Russ Martin Show
The Russ Martin Show is the flagship radio show on KLLI-FM Live 105.3 in Dallas, Texas. The show currently airs during the afternoon drive time slot between midday hosts Pugs & Kelly and syndicated evening host, Tom Leykis.
The Russ Martin Show has also been syndicated on KOYT-FM 104.3 The Coyote in Taylor, Texas and is frequently mentioned by name on syndicated broadcasts of the Tom Leykis Show.
Background
The Russ Martin Show airs weekdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on KLLI Live 105.3 (formerly KYNG) throughout the Dallas metroplex and surrounding cities. Every episode begins with the song "Fire and Mercy" by William ORBit and ends with an instrumental remix of "Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC. At first listen, the show appears to simply consist of a group of guys swapping humorous stories and telling jokes while taking a few phone calls from listeners. People are often surprised to discover that much preparation goes into making the show sound as though it's off the cuff.
Euphemisms, double entendre, and innuendo are used skillfully by Martin when on the air to make seemingly innocuous subject matter instantly hilarious, with cast members heard snickering or breaking into hysterical laughter in the background. Easy-Bake Ovens, baking brownies and ballcocks are notable examples. Anecdotes usually revolve around the local Dallas community which helps foster the listeners' love of the show.
Martin is notorious for writing and performing song parodies on the show with MIDI music and altered lyrics. He will take a classic song like Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks, convert the music to MIDI, and alter the lyrics to describe how cancer is eating away his colon (he does not have cancer). Martin rarely finishes a performance due to the laughter from the other cast members in the studio. He offended Dallas mayor Laura Miller with one such song and she refused to speak to him for months, but was anxious to talk to him when she discovered political rival John Wiley Price 1 was present.
The show has a loyal, almost fanatical, following of listeners who communicate to Martin (either by calling the show or email) the comings and goings of other cast members and notable Dallas figures. For example, when J.D. Ryan goes on vacation, Martin will know his flight number and the hotel he is staying at before Ryan has a chance to tell anybody. The show is infamous for the pranks it pulls on program director Gavin Spittle. One amusing prank involved hiring a drywall contractor to "hide" Spittle's office behind a false wall and then film his reaction when he returned to work (Video). Listeners are known to inform Martin of the details of Spittle's private dating life.
In January 2006, Martin started a drive to rename Garrett, Texas to Russ Martin, Texas. He claimed the name change would "bring better roads, better street signs, better utilities and better tools for everyone". A website was set up to collect petitions for the change. This initiative failed due to in-fighting among members of the Garrett city council over Martin's intentions.
Russ' intent is to act as though he doesn't care AbOUT the listeners. As such, he frequently avoids giving out the phone number, or ends segments by giving out another local station's MusicAL stinger. The "call now" recording reminds users: "Please don't waste Russ' time by telling him your name. He's far too busy and important and he won't remember it anyway". Russ has not been able to shake listeners though, since his show has maintained its #1 status for many years, and was noted back in 1997 as the only show to fare better than Howard Stern who had previously aired his show in Russ' 1997 time slot in Dallas.
Over the years, Russ has befriended many television celebrities from the 70's and 60's, such as Russell Johnson, Adam West, James Garner, Bob Denver, Max Baer, Jr., and Martin Milner. In a call with Bob Denver's WIDOW, it was said that Bob's last public appearance was a phone conversation on the Russ Martin Show. Martin also has a penchant for 1960s TV cars, owning a working Mach Five replica, two Batmobile replica's and a Dukes of Hazzard 69' Dodge Charger replica.
Cast
- Russ Martin - Host
- J.D. Ryan - Co-Host
- Everett Newton - Rock & Roll Attorney (appears Wednesdays and Fridays, legal schedule permitting)
- Dan O'Malley - Co-Producer
- Clo Rayborn - Promotions Director
- Gavin Spittle - VP of Programming for KRLD 1080, and Program Director for Live 105.3 FM.
- Trey Trenholm - Co-Producer and full-time real estate broker.
Notable bits
The Russ Martin Show Band - For years, when Russ has hosted his annual "White Trash Party" he would often get on stage with a local AC/DC cover band or the main band (commonly Loverboy), playing what little guitar he knew along with them. In late 2005, Russ decided to take the concept into a full fledged band for his 2006 White Trash Party. The band's profits go directly to his charity. His band is made up of a rotating cast of people on the show itself, with many different people covering vocals. The band's core is Russ on lead guitar and band manager Chuck Hasley on keyboards. Russ often plays charity events benefiting police and fire departments in the DFW area. The band, and its supposed poor capability, is often discussed at length in recent months, yet seems to remain frequently booked in top quality clubs in the DFW area.
Syndication - During the summer of 2004, Russ' show was briefly syndicated to a sister station in Austin, TX (104.3, KOYT). KLLI management tried repeatedly to assist in better marketing and imaging the station in an effort to allow it to succeed. Russ felt the image of a coyote was a poor choice for a mid-sized market trying to create a credible Hot Talk format. He was stymied by its program director, Dusty Hayes, who was seen on the show as the biggest reason why the syndication effort failed several months later. The station is now a hip-hop format.
Russ' diseases - Russ often claims to have multiple disease or addictions that caused them. They have included: Feline Leukemia, "[...]-cancer", The Mambo #5, and is "addicted" to huffing tape head cleaner. He now seems to actually be addicted to dipping snuff. In addition, Martin had his own on air vasectomy in 2001. Martin and the rest of the cast continue to receive medical treatment from visiting physicians while on the air, including prostate exams.
Black Eddie - A frequent caller named Eddie became a regular call in, for his lack of qualms in using the derogatory term "[...]" towards callers, Gavin Spittle, or J.D. Ryan. Russ has had a long standing rule of only black listeners may use this word on the air because "it's their word to use." Black Eddie was later revealed to be blind, which has not changed his ability to get under J.D.'s skin. The moniker of "Black" Eddie was given to differentiate him from a former show cast member, Eddie Boyd who left under mysterious circumstances.
Dan Lewis - A former producer of the show, Dan left in 2003 seeking to further his radio career on his own. Russ had arranged for him to have a weekend radio show on the same station, but the show was canceled after several months due to low ratings. Rather than continue to work on Russ' show, Mr. Lewis decided to take his show to another station where it ran for several more months. Mr. Lewis is often the butt of many jokes and song parodies on the show due to his bombastic behavior towards others, and his over-valued self worth as a local celebrity. In a short stint where Dan wasn't employed with the show, Dan worked at Six Flags over Texas as "Black Bart". He was a wild west gunfighter, who was the "most requested" Black Bart in the history of the Wild West Show. In August 2006, listeners reported that Dan was an assistant manager at a Bass Pro Shop. In November 2006, listeners reported that Dan was doing a morning radio show in Victoria, Texas.
J.D. Ryan, news director is often victim of his own clumsiness, falling repeatedly over the last few years. This resulted in injuries that required multiple shoulder surgeries. This has brought to light that J.D. could potentially be a victim of gravity's influence. As a recurring bit, Ryan is also frequently accused of being a Ku Klux Klan member, and inserting back-masked racist messages into the broadcast.
Dr. Venegas and Dr. Fetner - Russ' two physicians, his general practice and urologist respectively. Russ refuses to go to the doctor on his own, or do much on his own, preferring to do such distasteful tasks on air. This has resulted in visits from each doctor on the air for prostate exams, colds, infections, and Russ' self-assertion that he needs steroids or mood-enhancing drugs to help his over all well being. The two doctors have an on-air rivalry over their conflicting views of Russ' overall health.
Russ' drinking - Russ uses theater of the mind and silence to punctuate his humor on the show. One of these efforts is the uncorking of his bottle of Jack Daniel's "Gentleman Jack" to take a dramatic swig. Russ switched to Crown Royal in late 2005, but since Crown Royal doesn't bottle their whiskey with a cork, it is transplanted into bottles of Jack Daniel's "Gentleman Jack" with a cork in it. Many listeners think the cork sound is a sound effect created by Russ since he never really sounds drunk on the show. Listeners can call in for a celebratory swig along with Russ, calling in with their own corked bottle of Gentleman Jack.
Russ the preacher - He has conducted on-air weddings and baptisms. Russ has parodied the role of a pentecostal preacher on many occasions discussing less savory topics such as masturbation, or directed anger towards specific callers. The holy water used in baptism has been sullied by J.D. Ryan who used the bowl it was kept in to wash his hands after eating BBQ.
April Fools Day 2004 - This day was the first day back after a week long vacation for the show. The show was not aired on KLLI, but on then TOP 40 station Wild 100.3, now a JACKFM affiliate. The show was aired as a regular show, with the addition of music between segments. Russ played the show as if he'd been offered an obscene amount of money to host the "new" morning show. Russ decided to take live calls, hoping to [...] out the Soccer Moms to have them call in and complain. Early in the show, Russ casually admits it's a bit, and no further mention is made throughout the broadcast. The intent of the joke was to mock Morning Radio shows, Dallas host Kidd Kraddick, and Russ' general discontent with music radio in general.
Quotes
"I didn't vote for Bill Clinton to slow down my computer." This quote was made during an August 1998 morning show on KEGL 97.1 FM, with reference to America's eagerness to read Kenneth Starr's report on the Monica Lewinsky scandal. After the report was released to the internet, the online traffic subsequently jammed cyberspace and created a major inconvenience for many.
"I'm just an average, hard-working stiff who enjoys a little salty language, and a nice cup of joe." In reference, and in jest, to Martin's perception of himself. Many times, Martin has confessed much confusion on why he, let alone his entire show, would be idolized to the degree that it is. This quote has been immortalized on numerous Dallas-area billboards promoting the show.
"Inertia don't know (sic) brand names..." In response to a caller who claimed that Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's June 2006 motorcycle accident was due, in part, to the exotic Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle Roethlisberger was riding.
"Russ - What happened to Drew's sax teacher? Rob: "Drew sent the real lyrics (of ACDC's "Highway to Hell") to him and I guess it made him mad" Russ:"Why?" Rob: "Apparently he is one." Russ contends the official lyric of "season ticket on a one way ride" is a lie and when listening to the original recording, it is actually a racial slur.
"I don't want to be the godfather. I want to be the shady uncle... with the checkered past." in reference to the producer's then unborn child.
"I've got all the time in the world." Said by Al Brumley, who was the Dallas Morning News' radio reporter, a few months before his death while on the phone with Russ as he was talking to someone in the studio leaving Al waiting. At the time, Al was struggling with brain tumors that would eventually end his life. Russ thought it was one of the most ironic, and therefore, funny things Al could have said and a great testament to Al's personal strength.
"That's exactly what I'm thinking." Russ said in response to a woman from the organ donation service SouthWest Transplant Alliance when she didn't want to talk about her divorce but rather she wanted to talk about organ donation.
"She better get on e-harmony then." Russ said in response to J.D. and the guys' suggestions about what Amy might want for their wedding.
"You're interrupting my dead air!" Russ yelling at Gavin.
See also
- Russ Martin
- List of radio stations in Texas