Reasons you should NOT support me:
1) I've been kind of irritating when I listen back on the show's archives.
2) Basketball talk is probably not for everyone.
3) I've been too aggressive and probably too agreeable with Tom. (But he said "Of course he agrees with me" when discussing the crappiness that is Primus last call. How can you NOT agree that Primus is terrible?) (Also -- I'm not nearly like that in real life. I am somehow both a pretty passive person and also an argumentative, contrarian ass, at least in the view of Mrs. Gethard).
4) Geneva is indeed awesome.
5) Max is awesome, too.
6) Tom seems extra irritated when I call.
Defenses to some some criticisms:
1) Is my brother actually famous? His credits include being the lead on a Comedy Central sit-com that no one watched and got canceled pretty quickly, a bit role in The Other Guys (he was the bank teller at the end of the movie) and had a good write-up in the NY Times because he annoyed P. Diddy enough on Twitter so he could be a guest at my brother's show.
I will admit that my brother's more famous than me -- more people in Philadelphia clearly know who he is than I do, despite the fact that I've run my own comedy show and have performed in Philly for about four years. But no one in the world of oil journalism knows who my brother is, so I do have at least that in the Gethard family tree.
Reasons to support me:
1) I'm not The H-Man, whose time has passed.
2) I am indeed a "social miscreant" (as Tom labeled me) and I enjoy talking about my personal failures in public, which should provide Best Show listeners with some entertainment and much comfort that their lives are significantly better than mine.
3) I have excitement and exuberance for the possibility of the protege position. I never called The Best Show (and usually had to listen to it the next day) until Tom mentioned me on the air, hence my excitement. I didn't volunteer myself for the position; my name was floated as a candidate. I've already learned after going from "fan" to "student" of the best show and am trying to calm down with the "podcast toilet talk" on my podcast and have eliminated all curse words from my live comedy stuff.
4) I have perverse enjoyment from being mocked in public settings, much like on Tuesday night.
4) I was raised in North Jersey and live in Philadelphia, arguably the two primary geographic regions that focus around Best Show chatter.
5) Basketball talk SHOULD be for everyone since basketball rules.
6) WFMU has been a big part of my life since I've been 12 after my friend Eli was allowed to have his own hour on the air since his mom was good friends with a DJ. Bill Kelly and Glen Jones are two of the bigger influences of my music taste and the Glen Jones marathon in 2000 was one of the best weekends I've ever had. I also volunteered a few times to stuff shirts and the like.
7) This is also a tale of personal redemption. I used to prank call WFMU talk shows non-stop as a kid, in particular Chris T's "An Aerial View" which was sometimes guest hosted by Gerard Cosloy, the founder of Matador Records and also of Can't Stop the Bleeding fame. Cosloy ended up giving my parents' number out over the air which led to his forced departure from the station. (I was also really grounded for all of this.)
I've given the FOT message board links to both Modern Butlers and Billy Joel Fan Club message boards.
The list of why NOT to support me for the position is probably stronger than the reasons TO support me. But the reasons to support me are more numerous. I leave it in your hands.
