| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
gyaneshwar
- FB Fan -
194 Posts |
 Posted - 11/17/2009 : 03:47:44
|
Anyone else listen to The Best Show on WFMU? I recently got into it, and it is a freaking GEM. Hosted by Tom Scharpling, it is hilarious, smart, unique - and has a barrage of fantastic studio guests and frequent callers.
If you don't live in the NYC area (and I don't), you can listen on wfmu.org or download the podcast from iTunes. Again, I can't recommend the show enough.
If you do listen, please support the station's fund drive beginning tonight, Nov 17. Fund drive starts at 7:00pm, and the Best Show runs from 8 to 11 EST.
More about WFMU, from their website (http://wfmu.org/about.shtml):
WFMU-FM is a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station broadcasting at 91.1 Mhz FM in Jersey City, NJ, right across the Hudson from lower Manhattan. It is currently the longest running freeform radio station in the United States. |
|
|
Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5155 Posts |
Posted - 11/17/2009 : 05:59:19
|
My favorite radio show. I've been on the air a few times chatting with Tom. SUCH a great show.
Actually, today is their one-day marathon pledge drive, since their usually drive fell 100k short. I may contribute later on, since i couldn't afford to earlier in the year...
- Brian |
 |
|
|
gyaneshwar
- FB Fan -
194 Posts |
Posted - 11/17/2009 : 07:04:28
|
A worthy cause - I sent an email to Tom last night with my details, because I won't be able to dial in live tonight on the show. He was kind enough to write back his thanks.
As a listener, Brian, you probably already know this, but for those who aren't...
A donation of $75 or more during the show tonight gets you some serious swag, from Tom on his forum:
"-a Best Show t-shirt designed by the one and only Michael Kupperman
- a CD filled with a ton of rare and unheard Best Show stuff. Some of the items included will be:
- The Best Shows that were removed from the archives over the years.
- The first Best Show On WFMU, which has never been archived!
- The special Tom Scharpling One Man Performance of the movie MR BROOKS!
- Tom reading Best Show Fan Fiction!
and more awesome surprises! Trust me - it's gonna be AWESOME!
If that wasn't enough, my co-host will be the one and only TERRE T from WFMU's amazing CHERRY BLOSSOM CLINIC, heard every Saturday.
She is bringing along HER OWN PREMIUM CD called IDIOT BOX, another one of her fantastic comps of mega-rare punk and rock greatness! Her past CDs are pretty legendary - she gets requests all the time for them - and this one will be no different." |
|
|
|
coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 11/17/2009 : 10:11:56
|
So, aside from the fund drive, what's so good about this show? What kind of music do they play?
p.s. Hi, Ken.
 Please pardon me, for these my wrongs. |
Edited by - coastline on 11/17/2009 10:16:52 |
|
|
|
gyaneshwar
- FB Fan -
194 Posts |
Posted - 11/18/2009 : 05:59:55
|
Actually, Cohen, they don't play much music on the show (although other WFMU shows play a lot of great music - lots on vinyl, and some even on wax cylinders). Mainly, it is a comedy show with in studio guests (sometimes) and callers (always). Music is talked about a lot, and the guests are often musicians, but primarily it's comedy. Scharpling is a comedian who also produces and writes for the show "Monk" (although he doesn't talk about that on the radio program).
It's completely random, hilarious and quite frankly, wholesome. Tom insists that all guests treat the program as if it were rated "a hard G." Anything that couldn't be said in the movie WALL-E, he says, shouldn't said on the show. If a caller begins to go off the deep end, or say something inappropriate, he hangs up on them. Which is funny in itself.
Frequent guests include Paul F. Thompkins, John Hodgman, Ted Leo, Aimee Mann, Patton Oswalt and tons of others.
And I said they don't play much music, but a couple of weeks ago Tom talked for at least an hour about his experience seeing Jimmy Webb play live in LA recently. Tom talked about how he loved many of Webb's hits, including "Galveston," "MacArthur Park," and "Up, Up and Away." BUT, he said, the live performance was horrible, and he much preferred the more popular versions of the songs recorded by others: Glen Campbell with "Galveston" and "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris. He then compared and contrasted versions of both songs - one sung by Webb, the others sung by Campbell and Harris. It was absolutely HILARIOUS. Then he proceeded to sing along with the Harris version of MacArthur for several minutes.
Maybe you had to hear it, but it was comedy gold.
Anyway, check out a podcast download of the show, and sit through the whole thing. You'll be glad you did. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
WFMU's The Best Show
