprise me by opening up a little more.

Thanks for reading…and thanks, Don, for irreparably warping my sense of humor.

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Hey Shroud;

Count me in as another die-hard fan who will miss Don. But, I wish him well in his retirement.

I’m looking forward to the new show, especially since they are bringing back Beth Ann. She was the best producer they ever had, and unfortunately, Don never had a producer he liked, so he tended to drive them away. I think Mike is going to surprise us…

3

I was always fond of Phone Ho Theater, myself. It was a good show many years ago, but I haven’t been a regular listener in ages. Still, it was always good to know that I could turn it on when I wanted to.

4

He should jump out of an airplane with a parachute, shouting, “Me!!!”

5

wow, I hadn’t heard he was leaving early. I stumbled upon these guys a number of years ago when I had to do a load of driving for work. Been a fan ever since.
I agree, they weren’t just dumb “shock jocks”; they knew not to take themselves too seriously. I liked the feel that they were, in the end, just regular guys. I’ll keep listening to Mike and the rest of the guys, but I’m just not sure Mike can pull off being the top guy. Hope I’m wrong; Mike’s a tremendously funny guy at times.

6

Also, last month or so, Brooke Stevens died. She was only 45.

7

I have listened to D&M since I was a kid. I remember the day that WAVA went gospel. I looked forward to the day I would be old enough to go to one of their “Las Vegas-style” shows. Once I was actually old enough, they stopped doing them. I’m not sure the new show will ever be able to match the chemistry that Don and Mike had together, but I’ll stick with it for a while at least.

There have been some rumors that they might move to satellite after Mike’s current contract is up. Don also hasn’t ruled out a return to radio in some capacity in the future. I wouldn’t expect it to be for a few years though.

8

My brother has been a big fan for years. Although i never listened i did enjoy when my brother would come with a new “Dude Walker”

9

I had never heard of their show until about…three or four years ago. Our local AM radio station started carrying it.

And it was awful. I suppose now I can look back and say I didn’t understand it, but the two of them came off as mean and bitter. Just mean and bitter. There was no entertainment value. And I swear it was repeats more than it was a live show.

It was off the air after a short time. Then about a year and a half ago or so it came back, on a delayed broadcast every day. I gave it another chance, and couldn’t believe it was the same show. Some of the time it’s pretty lame, but I love when they tell their long shaggy dog stories. I love when they play Match Game. And is is Don who does the impressions? Fucking A, he is so good it’s scary. He sounds like whomever he’s imitating, not an impressionist.

So, count me as a fan…“Mr. Ten Minutes Too Late” as they’d say. I’ll miss the show, and I’ll definitely give the new incarnation a listen.

10

God, that is sad to hear. I caught the show before I enlisted and I had a crappy job that I sucked at. I would look forward to 3:00 because it meant that Don and Mike would be on and I only had an hour left to my work day.
I loved the name game and it even got me through the boring times at Basic Training. I was actually on the show for one of the “I don’t believe it games.”
Good times a long time ago. I will miss Don.

SSG Schwartz

11

It’s Mike who does the killer impressions. His Powers Boothe is fantastic. There will never be another radio show like Don and Mike, and I’ll miss it. The cacophonic openings and the annual Elvis is Still Dead episode, especially.

At least here in Portland, we still have the Best Show Ever

12

Holy schnikes! I’ve been out of the Don & Mike loop for several years now, but i was a die-hard listener for probably 4 or 5 years - pretty much daily until I moved to Wisco in 2001.

It’s pretty crazy how something from your past can reach up and just kinda punch you in the gut.