Straight From The Mouth
The Morning Mouth's February Interview with Greg & Shea
(Reprinted by permission; Copyright © 2003 Talentmasters Inc.)
Let's start with the short story?
Greg: I was a night jock working at KDWB in Minneapolis, moved to Seattle
to do afternoons in the early 90s. I ended up crossing the street in '94 to
work at KMPS a country station for four years, doing mornings. Then I didn't
get re-uped. That ended up being a blessing in disguise because this has been
the greatest move I ever made. I came here to do afternoons and hooked up
with Bo Reynolds. We switched to mornings three years ago. Bo and I worked
together for five years, until October of last year. At first, we went to
afternoons with Bo. This was a total two-man personality morning show -- we
did it two years before moving to mornings.
Shea: My background is not nearly as exciting as Greg's. I was in
Lexington; went to school to be a psychologist. I did mornings there and then
I moved to Cincinnati and started doing afternoons for WAQZ. I lost my
contract after three years so I moved back home, and did some TV weather for
a while, then I ended up coming up here. It is not nearly as exciting.
Any interest in doing television on the side there in
Denver?
Shea: No not really. I liked it, but you have to put on a ton of makeup,
get dressed up and stuff like that. And here I can look like a bum. Greg
loves it that way.
Greg, you've been there three years, Shea just joined you. How's the
new marriage working so far?
Shea: It has been great actually. I think we are still trying to find a
beat and exactly where we are going to go and how it is going to take shape.
It is fresh. You have Slacker (sidekick) in there who I would like to see in
a much bigger role.
Greg: No room for Slacker on the T-shirts though.
Did you have to audition for the show?
Shea: I had actually auditioned three times, so I had a good idea what
they wanted.
Greg, what was the transition from CHR to Country to Hot AC
like?
Greg: Going from country to modern AC was a tough transition, I was
completely out of touch with the artists.
Was going from afternoons to mornings a tougher transition?
Greg: Seriously, going to country worked well, because country tends to
play more music even on the morning shows, and doesn't allow you to be as
talk intensive. In AC you have to develop more of a realness and the jock
thing has to go away.
Did your instincts ever want you talk up an intro or hit the post
with a Howard Dean-like Yell!?
Greg: We do a little bit in the 9 o'clock hour which is kind of fun. We do
this thing called, split second name that tune. Where Slacker plays not even
one second of an 80's tune and I can guarantee that I will be able to name
it.
Slacker: He's a complete dork. He is just stroking his ego right now. Shea
and I have to get out of the room because there is not room in here for the
five of us.
There's gotta be a story behind the name Slacker?
Slacker: There really isn't. It is like calling a fat guy slim, I am the
anti-slacker. I do all the work.
Greg: Yeah, right!
Greg, you've been there three years, Shea just joined you. How's the
new marriage working so far?
Shea: It has been great actually. I think we are still trying to find a
beat and exactly where we are going to go and how it is going to take shape.
It is fresh.
Greg: Let me mention that BJ Harris, our PD, has been terrific. Having
been a very successful morning talent himself, he gets what we do and gives
us great input. He's been a huge help.
Did you have to audition for the show?
Shea: I had actually auditioned three times, so I had a good idea what
they wanted.
What was the transition from CHR to Country to Hot AC like?
Greg: Going from country to modern AC was a tough transition, I was
completely out of touch with the artists.
Was going from afternoons to mornings a tougher transition?
Greg: Seriously, going to country worked well, because country tends to
play more music even on the morning shows, and doesn't allow you to be as
talk intensive. In AC you have to develop more of a realness and the jock
thing has to go away.
Did your instincts ever want you talk up an intro or hit the post
with a Howard Dean-like Yell!?
Greg: We do a little bit in the 9 o'clock hour which is kind of fun. We do
this thing called, split second name that tune. Where Slacker plays not even
one second of an 80's tune and I can guarantee that I will be able to name
it.
Slacker: He's a complete dork. He is just stroking his ego right now. Shea
and I have to get out of the room because there is not room in here for the
five of us.
There's gotta be a story behind the name Slacker?
Slacker: There really isn't. It is like calling a fat guy slim, I am the
anti-slacker. I do all the work.
Greg: Yeah, right!
How did you break in Shea?
Slacker: We just threw Shea into the mix of it all. She has gotten
physical with both Greg and myself several times. She has punched Greg two or
three times already this morning. She has thrown her headphones off in the
middle of the show and come around to my side of the board and pounded on me
a little bit.
Shea: Well they needed a good ass whooping.
Shea, before officially joining the show, did management give you
the sensitivity quiz?
Shea: No. I am definitely not a sensitive female, probably the opposite of
it. I told them when I interviewed that women were either going to like me or
not, there probably was not going to be any middle ground.
What is your take of women on the air?
Shea: I think that when a lot of women are with their friends, they're
very open, talking about sex and talking about a guy's package. Then again
you might be talking about your kids, or your husband. But I think a lot of
women that are on the radio are either those who are in the modern rock
format, who come off very strongly or you have the others who are just trying
to play the giggle game.
Slacker: She can get by with saying bitch, and ass hole. She has more
license to say those things, where as if we say it, comes across as being
really abrasive. When she says it, it is more empowering, like a strong
woman. She can say almost anything anatomically or sexually or anything in a
rant and she can get by with it. Whereas, if we do it we get called into the
office, being told that we were over the line.
Given the FCC's recent actions against on-air obscenities, have you
received any memos about not crossing the line?
Greg: No. We have an 8 second delay. We have to make a judgment call every
morning on whether or not to let something go. We are pretty familiar with
the subject matter and know which lines not to cross.
If you could be have an audience with the FCC commissioners, what
questions would you ask?
Greg: I would ask them why is it such a gray area? I think I know the
answer to that - they want to be judge and jury on deciding what is over the
line. They don't want to set up the requirements of what is blue and what is
not so that they can't be called on it later. I would ask them why they
haven't had more concrete decisions on what is appropriate and what isn't for
on air use. I don't think they want to be put in a corner.
Do you think this is just the beginning of something much, much
bigger and costlier to broadcasters?
Shea: I think it is going to be much more political and that it's going to
become much more constrictive.
In this month's issue, we got input on things great show should
avoid doing. Can you add to that list?
Greg: Taking the popular route. Also, letting everyone on the show
agreeing on the same issues. There should always be someone voicing the other
side, even if it is a small portion of the audience. That person needs a
voice on the show. Don't all agree on the same thing. There should be some
tension sometimes.
Shea, what do you think guys on the air get most and least about
female personalities?
Shea: Most, that females can be bitchy. Least, that we are not just laugh
heads, on the radio at least.
What are your rules on guests?
Slacker: If people can't picture the guest in their head then we don't
have them on.
Spoken like a true producer, but you're a sidekick, right?
Slacker: I don't have a job. It is really strange. I am more of just a
sidekick. Tracey Weiner is the producer. It is really her show, we just live
in it.
What else does she do?
Slacker: She is amazing. She puts together the show sheet everyday. I
don't want to give her too much credit or we will be out of a job.
Greg: She is the workhorse of the show.
What do you guys do to prepare for the show?
Greg: Wander in about 5:15am We just all have the antenna up and listening
for what people are talking about. Tracey sends us some good links, and then
we come and talk about it.
What is your favorite web site to get prep material?
Greg: Drudge, oxygen, askmen.com.
Slacker: I-village is amazing. It is like Cosmo on wheels.
How does that compare to Fark?
Greg: I-village is very female oriented.
In terms of wanting people to get to know you, what are some things
that you wanted people to know about you since day one?
Shea: The relationship stuff with my ex.
Greg: I got married on the show last year and divorced on the show 9
months later.
Shea: We do a thing called none of your business on the show. It is very
nerve racking but one of the coolest things you can do. You basically open
the phones, and offer a prize for anyone who asks you a question in which you
feel is too personal to answer. We have almost never given out the prize.
Slacker: Outside of how much do you make, and where do you live,
everything is fair game.
Greg: It is brutal. Only the call screener knows what is coming.
If you could get any of the democratic hopefuls in a room, and
direct them on what they could do to help their campaign, who would it
be?
Greg: I would tell them to have all their wives get dental work done
first. Then send them over to extreme makeover.
Who on your show disagrees with everything you say?
Greg: Slacker.
Slacker: I am kind of a loose cannon. I will take the unpopular opinion a
lot.
What kind of numbers do you have now?
Greg: Number one 25-34 females. Number two 18-34 females behind KS 107 the
urban station. Number three 18-34 persons and number four 35-54 females.
Shea, what was your first impression of meeting Greg and
Slacker?
Shea: I loved them actually. I had gone on a lot of auditions and they
were one of the ones that I felt really comfortable with.
Who else did you audition with?
Shea: I went and auditioned with some people in South Carolina. I was in
Pittsburgh and the guy I interviewed with there, was great but he and I
didn't have the chemistry. I had gone to Washington.
Before the Super Bowl what are your predictions?
Slacker: Patriots 21, Panthers 17.
Greg: Patriots 17, Panthers 14.
Shea: 2 touchdowns. Dude, I don't even know who is playing in the damn
thing.
Read previous Morning Mouth interviews.
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