# Phil Hendrie - What is the Joke? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 26, 2001, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-hendrie-what-is-the-joke/63407 "2001-04-26T14:35:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KeithB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@KeithB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KeithB)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-hendrie-what-is-the-joke/63407/1 "2001-04-26T14:35:47Z")
Phil seems to have pretty wide circulation, so I guess there can be general discussion. I occasionally listen to him in the afternoons in Los Angeles. After only a few times listening it was obvious to me that all the “guests” and “experts” are staged and in fact are just a few people doing all the parts. His women guests, in particular, all sound the same. In fact, and I have heard some corroboration on this, Phil himself might be doing all the voices. If you listen carefully you will note that Phil or the guest talks “over” the listener call-ins, but Phil _never_ talks over the guest. (You can listen yourself at [http://www.philhendrieshow.com](http://www.philhendrieshow.com) ) So the debate is: Does he only get new listeners who aren’t in on the fact that the guests are staged? Is the appeal for regular listeners to listen to newbies argue with the staged guests knowing that they are being strung along? Am I the only one that has figured this out? Are there enough people here that care to even engage in a debate? ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-hendrie-what-is-the-joke/63407/2 "2001-04-27T01:32:18Z")
I listened to Hendrie’s show for a little bit when I lived in S. CA, but I never really got into it. My take on your questions: Probably not. Yes, and some of the callers aren’t newbies; just dumb. No. Maybe not. I don’t know if this is really GD material. A recent thread on the subject: [in IMHO](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=64432) ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-hendrie-what-is-the-joke/63407/3 "2001-04-27T09:11:27Z")
Hendrie is simply unbelievably stupid. Lame, Lame, Lame, Lame, Lame Lame Lame. Give me Mr. KABC any day. stoid ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-hendrie-what-is-the-joke/63407/4 "2001-04-27T09:35:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Phil himself might be doing all the voices. This is true. It’s all Phil. R.C. Collins, Bud Dickman, David G. Hall… it’s all Phil. > [@](#): > > Hendrie is simply unbelievably stupid. Lame, Lame, Lame, Lame, Lame Lame Lame. He’s an abso-fucking-lute genius. What better way to present a topic than to address the exact OPPOSITE extreme of what you’re trying to talk about? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-hendrie-what-is-the-joke/63407/5 "2001-04-27T13:13:41Z")
Having started the previous IMHO thread on this subject, I now have to confess that I am beginning to enjoy the show, at least in limited doses. I’m not sure how long idiots and the easily fooled will keep calling in to debate his “guests”, but perhaps there really is an inexhaustible supply of morons out there. And if not, there’s always Bud Dickman’s Top Ten. ---
**Author:** ![KeithB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@KeithB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KeithB)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-hendrie-what-is-the-joke/63407/6 "2001-04-27T14:57:46Z")
Thanks for the link to the IMHO thread, I usually don’t go there. (I did search for Phil Hendrie not too long ago, obviously I should have done it again.) It could also be that the callers know it is staged and are playing along – much like the Monty Python’s Argument clinic.