Philip Stephen Hendrie (born September 1, 1952, Pasadena, California) is the host of The Phil Hendrie Show, a comedy talk radio program syndicated throughout North America on Premiere Radio Networks and on XM Satellite Radio weeknights from 7:00pm to 10:00pm Pacific time. While The Phil Hendrie Show has become renowned for its unique and controversial guests, those guests are not real people at all—they are fictional characters created and portrayed by Hendrie.
Though Hendrie often alludes to the fact that he is, in fact, doing the voices, listeners are invited to call and many are duped into believing that the guests on the show are real. He rapidly switches back and forth between a studio microphone and a conventional telephone, creating the illusion that his "guest" has called into the show. Adding to the llusion, the telephone line often features prerecorded background noises from various locations.
Early in his program's syndication, Hendrie was reluctant to reveal that he was the voice behind his outrageous "guests." The only notification to those listeners was the occasional "It's a goof" mumbled at the start of the show. He discovered, however, that once listeners knew the truth, his show's ratings went up sharply, and he now discusses the behind-the-scenes details of his show more openly.
Hendrie began doing voices on his program at KVEN in Ventura, California during the Gulf War when he created "Raj Fahneen," an Egyptian who demanded that George H. W. Bush bow down to Iraqis. Following moves to Minneapolis and then to Miami, Hendrie further developed his show and in 1996 moved to KFI, Los Angeles. In February of 2005, Hendrie was removed by his flagship station in Los Angeles, KFI for a conservative talker [[1]]. His show has since been moved to XTRA Sports 570 (KLAC), a lesser listened to sports talk station.
Hendrie has voiced characters in television and movies since 1999, including King of the Hill, Futurama, and in 2004, Team America: World Police. Some believe his stoner-like characterization of Team America's central computer system, I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. was loosely based on his radio character, Dr. Jeff Dowder. Hendrie has also lent his voice to fellow Premiere radio host George Noory, phoning in to Coast to Coast AM on the birthday of Richard C. Hoagland in 2005 as Walter Kronkite; "Walter" then proceeded to slightly roast Richard. There has also been speculation that he has called in to Coast to Coast AM pretending to be "Oscar, son of Satan," who always spouts strange things and occasionally "allows" the person he has possessed, "Rachel," to speak. She, however, does not carry the typical sound that Hendrie has when he does a female voice, which leads this scenario to be less possible. Another Coast to Coast AM caller that some speculate may be Hendrie is "Jonathon Christian Webster III," or J.C. This caller has been continually calling Art Bell, and, one time, George Noory, to rant entertainingly about various issues. This is also considered a small possibility, though, given that J.C. does not have the voice quality that generally suggests a "Hendrian persona." Some believe Hendrie also occasionally lends his voice to Coast to Coast AM as a caller named UFO Phil who tells George about his various alien abductions; however, this case can be easily dismissed once one realizes that UFO Phil is a real person who is, in fact, a comedic singer who has been on several different radio shows.
Show format
When Hendrie has one of his "guests" on, the opening segment is usually cordial, and presents an unusual premise for discussion. In the second segment, a new outrageous element is usually brought in to the ongoing discussion, and callers are introduced. The callers are usually angry and outraged at what the guests are discussing, and the guest usually responds in a caustic manner. In the third segment, a third and final surprise enters the conversation and often a hilarious crescendo pitch is reached that leaves callers exhausted and enraged and listeners laughing. The caller and guest converse in downright bellicose tones, which often becomes a surreal good cop/bad cop routine as Hendrie hangs-up on his guest and apologizes to the caller.
Typically, two hours of the three hour show are devoted to character-based comedy segments, where the fake guests, voiced by Phil, interact with real callers. The remaining hour is devoted to Phil's commentary on the topics of the day, and to short comedy bits that could not occupy a full hour of the show. Sometimes, two hours are used for commentary and shorter bits, and only one hour of a fake guest is performed. Hendrie's other segments include "How to Read a News Story," "Phil's Mailbag," "Flashback" (changed to "Comedy Gold" in 2003), "Phil Explains the Bullcrap with Frodo the Puppet," and "Life Imitates Phil," a segment where an outrageous stunt that had been invented on his program was later duplicated in real life.
Often during some segments of the show, Hendrie provides his own personal opinions and commentary on his life, career, and various news stories. The number of these segments devoted to political commentary increased following the September 11, 2001 attacks, as he has become a staunch supporter of President Bush's war on terrorism. A longtime Democrat and staunchly liberal on a number of issues, Hendrie has strongly voiced opposition to the Democratic Party as of late, accusing it of having lost touch with its core constituents and failing to adequately engage with a philosophy to win the war on terror.
Beginning in January 2004, however, The Phil Hendrie Show decreased the number of "serious" segments in Hendrie's own voice and returned to the commentary-through-satire which originally made him famous. He did not completely abandon political commentary in his own voice, however, and throughout 2004 frequently mentioned that he backed the re-election of President Bush because of his handling of the war. In August 2005, in order to free the show up for more character-based comedy, Hendrie launched his own political weblog, georgewbushisgod.com. Mysteriously, the blog disappeared three weeks after its creation.
Hendrie often promotes My Friend's Place, a resource center for homeless youth based in Hollywood, California, and donates all the proceeds from the sales of his "Best Of" CDs to the center.
Online fan community
Phil Hendrie once had an active online fan community consisting of dozens of fan sites providing difficult-to-find audio from Phil's pre-syndication days. But in late 2001, Premiere Radio Networks began a legal campaign to shut down all fan sites hosting audio of The Phil Hendrie Show even pre-syndication audio. Audio is now available via "Backstage Pass" subscriptions to Hendrie's website.
Hendrie's "guests"
Some of the "guests" include:
Austin Amarka
Construction worker specializing in cabinets and can lights. Now owner of a service station in Lancaster, California. Austin is one of Phil's more versatile and diverse characters, making his precise identity difficult to describe (as it often changes depending on the bit).
Bob Bakian
News helicopter reporter who reports on insane reactions from people after hearing celebrity gossip. Bob reported that "Michael Powell has resigned (from the FCC) so he can go on food stamps like other black people," and he was reprimanded along with Phil by David G. Hall for doing the same material twice. David G. Hall also instructs Bud Dickman to blast Bakian out of the sky for doing "schtick" such as when Korean scientists successfully cloned a dog and Bakian kept mispronouncing the scientist's names as "Yoo Suk Wang," "Swinging Wang," and "Wang Who Suk".
Real-life weekend host of syndicated on-air and Internet radio program Coast to Coast AM. Hendrie lampoons him ("I have news out of NASA—and it's shocking") from time to time. Hendrie opens the segment with a parody of Coast to Coast's opening with their own announcer, Ross Mitchell, repeating Hendrie's single call-in number of 800-449-8686 as opposed to Bell's multiple numbers (east of the rockies, west of the rockies, first time caller, and the wildcard line). Theme music is "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, a song Bell himself often uses. Art often advertises outlandish products from a fictitious sponsor, "Peenman Enterprises" ("But first, this from Peenman Enterprises"), selling things such as the "Earth Handle" and the "Human Waste Chili Maker." A frequent guest of "Art's" is "General Johnson Jameson" who reports from his underground bunker "deep within the Saskatchewan Crust." General Jameson is often accompanied by his hunchback, drug addicted assistant "Igor", and all of his bits innevitably end with a crude and tasteless fart joke. General Jameson was inspired by Art Bell's real guests, Richard C. Hoagland and Major Ed Dames. So uncanny is Hendrie's impersonation that callers to Bell's program often ask when "General Jameson" will return to the show, much to Bell's delight.
Ted Bell
Owner of the upscale steakhouse Ted's of Beverly Hills, one of Phil's "sponsors," with the motto, "We want to put our meat in your mouth" (the word "mouth" is now censored in light of recent FCC crackdowns). Frequently interjects with "I'm Ted Bell" when speaking to the callers. Has a chronic phobia of the disabled, and is president of the Beverly Hills Automobile Association. Inventor of the cocktail called a "Ted," simply the very common Rum and Coke. His meals are outrageously overpriced, but Bell often brags that he was the first to put tinfoil on a baked potato, and that he invented the baked potato tree—a wooden device, in the shape of a tree, on which baked potatoes are skewered so that patrons may select one for their dinner. Recently opened a new establishment, Ted's of Beverly Hills Classy Ladies, a gentleman's club for the entire family; men are entertained by strippers in one area of the building, while mothers look after the children in another.
Logan Benson
An infrequent caller to Phil's show, Logan is an eight-year-old child with dubious living conditions and guidance. His overbearing and controlling grandfather, "Papa Frank," lingers in the background and tells Logan what to say during his calls to Phil. A few examples of Logan's calls: " My grandpa says that its not fair that cripple in Florida gets more press than the chimp that ate the man's weiner," or "My grandpa says that Thanksgiving is a crock and we should have slaughtered the Indians right off the bat when we came." Logan is also told to drink some blue sparkling liquid—glass cleaner—by his grandpa.
Don Berman
Don is a proud member of the "award-winning Channel 19 news team." Often brought on the show to talk about current news events, his latest investigative stories, and other media-related topics. Don's reports are frequently controversial, such as a special on teenage drinking and driving that, instead of simply discouraging the illegal act, advised minors on how to safely make their way home without police interference. Other members of the channel 19 news team include reporter Donna Decruz and meteorologist Goldie Showers. Recently, Don was upset that the pilot of the JetBlue aircraft wouldn't talk to the press (Don wanted an interview). He wished that the landing gear would collapse and also wishing that one of the callers in first class die if the plane crashed.
Clara Bingham
School administrator. One of Pastor Rennick's (q.v.) flock in the "Joyful Union Congregation" of Bellflower, California. Now married to Pastor Rennick. Clara once admitted to putting her underwear in the mouth of her pupils to prevent them from talking. She was nice enough though to remove her "pad" she said.
Lloyd Bonafide
Korean war veteran and RV enthusiast from Alhambra, California, Lloyd has a history of battle fatigue. No "monkey" should ever lay a hand on him, and that includes Lloyd's five-year old grandson. Lloyd brings his Korean War experience into every facet of his life. Lloyd has been in all sorts of extreme situations (always escalated by Lloyd), including seeing a man die after a thrown nickel hit him between the eyes during a poker game. Lloyd consciously places loaded handguns about his house, often in places where he is likely to forget about them. Lloyd says this induces a higher state of situational awareness, especially when his grandson visits, that helps Lloyd stay mentally sharp. On several occasions when he was put on hold by Phil, Lloyd has managed—apparently through sheer force of will—to claw his way back on the air. Recently, when on the air with Chris Norton, Mr. Bonafide revealed that he did stag films in the 1950s and was "The original Hugh G. Rection." Recently, Lloyd let his grandson and a friend play with unloaded handguns. This got Lloyd in trouble as the boys pointed the guns at one of his neighbors and she fainted. This neighbor fainted because three months ago, her husband shot himself in their bedroom and when Lloyd heard it, he just muttered "Corruthers..." It was later revealed that Lloyd was having an affair with Mrs. Corruthers and that is what caused Mr. Corruthers to commit suicide.
Steve Bosell
Emotionally fragile owner of B&B Construction of Corona, California and frequent litigant, originally from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. One of the show's most popular guests, Steve admits "weeping" at the slightest humiliation and frequently threatens to sue his wife for emotional trauma. In one bit, Steve accused her of eating Mexican food before breastfeeding their baby and leaving it in his care. When the child loudly soils its diaper during a visit to the bank, Bosell concludes that his wife planned to humiliate him by feeding the baby Mexican food via her breast milk. Steve has filed many a civil suit against his neighbors, wife, and children. "B&B" stands for "Bosell & Bosell." Steve is not in business with his father, son, brother, uncle, or anyone else. The "B&B" is supposed to represent the intensity he brings to his business: "Bosell and Bosell yet again, just non-stop Bosell comin' at ya." A common target for Steve's lawsuits is his neighbor, Roy Hutchins, via his attorney Dolores Blasingame of Riverside, California.
Colleen Kristin Brewster
Travel agent and young businesswoman. She has "tragically hip" fashion sense (think banana yellow pantsuit) and is an all-around slut. This character was difficult for Phil to perform and no longer appears on the show.
Darren Browne
The General Manager of the Air America Radio affiliate in Pierre, South Dakota which carries the Phil Hendrie Show. Bud Dickman hates him for "talking weird" and ends up going through the phone and killing him every time he is on. On a side-note Darren Browne used to be Vic Prell, a character Phil has done from his Miami days and early days on KFI.
Rudy Canoza
Amorous Argentine lingerie store owner. His fictional boutique is called "Je T'aime Lingerie" in Sherman Oaks, California. Known for his sexual come-on, "la-la-la-la-la," which he claims is used by all Argentine men. Rudy has a foghorn installed at Je T'aime Lingerie to alert him or one of his employees when a "fat" woman (bigger than size 10), or when a short woman, enters his store. A recent addition has been a gong installed in Je T'aime Lingerie to alert Rudy when a "Jap" enters his store because they counterfeit his designs when they take pictures in the store.
Chef Carl Chodillia
An infrequent character, Chef Carl is a cooking show host whose unbelievable girth prevents him from speaking into the microphone for more than a few seconds, after which he wheezes uncontrollably. His rambling and pointless recipes always call for excessive amounts of fat and sugar. Chef Carl sounds remarkably like Roland Schwinn.
R.C. Collins
One of Hendrie's most popular characters, Collins is a young pubescent cadet attending "Bradley Military Academy" in Altadena, California. R.C. has a very long story arc that has stretched for many years. The character actually "died" of a rare kidney disease in 1998 but was found alive and well at a KFI "Radio in the Park" event several weeks later. At the time, R.C. was a Satan-worshipping goth since he claimed that "Jesus didn't give him a good kidney." He was a popular student who played high school basketball while wearing a top hat, a black cape (with "R.C." embroidered in red letters) and while carrying a staff. R.C. has had his share of medical problems while living with his mother, who was always drunk and passed out and not a part of his home life. He lost a testicle as a result of the loss of his kidney, thus suffering for years afterward with "phantom nut." R.C. had a short stint on air working for Phil doing "The Force Report" with Bud Dickman before the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The pair mostly got in trouble and took drugs and rarely had anything to say about either the Star Wars movie or the fans waiting outside the "Chinese Man" Theater. R.C. and Bud were also allowed to host their own bowling tournament, which they named "The Spooge Demon Open." A former student of Chatsworth High School, R.C. now attends Bradley Military Academy under the watchful eye of Commandant Harvey Wireman, R.C. has no contact with his mother but expects "father to send for him" at any moment to be shop foreman in his dad's factory. Always image conscious, R.C. refuses to ride in the dilapidated automobiles of his friends, referring to them as "beaner-mobiles." R.C. will often include his friend Chris Sorensen in his exploits. As a side note, R.C. was also a small character during Phil's employment in Miami; then he was known as R.C. Cabetti.
Comb-Over Boy
A send-up of talk show host Tom Leykis. He recently "killed" himself due to the fact that he "sucks" and "is ugly." However, "Comb-Over Boy" has made a comeback as of late.
Doug Danger
Newspaper columnist of the fictitious Orange County Courier. Since coming out as a homosexual, frequently proclaims his status as "a gay man and a gay journalist," though the proclamation is rarely relevant. He also declares as the number one movie of the millenium, The Shaggy D.A., a Disney flick from the 70's.
Bud Dickman
The show's mentally deficient intern and friend to R.C. Collins. Often rats out Phil to David G. Hall. A loyal fan of Dr. Laura Schlessinger, or as Bud calls her, "Dokor Lor." Bud has a zinc plate in his skull (and brain damage, as well), which is the result of a motorcycle accident that sent him head first through an oak tree on California State Route 33 on the way to Ojai, California. At times, David G. Hall allows Bud to be Phil's on-air "sidekick", always with disastrous results. Bud was "fired" from the show in 2004 but was brought back very quickly due to fan uproar. Bud has also been "killed" at least once by Phil, only to reappear moments later saying he got better. One of Bud's solo bits is "Bud's Radical NASCAR Crashes," in which he goes over, as the name implies, car crashes during the most recent NASCAR event. He also has inherited his family's chocolate factory (along with a substantial amount of money) that produces, among other confections, a line of candies called "Mini Dickmans." This information was revealed after Phil started to fire him again in mid-late 2005; however, this popular character is still as much a part of the show as he has ever been.
Bobbie Dooley
Officious president of the gated community "Western Estates Homeowners' Association" of Westlake Village, California and arguably the show's most popular character. Husband "Steve Dooley" is the vice-president of Western Estates who frequently cuts in on conversations but says very little, mostly supporting his wife's statements. "Bobbie" makes a trademark, repeated "mmmmmmmm hmmmmmmm" noise when listening to the callers, which almost always annoys them. Her father was a circus clown and her mother a prostitute. Hendrie often does "Best of Bobbie Dooley" shows during holiday periods.
Jeff Dowder
A stoner, a drummer in the band "Darkhorse" (aka Darque Hoarse) and Professor of Mechanical Physics at Caltech. Jeff is based on real-life pal "Sundown" from Hendrie's days in Miami and Minneapolis. Jeff is advocate of the medical use of marijauna. He often demonstrates his drumming live on the air, usually incorporating various "jazz modalities"; he frequently pauses for bong hits. Jeff has a friend named Toby Beau. (Jeff has also been known, in at least one bit, as Dr. Jeff Raley.)
Vernon Dozier
High school football coach, math teacher, and all-around tough guy who once expressed his desire to propose to one of his students during her graduation. Dozier will do anything to improve his win-loss record, including spiking his players' drinks with steroids. Despite his established fondness for teenage girls, he has also implied some homosexual tendencies - he was once caught going into a gay bar with another coach who was dressed in drag. Vernon swears it was the coach's twin sister, and they only went into the gay bar to dance.
Real-life radio talk show doctor. Phil lampoons him and his hair, a persistent 70's-style perm.
Raj Fahneen
Raj is an Egyptian and Phil's first "guest," performed during the first Gulf War to incite people to call in. He was also known as Hamid during Phil's employment in Minneapolis. Raj has a difficult time grasping the intricacies of American culture ("you mean it's not okay to wipe my dog's ass with the American flag!?"). He often tells callers to "shut your mouth" and accuses native-born American citzens of knowing more about offerings at fast food restaurants than they do about their own Constitution. Raj is famous for relentlessly asking Phil's callers, "Do you super-size?" Another famous bit he does is one where he sings with his "son" a song to the tune of Elvis_Presley's "Blue Suede Shoes":
Raj: I saw an American the other day; he super-sized a Quarter-Pounder meal and went on his way. Oh, yeah.
Son: Hmmmmmm.
Raj: Oh, yeah.
Son: Hmmmmmm.
Raj: Aye!
Margaret Gray
This character "writes" a celebrity newspaper column called "A Little Bird Told Me;" overbearing mother of child actor Jason Jay Delmonico, so named after Margaret saw a package of Delmonico steaks in the supermarket. Margaret tends to incite callers by blaming any and all of the world's ills on President Bush. She was known as Margaret Selb while Phil was employed in Minneapolis; she was married to Roland Selb, who Phil later split into two characters, Don Berman and Roland Schwinn. In Miami, she was known as Margaret from Bal Harbor.
Frank Gray
Margaret's husband, who has become a more common character lately. He is an elderly, wheelchair bound, Cutty Sark blended scotch drinker who can never find ice, and has trouble using the pronouns he/she/him/her/etc. i.e. "My wife Margaret, he's a real ball-breaker."
Bob Greene
Owner and CEO of the Southern California grocery store chain Frazier Foods and owner of a $20,000 hair system (He insists it is NOT a toupee). Bob frequently invades into the lives of his employees and seems to have a lot of trouble as an employer. He also has difficulty when it comes to charity, creating programs for hot-button causes and then complaining when it doesn't positively impact his business. Bob has a Porsche Boxster that he drives home and blows off steam, driving in the left lane, slowing up faster traffic, honking, flashing his lights and having a blow-up doll simulate oral sex on him while he is driving. Bob Greene is modeled after a real person, who was station manager at WIOD during Phil's stint in Miami.
Art Griego
Commercial/private pilot, good friend of D.B. Cooper and a former minor league first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Art first appeared while Phil was employed in Miami as Steve Nichol, who was program director at WIOD at the time. On KFI, he phoned Phil from high above Los Angeles in a single engine Cessna completely drunk to explain why pilots should be allowed to drink while flying. He then stalled (and recovered) the aircraft several times and got several panicked real pilots to call in and explain the dire situation to Phil and the listeners. More recently, Art revealed while acting as pilot in command of a transcontinental flight in a Boeing 757, he chose to play the in-flight-movie Cast Away. He maneuvered the aircraft erratically and switched the cabin lighting on and off, terrifying the passengers precisely during the crash scene in the movie. He has also advocated that commercial pilots should be allowed to fly with severe medical conditions, because anyone can fly an airplane.
Larry Grover
Former president of Conservatives of Kern County; currently lives on the service porch of his mother's home. His marriage fell apart while he was devoting his every waking minute to getting President Bill Clinton impeached. Enjoys good, clean, Christian sex, which according to Larry, requires partners to be fully clothed (except for certain strategic areas), plastic wrap, and use of various household cleansers for clean-up.
David G. Hall
Phil's overbearing boss based on his program director at KFI. Now, "Hall" is usually referred to as "vice president of syndication." Always having "the hot seat dusted off" for him by his superiors when it appears he can't control Phil's show. "Darth" Hall's appearances are now heralded by The Imperial March from the Star Wars films. When Phil mentions something that has the faintest possibility of alluding to genitalia, Hall will often be notified by Phil's assistant Bud Dickman. Upon receiving notification Hall immediately calls in to remind Phil that "The FCC is breathing down his neck".
Burt Jerome
Paul "Tubby" Lane
From the rural South, Paul Lane is a NASCAR and sometime SCCA racing veteran. He has a phobia about speed, which he uses as an excuse for his poor driving abilities. Paul tends to offend Southerners in particular with his gay-oriented ideas of how to promote NASCAR, including "Dinner With a Driver" in which a fan can enjoy dinner, nighttime beach walks, and a shower with their favorite driver. He first appeared while Phil was employed in Miami as a frequently used character named Steve Wornell.
Mavis Leonard
African-American woman similar to Clara Bingham. Mavis often has trouble with her nephew Robert and is fond of singing old Negro spirituals.
Hal and Viola Levolier
This semi-wealthy retired couple are always in their private plane—listening to Phil whom they absolutely adore—while darting to such places as Laughlin, Nevada. Continually fighting each other for control of the plane's telephone, the couple invariably stalls the aircraft and they "die" in a crash after each appearance.
Father James McQuarters
Irish Catholic priest who comments on current events in a lilting brogue which occasionally drops to a rather dark, threatening register. Almost always appearing with Celtic music, if Phil fails to loop the track then McQuarters transitions from his irish accent to one of an older African American. Father McQuarters is known to drink while on air, usually taking a "snort" of Makers Mark or Johnnie Walker, eventually drinking himself to an unintelligible state. Recently, Father McQuarters voiced that he thought he "had a shot at being Pope."
Chris Norton
"Sessy" ("sexy" to you and me due to the character's speech impediment) telemarketer and an aspiring porn actor and producer. Chris has a good friend and business manager named Lance Germane. Their exploits typically have strong homosexual overtones, but Chris is always oblivious to this. He has trouble pronouncing "x" sounds (which sometime infuriates Phil), like when he talks about "the sissies" ('60's), "sessuality" (sexuality), or being "essited" (excited).
Dave Oliva
An aspiring LAPD officer and resident of Monterey Park, CA who frequently berates older people. Owner of a Chevy El Camino with tuck and roll seats, Chi Chi balls in the mirror and "Mambo #5" printed on the rear window. Dave is a student at L.A. Mission College and frequently misinterprets what he has learned in his classes. On one occasion, while taking a Constitutional Law class, Dave tested his First Amendment rights by yelling "fire" during a 10:00 PM showing of The Mummy Returns in Montebello, California, causing a panic and resulting in numerous injuries to the movie-goers, including an elderly woman who was injured on her walker. Upon being arrested, Dave criticized the Montebello police as being "small-town cops," and told them that because he was an aspiring LAPD officer, equated his arrest to "arresting one of their own."
Earl Pants
This character owns and operates "Earl Pants' Automotive." Earl hosts "Car Talk" live in Phil's studio. Be warned: Do not bother to take your "Jap car" to Earl's shop as he has a circle driveway that you can just circle your "Jap car" out of his shop. Also you should not say the two words he hates: "mint condition." "Earl Pants' Car Talk" has been going on ever since Phil's employment in Miami.
Don Parsley
In the wake of any natural disaster or terrorist attack, Phil takes a call from a gentleman named Don Parsley who claims to have lost his wife in the tragedy. Don claims to not take charity, but often accepts Phil's offer to solicit contributions from the listeners, if only for Don's children. As the segment progresses, Don will decline all offers of assistance that are not cash money, he will forget his wife's name, the names and number of his children, and generally reveal himself to be a complete fraud. In one segment, Don claims to have lost his wife during the New York City blackouts. Late in the segment Don reveals that during the blackout, his wife had looted an electronics store and tripped over the power cord of the TV she was carrying away, thus falling in the middle of a street and getting hit by a car.
Pastor William Rennick
Boisterous African American Pentecostal minister from the Joyful Union Congregation in Bellflower, California. He'd "bend over for Jesus." Husband to Clara Bingham, they both enjoy whirlwind vacations in the Holy Land using the church's money. Once bought a gun and silver bullets for Halloween to defend himself against a werewolf. The Pastor Rennick character has brought Phil some criticism for being racially insensitive. In one pre-syndication bit, Pastor Rennick was trying foster more African-American interest in space travel by lobbying Congress to rename NASA to "Niggers! Astronauts! Space! All Right!"
Brad Rifkin
A sleazy businessman who comes on the show to promote questionable advertising campaigns and fundraisers. During the Terry Schiavo controversy, Brad created a billboard for a bottled-water company which featured the slogan, "blink if you're thirsty." This character was named Brad "The Booger" Bellmante on Phil's WIOD Miami Show. Brad "The Booger" hosted the "Beloved Buffalo Bills Report" and would often draw the ire of fans of the hometown Dolphins by insisting that the Dolphins "stink". He once reported that Dan Marino had died because "he got the gout".
Dr. Jim Sadler
He is a veterinarian, dentist, and psychiatrist with interesting views on women and religion. In recent years, Dr. Sadler has been working out, so as to better to "oil up" and intimidate others with how ripped he is. Dr. Sadler is at least fifty years old, and is married to a twenty year old woman. His voice seems to be loosely based on two strange characters that Phil did before his employment in Los Angeles: Brad from his Minneapolis employment and Rick Seiderman from his Miami employment.
Jay Santos
"Brigadier Admiral" in the Citizens' Auxiliary Police (motto: "We Take a Peek Over the Shoulder of the Police") of Hawthorne, California (originally from Philadelphia). His uniform consists of a blue arm band, a pith helmet, Bermuda shorts, and Doc Marten wingtips. An overbearing, officious "rent-a-cop," Santos' motto and excuse for his behavior is "It's About Saving Lives." Jay gets his marching orders from Major Elvis Newton, commanding officer of the Citizens' Auxiliary Police. Their "life saving" duties include arbitrarily frisking teenaged girls at shopping malls (to prevent shoplifting), and conducting mandatory gynecological exams on female motorists (because distraction due to vaginal irritation might result in a car crash). Jay's shining moment of vigilantiasm came when he prevented large men from "lifting up a tricycle and trying to sniff the seat" at a garage sale. According to Santos, the garage sale, yard sale, all that nonsense, is the pit of evil in America.
Roland Schwinn
Morbidly obese at 5'11" and 395 pounds, Schwinn is also a nudist. Owns and operates "Camp Bountiful" where kids can eat all the junk food they want without feeling guilty. Has also been called Roland Selb.
Herb Sewell
Criminally insane individual rehabilitated after a long stay in the California state mental hospital in Atascadero. "Herb", an admitted child molester, comments on high-profile criminal cases from his rather unique point-of-view. He frequently punctuates his commentary with fits of nervous laughter which in turn unnerve the callers. Often mentions his friends Walter Bellhaven and Randall Toomey, both still at Atascadero, and the fact that they'll never let them out.
Skippy and Frank
Two morning "shock jocks" who are invariably fired from their jobs at the ends of their segments. Unable to land jobs in major radio markets, their "show" originates from some of America's most rural markets, each one a little smaller than the last.
Tsunami Sam
A blues singer who sings songs that Phil interrupts because they are inapropriate (i.e. "The Candy Man" in memory of Pope John Paul II). Sam always shoots back that he's being interrupted and/or forcibly removed from the studio because he's black.
"Brass" Villanueva
A proud, young Latino from East Los Angeles ("mi barrio") who claims that he's not allowed to speak Spanish because he's "oppressed" by the Anglo culture, though Brass is invariably clueless about particulars of his own heritage. Obsessed with neck tattoos. Recently, Brass invented the Zapata Tube after receiving CPR due to near-drowning at a local beach. His girlfriend accused him of being homosexual because another man placed his mouth on his. Brass' skewed sense of honor compelled him to return to the beach and spit in the eye of the lifeguard who saved him. The "Zapata Tube" (a CPR mask with a 3 foot tube) was proposed as a "non-gay" method of resuscitating a Latino.
Dean Wheeler
New-age, Birkenstock-wearing, America-hating, yoga-teaching apologist from a Northern California political activist group. Dean has two 15-year-old "Goth" daughters that listen to bands like Bauhaus, The Cure, and Written in Ashes and who apparently have supernatural abilities. In a previous incarnation, he was the spokesman of the Kentucky Tobacco Growers' "Tobaccy Truck" which allowed kids under the age of 18 to get free "tobaccy" if they had consent of any adult, even Mr. Wheeler.
Harvey Wireman, Esq.
World War Two veteran, retired lawyer and commandant of R.C. Collins' military academy. Harvey also hosts "Senior Chat" and "Law Talk" live in Phil's studio. Harvey has chronic problems with his throat, usually claming to have some sort of "cheese wedge" lodged in his throat and requests a "plastic bottle of squirt" to help dislodge it. He also has very poor eyesight, which causes him to struggle to read "copy" for his segments, once misreading the name of former New York City police chief Bernard Kerik as "Benaboo Keggie" and Bill Cosby as "Buck Cornwall". This character is based on Hendrie's late father.
See also
External links
- Phil Hendrie's home page
- Phil Hendrie Fan Forums
- Phil Hendrie fan page
- Phil Hendrie at IMDb
- Hester Music Creates music for Phil's show, notably the Ted's of Beverly Hills instrumental.
- Radio Provocateur (LA Weekly article on Hendrie; JUNE 11 - 17, 2005)
- The Many People of Phil Hendrie (Billboard Radio Monitor news article, March 22, 2005)