Author Topic: why spike was a good caller  (Read 5413 times)

bdb318

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why spike was a good caller
« on: May 24, 2017, 08:17:24 PM »
Spike, for all the flack he took, was a good caller. He's a really weird caller, but he's fundamentally good. He's, like, a weird judgmental dude, but he's judgmental about the weirdest things, and it's kind of funny when we learn what these things are. And some of these things are kind of plausible even. And the more we learn about this guy (don't forget--the first time we encounter him, all we know is that he's looking for somebody called "Debbie the Dominatrix") the more we become comfortable with the whole thing. His schtick becomes less a schtick and more just the way this guy is. It's Spike, the caller. This is kind of the highest aspiration of a good caller--to let your true personality (or at least a persistent personality) show through but always remember that Tom is in charge. Spike always knew that Tom was in charge, or at least he did after he started having actual conversations. The extent to which Tom choreographed all of this, over months and years, is a testament to the very greatest strengths of the Show and a reflection of general overall quality.

bdb318

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2017, 08:51:17 PM »
I think some people don't like Spike because they think he never got the joke. Except I think he got the joke very, very early on and just kind of went with the flow in his own weird way. Because he's a weird guy! But he definitely knows what's going on around him. Why else would he keep calling back, after getting hung up on almost every week?

buffcoat

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2017, 12:52:01 PM »
I think I'm comparatively neutral on Spike. Tom running rings around him was great, Weirdos Exposed was great and "John Wesley Shipp" by Carl Newman was one of the truly incandescent Best Show moments, but there's also a whole lot of dead air in there.
I really don't appreciate your sarcastic, anti-comedy tone, Bro!

mostlymeat

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2017, 01:52:48 PM »
I think I'm comparatively neutral on Spike. Tom running rings around him was great, Weirdos Exposed was great and "John Wesley Shipp" by Carl Newman was one of the truly incandescent Best Show moments, but there's also a whole lot of dead air in there.

John Wesley Shipp by Carl Newman
http://www.wfmu.org/flashplayer.php?version=2&show=49804&archive=86147&starttime=2:49:57

"The had the fastest man, and they cancelled him after a season, while they eat up everything J-Lo does, what's the reason?"


leeharveyosmond

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #4 on: May 25, 2017, 06:29:54 PM »
hearing him call tom "pet" and "babe" within a few months (around late 2010-early 2011) is one of his greatest accomplishments

Carver

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2017, 02:33:16 AM »
Avalanche Bob could be the new Spike if he would allow a conversation to occur.

bdb318

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2017, 09:43:37 AM »
Avalanche Bob could be the new Spike if he would allow a conversation to occur.

Things that prevent Avalanche Bob from being the next Spike:

1) inability to have a proper conversation
2) he seems to be a difficult person to just hang up on for some reason, or for a variety of reasons maybe. Spike was always easy to hang up on, because he basically invited it and seemed OK getting GOMPed week after week.
3) his primary motivation for calling is self-promotion. All other motivations, to whatever extent they exist, are second-order concerns.

I think Avalanche Bob is closer to being the next Captain Jack than to being the next Spike, to be honest. He's not that close to being Captain Jack-level bad, but few callers, if any, are.

gogurt

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2017, 12:34:33 AM »
Listening to the combative call near the end of the 5/30 show (last night) made me reminisce about Spike and the WFMU days which had much more "weirdos" stumbling across the broadcast and calling in cold.  Don't get me wrong, the show IMHO is at its strongest now, but I always liked those non-listener calls from left field and Tom giving them the run-around.

I'd love to see Tom do another round of getting listeners to have non-listeners call in.  Also, I'd take Spike any day of the week over bitter fanboys.

ben

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2017, 10:04:37 AM »
When was the last time he called?  I seem to remember him calling in the last 18 months maybe, but it might have been a dream where I was listening to the Best Show.
Sounds like someone was working as a conduit for nature's natural vengeance.  Just like Jesus.  And some of the others.

bdb318

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #9 on: June 01, 2017, 11:01:23 AM »
When was the last time he called?  I seem to remember him calling in the last 18 months maybe, but it might have been a dream where I was listening to the Best Show.

That sounds about right. Last he called, he and Tom talked about the yet-to-happen election, I think.

leeharveyosmond

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #10 on: June 01, 2017, 12:44:18 PM »
it was the first show of this year

Kurz

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #11 on: June 13, 2017, 03:53:31 AM »
hearing him call tom "pet" and "babe" within a few months (around late 2010-early 2011) is one of his greatest accomplishments
He was already a regular caller in 2006 or even 2005. And before that, the Debbie the Dominatrix thing starts at least a year earlier, if not longer. Listening to the archives after only learning of the show in 2013, it's kinda amazing to discover that the annoying dominatrix prank caller is actually the infamous Spike.

Nielsen

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #12 on: August 26, 2017, 03:32:16 AM »
I'm a huge Spike fan too.
I made a little "tribute" to him:

https://youtu.be/M7bVpXmxGQU

bdb318

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #13 on: August 26, 2017, 04:50:26 PM »
I'm a huge Spike fan too.
I made a little "tribute" to him:

https://youtu.be/M7bVpXmxGQU

A+

mostlymeat

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Re: why spike was a good caller
« Reply #14 on: August 28, 2017, 01:07:05 PM »
I'm a huge Spike fan too.
I made a little "tribute" to him:

https://youtu.be/M7bVpXmxGQU

A+

+1 (although I'm disappointed to not hear anything from the "Weirdos Exposed" saga)