There’s this show and it has this guy… Anyone know which one I’m talking about?
Just kidding.
This particular show has a very funny gimmick. They choose a regular talk show topic but they have a fake caller who takes some outrageous stance on the topic and the entire segment is just real people calling in to argue with the (fake) caller. It becomes even more entertaining once you’ve figured out the joke and the real people look like the fools instead of the fake person they are arguing with.
The guy who usually plays the fake caller has a very raspy voice which can pass as either a male or female voice.
The first time I tuned in the subject was Stem Cell Research. And the raspy voiced man (who was playing a woman) was the neighbor of a woman who was thinking about getting an abortion and she (the neighbor) was trying to convince her to, so that the fetus could be ground up into medicine. It was so incredibly funny. Even funnier when I figured out the next day that this was all a gag when the same raspy voiced man was calling in to talk about N’ Sync being the greatest musicians ever.
I think the hosts name is Bill. They rarely acknowledge the joke on the air and never directly.
I found it originally when my favorite AM station changed format from Classic Country (literally CLASSIC country, they played nothing recorded later than 85) to HOT Talk… That format lasted about a month… now they are ANOTHER sports talk station… Just what Seattle needed.
Although I only get to listnen for short periods while in my car, it is very rare that I will not crack up and actually laugh out loud while listening to his show. As RTA pointed out, Phil does all the voices himself, and the guy IS a genius. Some of the funniest stuff, BTW, are the insults that his “characters” can heap on the unsuspecting callers. You never hear THIS on any other talk show!
I’ve noticed more shows recently where he is just doing commentary as himself (no “characters”), and I would think he could be a successful stand-up comedian if he chose. The guy is really funny.
I’ve also noticed recently he is ending all of his bits with the disclaimer that he is the one doing all the characters. He never used to acknowledge this on the air, but he does now. Possibly because (I’ve heard him say) some radio stations that air his show were making these type of disclaimers themselves, anyways. I can’t help but think this might be related to a bit I heard a few months ago, when a caller broke down in tears on the air:
The bit was two adults who were providing a “safe place” for kids to hang out, because they were hip and cool. As the show progressed, the “safe place” turned out to be a place where the kids could do drugs and have sex, because since they are going to engage in these activities anyway, it’s better they do it under reponsible supervision instead of out on the streets. Then we find out that they are only allowed to have sex if it’s in front of the two adults! It was even more outrageous than I’m describing.
A young woman called in to berate these two adults, and as her call went on, it turns out she had a good friend who died as a result of driving drunk after leaving the home of adults (like the ones on the air) who allowed her friend to drink in their home. She ended up totally breaking down and crying and Phil, to comfort her, admitted that he was doing the voices and the two adults didn’t really exist. Perhaps this is why he now 'fesses up on the air.
