More Dave from Knoxville! (10/17/06):
- As Tom took the first call of the evening, he had that one-second twinge of expecting to hear "Heeeelllloooo, Tom." However, it was the far less creepy Dave from Knoxville (starts at 27:25), who apologizes for cutting in front of Spike. Tom says there's no need, but Dave thinks he may have to apologize again after asking Tom for a favor. He's rarely able to listen live due to family obligations, but his wife and kids went to the beach for Fall break. As a result, he planned his entire week around settling in for some Tuesday night radio fun. But then his plans were derailed by a flat tire on the way home from work. Tom asks him if he's enlisted AAA assistance, but Dave is going to fix it himself, a DIY ethic that he attributes to the southern way of life. Tom says that he can also put on a spare, but if he's already paid for the service that will send a guy to fix it while he reads a magazine or comic book, he will do it. About a year and a half ago, Tom drove home in the pouring rain and got a flat alongside an Anheuser-Busch brewery. He had no interest in going out in the dark, wet night to muck around with a tire on his brand new Aston Martin. It was still covered, so an A-M serviceman came out, popped the mounted spare off the trunk, replaced that, put the spare on, and then Tom was on his way. Tom read an Iron Man comic while the repair was being done. Dave thinks the story blows his desired favor to pieces. He was going to ask Tom to hold off on doing anything interesting until he got home. He found the spare tire story fascinating.
Tom thinks he must have psychically picked up on the request because he doesn't expect anything interesting to happen for a long time tonight. Dave is pleased and promises to call Tom's "screener" when he gets home to give the go-ahead to ratchet it up. Tom is offended by Dave referring to Mike the Associate Producer as a lowly screener, which makes it seem like Mike is scrubbing flies off screen doors at the back of a Chinese restaurant. Mike only does that for fun. On the show, he's the invisible hand holding it down behind the glass. Tom tells Dave to get his tire fixed and get home safely. Dave tells Tom to have a great night, and Tom returns the wishes. Dave is confident that he will indeed have a great night. The upbeat sign-off prompts Tom to declare Dave the Tony Robbins of Knoxville.
Tom commends Dave for his brief, focused call. He came in, made his point, and checked out. No more Day Of The Dead sleepwalks in the new regime of The Best Show. You splash some cold water on your face, you call, you have a good 'ol time hashing out your topic with Tom, and then you say goodnight. Tom says that everyone -- including the regulars and even Tom -- is on probation. If Spike is boring, he’s gone. If Petey rambles in the goofball voice, CLICK. From now on, the show is gonna move like the rapid-fire Mad Money without the chair throwing and someone dressed up in a bull costume. If you're tired, just let the show be like a soothing lullably in the background. No need to sing along.
