The Leader

[Gibby]

In terms of listening, I'm still a novice, even though I've listened to about half of the archive as well as every continual show since mid-07. There's a ton of stuff that I just don't 'get', but clearing it all up would take weeks, and figuring it out for myself is pretty fun.

However, I have listened to a lot of calls by The Leader and I can't tell: real or fake? What's the story here?

[yesno]

he was your usual mutant who morphed into a semi-regular feature. I think he first called in in 2002 as the "leader" of a room full of his blockhead friends.

[masterofsparks]

He was a non-sanctioned character - kinda like Spike or MC Steinberg. His first call is hilarious because he's insulting and threatening Tom and then you hear a "ding-ding" as you realize he works at a gas station.

[cutout]

Is he definitely not the same guy as Larry the Perv?

[Gibby]

I just got off listening to the show where Tom and Officer Tom blast out Physical Graffiti and go to the Hess station outside the Holland Tunnel to go and find him; is there no more Leader after that?

[Steve in North Hollywood]

Tom and Officer Tom elisted the help of Timmy Von Trimble and his "friends" to put The Leader through a Stomping Machine that night.

[Regular Joe]

I just got off listening to the show where Tom and Officer Tom blast out Physical Graffiti and go to the Hess station outside the Holland Tunnel to go and find him; is there no more Leader after that?

Can I get the date of this show?

[Josh]

I just got off listening to the show where Tom and Officer Tom blast out Physical Graffiti and go to the Hess station outside the Holland Tunnel to go and find him; is there no more Leader after that?

Can I get the date of this show?

July 13, 2004: Philly Boy Roy! Skag Winesack! The Party Doctor! Matt Walsh! Petey's Grandmother! The Leader! And Hanging Outside The Holland Tunnel At A Hess Station With Officer Tom And Some Reckless Youth! | Listen

It was also the klassic podcast on June 29, 2006. Thanks, Book Them Dan O!

[Jixby Phillips]

There might be more leader between the parking lot/and the last leader call, but I can remember the final call from him was a really long time since his last call. It ends with tom laughing, not quite believing it's the leader, and hanging up on him I think becuase he said something he couldn't say on the air.

[Josh]

There might be more leader between the parking lot/and the last leader call, but I can remember the final call from him was a really long time since his last call. It ends with tom laughing, not quite believing it's the leader, and hanging up on him I think becuase he said something he couldn't say on the air.

Indeed! July 17, 2007

A caller wants Tom to guess who he is, and Tom goes for either Christopher Moltisanti or one of The Jerky Boys. He calls Tom a dingleberry for suggesting he was a Jerky Boy. It's The Leaduh, returning from an extended sabbatical. Let's hit the FOTpedia for a backgrounder:

    The Leader is a foul mouthed dink who claims to be be the "leader" of a group of telephone crank callers known as The Jersey City Krank Krew. He used to call in to the Best Show, using a fake voice reminiscent of a third rate Jerky Boys impersonator. He also purports to have released a prank-call CD titled Jersey City Krank Krew Kompilation, Volume 1.

    The Leader's real name is Gary. He works a gas station attendant at the Hess station on the Jersey City side of the Holland Tunnel. Tom once took The Best Show on a remote broadcast to the Hess station in order to confront The Leader directly, but The Leader chickened out, leaving Tom to hang in the parking lot with Mike from Troubleman Unlimited, and a group of unidentified Jersey City teens for the remainder of the show.

Tom says The Leaduh was always threatening to run him out and take over. The Leader claims he has in fact completed his coup . Tom asks him if he took over the night shift at Arby's. The Leader says he's now the manager of the gas station (Pete's boss?). Tom says one of the all-time Best Show highlights was the time The Leaduh's tough guy ranting was interrupted by the "bing-bing" sound in the background. The Leaduh says he wouldn't want to get stuck in a bayou with Tom because he annoys him. This is why he's avoided calling the show for several years. Tom wouldn't want to be stuck to The Leaduh because the alligators would be attracted to the smell of his gasoline-soaked clothing. The Leaduh claims he brings home more money at the gas station than Tom makes at CC, and Tom thinks he's probably right. The Leaduh has been supplementing his income with his homemade Krank Krew CDs.

Tom blesses his entrepreneurial spirit because it's a hard world. The Leaduh says it isn't. Tom asks him to fill 'er up with the 87 and then GOMPs the belligerent greasemonkey. Tom thought he was about to start praising Morgan Yam's mafia-slasher film Cleavuh. He thinks The Leaduh could land a voiceover job for the forthcoming The Sopranos cartoon that HBO is working on. Tom read in Viority that the network is moving forward with the project without David Chase's permission. He thinks this is a really stupid move, but he understands that the public craves The Sopranos any way they can get it.