Mancow’s Morning Madhouse is an American radio show hosted by Erich “Mancow” Muller. The show is broadcast to a number of markets of mainly FM radio stations throughout the United States.

The live broadcast of the show was briefly halted on July 11, 2006 when Q101 discontinued the airing of the show. It was one of the most popular radio shows in the Chicagoland area, even earning airtime in various cities across America. Mancow's Morning Madhouse has resumed live broadcasting on July 18, 2006 nationally through Talk Radio Network and heard over most of its network affiliates, however the show cannot be heard over the Chicagoland airwaves at this time due to the current lack of a local affiliate in the area.

History

Mancow first started his show in Chicago, Illinois in 1994, shortly after his departure from California. Originally, the show was a regular program on WRCX-FM (Rock 103.5) located in the John Hancock Center. In 1998, he left WRCX-FM in favor of WKQX-FM (Q101) (101.1), Chicago’s most reputable alternative rock radio station.

Mancow’s career with Q101 was cut short on July 11, 2006, when the station’s management decided to discontinue airing show as of July 14, claiming it was rapidly losing popularity. In order to fill the gap left behind by the show’s absence, Q101 filled the void with the station’s “On Shuffle” music programming [1]. To the disappointment of Q101's management: on the day of the first Arbitron Ratings to be announced for the Chicago land area since Mancow's absence from Q101, he came in first place for his demographic [reaching more listeners than he ever had before].

On July 13, Mancow appeared on Fox News Chicago, and lashed out at Q101’s current management, and claimed he was fired in favor of an “iPod”. Furthermore, Mancow retaliated to Q101’s claims of a his diminishing popularity by claiming the station’s management considered him a loose cannon due to his biting political and social commentary. Before the interview ended, Mancow promised he would not only return to the Chicago radio scene, but also bring forth a radical change, either within the next six or twelve months [2] [3]. [4]

Roster

Current Roster

Main Cohorts:

• Al Roker, Jr. (Ken Smith- no relation to the real Al Roker), Sports Commentator

• DJ Luv Cheez (Midge Ripoli), Head Technical Producer

• Marissa Sanchez (Dana DeLorenzo), "La Latina Heat", Entertainment Reporter

• DJ Crazy Lipz (Ken Webster), music commentator and "on-the-streets" reporter

• Bug, the cameraman for the Fox News Channel

Other Cohorts:

• Dr. Phil, (Not the real Dr. Phil)
• Big Gooney (Jim McDermott)
• Bob Noxious (Seth Feldman)
• The Brow , Assistant Technical Producer
• Dewey (Dewey Gosnell), "Lord of the Fat Chicks", Webmaster of Mancow.com

Dial-Tone characters: Created by voice talent, Abe Kanan:

• Magellon - Eight year-old boy
• Rochelle - 350 pound African American woman. Her catch phrase is, “ooh you got a fat ass”
• Philthy gumz – rapper and founder of the record label 40 records. He dreams of being a huge rap star. Some of his hits include “Bounce that stack”, “Goodyear pimp”, and “sip sip”
• Rusty Cooder- redneck who has a crazy mullet and loves to shoot his machine gun
• Friggin Pete – a misunderstood man who only cares about smoking friggin cigarettes
• Poppy chulo - a young latino man who calls everyone “Dog”
• Dexter w Montgomery- attorney who likes to demean everyone he talks to
• Conrad – he loves talking on the phone and carrying on conversations forever. Catch phrase “hey not bad”
• Treebark Fallafel – Arabic man who hates everyone. He always puts his wife on the phone and she does her crazy scream
• Leslie Anderson – gay white man who has a husband named cheeks. He is very flamboyant and thinks he is a star
• Guillermo – Mexican guy who doesn’t speak English. The only enlish words he knows are American catch phrases “Coors Rock on”
• Henrietta huxtable- African American woman who thinks everone is racist if she doesn’t get what she wants
• Rodika – an 18 year old who doesn’t know what sex he/she is. Rodika is only a head neck and shoulders.
• Cartoon – latino gangbanger who asks people if they like their teeth. Catch phrase “this time I let you go next time I kick your ass”
• Zip- 90 year old man who’s full name is Murdock Hinckley. His friends call him Zip
• Deonte- gay African American man who calls everone shorty and accused them of hating his guts
• Gum Fung- Chinese man who thinks everything is so good. Catch phrase “mmm its so good”
• 'Glee Dorfson'Bold text – very friendly but deviant guy. He usually starts the conversation out friendly then insults them
• Michael Downy- nerdy guy who is also the producer of the night train morning show
• Herbie -600 pound white man who is a heavy mouth breather who is stuck in bed cause he cant move.
• Quincy the puppet –dexter w montgomery’s hand puppet. They do performances and practice law together
• Mr Parker – pervert/creep. He calls people and freaks them out
• Bill from corporate – head of big corporation who calls regular workers and makes them do stupid things
• Night Train – host of the #1 hip hop show in the country. The Night Train Morning show. His Hip hop show is a spoof of urban radio shows.
• Austin list – English man who loves willy wonka and doesn’t understand Americans.
• BT Pain – Jock who hates nerds and women. He is also a big metal guy and hates anything that is not heavy metal.
• George Boozman- crazy old man who has a son named mike. He asks people weird questions and if they know his son mike, the cop with the big arms. Never listens to what people say.
• Big Joe Green-coach who loves college girls
• Flemming- old man who has no tongue and asks for different products to clean his mouth
• Fern- works at a coffee shop and loved indie rock. Hates anything main stream and most people.

Former Roster

Former Main Cohorts:

• Cowboy Ray (Ray Hofstatter), Killed in a hit-and-run automobile accident as profiled on the Fox television series, America's Most Wanted.

• Turd, the Bartender (Jeff Renzetti), Discovered by Mancow while working at Pauly's Pub, a Chicago southside tavern and an alumnus from the Illinois Center for Broadcasting.

• Freak (Wally Kozielski), Former Traffic Reporter and a former Rock Band Roadie.

• Irma Blanco, the Cuban Bombshell, Former News Reporter and the "voice of reason."

• Ryan, the Gay Mexican (Ryan Manno), Former Music Reporter and a heterosexual Italian.

• Jim Jim, the Yelling Guy, formerly known as "Jim Jesus" (Jim Lynam) Traffic Reporter.

Other Former Cohorts from the TRN syndicated era:

• Period Face (Matthew Stromer), "The Homosexual-sounding Heterosexual".
• Britta (show intern)
• Buttermilk
• Details, (Network Producer)

Other Former Cohorts from the Q101 era:

• Philthy Gumz, a Chicagoland area Rap Artist- Voiced by Abe Kanan
• Magellon= Voiced by Abe Kanan
• Crazy Mary, from the "insane asylum"
• Mini-Freak, Mancow's "homeless" errand-boy.
• Prison Bitch (Jay Love)
• Period Face (Matthew Stromer), "The Homosexual-sounding Heterosexual".
• Carrie Ann DeYoung, daughter of former longtime Styx lead singer, Dennis DeYoung
• Al Lewis (aka Grandpa Munster), the late actor from the legendary U.S.-based TV show, The Munsters
• Vic, the Prick
• Stacey, the weather girl
• Heather (Erin Carmen), now a DJ on sister station WLUP-FM)
• Tara
• Amy Bristle (Amy Bristle-Sessoms)
• Lindoo, the Hindu
• Angie (last name Congine), the Phone Girl
• Brian, the Whipping Boy (Brian Paruch)
• Scotty Ferrall, a sportscaster who briefly co-hosted the show after Freak departed in early 2004.
• Kathy, Freak's Niece
• Rice (first name Daniel)
• Wade, the Gimp
• Ballz (Dan Levy)
• Crazy Cory
• Kramer (John Desjardins), producer for a short time.
• Jeff Milford, writer and consultant for the show from the KDON days to Q101. A close friend and also Mancow's next door neighbor in Pacific Grove, CA.
• Shrimp, former producer
• Bad Breath Bobo Hobo
• Two-fingered Genie
• "Coochie Galore" (Sandy Ferrando), who later became Mancow's wife and mother to his twin daughters.
• Ann, the Phone Girl
• Sgt. Leo and his left hand club

Former Cohorts from the Rock 103.5 era:

• John Wayne Gacy, the Killer Clown on Sports (Bill Hainsworth): Former Sports Reporter, who is a local actor from the Chicagoland area.
• Casanova Ace (Clemine Girard)
• Todd Bridges, former actor from the U.S.-based TV sitcom, Diff'rent Strokes.
• Psycho Steve, the Sports Slob
• Industrial Joe
• Retard Bill
• Spazz
• Biohazard Boy
• Virgin Boy (aka "Coop")
• Plummer
• Phil Ostermann
• Mick
• Sergeant Hair Club (Dave Richards), who was Mancow's boss/program director during the Rock 103.5 era.
• Psycho Freaky Francis (Randy Rous), currently a morning host on KRNA in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
• Allan Fee, first producer in the Rock 103.5 era. He currently does mornings/PD at WQAL in Cleveland, Ohio.
• Big Butt Boy

Radio Show Segments (present and past)

Mancow's Morning Madhouse has, over the years, developed a repertoire of daily acts, some of which change frequently, and others that have been discontinued. Among these radio acts are:

• The Answer is C: Participants are given a "quiz" where the staff reads out a question with a multiple choice answer of 'A,' 'B,' or 'C.' The answer is always 'C,' and is usually highly sarcastic in content.
• Bob Noxious: A candid audio recording is played of a man saying offensive things on a street setting and people's shocked responses.
• Chop Song-ee: A contest where segments of a popular song are played backwards and callers can try and guess the song. This act is accompanies by a satirical impression of a Chinese man, complete with fake karate sounds in the background.
• Christopher Walken Theater: A staff member performing an over-the-top, satirical impression of actor Christopher Walken reads lines from a movie, and then has callers try to guess the movie.
• Chuck Norris Facts: The staff reads from a list of hyperbolic praises of actor Chuck Norris.
• The Dirty: Mancow's entertainment and gossip report. Hosted by Marissa Sanchez or Ryan, the Gay Mexican.
• Drunk Chick Friday: Muller invites a group of (supposedly) attractive women to visit the studio on Friday mornings, who then become highly intoxicated and obnoxious as the show progresses. This bit was inspired by Lex and Terry's "Drunk Bitch Friday"
• Fact or Schiznit: The staff reads unusual items and offers prizes to callers who can distinguish between the true and false items.
• Jimmy D., Sports Philosopher: Comedic sports commentary reportedly performed by current late night TV talk host, Jimmy Kimmel.
• Mystery Ringtones: Mancow plays a ringtone from a cellphone on the air, and callers try to identify what song it is from, usually from popular culture or 80s/90s music.
• On the streets: Mancow's on-the-streets report, usually delivered by The Brow. A parody of a topical news 'street' poll segment.
• One Minute Inside a Woman's Head: A segment devoted to the thoughts and ponderings of a typical woman about everyday life, from her boyfriend, Jimmy, to skin cancer, to cosmetics, to her mother and so on.
• Pete, the Movie Manatee: Mancow's weekly Florida-based movie reviewer.
• Phone Scams: The term the show uses to describe prank calls. Typically, the show broadcasts the prank calls ten minutes after the hour.
• Reality Bites: An update of happenings on all currently-airing reality television shows, delivered by DJ Luv Cheese.
• Skid Theater: The staff pays homeless Chicagoans to act out scenes from movies, and then holds a contest for listeners to name the movie.
• Sports With Al Roker, Jr.: The show's sports news segment, delivered by Al Roker, Jr. The segment always opens with the line, "Open wide for Chunky...," and always ends with the catchphrase, "Kiss my black ass if you don't like it."

Running jokes

• Muller's new wife is considerably younger than he, and both staff members and callers often try to get in a dig at his expense. Before his marriage, when Muller pondered where to hold the reception, Turd sarcastically suggested Chuck E. Cheese. After his marriage, when he complained his wife couldn't cook, a caller managed to say the following before being cut off: "Well, Mancow, in a few years, when your wife goes to high school, they have this class called home-ec"
• Turd is considered by other staff members to be an alcoholic, so the others try to find ways to stop him from drinking, such as looking for booze so disgusting that he couldn't consume it.
• Sometimes, Turd will start to tell a story, only to be stopped by Muller, who reveals that the "story" is actually ripped off of a popular movie, fairy tale, or television show (in this sense, it resembles numerous comedic acts, such as those on Late Night with Conan O'Brien). The show then invariably plays an audio loop which involves Muller slapping Turd.
• Callers and staff members alike call Turd's mother a whore, which invariably elicits the response "My mom is not a whore!"
• Philthy Gumz, DJ Luv cheez, Al Roker, Jr. and DJ Crazy Lipz are all members of 40 Records, the fictitious rap label well known for hits like, "Bounce That Stack," "Sip Sip," and "The Luvcheez Anthem."
• Al Roker, Jr. an obese African-American plays to the stereotype that all black men want sex with white women. The words have become somewhat of his catchphrase; he uses them even in his reporting outside of the morning show.
• Any time the name Menominee or the word phenomena is mentioned, or any other such word that sounds like those, the background crew members respond with a "Do-do do-do-do" tune. This is a reference to the famous song "Mahna Mahna" regularly played on The Muppet Show.
• Thomas West, the owner of a hair salon next door to Muller's studio, is a reoccurring victim of pranks from Muller, his staff, and his celebrity guests. Most of the prank calls typically involve questioning West's heterosexuality and making obscene business propositions. West's catchphrase "I'm going to put you through the frickin' window!" stems from his initial response to the phone calls.
• More recently, when Mancow says the phrase Morning Radio (usually after telling a self-admittedly bad joke or pun), the entire staff responds with "It sucks!"
• When a caller addresses Muller as "you crazy bastard", Muller responds by saying "you son of a bitch".
• Muller constantly insults Chicago suburb, Joliet, Illinois, with snide remarks and insults calling it "Toilet", to the point of creating a mock folk song, "The Joliet Big Trash Mountain." When listeners from outside the Chicago or Illinois area call, he often tries to trick them by claiming that folk song is a "famous" song that's been around for decades (although the show created it less than a decade ago).

FCC problems

Mancow's Morning Madhouse ran afoul with the FCC's indecency regulations in at least six separate incidents during 2000 and 2001. As a result, the FCC levied $42,000 in fines on Emmis Communications, the licensee of Mancow's then-home station WKQX-FM. In 2004, Emmis Communications signed a consent decree with the FCC sharply restricting indecent content and requiring the payment of $300,000 to the US government. [5][6]

External links

• Mancow.com, Official site of Mancow’s Morning Madhouse.
• Mancow.org, Discussion forum
• Mancow Leaves Q101
• Talk Radio Network (TRN), National Syndicator of Mancow Show
• TRN-FM, TalkRadioNetwork-FM - Mancow syndication