KARLSON AND MCKENZIE (MORNING SHOW)
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A fan-created ''K&M'' logo featuring their slogan (''Big, Fat, Fun Mornings''), posted on their website.
'The ''Karlson and McKenzie'' Show' (sometimes called 'The ''K&M'' show', '''Karlson and McKenzie''' or just '''K&M''') is an American morning show on the Boston, Massachusetts classic rock radio station WZLX (100.7). The show broadcasts daily, Monday to Friday from 5:30 to 10:00 a.m. EST. It is hosted by Kevin Karlson and Pete McKenzie and co-hosted by Heather Ford. The show is produced by Jeremy Leahy and Braden P. Moriarty. ''Karlson and McKenzie'' first came on the air at "'ZLX" August 1, 2005, following the previous morning show, ''Steve Sweeney's Neighborhood''. This show had been broadcasting for five years, but ended in 2005.
The premise of the ''K&M'' show centers on making light of certain current events. The show also provides comedy-laced opinions of the hosts and allows listeners to call in during the show and comment on these opinions, or the current event itself. They frequently have celebrity guests on the show, both in-studio and on the phone. Classic rock is played in between segments, but the show does not take song requests. Ever since Gary Glitter was arrested for possession of cocaine in November 2005, the ''K&M'' show refused to play any of the musician's songs.
The ''Karlson and McKenzie'' Show, being the morning show on WZLX, were the first ones at the station to report that Brad Delp (former lead vocalist for the Rock band Boston), had committed suicide. This news came after the on Friday, March 9, 2007. Delp had apparently suffocated himself with carbon-monoxide (via "a couple charcoal grills") in the bathroom of his home in Atkinson, New Hampshire.
Kevin Karlson
Born March 7, 1964 (having revealed in June 2006 that he is 42 years old), currently living in Norfolk, Massachusetts, 6' 1" to 6' 2" tall and "registered as an independent" voter (August 28, 2006), 'Kevin Karlson' is the main host of the ''Karlson and McKenzie'' show. Karlson himself frequently mentions that he is a rather heavy-set man (305 lb), which makes him the butt of many a joke during the show that concerns him being overweight. An example of these jokes: "…You told them that they'd have to be in top physical shape, right? 'Cuz they're gonna have to fight you for the food…" (''Heather Ford, during an on-air promo for a Father's Day lunch the station was having in June 2006'').
Karlson, unlike Pete McKenzie, appears to some listeners as the more practical of the various hosts on the ''K&M'' show. Karlson frequently refers to Braden P. Moriarty as "Big-head Braden," "Big-head" or just "The Head," despite the fact that he muses about his "large head" himself.
He often mentions that he and McKenzie had been fired from "numerous radio stations" (at one point, Karlson mentioned that it was "…like, 8 or 9 radio stations…") before being hired at WZLX. Although, this may not be entirely true, as Karlson, Pete McKenzie and Heather Ford all voluntarily quit their job as morning show personalities at a New Jersey radio station (101.5-FM) on July 20, 2003 previous to coming to 100.7-FM. [1]
On July 25, 2007, Karlson, in a discussion about estate inheritance , mentioned that he has a sister (he did not mention her by name, however). He also admitted that if he were to inherit a family estate, he'd prefer that it go to his sister and not to him.
More than once, Karlson has mentioned Wikipedia and has even made note to the fact that one of ''Karlson and McKenzie's producers, Jeremy Leahy, "checks it every day." On June 29, 2007, Leahy jokingly mocked the ''K&M'' article in particular, stating that there were "mistakes" in the text. Karlson went so far as to call the principal author and editor of the page "some crazed listener." But the show made it clear that these comments were meant to be taken in jest.
The next day (June 30, 2007), The principal author and editor of the ''Karlson and McKenzie'' Wikipedia page (''this page'') called into the show and was assured that the comments were intended to be a friendly joke, rather than be taken so seriously. While on the air with the author of the page, Karlson mentioned an "angry e-mail" that the author had written to Karlson in response to the "offensive comments."
Tick Off a Trucker
"Laid to rest" in January 2006 at seven episodes (including a holiday version), '''Tick Off a Trucker''' was a listener-popular segment that would occur weekly on Thursday at around 7:15 a.m. EST, in which the show would use a CB radio that was hooked up in the station to "…mess with our trucker friends…" Karlson would put on a southern, 'redneck'-like drawl and insult truck drivers over the CB, using the name "The Phantom." This was because he wasn't actually on Route 19, as he often mentioned during the skit. If a 'threat' was made by a trucker, Karlson would usually say something like, "…it looks like someone wants to challenge The Phantom…"
Karlson's insults (often aimed at their 'lack' of intelligence) would let loose a barrage of profanity from the truck drivers. He usually started out the skit with some form of the phrase: "…Breaker 1-9! I said, 'breaAAAker 1-9er on the '19!' Do…ya…co…py?" ("breaker" being a word used to tell other CB-users that another person would like to talk to them via the radio.) The skit usually ends with a 'southern' jingle:
::
''So why you tryin' to tick off a trucker?''
''You know that just ain't cool''.
''You can tick off a trucker 'cause we're all dumb suckers''
''Who never made it through high school.''
::
''So if you really wanna tick off a trucker,''
''I'll tell you right now, mister:''
''Take away my CB, my amphetamines''
''An' try to keep me away from my sister.''
On February 14, 2007, after a caller asked why ''TOAT'' was cancelled, Karlson admitted that they received "a couple death threats" and that "management told [them] to stop." Karlson said that that the trucker who threatened the show was going to "go down to Chicago and then come up and kill [them]." Pete McKenzie jokingly remarked that same day (February 14), "…it's a good thing he forgot…"
In March 2006, Heather Ford did her own version of ''TOAT'' in a low, soft voice, 'offering' herself to the truckers using many sexual innuendos.
On July 3, 2007, Karlson announced that ''Tick Off a Trucker'' would return in "the first week of September" (presumably, in 2007).
The 7:15 Senseless Survey
'''The 7:15 Senseless Survey''' is a segment in which Karlson calls a seemingly arbitrary phone number and asks the person random, irrelevant and sometimes suggestive questions under the guise of being from the U.S. Census Bureau (one exception was in the ''Election Senseless Survey'' when Karlson said he was from the New York Times). The object of the skit is to see how many questions they can ask until the person whom they called hangs up (a couple times, Karlson mentioned that he had up to 300–500 questions so he wouldn't run out). Often times, the show takes caller's guesses as to how many questions will be asked before the person hangs up. The caller who comes the closest is sometimes awarded a prize. ''Senseless Survey'' was discontinued in early 2005, but returned from its in October 2006. However, three small changes were made to the skit when it was brought back:
★ Rather than claiming to be from the ''Census Bureau'', Karlson casually says he's from the "Senseless Bureau", hoping the person whom they called will mistake the word "senseless" for "census."
★ The skit's name, ''"Senseless Survey"'', was changed to ''"'The 7:15' Senseless Survey"''.
★ After its hiatus, it came to be performed each day of the week (at 7:15 a.m.), rather than once a week.
For the week of July 16 to July 20, 2007, when Karlson, McKenzie, Heather Ford and Braden P. Moriarty had taken a week off, 'Chuck Nowlin' (WZLX's weekday jock from 2:00 to 7:00 pm), Jeremy Leahy and 'Frankie Foxx' ('ZLX's weather and traffic reporter) took over for ''Karlson and McKenzie'' in what Nowlin jokingly called, "''The K&M-Vacation Replacement Show''."
During that week, Chuck Nowlin played "Best-of" clips from the ''K&M'' show's bits: Best of ''Senseless Survey'', Best of their "Crank Calls," Best of ''Ten Seconds of Radio Rage'', etc.
'The following are some examples of the types of questions asked during ''The 7:15 Senseless Survey'':'
★ ''"Why do we sing 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' if we're already there?"'' ★ ''"Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways?"'' ★ ''"Why does sour cream have an expiration date?"'' ★ ''"Are you currently serving a life sentence?"'' ★ ''"Do you accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior and investment banker?"'''†' ★ ''"Do you own a dog-fur coat?"'' ★ ''"Do you ever wonder why 'thaw' and 'un-thaw' mean the same thing?"'' ★ ''"Would you be interested in taking a 'map-folding' class?"'' ★ ''"What do you think the 'whiz' is in 'Cheez Whiz'?"'' ★ ''"Do you like to pay for stuff with pennies?"'' ★ ''"Would you like to see a neighborhood 'Show-and-Tell' day?"'' ★ ''"Would you be caught dead with a ?"'' ★ ''"Would you agree that if you're happy and you know it, then you really oughtta show it?"'' ★ ''"Are you wearing a lampshade?"'' ★ ''"Do crop circles scare you?"'' ★ ''"Have you ever wondered why a 'Wise Man' and a 'wise-guy' are different?"'' ★ ''"Are you swallowing your pride?"'' ★ ''"Do you collect rocks?"'' ★ ''"Do you have any extra body parts, say an extra finger or toe?"'' | : ★ ''"Is rigor mortis setting in on you?"'': ★ ''"Are you currently stealing your cable?"'': ★ ''"Are you, or any member of your family, a Louie Anderson impersonator?"'': ★ ''"Have you ever been the recipient of a Vulcan probe?"'': ★ ''"Would you support legislation that would change Maine's state motto to 'Maine: the first line of defense against Canada'?"'': ★ ''"Has anyone ever accused you of having 'dumps like a truck, truck, truck…thighs like what, what, what'?"'''†': ★ ''"Which are you more impressed with: Luciano Pavarotti's ability to hold a note or hold his alcohol?"'': ★ ''"Do you ever play 'The Crying Game'?"'': ★ ''"Are you currently speaking in your native toungue?"'': ★ ''"Does your backyard contain a mass-grave full of hamsters?"'': ★ ''"Have you ever wondered why a boxing ring isn't round?"'': ★ ''"Like the MCAS Test, would you endorse a 'Mama Cass Test for the Culinary Arts'?'"'': ★ ''"If 'pro' is the opposite of 'con,' then why isn't 'progress' the opposite of 'congress'?"'': ★ ''"Have you ever experienced 'Déjà -flu'?"'': ★ ''"Is your dog wearing a Richard Nixon mask right now?"'': ★ ''"Has your colon passed its annual 2007 Emissions Test?"'': ★ ''"Are you currently clinging to a web spun by Spiderman?"'': ★ ''"Given your current skin-tone, could you ever pass for another ethnic background?"'': ★ ''"Have you ever wondered why the signs that say 'SLOW: Children' have a on them?"'' |
'†' '''Karlson became hysterical while reading this question and lost the person on the line.'''
Pete McKenzie
Born September 26, 1962, about 250 lb and residing in Framingham, Massachusetts, 'Pete McKenzie', a Republican (as he said on August 28, 2006), is the other main host of the ''K&M'' show.
In Braden P. Moriarty's bit, ''That Guy'' (specifically, ''That Guy – Nicknames''), Braden P. Moriarty mentioned that "McKenzie" was not his real name, but this wasn't explored into any further depth at that time.
McKenzie often gives intermittent wisecrack comments on Karlson's opinions and, unlike Karlson, will sometimes do vocal impersonations of famous people to entertain listeners. McKenzie will often lend his voice when a crank call is made; sometimes, but not always, using a voice alternator.
:Pete McKenzie's "voices" include:
| Person Being Imitated | ''Significance of Person'' |
|---|---|
| ''A , deep-voiced man'' [2], [3] | ''McKenzie makes use of a voice alternator Presumed, by many, to be black, although this has never been said'' |
| ''A generic East Indian man'' | ''Serves on occasion as a East Indian person Usually when Heather Ford reads a news story (during 'Headlines with Heather') that concerns an East Indian person:'Notably used as a/an:':: ★ ''East Indian taxi-cab driver'':: ★ ''"[O]ver-religious" East Indian man'' |
| ''A generic German/Austrian man'' | ''Serves on 'rare' occasions as a "Hitler" voice or as a stereotypical German person Usually when Heather Ford reads a news story that concerns a German or Austrian person As an "Arnold Schwarzenegger"-esque voice (July 31, 2007)'' [4] |
| ''A generic Middle Eastern man'' | ''Usually when a topic related to the Middle East comes up Often used as an "Osama bin Laden"-esque voice'' |
| 'Dave Chappelle' [5] | ''American comedian Was host of the Comedy Central show Chappelle's Show'' |
| 'Bill Clinton' [6] | ''Former U.S. President'' |
| 'Snoop Dogg' [7] | ''American Rap musician'' |
| 'Bob Dylan' [8] | ''American Blues/Folk musician'' |
| 'Barry Gibbs' [9] | ''British musican Notably, of the Bee Gees'' |
| 'Enrique Iglesias' [10] (during which he made fun of Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova, calling her "Anna Corna-hola-kova") | ''Spanish singer'' |
| 'Don Imus' | ''American radio and television personality'' |
| 'Steve Irwin' (after Irwin died on September 4, 2006) | ''Australian nature documentarian'' |
| 'Michael Jackson' | ''American pop-musician'' |
| 'Randy Jackson' (April 20, 2007) | ''Talent judge on the American television show American Idol'' |
| 'Floyd Mayweather Jr.' (May 7, 2007) | ''American boxer Won against Oscar De La Hoya on May 5, 2007 in a boxing match'' |
| 'Billy Murray' (August 7, 2006) | ''American singer'' |
| 'Keith Richards' | ''British guitarist Notably, of the Rolling Stones'' |
| '"Diamond" David Lee Roth' [11] | ''American guitarist Notably, of Van Halen'' |
| '"Borat Sagdiyev"' | ''Fictional Kazakh journalist created and portrayed by British actor Sacha Baron Cohen'' |
| 'Harland David "Colonel" Sanders' | ''Founder of the KFC Corporation'' |
| '"Tony Soprano"' (June 6, 2007) | ''Character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos portrayed by American actor James Gandolfini'' |
| 'Donald Trump' [12] | ''American real estate developer Hosts the NBC show The Apprentice'' |
| 'Vince Wilfork' [13] | ''American football player Defensive lineman for the New England Patriots'' |
Sports Check
Every morning at around 6:30 a.m., Pete McKenzie does a short segment on current sports news called the '''Sports Check'''. Usually, the segment applies to whatever sport is in season at that time (''e.g.'' winter/March: basketball and hockey; summer: baseball, etc.). The ''Sports Check'' is preceded by Heather Ford's ''Headlines with Heather'' segment and her traffic and weather report.
The guitar intro to "For Those About to Rock" by AC/DC is played as background music to the ''Sports Check''. McKenzie, after concluding the sports segment, says, "…and that's your check on sports on 100.7 WZLX, Boston's classic rock."
Heather Ford
Born April 20, 1976, 'Heather Ford' currently lives in Hull, Massachusetts and is a republican. On April 17, 2007, Ford mentioned on-air that when she was four years old, her mother told her that she shared a birthday with Ryan O'Neal and Adolf Hitler. Pete McKenzie then inquired as to why Ford's mother gave her a name "that starts with an ''H'' and ends in an ''R''" (like 'H'itle'r'). Also, she said, that same day, that on April 19 (the day before her birthday), the Oklahoma City bombing occurred and that she "was supposed to be named ''Dagmar''." It is not known if this last comment (about "Dagmar") was intended to be a joke.
At the beginning of 2006, Ford announced she was pregnant, which evolved itself into a new category of jokes, ranging from genetically-oriented "speculation," to jokes that would usually end in a phrase something like, "…but that would come from John [Ford's husband]…" Ford's sense of humor is noted amongst listeners to be dry, clever and concise, whereas McKenzie's, for example, is noted to be more observational humor.
On August 2, 2006, while Ford was out due to a medical exam for an "irregular heart beat," her place on the ''K&M'' show was temporarily filled by an intern named Christina. It was unclear whether Ford herself or her unborn child was experiencing the arrhythmia.
On October 7, 2006, Heather Ford gave birth to 7-lb, 20-inch 'William "Xtrelmxbve" Ford' (the middle name is fake). Karlson and McKenzie announced the news that Monday, September 9, Karlson saying, "Heather called me and said, 'Hey, you know that baby that was inside me?' 'Yeah.' 'It came out.'" K&M viewed this as an unorthodox way of saying that she had had her baby. While Ford was on maternity leave, WZLX's weather and traffic reporter, Frankie Foxx, took her place on the show.
On Monday, October 30, 2006, Heather Ford returned to the ''Karlson and McKenzie'' show, after being absent for about 21 days.
On June 28, 2007, when both Ford and Frankie Foxx were on vacation, a news and traffic reporter named 'D. B. Cooper' (who coincidentally shared a name with the aircraft hijacker) filled in for Ford on the ''K&M'' show.
Headlines with Heather
Every morning, at around 6:15 a.m., Heather Ford has a segment called '''Headlines with Heather''' in which she reads and then tells about strange headlines concerning people who do weird things (''e.g.'', a man in England who has intercourse with his collection of vintage cars) or have strange bodily quirks (for instance, a man who can cry blood on cue, etc.). These headlines are usually and are not limited to the United States.
Heather's "Hot" Hotline
In late December, just before the ''K&M'' show went on a holiday break (from Monday, Christmas Day, until January 2, 2007), they did two episodes of a skit called '''Heather's "Hot" Hotline'''. This skit consists of Heather Ford calling in to a "chat line" to see how many things she can make the man on the other end of the line do while in her "fantasy" (Ford is married) before he hangs up.
Heather's "Hot" Hotline Incident
''Heather's "Hot" Hotline'' was the second ''Karlson and McKenzie'' skit to receive negative attention due to the skit's content (the first being Braden's ''That Guy''). The March 29, 2007 edition of ''Heather's "Hot" Hotline'' had listeners calling in and e-mailing ''K&M'' saying that the episode was less than "family-friendly." One person even called in and said that he wanted to let his son (who was, presumably, of a young age) listen to the show, but he was less than pleased at what he heard on the radio instead (referring to the skit).
''K&M'' agreed to consider all points-of-view on the subject and then let management decide "whether it should be ." As of August 10, 2007, ''Heather's "Hot" Hotline'' has not been cancelled.
Braden P. Moriarty
Born August 16, 1979, 5' 9" and 180 lb, 'Braden P. Moriarty' is considered by some listeners to be the most socially complex host on the show. On August 28, 2006, when Karlson, McKenzie and Ford revealed their political affiliations, Moriarty joked about the subject, saying, "…you know, I just realized this, but I think I'm a Born-again Christian, because I always want people to come to ''my'' house…"
Moriarty has no last name associated with him while on the air, the four of them (including Jeremy Leahy) just calling him "Braden," but does, however, have a multitude of voices 'up his sleeve,' so to speak:
:::
| Person Being Imitated | ''Significance of Person'' |
|---|---|
| 'Dick Cheney' | ''U.S. Vice President (under Bush II)'' |
| 'Rita Cosby' | ''MSNBC investigative reporter'' |
| 'Mark Foley' | ''Former Congressman'' |
| 'Al Gore' | ''Former U.S. Vice President (under Clinton)'' ''Political environmentalist'' ''Businessman'' |
| 'John Mark Karr' | ''Falsely of JonBenét Ramsey'' |
| 'Larry King' | ''Television news anchor'' ''Hosts CNN program Larry King Live'' |
| 'James Lipton' | ''Hosted Inside the Actors Studio'' |
| 'Dr. Phil McGraw' | ''Hosts daytime talk show Dr. Phil'' |
| 'Ronald Reagan' | ''Former U.S. President'' |
| 'Jay Severin' (July 13, 2007) | ''Conservative talk radio personality on Boston's WTKK-FM (96.9)'' |
It has been made evident (both by Braden himself and the rest of the "''K&M'' crew") that Braden is fond of alcoholic beverages ("…If you can believe it, I was at a bar this weekend…" — ''That Guy – Meathead''). But again, as with almost everything on the show, Karlson and McKenzie make light this habit of Braden's.
In early June 2006, Braden lost to Jeremy Leahy in a 'leg-wrestling' contest and was forced to have his head shaved.
While Braden's last name is rarely (if not ever) used while on the air, while performing the latest episode of his bit, ''That Guy'', he did make reference to "the Moriarty boys." As well as being a rare mention of his last name, it also implies that he has one or more brothers (none of whom have been mentioned on the show as of yet).
That Guy
Every Monday since mid-April 2006, Braden delivers a bit that came to be called '''That Guy''' (stemming from, according to Karlson, Braden's tendency to "walk into the booth and say 'Hey, I saw that guy again' …we'd go 'Which guy?' and he'd be like 'You know, that guy who [does that thing, etc.]'…and so we thought we'd make it into a skit called 'That Guy'…").
It is the longest-running of any of the ''K&M'' skits thus far (without a ; 39 episodes as of July 23, 2007). But altogether, ''The 7:15 Senseless Survey'' is actually the longest-running, at 87 episodes. However, it is also "second," since ''Senseless Survey'' was discontinued in early 2005 at 11 episodes and revived in October 2006. ''Tick off a Trucker'' comes in "third" at 7 episodes.
In ''That Guy'', Braden voices his frustration with a person he sees or knows that fits a stereotype by which he can usually characterize them with a short phrase or a single word: Ex. ''That Guy – Jive Talk'', or ''That Guy – Meathead''. Often these terms are , but this adds to the intended comic effect of the segment. To wrap up his rant, Braden often says something like, "…now [''e.g.'' …put away that cell phone…], or I'll cram it up your cramhole…" which tends to be Heather Ford's favorite line in the segment. Braden usually ends the skit with the phrase "…do me a favor: don't be 'That Guy'."
In July 2006, when K&M first went on vacation that summer, the skit came to be delivered not just on Mondays, but on other days, as well. It was still performed only once a week during that time.
"That Guy – NASCAR" Incident
On Monday, March 12, 2007, Braden did an episode of ''That Guy'' about a NASCAR fan that he knew. In the episode, he used many stereotypical that seemed to characterize a "redneck" NASCAR fan.
The following morning (Tuesday, March 13), ''Karlson and McKenzie'' received many e-mails from angry NASCAR fans in Boston who felt that the skit portrayed them in a bad light. Despite these e-mails, ''K&M'' still replayed the skit (from the previous day) on-air live and put it up on their website.
This was the first major incident where negative attention was drawn to the ''That Guy'' skit, even though Braden had done other episodes that mocked or made fun of many other different groups of people.
Jeremy Leahy
Born August 5, 1967, 157 lb., '(Peter) Jeremy Leahy', from Milton, Massachusetts, is one of the producers of the ''K&M'' show; he has been introduced at the start of each show as either "…our producer, Jeremy Leahy," or "…our producer, Jeremy the 'Radio Fairy'." Karlson, McKenzie and Braden frequently make fun of Leahy, during which they jokingly make many references to him being gay (hence the handle "Radio Fairy"), but Leahy vehemently denies this and appears to take it in jest.
On April 18, 2007, Kevin Karlson genuinely asked whether or not Jeremy Leahy was gay; he said, in apparent seriousness, that he was a "healthy, 39-year-old heterosexual man." Karlson told Leahy that it was not his (Karlson's) intention to offend Leahy, but he stated that he was offended anyway. This topic came up because Karlson brought up the fact that Leahy wanted to date an "Asian bank teller." Leahy, after his heterosexuality was established, said that he "didn't know what part of The Orient [she] was from," which the others viewed as being mildly racist, but they had a short chuckle over it, nevertheless. Pete McKenzie clarified for Leahy this misunderstanding about his wording, saying that he must have meant "what her [the bank teller's] heritage was."
Jeremy Leahy also has his own jingle that sometimes precedes (or proceeds) a moment on the ''K&M'' show that concerns him:
::
''He's Jeremy, The Radio Fairy!''
''He's so deep in the closet, it's scary''
''Workin' himself into a frenzy''
''Right here on Karlson and McKenzie!!''
Leahy will often use a voice when needed on a crank call. Many times, the person whom they call will mistake Leahy's character for a woman, calling him "ma'am" or "miss." He also uses a British accent, mainly when performing ''K&M's weekly skit, ''Calling London''.
During one instance, Leahy did an impression of Carol Channing, but he has never 'reprised' this role. On Friday, April 13, 2007, he also did the intro to the show in a "Don Imus" voice, introducing the members of the show, even himself: he said (in the "Imus" voice), "…and Jeremy Leahy…" Then in his own voice, "Hello." This intro was done to mock Don Imus for the sexist comments he made on-air that led to the cancellation of his MSNBC show, ''Imus in the Morning''.
On April 20, 2007, he performed a short bit about the Spiderman Musical by U2's Bono and David Evans that is scheduled to appear off-Broadway. During this bit, Leahy used an Irish accent (as "Bono") and talked about how ''everyone needs a superhero in their life'' (playing on a common theme in films and literature). The intro to "Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2 was played in the background during Leahy's "mini-bit."
In Braden's bit, ''That Guy'', Braden sometimes would poke extra fun at Leahy, saying things like, "[D]on't worry, Jeremy. I took down his name and number."
On June 19, 2006, Leahy asked Karlson, McKenzie and Ford to "cut the 'gay' crap…" He stated that "it's getting ridiculous." This may have meant that the above tune might not have been played anymore in reference to Leahy, but it continues in this way, only it is played much more seldom.
On Friday, January 5, 2007, Leahy discussed with the rest of the show that he used to work at an insurance firm with his father. He then went by the name "Peter" (which, according to Leahy, was also his father's first name), but was "annoyed because [he] was always getting [his] father's calls," so he began to go by his middle name ("Jeremy") to avoid confusion. Leahy also mentioned that he is "not a ''Jr.''," since his father's middle name is not "Jeremy."
Leahy also has an older brother named 'Michael'.
Jeremy Leahy experiences the morning show , as he is in a separate booth for the duration of the show.
Calling London
Each week, on Wednesday, ''K&M'' (Jeremy Leahy) does a skit called '''Calling London'''; the show crank calls London, England to see how many different "synonyms" for common terms can be railed off before the person on the other end of the call hangs up. During this skit, it is usually Jeremy Leahy who actually talks to the person in England. He puts on a accent and uses the pseudonym '"Walter Chesterfield"' ("from Sussex"). A common mannerism that "Walter" uses is: "Hello, this is Walter Chesterfield ''calling…from…Sussex…''" Those last three words are drawn out, with a second's pause between them and a small lowering of vocal pitch for each word (in order). This aspect of the skit came from Leahy, in character, using this vocal construction as an imitation of a British accent.
The vast majority of these "synonyms" are made up (probably by the ''Karlson & McKenzie'' show members themselves beforehand). Examples of these alternate terms include: ''"The bye-bye box"'' or ''"The sentencing cell"'' (both other names for ''prison'': ''Calling London – Prison''). Sometimes these terms can be perceived as being suggestive in nature, but Leahy says then in rapid fire to keep the person on the line. The terms are designed, however, to cause the person to, perhaps, take a slight interest in the names, but at the same time get them to hang up.
The song "London Calling" by The Clash is played as background music for the intro to this skit. After that, as background music, the ''Masterpiece Theatre'' theme is played.
Occasionally, Leahy (as "Walter Chesterfield") is joined by an intern, named Rachel, who was born in England; she portrays Leahy's "wife" (named '"Clementine"') in the skit and helps to read off the terms, alternating turns with Leahy.
So far (according to the ''K&M'' website), there has been 46 episodes of ''Calling London'', although this number could be inaccurate. The most recent episode is ''Calling London – Turbulence'' (July 25, 2007).
Jeremy's "Hot" Hotline
On June 21, 2007, Jeremy Leahy performed a version of Heather's skit when she was out due to a head cold. Leahy reprised his "gay" character (called ''Larry'' this time) and called into a male-male chat-line.
Before the skit was done that day, Karlson, McKenzie, Braden and Leahy discussed who should do the skit in Heather Ford's stead. Karlson offered to put on his falsetto-type voice (in which he calls himself ''Angie Dickenson'') in order to perform ''Heather's "Hot" Hotline''. Eventually, they all decided on Leahy doing his "flamboyant" voice and calling into, what Karlson called, a "gay chat-line."
Miscellaneous
At times, especially when there is a discussion between the hosts concerning an event, a comedian will call in, pretending to be a famous person. It is unclear whether these are other people, or whether McKenzie, Braden or Leahy (Karlson and Ford are not normally known for their "voices," save Karlson's October 10, 2006 quick Dale Earnhardt, Jr. voice and his "Angie Dickenson" character) leave their booths to make these calls.
There never seems to be any dispute as to whether or not these people are the real celebrities or politicians they impersonate. However, on June 15, 2006, a man did call in saying, "…I don't know if that was the real Mayor Menino, or not, but…" to which Karlson replied, "…we're just having fun…"
Larry and Robert
When a subject came up that concerned homosexuality, two men named '"Larry" and "Robert"' would call in, pretending to be gay. Very flamboyant, they usually added to the show's conversation with a joke that used some kind of homosexually-related innuendo. Their occasional skit was often preceded and ended with (amidst their giggling) a jingle:
::''The world's gone gay, gone totally gay''
''Don't know how; it just happened one day''
''Suddenly, same-sex lovin' is okay…''
On July 3, 2007, the "Larry" and "Robert" characters made a "reappearance" (during which it was revealed that they were played by Jeremy Leahy and Pete McKenzie) when they called (this time ''from the station'') into a pharmacy.
Senator Ted Kennedy
When Senator Ted Kennedy's plane was struck by lightning on May 14, 2006, "Ted Kennedy" himself called to weigh in on the subject. '"Senator Kennedy"' also calls the station whenever news concerning him arises.
Mayor Thomas Menino
'"Thomas Menino, Mayor of the city of Boston"' frequents the station's airwaves as well. The "Menino" that calls in has a severe speech impediment, mocking the real Menino's trouble with words.
Kenny DelMonte
At times, a man named 'Kenny (Peter) DelMonte' will call in to the show, wanting to talk with K&M, but they will tend to poke fun at him instead. DelMonte frequently ends his sentences with "…ya know?" which Karlson often makes fun of, saying things like, "Yeah, I see what you're saying, ya know…" On October 19, 2006, Karlson mentioned that DelMonte is gay. Kenny has his own audio clip on the show:
::[touch-tone phone dialing in background, announcer cuts in:]
''When he comes a'callin', ya know, you shouldn't be nervous, ya know…''
[Kenny's voice:]
''This is Kenny DelMonte at your service…''
Karlson has said that DelMonte has always wanted to meet the ''K&M'' crew in person, so the show organized a special in-studio party for DelMonte on Thursday, October 19, 2006: ''"Kenny DelMonte Day."'' During this day, Kenny was picked up by limousine at his house and driven to the WXLZ studios. He was also treated to breakfast at any restaurant (Kenny chose Dunkin' Donuts) before arriving at the Prudential Tower (the WZLX studios were, until recently, located on the 24th floor of the tower). Jeremy Leahy accompanied DelMonte on his ride to "The Pru."
During his visit to WZLX, DelMonte sang along to "Centerfold" by the J. Geils Band while "playing" an inflatable guitar. He also brought other inflatable guitars for Karlson, McKenzie, Braden and Leahy to "play" as well.
The Stinking Drunk of the Day
Each day, the show would find a news story about a citizen of a U.S. town who said or did something strange or outrageous while intoxicated. If they found it unusual enough, Karlson or McKenzie named them '''The Stinking Drunk of the Day'''. The following clip was usually played after the story was read:
::''To some…''
''You may be a worthless bum…''
''But congratulations…''
''You're the stinking drunk of the day…''
This short segment didn't usually occur at the same time each day, but not too often was it missed altogether. However, now the ''Stinking Drunk of the Day'' is only named under certain circumstances (''i.e.'' when a person is particularly and does an especially outlandish thing).
Match Game
Each Monday, just before Braden's ''That Guy'', the ''K&M'' crew play a radio version of the television game show called '''Match Game'''. This version of the game consists of Karlson, McKenzie, Heather Ford, Braden and Jeremy Leahy making a guess about the answer to a question about a current event or celebrity. Listeners then call in and try to guess the answer as well. If a listener's guess is the same, or similar to, one of the ''K&M'' show host's answers, then the show awards that listener with whatever prize they're giving away that morning (''e.g.'', Boston Red Sox tickets, tickets to a comedian's show, free passes to WZLX's "21st Birthday Bash," etc.).
Ten Seconds of Radio Rage
Every Tuesday, at about 8:00 a.m., since September 2006, ''K&M'' has occasionally allowed callers to have ten seconds of time on air to about whatever is aggravating them. If a caller's rant is considered to express an especially clever idea by Karlson, McKenzie or Ford, then that person is held on the line to receive a prize.
''Karlson and McKenzie's Interns
Anthony
In July 2006, ''Karlson and McKenzie'' was accompanied by an intern known only as 'Anthony'. Due to his outward appearance, Karlson, McKenzie, Braden and Leahy tended to call him "Weird Al," "Kenny G" or "Tiny Tim." Heather Ford did not label him as such ("…we call him 'Anthony' when he's an artist [in reference to the Big Dig Song], but under any other circumstances, we call him "Kenny G" or "Weird Al…").
In late July 2006, Anthony played a song on the air about the Big Dig, in which he comically satirized it for the incident where four of the ceiling tiles from the I-90 Connector tunnel fell onto a passing vehicle, killing 38-year-old Melina Del Valle.
In August 2006, it was Anthony's last day on the ''K&M'' show, which he attended for college credit. During his last Friday and Monday on the show, he read a few entries from his journal, in which Carter Alan, who was filling in for ''Karlson and McKenzie'' while they were on their last vacation in Cape Cod, was mentioned. When ''K&M'' returned from their vacation, Anthony read one last journal entry. He also revealed what college he was attending while on the show, of which Kevin and Pete were completely unaware.
Ben
Around June 2007, ''K&M'' were joined by a 16-year-old intern named 'Ben (White)', who was frequently referred to as "Gentle Ben." Ben and the show's other intern, Frank, were challenged by the ''Karlson and McKenzie'' show in an impromptu buffalo wing-eating contest; Ben ended up "losing" the contest.
Frank
At the same time as Ben, ''K&M'' hired a 23-year-old named 'Frank (Gutoski)' (often called "Frankenstein") as a production assistant for the show.
Brian
Another intern, named 'Brian (Weaver)', worked for ''K&M'' in June-August, 2007. Karlson and McKenzie nicknamed him "The Weav" (as they seem to give nicknames to all their interns).
Nick
Another one of ''Karlson and McKenzie's various interns, 'Nick (Gagalis)', was mentioned a few times during the show's broadcast.
"Battle of the Interns"
On July 13, 2007, before the show went on a vacation (for the week of July 16 to July 20), ''Karlson and McKenzie'' let each of the interns have a short span of "air-time" in which to perform a bit of their own creation. Karlson dubbed this the '"Battle of the Interns."'
:''The results are as follows:''
::
★ Frank won the Battle of the Interns, having gone the longest (to ''at least'' '00:30') before being stopped by Karlson (using a ''buzzer'' button).
::
★ Karlson stopped Nick and Brian's bits before they had even completed their introduction.
"Intern Feud"
Frank and Ben were rarely featured on the actual broadcast of the show, save a minor incident named '"Intern Feud"' on the show's website.
The incident appeared to be incited by Jeremy Leahy, having brought the issue to Karlson's attention. Leahy noticed that Ben and Frank had eaten a certain amount of doughnuts and croissants that were in the station's break-room, resulting in there not being any left for Karlson or McKenzie. When calmly confronted on-air by Karlson about this, Ben stated that he had eaten only one, but Karlson believed that Ben had consumed at least four pastries. Frank said that he had eaten only one snack-food item, which Karlson and McKenzie trusted to be true.
However, when Karlson inquired as to why Ben and Frank did not ask he or McKenzie before eating the snacks (both Karlson and McKenzie made it very clear during this that they greatly value their snack foods), Ben said that another intern, named 'Nick (Gagalis)' (nicknamed "Scooter" a couple weeks later), said it was alright to eat them.
Whose Lie is it Anyway?
Starting late January 2007, ''K&M'' began to do a skit called '''Whose Lie is it Anyway?''' (the name is derived from the popular improvisational game show ''Whose Line is it Anyway?''). In this skit, Kevin Karlson, Pete McKenzie and Heather Ford each tell a caller a "fact" about their lives. The object of the game is for the caller to guess whose "fact" is false (''i.e.'', who is lying). If the caller's guess is correct, the show awards them a prize.
Sucky Song of the Day
Each morning, at around 6:30 a.m., the ''K&M'' show played a song that they considered "sucky." Most times, these songs were obscure in nature or seemed to be out-of-date (''i.e.'', not popular in American pop-culture anymore), hence ''K&M'' having viewed them to be "sucky."
Not long after the '''Sucky Song of the Day''' began, it was cut from the show; there was no explanation given.
Paul "Fitzy" Fitzgerald
Occasionally, ''K&M'' has a local comedian, 'Paul "Fitzy" Fitzgerald', either come in, or phone in, and give a comedic monologue about current events. The show also has put a link to Fitzy's website on their site. Paul Fitzgerald has been an occasional guest on the ''Karlson and McKenzie'' show since mid-January, 2007.
Fitzy's most recent appearance on the show was on Friday, April 27, 2007.
First Time, Long Time
On Thursday, April 12, 2007, ''K&M'' began a new skit called '''First Time, Long Time'''. The bit consists of the show calling in to a ''different'' morning radio show to "comment" on that show's current topic. However, at the end of the call, whichever member of the ''K&M'' show called in ends their "story" with some phrase to the effect of, "…and so I called him up and he said, '[random gibberish]'…"
So far, only one episode has been performed (by Jeremy Leahy, in which he called into a talk-radio show in California). Kevin Karlson said on-air that they were "replacing ''Heather's "Hot" Hotline''" for that day with ''First Time, Long Time'', but the reasons for this change were not given.
The point of the bit is for the "caller" (actually a member of the ''K&M'' show) to appear to be telling a perfectly coherent story, until they reveal the non-sensical speech at the end.
That next day, Friday, April 13, after the show replayed the ''First Time, Long Time'' bit, a man called in to "reply" to it, but he jokingly ended his call with the same type of gibberish that the ''K&M'' show had used in their ''First Time, Long Time'' bit the previous day: the ''Karlson and McKenzie'' show had their own bit done ''back'' to them.
On Tuesday, May 1, 2007, the show did another episode of ''First Time, Long Time'': Jeremy Leahy called in to the C-SPAN television talk-show and discussed the World Bank.
Mike Birbiglia's "Secret Public Journal"
American comedian Mike Birbiglia will sometimes come on the show and perform a small bit he calls his '''Secret Public Journal''' (the irony being that something is either '' or '', but not usually both). During this bit, Birbiglia does a portion of one of his comedy routines in the form of a journal-entry.
Birbiglia's ''Secret Public Journals'' can be found at his official site.
My Kid is More Dysfunctional than Your Kid
On July 26, 2007, Karlson "created" a new skit, '''My Kid is More Dysfunctional than Your Kid'''. The skit (appearing to be very basic in nature) consisted of people calling in 'anonymously' and telling ''K&M'' about how their child did something that made them, in Karlson's words, a "screw-up." If a caller told a story that Karlson or McKenzie deemed particularly "dysfunctional," the person would win a prize from the show.
Karlson said that he and a few other members of the show were "shooting the breeze" in the break-room and talking about Lindsay Lohan being caught for possession of cocaine, which was how the idea for the skit came about.
Karlson also made it clear that the child about whom the story was could be of any age (''i.e.'', not just a small child or toddler).
See also
★ ''Mark Foley scandal''
★ ''Murder of JonBenét Ramsey''
External links
★ Official ''Karlson and McKenzie'' Website
★ ''Karlson and McKenzie's MySpace Page
★ Official 100.7 WZLX Website
★ Paul "Fitzy" Fitzgerald's Official Site
★ Mike Birbiglia's Official Site
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