Welcome to blogs.villagevoice.com
Blogs
  • News
    • » News Home
    • » Daily News
    • » Runnin' Scared - News Blog
    • » Tom Robbins
    • » Wayne Barrett
  • Music
    • » Music Home
    • » Top Picks
    • » Find a Bar or Club
    • » Pazz & Jop
    • » Down in Front
    • » Sound of the City
    • » Siren
    • » Submit an Event
    • » Jukebox
    • » Join Music Newsletter
    • » Entertainment Ads
  • Calendar
    • » Calendar Home
    • » Top Picks
    • » Comedy Events
    • » Submit an Event
    • » Entertainment Ads
  • Restaurants
    • » Restaurants Home
    • » Restaurant Guide
    • » Restaurant Reviews
    • » Sietsema's Counter Culture
    • » Find a Bar or Club
    • » Fork in the Road (column)
    • » Fork in the Road (blog)
    • » Sponsored Online Menus
    • » Choice Eats Tasting Event
    • » Join Dining Newsletter
    • » Restaurant Ads
    • » Happy Hours App
  •  
  • Arts
    • » Arts Home
    • » Calendar
    • » Books
    • » Theater
    • » Art
    • » Dance
    • » Obies Theater Awards
  • Films
    • » Films Home
    • » Now Showing
    • » Movie Showtimes
    • » Reviews
    • » Join NY Film Club
    • » Movie Ads
  • The Ads
    • Ad Index
    • Flip Book
    • Media Kit
    • » Fitness Health & Beauty Guide
    • » Sponsored Online Menus
  • Classifieds
    • Free Online Classifieds
    • Real Estate For Rent
    • Sexy Black Book
    • Virtual Career Fair
    • Personals
    • Real Estate for Sale
    • Place an Ad (print)
  • Blogs
    • » Runnin' Scared
    • » Sound of the City
    • » La Daily Musto
    • » Fork in the Road (blog)
    • » All City
  • Columns
    • » La Dolce Musto
    • » Tom Robbins
    • » Sex
    • » Horoscope
  • Best Of
    • » Arts & Entertainment
    • » Bars & Clubs
    • » Food & Drink
    • » People & Places
    • » Shopping & Services
    • » Sports & Recreation
    • » Best of Ads
  • Bars/Clubs
    • » Bars/Clubs Home
    • » Gay Bars & Clubs
    • » Bars/Club Ads
    • » Happy Hours App
  • Archives
    • Advanced Archive Search
    • Locations Map
    • Event Search
  • Reader Recommendations
  • Promotions
    • Street Team
    • Join The Street Team
    • Contests & Promotions
    • Text Alerts
    • Buy Village Voice Merchandise
    • Supplements Archive
  • Site Map

Top

blog

Stories

 

FM Radio: Tune In, or You're Racist

By Eugene Mirman, Wednesday, Mar. 22 2006 @ 5:13PM
Comments (7)

radio.jpg

Video: Why Eugene Won't Shut Up and Rock

Last May I got a call from a company in Atlanta about a video I made where I am a robot with lots of different skills (incredible strength, ability to feel emotions, etc). One of my biggest claims was that I had a radio in my finger that had more music than iTunes. That's quite a claim (as a robot I could make it though).

As we all know digital music is scaring the shit out of record companies and radio stations and redefining how we get music. They're afraid of losing all their profits (and Thai sex vacations don't grow on trees, except in Thailand—but still for a fee). This Atlanta company believed that the concept that a radio station had more music and variety in it's "finger" than you could on an iPod or computer would be a great campaign for new stations (JACK FM, MIKE FM, THE WOLF, etc.) They asked me if while on tour I would stop by for a few hours and record some stuff. I was hesitant at first and then agreed to do it (because we still use money in this century I'd need it for food, shelter, plus I am saving up for two helicopters—one to sleep in and one to throw out. However, I look forward to the future when we're all self-actualized and the only people turning tricks are simply those hookers who see it as a fulfillment of their destiny. We can dream, can't we, 2064?)

I went in to their studio and improvised for an hour or so and they edited about 10 or 12 ads, I believe. That sort of thing makes me nervous, at times (like the VH1 talking head stuff where they can edit you to look like a douche bag. I did one of those VH1 shows a few years ago called "Robbing the Cradle"—where I talked about age-gapped celebrity relationships I knew nothing about. The only other time I went in to VH1 was for some sort of comparison show they were trying to do, where they'd ask you—"Who's more Jewish, Madonna or Britney Spears" or "Who's more 'black,' Michael Jackson or Justin Timberlake?" And I said, "You know that Michael Jackson is on trial for raping a child?" And they didn't have me back.)

A few months later I found out that various stations bought the ads. I would periodically get e-mails from strangers like, "Are you doing something for the Wolf?" (My personal favorite, since at the time, I did not know what "The Wolf" was. It is apparently a wolf-themed radio station, run by wolves that were raised as human. America! You are quite a melting pot to allow anthropomorphized wolves to have a media outlet.)

Anyway, some of the radio-robot ads they made are funny and some have an announcer that says "Shut up and rock!" I personally would never tell anyone to shut up and rock, which is probably why they had another man do that. I don't actually know which ads air in which cities. Still, they were nice and gave me the footage to use as well, and I have made my own versions. Here are some of the ads I made.

Comments (7) Write Comment
Share

Comments (7)

Anonymous says:

I know you were just kidding about the whole who's blacker, Michael Jackson or JT, but I hope you KNOW BLACK PEOPE DO READ THIS STUPID MAGAZINE. CLOWN.

Posted On: Sunday, Mar. 26 2006 @ 5:23PM
cinde says:

eugene! they TOLD you black people READ this STUPID magazine! GET IT!? right?! god i hope so.
clown yes, cute clown? hmm.. maybe

Posted On: Tuesday, Mar. 28 2006 @ 1:45PM
Eugenem says:

I imagine all sorts of people read this - even homosexuals and probably musicians (mostly both). And to be clear, I was asked that question by VH1 and that was my responce. That was a real question. Just as I was asked about Madonna and Mrs. Spears being Jewish. I don't think the show ever got made.

Posted On: Wednesday, Mar. 29 2006 @ 4:21PM
katie spence says:

But it has been shown that black people read blogs.

It's not bragging if it's true.

Posted On: Wednesday, Mar. 29 2006 @ 4:58PM
Eugenem says:

I'm sure all sorts of people read this, even homosexuals and probably musicians (both most likely). To be clear — VH1 really did ask me those questions. That's true. And if you're asking me to lie, I will not. Sorry.

Posted On: Wednesday, Mar. 29 2006 @ 5:23PM
bennynailbiter says:

Honored Comic Crowned,
Because they appreciate your presence THEY are me.

In a sense I wood a lot towards a subsistence, yet look to you for my fancy to be tick a tick a tickled.

Unprovoked attack against a soft head, now you're a racist. Hmmm, and they say comedy doesn't pay, or make a point. Hmmm. Hmmm.
Please God don't post this or the Tafia will once again try to spoon feed me purple cheer.

Harg Harg.

Posted On: Wednesday, Mar. 29 2006 @ 7:05PM
Trip says:

The radio isn't real, VH1 is a television station (it stands for 'Video Hits 1,' jerkoff), the station is called the 'WOOOLF!' and you're full of shit!

wow, these blog comments are a vast wasteland of angry skanks, skallywags, functional illiterates and members of the band INXS. it made me sad inside to know this whole blogging thing is no longer the domain of super-smart robo-men who understand "jokes." don't let these anonymous blog comments get you down. you could always podcast, stupid people don't know about that yet (until...now).

Posted On: Friday, Mar. 31 2006 @ 4:23PM

Write Comment


(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By clicking "Post," you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.

Tools

Search Hello. I'm Eugene.


Follow

Email tips to tips@villagevoice.com

SlideShows»

  • SXSW: Village Voice Media Showdown with the XX, Superchunk & more
  • Smell the Glove Party
  • Driven by Boredom's 9 Year Anniversary Party (NSFW)
  • More Slideshows >>

VVM on Digg

  • 1
    diggs
    WalMart Fires Associate Of Year, Cancer Patient
  • 25
    diggs
    Don't Park Here!
  • 4
    diggs
    Accused Coke Thief Lab Tech Has Colleagues in High Places
  • 43
    diggs
    $8K Bag of Weed Found in Goodwill Donation Bin
  • 54
    diggs
    The Ten Best Names of Traditional Irish Dishes
  • 85
    diggs
    State Bans Synthetic Weed, New Products crop up to Replace
  • 66
    diggs
    Cincinnati Named Craziest U.S. City, SF Pissed
  • 30
    diggs
    Jesse Ventura spars with "The View" women over 9/11 (VIDs)
  • 77
    diggs
    10 Songs to Add to your St. Patricks Day Playlist
  • 85
    diggs
    Top 5 Anthems of Self-Loathing
  • 158
    diggs
    Group Continues Case To Force Condoms On Porn Industry
  • 774
    diggs
    Man Gets 60 Yrs In Prison For Possessing 1.3 g of Cocaine
  • 361
    diggs
    Boob Cheese: A Protein Whose Time Has Come
  • 245
    diggs
    Cow Gets Loose, Terrorizes Town
  • 434
    diggs
    A Father Rapes his 5 Daughters and Has 6 Kids By Them.
  • 288
    diggs
    Kansas Becomes 1st State to Ban K2 (Synthetic Marijuana)
  • 218
    diggs
    Needle & The Damage Done: 6 Acts of Musical Career Suicide
  • 299
    diggs
    Man Shoots Wife 10 Times, Blames Her Murder on the Mob
  • 424
    diggs
    Marijuana Milkshake Celebration & Bhang Your Head!
  • 303
    diggs
    Tracking When, Where and How People Have Sex in Real-Time
  • 8773
    diggs
    Legalization of Marijuana Bill in California
  • 5801
    diggs
    Guess Who is Facing 21 Years in Prison?
  • 5051
    diggs
    Guys Dates Several Prostitutes. No Sex. Just Regular Dates.
  • 4605
    diggs
    Get Up, Stand Up: Ammiano Introduces Marijuana Legalization
  • 3753
    diggs
    Denver Airports Controversial 32 FT Zombie Mustang Sculpture
  • 3729
    diggs
    Guy Dumps His Cheating Girlfriend Live on Radio (Audio)
  • 2721
    diggs
    Meet Scientology's Worst Enemy
  • 2693
    diggs
    Decision Tree: Should I Buy an iPad? (PIC)
  • 2631
    diggs
    The best (PIC) of Colin Powell you'll see today.
  • 2588
    diggs
    Police Get The Wrong House In Galveston, Assault 12-Year old

Links

  • Village Voice
  • Wayne Barrett
  • Elizabeth Dwoskin
  • Jockbeat
  • Michael Musto
  • Tom Robbins
  • Somebody Got Murdered
  • Studies in Crap
  • New York Daily News
  • New York Post
  • New York Times
  • Newsday
  • Wall Street Journal
  • Washington Post
  • YouTube
  • Salon
  • Slate
  • Gawker
  • Huffington Post
  • Daily Kos
  • Drudge Report
  • The Daily Show
  • Colbert Report
  • Politico
  • Philadelphia Inquirer
  • Associated Press
  • Fox News
  • The Onion
  • ESPN
  • CNN
  • Time
  • Forward
  • New York
  • New Yorker
  • New York Review of Books
  • New York Observer
  • ABC News
  • CBS News
  • MSNBC
  • Newsweek
  • New York Sun
  • National Review
  • New Republic
  • Harper's
  • Atlantic
  • Vanity Fair
  • The Nation
  • Radar
  • New York Law Journal
  • Columbia Journalism Review
  • Columbia Spectator
  • Washington Square News
  • News India Times
  • Women's Wear Daily
  • Amsterdam News
  • New York Press
  • Time Out
  • IRIN
  • Indymedia
  • FAIR: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
  • Cryptome
  • Human Rights Watch
  • United for a Fair Economy
  • International Crisis Group
  • nola.com: New Orleans Times-Picayune
  • The New Yorker:Iraq Coverage
  • Index on Censorship
  • CounterPunch
  • Center for Contemporary Conflict
  • McClatchy D.C. Bureau
  • TomDispatch.com
  • Common Dreams News Center
  • War Report — Project on Defense Alternatives
  • Power & Interest News Report
  • Selves and Others
  • Antiwar.com
  • Johnson's Russia List
  • Energy Bulletin
  • Dry Dipstick
  • IFIWatchnet
  • Al Jazeera
  • chechnya-sl
  • Bushims
  • ACLU's Torture FOIA
  • Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
  • National Security Archive
  • Waxman Committee
  • Ethics Daily
  • Bretton Woods Project
  • Human Rights First
  • Center for Public Integrity
  • GlobalSecurity.org
  • Institute for War & Peace Reporting
  • 9-11 Timeline
  • Iraq Body Count
  • Students for an Orwellian Society
  • Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
  • whitehouse.gov
  • whitehouse.org
About Us | Work for Village Voice | Esubscribe | Free Classifieds | Advertising | Privacy Policy | Problem With the Site? | RSS | Site Map
©2010 Village Voice, LLC. All rights reserved.