(everybody can use the writings below to spread around however you see fit! And please DO spread it around!)
Hello everybody! It's Tom Scharpling, the host of The Best Show On WFMU!
WFMU’s 2011 fundraising marathon is underway, and I'm doing my second and final fundraising marathon show this Tuesday, March 8th from 9 PM- midnight EST, asking for your pledges to help keep WFMU up and running for another year. Remember, WE ARE A LISTENER SPONSORED STATION, and the way we make our operating budget is through our marathon. We don't take sleazy corporate grants or shady government subsidies or any of that stuff, and that allows us to bring you freeform radio that is 100 percent free - that's the beauty of not having ties to The Bad Guys.
We've got special guests galore coming down to make the show as much fun as possible. What kind of ‘special guests’ you may ask? For starters we’ve got TED LEO returning to the Best Show airwaves! And we will also have CARL NEWMAN from the New Pornographers on hand! And JOHN HODGMAN will also be in the studio! And KURT VILE is gonna swing by also! Four of the most talented people in The Biz are all going to be LIVE IN THE STUDIO this Tuesday night! Unbelievable, right?
So call and pledge 1-800-989-9368 or pledge online at
www.wfmu.org this Tuesday March 8th between 9 PM- midnight EST!! But you gotta pledge DURING the show to get the exclusive Best Show DON’T STOP ME NOW FANTASY PACK, available to anyone who pledges $75 or more!
The first item in the pack is a vinyl 7” record called RATED GG! The single is comprised of exclusive songs by notorious scum rocker GG Allin cleaned up and recorded by BEN GIBBARD, THE MOUNTAIN GOATS, FUCKED UP, TY SEGALL and TED LEO!
There will also be a DIGITAL DOWNLOAD of the single that will feature additional content by HOME BLITZ, SCHARPLING AND WURSTER, DUMP, JULIE KLAUSNER and more!
Seriously – this thing is going to be legendary. And it is ONLY available by pledging DURING MY SHOW. After that it will not be for sale anywhere ever!
The second part of the pack is a POSTER designed by CHARLES BURNS! Burns is a true mega-talent - one of the all-timers in the comics game for the last two decades - and he has been kind enough to lend his talent to The Best Show! And again, this poster will be GONE FOREVER if you don’t pledge DURING MY MARATHON SHOW ON TUESDAY MARCH 8th!
There will also be an awesome T-SHIRT included in the pack, which is shown here! And if that’s not enough I’m adding a BUTTON to the mix! Also awesome and also available ONLY BY PLEDGING DURING MY MARATHON SHOWS.
Once the marathon is over, ALL THESE THINGS ARE GONE FOREVER.
There are pledge levels at $150, $365, $500, $1000 and $3000, and the station takes care of you big-time with a TON of awesome prizes and shirts and CDs that you can’t get anywhere else. And unlike that PBS or NPR crap, WFMU’s premiums are all top-notch and well made – who hasn’t seen a cool WFMU t-shirt in their travels? And everything is 100 percent TAX DEDUCTABLE!
And as an added bonus, anyone who pledges $500 or more will receive a SCREENED VERSION of the Charles Burns poster in addition to the printed version! Amazing!
And for you white whales out there, we have a truly amazing prize on the table for whoever pledges the most money over the course of my two shows. STEVE LAMBERT designed an absolutely beautiful work of art called UNSTOPPABLE that will be given out to the largest Best Show pledger! I’ve included a picture of it here and you can check out more info on Steve Lambert by checking out visitsteve.com!
And if you want to support the station but don't have the money right now, YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY YOUR PLEDGE RIGHT AWAY! The station sends you a bill in the mail and you can take care of it later. You can structure your payments in EASY MONTHLY INSTALLMENTS! But the important thing is pledging and being a part of something Good in a world that is filled with Too Much Bad, especially in These Troubling Times.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO CALL OR PLEDGE ONLINE DURING MY SHOW, I will gladly write the pledge up myself. You can email me your information - name, address and pledge amount - and I will fill it out myself. All addresses and information is completely confidential and is not sold or distributed in any way shape or form, so don't worry about your privacy. Write me at toms@wfmu.org and I’ll take care of it.
And PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS! Put it on Facebook and Twitter and MySpace and maybe even Friendster if you can still remember your password. Post it on like-minded message boards! Tell co-workers and friends and family members and whoever! The station has a huge mountain to climb this time, but we can do it if enough people step up to the plate and pitch in.
THE FACTS:
Tuesday March 8th between 9 PM-midnight EST
TED LEO, CARL NEWMAN, JOHN HODGMAN and KURT VILE LIVE IN STUDIO
CALL 1-800-989-9368 or PLEDGE ONLINE at
www.wfmu.org on TUESDAY MARCH 8th between 9 PM-midnight EST and be counted!
Thank you!
Tom Scharpling.
