{"id":39,"date":"2013-06-11T13:13:13","date_gmt":"2013-06-11T13:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tgoradio.com\/?page_id=39"},"modified":"2019-12-27T07:29:56","modified_gmt":"2019-12-27T11:29:56","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/tgoradio.com\/?page_id=39","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"

March 2009<\/span><\/p>\n

TGO Radio co-hosts Jeff Durant and Brian Wise sit in a cramped recording studio at an \u201cundisclosed location\u201d known only as The Meadows. Wise shuffles some papers and asks, \u201cDo you want to hear audio of the human clown car calling 911 last October?\u201d He is referring to Nadia Suleman\u2019s frantic call to 911 in late October 2008, when she thought one of her children had gone missing. Durant hesitates and replies, \u201cYeah, yeah I do,\u201d and in an even smaller neighboring room, producer Doug Reacharound clicks his mouse and the sound begins.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHelp me, help me, my son is missing, I\u2019m going crazy,\u201d Suleman gasps. \u201cWhere\u2019s my son? Where\u2019s my son?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCheck your vag,\u201d Durant answers, and the two dissolve into laughter. The audio stops. \u201cI think there\u2019s plenty more hiding up in there.\u201d Not wanting to be outdone, Wise adds, \u201cCheck your horribly disfigured vag\u201d before Durant raises the bar with, \u201cThe way she\u2019s operating, you just pull them off like paper towels.\u201d That does it. TGO Radio has broken down under the weight of its own jokes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Perhaps everything you need to know about TGO Radio is neatly encapsulated in that sixty-five seconds. The show\u2019s motto is \u201cNothing is Sacred,\u201d and with each taping Durant and Wise seem to underscore the point. But Wise is quick to point out that the banter between he and Durant in no way amounts to common, shock jock stuff. \u201cJeff and I have known each other for our entire lives. This is how we talk when we hang out, or on the phone, or whatever. We have long, in depth conversations about the tone and direction of our lives, and the rest of the time we talk about how badly we\u2019d like to bang Bristol Palin. That\u2019s who we are.”<\/span><\/p>\n

* * *<\/span><\/p>\n

An odd mix of topical commentary and x-rated humor, TGO Radio first broadcast in May 2005, starring Wise, Durant, and producer Ron Mexico. Wise, then an opinion columnist of some recognition, was looking for another avenue of expression. \u201cWhen it\u2019s right, the written word is the most beautiful thing. It can move minds, change lives, create war. Words are the greatest things. But at that point I was beginning to get the feeling I\u2019d said everything I wanted to say in that medium.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0So in February 2005, Wise approached Durant about starting a weekly Internet radio show. Wise explains, \u201cJeff was the only choice from the very beginning. If it was possible to bring our normal conversation to people, that\u2019s what I wanted.\u201d Instead of recording weekly for an indefinite period of time, Wise\u2019s idea was to record in twelve episode seasons, not unlike a television show, and to take months off between seasons. \u201cWe would have been able to take time to sit on the recorded shows, get some distance from them, so we could look back with clearer heads and figure out what the show needed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Within a matter of days, producer Ron Mexico (Durant describes him as a \u201changer on\u201d) was brought into the mix and equipment tests began. The trio started recording test shows in March and by late April, all was cleared for an official \u201claunch date.\u201d TGO Radio would be recorded on Wednesdays, edited, and posted online every Friday beginning May 13.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0For Brian Wise, it is almost impossible to listen to those early shows. As the first episode plays, he winces and shifts uncomfortably, moaning disapproval. Finally he turns it off. \u201cImportant to remember, though, that this is the episode where we played the Pat O\u2019Brien sexual harassment voicemails, a bit that remains our \u2018Stairway to Heaven.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Despite rough beginnings, TGO Radio settled into a somewhat normalized routine and improved steadily through five episodes. But between episodes five and six, personal matters in Durant\u2019s life came to a head and he was suddenly gone from the show. The sixth episode was co-hosted by a woman Wise met the night of the recording, and was a disaster. \u201cThe Sexual Harassment Episode\u201d was never made available to the public.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cOn the way to the studio that night, I explained to Barbara what the show was, how it would work, and that she should just be herself,\u201d Wise says. \u201cAnd to her eternal credit, she did exactly what I asked, and gave as good as she got. It wasn\u2019t bad radio because she wasn\u2019t cooperative; she was right there with me. And to the degree she could be, she was funny. It was bad radio because she was the new third Stooge, you know? She was Curly Joe. It wouldn\u2019t have really worked no matter what.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0After flirting with the idea of bringing the woman on as Durant\u2019s permanent replacement, Wise killed the show entirely in mid-July 2005. Asked today to explain how and why the first season ended, he pleads \u201cinternational intrigue\u201d with a straight face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Wise coped with the loss by piecing together \u201cTGO Radio\u2019s Greatest Hits,\u201d a 17-track compilation of the show\u2019s higher moments. (Today, 16 of those selections can be found on the TGO Radio website, minus the first \u201cmystery track.\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0When TGO Radio ended, Ron Mexico fell off the deep end. Durant says, \u201cRon had enough problems. It wasn\u2019t that the show ending was traumatic, it was that everything in his life was traumatic, and this was just the last straw.\u201d Mexico dropped off the map.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

* * *<\/span><\/p>\n

By late July 2008, the lives of Jeff Durant and Brian Wise had each come to a crossroads. Durant and his wife had just separated, and Wise had not only stopped writing, but his depression was such that he was finding it harder and harder to get out of bed. In between episodes of Deadwood<\/i> and Dexter<\/i>, the two talked about their lives and what to do with them. Slowly, the idea of resurrecting TGO Radio began creeping into their discussions. \u201cSome Internet radio show wasn\u2019t going to be the answer,\u201d Durant says, \u201cbut it would help ease tension.\u201d In a blog posting dated August 2, 2008, Wise broke the news:<\/span><\/p>\n

As this is being posted, Jeff, interim producer extraordinaire Doug Reacharound, and your humble correspondent are gathering at an undisclosed location in Northern Indiana to test new wave recording equipment for the first of two new TGO Radio test shows, to be recorded next week.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doug Reacharound never left the crew.\u00a0 \u201cI hung around with a group of people, and one of them knew Brian,\u201d the producer remembers. \u201cWe all ran into each other at a restaurant somewhere. I\u2019d never heard of their show, and when Brian asked me if I wanted to produce some audio tests, I had no idea what he was talking about. I knew nothing about production the way Brian wanted it done, but I have no doubt that production as he wants it will get me absolutely nowhere in the real radio business.\u201d As for the name Doug Reacharound, \u201cI think it\u2019s an American Dad<\/i> gag. I never asked.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

By September 2008, Wise decided the first new episode of TGO Radio in over three years should be broadcast live on Election Night. He was convinced it would work. \u201cWe knew Obama was going to win, and we were pretty sure the State results were going to fall certain ways, at certain times. I figured, if we went live at, say, nine o\u2019clock, we\u2019d be able to come in and mop up the mess.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Preparation for the live show was more arduous than Wise ever suspected. \u201cOur Election Night guide was thicker than my last book,\u201d he moaned. \u201cThe sheer number of pages was amazing, because I didn\u2019t know when to stop. Electoral votes by State, then by poll closing time, then every House and Senate race. Then we had interviews and breaks, a spotter on site. It was just too much.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Election Night show was a colossal failure. Durant is somewhat more reflective than Wise on the matter. \u201cIf we had come on, said that Sarah Palin was hot and made fun of Obama and McCain for two hours, we would\u2019ve been fine. But we tried to be too serious about it.\u201d Eventually the live show broke down into the old TGO Radio, all laughs and obscenity. From what little information Wise could cull from the show\u2019s ratings, the further the broadcast went off the tracks, the more people were listening.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

* * *<\/span><\/p>\n

Anxious to lick their wounds, the TGO Radio crew began recording its second season on Wednesday, December 17, 2008. \u201cWell, I think it\u2019s just a fuckin\u2019 miracle of modern therapy that we\u2019re back on the air after Election Night,\u201d Durant began. And with that, the slate was cleansed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the course of twelve episodes, \u201cNothing is Sacred\u201d was taken to a different level. Michelle Obama was referred to as President Obama\u2019s \u201cpost-op, transgendered wife\u201d, Senator Edward Kennedy\u2019s Inauguration Day seizure was referred to as a \u201cflopper\u201d before he was dogged for several minutes, Wise\u2019s sex life was referred to as \u201cthe winter of cooze\u201d, the Soviet National Anthem was played underneath discussions of Obama administration policies.\u00a0 By the time it reached the last episode, \u201cRetard Fight Club \/ Retard Pulp Fiction<\/i>\u201d set the standard.\u00a0 Without even breaking a smile, Wise explains: \u201cSpeaking only for my own work on the show, \u2018Retard Fight Club\u2019 was the funniest thing I\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But as season two closed in mid-March, Wise was continually sick and did not feel a third season was in him. \u201cNot to mention we each had contract concerns,\u201d Wise adds. \u201cWe had recording and editing facilities at our disposal, and for some reason, Meadows management thought they were being abused.\u201d\u00a0 He smiles wryly.\u00a0 \u201cWe came in rubbing everyone the wrong way. They weren\u2019t understanding what we were doing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The longer they spent away from the show, the more Wise wanted to get back \u201con the air.\u201d\u00a0 By late April, he had decided to bring the show back for a third season, provided the various disputes could be worked out.\u00a0 His first move was to sit down with Meadows management. Wise is reluctant to discuss the meeting, but says he \u201cin no way compromised on the content of the show.\u201d The official announcement for season three was made in May, with production beginning June 1 and an episode one broadcast date of July 14.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t know what to do if TGO Radio were ever a success,\u201d Wise says. \u201cI mean, we\u2019re aiming for listeners, but if the show were suddenly a success and a lot of people were listening, I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d know how to handle it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

March 2009 TGO Radio co-hosts Jeff Durant and Brian Wise sit in a cramped recording studio at an \u201cundisclosed location\u201d known only as The Meadows. Wise shuffles some papers and asks, \u201cDo you want to hear audio of the human clown car calling 911 last October?\u201d He is referring to Nadia Suleman\u2019s frantic call to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tgoradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/39"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tgoradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tgoradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tgoradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tgoradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/tgoradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/39\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":952,"href":"http:\/\/tgoradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/39\/revisions\/952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tgoradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}