Today is the 10th Anniversary of the Best Show!

[chris v]

I got into the Best Show through that Sound of Young America interview too! Though when working through the archives, I remembered I had first heard a clip of the show as an extra on one of the Home Movies dvds. Tom interviewed Loren Bouchard and Jon Benjamin (speaking entirely through a talk box to protect his valuable vocal chords) and it seemed insane when out of context of what the show is. Little did I know how much Best Show awesomeness awaited me.

It's been great to hear/read the collective Best Show love letter over the past week from all the FOTs.

[put_it_away]

I didn't start listening to the Best Show until mid-2009, when a high school acquaintance of mine continually tweeted about it. He's a cool guy, I respect his taste, and I thought OK, I'll download an episode and see. The first episode I heard was the one where Tom was making fun of Brad Benson, the ex-Giant car dealer, for about an hour. I was HOOKED. I've listened to every episode since and have been delving through the archives when I can.

The Best Show is truly the best.

[scratchbomb]

I've posted this in a few places, but just in case you missed it: a tribute to Ten Years of the The Best Show.

http://scratchbomb.com/2010/10/the-best-you-can-do-is-be-worse-than-the-best-show.html

[emma]

My internet's been down, so I'm late to the party, but just wanted to chime in. I've been listening to the show for about six years - I found WFMU when I was in the seventh grade, and I'm almost 20 now. TBS has been an enormously important part of my life for a really long time; I can think of few things that have been so good to and for me as it's been. I've learned so much about music, comedy and GG Allin from Tom, Jon and co., and I've made so many amazing friendships through the boards and the FOT community-at-large. The Best Show has introduced me to some of the best things and people I know, and I feel incredibly lucky to have had it (and you guys) in my life for so long.

Also, without the show how would I know about



or



?

[Sarah]

I'm almost 20 now.

How dare you!

[Martin]

Hahahaha

[Pride of Staten Island]

This was my contribution to BestShow10 hash tag on Twitter. Jillian Barberie asked that I share it will all of you.



And yes, it's still on Wikipedia. For now: http://bit.ly/bN28N8

[emma]

I'm almost 20 now.

How dare you!

I don't like it any more than you do.

[CaptKarl]

I'm almost 20 now.

How dare you!

I don't like it any more than you do.

Pretty sure that is a double how dare you. Dont fret in what will feel like tomorrow you will be looking down the barrel of 30.

[mackro]

I'm almost 20 now.

How dare you!

I don't like it any more than you do.

Pretty sure that is a double how dare you. Dont fret in what will feel like tomorrow you will be looking down the barrel of 30.

[Martin]

This was my contribution to BestShow10 hash tag on Twitter. Jillian Barberie asked that I share it will all of you.



And yes, it's still on Wikipedia. For now: http://bit.ly/bN28N8

Love it!

[Ordinary Joe]

This is my first post, but I had to chime in to add to the wonderful things said about The Best Show on WFMU, Tom and FOT.

I discovered Best Show via Jesse Thorn's Sound of Young America back in 2005 and decided to download a few episodes for a road trip my wife and I were taking from our home in Louisiana to Colorado.  We would listen to music when she was awake and when she took naps I turned on Best Show.  I was hooked from that point on.

The moment we got back home I started listening to the archive from the beginning.  I drive for a few hours twice a month to pick up my son (he's almost 16 now) and whenever I played an episode we would share in the laughter.  To this day he'll slip a "Wait—whaaaaaaat?" into our conversation.  Good times.

I make it a point to welcome Tom & Friends into my life every week and I'm grateful for the commitment and the hard work he, John, Mike and others put into the show.  That's all I have to say about that.

[mike a]

I did a zine in the '80s and volunteered at WFMU now and then, and first met Tom (as well as such cohorts as Terre T) through those pursuits.  However, I never had a chance to tune into TBS until the podcast began.  The first couple of episodes were confusing - why is he picking a fight with Poster Children?  who is this "Spike?" - but I stuck with it, and it quickly became the only can't-miss podcast I've ever downloaded.  I'll delete weeks of This American Life podcasts unheard, but will keep every Best Show podcast until I've listened in full.

Happy 10th anniversary, Tom.  Thanks for all the years of great listening.  I've never called in, but I'm a huge fan.  Here's hoping there's more to come; if not, I'm not along in waiting to see what terrific thing comes next.

[SamStone]

I don't really come around these parts (as I'm sure you'll notice that I've made about 20 posts in 3 years), but I decided to chime in on this thread.

In March of 2006, I went over a friend's house.  He was listening to the Best Show on the actual radio (I grew up in the 90.1 area), specifically the episode where he was talking about Abercrombie and Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries.  I walked in, just as the deconstruction of the article started, and knew I was in love with the show when he said "You're lookin totally A&F today dude!" and was talking about people wearing flip-flops and the sound they make.  I made my friend not only listen to more of the show, but when we went out to get a slice of pizza, I made him put it on in the car. And that's about when Wurster called as Trent L. Strauss.  We got to the pizza place and sat in the car for 20 minutes laughing the entire time until he hung up.  I honestly did not know if it was real or not, but it was damn funny.  I think once he started threatening Tom, I figured it wasn't real, but nonetheless they had me fooled for a good 45 minutes.  So I started going through the archives.  I've only gone about a year back from that point in total (the oldest one I heard was Tom's "return" to the air from the "move" to Sirius) but pretty much everything I've ever heard from that point onward is incredible.

I've called a few times.  Nothing memorable (except for MAYBE the episode where Tom had people putting together their slap lists - I was the guy that wanted to slap Fox for canceling Arrested Development - Tom rejected my list and made me slap myself).  Unfortunately, I don't really have time to listen live anymore, nor do I have time to contribute (besides marathon time, of course).  But the Best Show, for me personally, is something I don't need to be active in to enjoy.  Hearing Tom's ridiculous reactions to everything give me some of the my biggest laughs.

And here are some of my absolute favorite Best show moments:

• My absolute favorite calls are Trent L. Strauss, Philly Boy Roy (Crawlspaces and Cheesesteaks), Zachery Brimstead (Supernova, Laser Beans, The Fudge Tub, and Racism), The guy who was on To Catch a Predator, Jimmy Crespo, Darren from Work (Aquasitions with Patton Oswalt), Gene Simmions (Newbridge Mayubinatorial Race, Poncake), Pretty much every Marky Ramone call, and every Bryce call ever.  Seriously I want a return of Bryce.
• On the 1/24/2006 show, someone called in trying to get Tom to answer a riddle about 3 mice in a mousehole.  Tom guesses the riddle immediately, and the other guy demands that he doesn't.  Tom gets mad, and the whole thing ends with one of the best rope-a-dope GOMPs ever.
• Not sure on the exact show, but someone calls up asking Tom if he'll go to a Grouse hunt, where the DJ will be spinning House and Techno.  The guy curses on the air, and Tom dumps him, and starts going off on the guy, and starts doing an impression of a house record.  I die laughing every time he says the word "Touque".
• Tom making fun of James.  There's a whole bit about someone giving him a tube of Wig Glue that cracks me up every time.
• And of course, the obligatory Cowboy Star, Gathering of the Juggalos, Tom Jameses James, Hest Rope-A-Dope, The World is in the Turlet, etc.

[Eric Fishlegs]

I was going to stay out of this thread because I'm a newbie who has only been listenimng since about April of this year and haven't had a chance to really delve into the archoives beyond Best Show Gems. So on one hand I feel like I don't have much to contribute, but on the other hand I have become apretty big fan so I feel like I should say something to show my appreciation.

Until he went to Sirius I was a big fan of Howard Stern. Most people when they think of Stern think of the "toilet talk" but for me it was always more about the people involved in the show. Maybe one episode would have a ton of guests and shenanigans and what not, but then the next episode would just be 4 hours of making fun of Jackie the Jokeman  and those tended to be my favorite shows. After Howard went to Sirius I never did find a radio replacement for this strange vibe i enjoyed so much until I discovered the best Show. Yes, it's great when Paul F Tompkins or some other great comedian calls in and it's great when Wurster calls in with one of his bits, but more than that I love it when Tom talks about the Census workers clogging up Panera Bread or when he just chats with Milo (you almost never hear broadcasters talking to kids like they're human beings. They're usually condescending or just trying to be adorable, but with Tom it's like listening to a kid talking to his cool uncle) or Julie from Cincinnatti or Laurie from Miami or Fredricks or Dave from Knoxville (and I still wanna hear Dave's son do his GREASE duet with Tom. I haven't forgotten) or even Spike. They're all just such oddballs in the best sense of the word and they are the spices that make the Best Show soup great.

Favorite bits- Zach Galifinakis and Tom discussing Dungeons & Dragons with Milo. Wurster as the record producer listing all of his "(blank) Sucks" songs in what ended up being a list that took almost 15 minutes to read. The 2 "Bruce Willis" calls (I was especially amused when "Bruce" threatened to cut poor Petey's throat. Taking calls during the Wurster calls  is always funny when I hear it on Gems, but I think I can see why they stopped doing it. I can see how it would turn out badly.)

Best Show joke I have adapted in real life- Referring to Hollywood as Weirdowood. Why this tickles me so much I do not know, but it truly does.