Episode 12: Go to Bed with Mark and Kenn

A few more thoughts on "Go to Bed with Mark and Kenn"...

Kenn normally manned the main studio and played the records, while I sat in another studio next door with a window between us--it wasn't a personal issue, but a logistical one.  The studio was so small that you couldn't shoehorn two people into it.

I would read Billboard and the local paper to come up with things to discuss. since we were making it up as we went along.  Some friends would hang out as well.

Two bits I wish I had on tape--

We ordered a pizza on the air, and when we said to deliver it to the WSAJ studio, the person on the phone asked us to spell it.  "W...S...A...J".

We altered a promo spot from one of the sororities.  The promo had the girls saying "Hey Hey Hey, we listen to WSAJ", so we changed it to "Hey Hey Hey, we (Go to Bed with Mark and Kenn)"--both of us saying it in a loud voice.  We figured no one was listening, but someone at the sorority was, so we had to retract it on the air.

After I graduated, I did have one more appearance on WSAJ.  The next semester, I hung out at the school for a few days while I was waiting for a job offer to be finalized.  Kenn was doing a play, and realized at the last minute that he would be late for his show that week.  The station had really cracked down by then, so he would lose his show.  So, I unofficially substituted for Kenn for about half an hour, talking as little as possible and saying I had a cold.  Kenn showed up, and I then dropped by as a special guest.  I assume the statute of limitations has run out on that.

Well, that's all the recordings I have so far.  The podcast will go on hiatus until I can get more recordings (hint hint Ray, Keith, Larry, Bill....)

I was able to scrape together a few minutes of relative coherence from the final episode of "Go to Bed with Mark and Kenn"--Enjoy!

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Decawatt Playhouse 11

It's now a year later at WSAJ.  After our success as a news team, Kenn and I went onto two more shows in our senior year.

"Saturday Afternoon with Mark and Kenn" aired during the football season, so we ended up monitoring the board most of the time, and then get 30-45 minutes if we were lucky to do wacky stuff on the radio.  Our high point was hosting the post-holiday parade show, where Tony Bennett (via an armed forces recording) performed live at the Pick and Save.

In the second semester, we grabbed an 11p-1a time slot, just before the station shut down for the night.  We came up with the idea that we were lulling students to sleep with the lilting tones of "Go to Bed with Mark and Kenn".  Could we help it if prurient minds came up with a different take on the name?

Here is a clip from the final episode, on the one year anniversary of Karl Herman's assassination.

If I can find anything interesting in the rest of the recording, I'll post it in our next episode.  Otherwise, I'm out of material unless someone else from that time has tapes (hint, hint).

Onto "We Remember Karl"...

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Episode 010 - Karl Herman in the Shower Part 10

The finale of Karl Herman in the Shower is quite the spectacular--an extra long tribute show, a newsbreak, and a news program, played in 3 sections over the course of 30 minutes during Chaz's show.  I don't want to say too much and spoil the multiple surprises, but let's say this is a turning point, involves a virtual line, and the Gold Standard.  There's also a long-delayed payoff from the second episode.  Ray is truly the J.J. Abrams of his time. 

Featured are the entire Karl Herman Mighty Art Player troupe--Paul Voltz, Keith Parrish, Paul McGill, David Hunt as himself (somewhat), Andy Schrum as Andrew Danger, Kenn Fetterman as Officer O'Harry, Kenn and myself as supposed celebrities, and our first pairing as news anchors.  Kenn and I went onto two radio shows the next year--more on that soon.

Now, let's hear the exciting conclusion to Karl Herman in the Shower!

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Episode 009 - Karl Herman in the Shower Part 9

I'm guessing that "Karl Herman Bloopers and Practical Jokes" was more my idea than Ray's.  The fact that I did basically the same bit in SF Productions "Outstanding in Our Field" tends to back up that theory.

By this point, we were getting near the end of the school year, and Karl's graduation (he was a year ahead of Ray and myself).  While I may be reading into this, I think Ray was about done with the show.  Either that, or the simmering feud between he and Karl was a great bit of theater, as you'll hear in the episode.  Maybe Ray was just mourning the death of his pet.  He did had one more trick up his sleeve, as we'll hear in the series conclusion next time.

Paul Voltz drops in as a crew member, and I play host, announcer, and crew member.  This is the only time you hear Karl sans shower in the series. 

This episode references "The Pop Shoppe".  My roommates and I (really more them than me) started a business selling pop and candy from our room.  It was okayed by the school (being a very free market concept), and in a year and a half, we sold 14,000 cans and bottles of pop at a school with 2,200 students.  Ray sounds concerned that Karl mentioned it--perhaps worried that WSAJ might lose its non-commercial license for the "ad".

Onto the penultimate episode...

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Episode 008 - Karl Herman in the Shower Part 8

A bit of a break from the wackiness as Dr. Reitz, Grove City College math professor, stops by the shower for a visit.  The fact that Dr. Reitz left the school soon after should not be tied to his decision to get involved with the show.

I tried to clean up the weird sound breaks--I remember the power to the recorder went out when the door was opened.  Yet another reason not to produce a show in a bathroom.

Oh--In a stunning upset, Karl became Spring King!  By this point, Karl was getting news coverage from the school paper--I have a copy around here somewhere, and will scan and post it if and when I find it.

Back to the bathroom and the final promo!

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