CITIZEN So who was an a-hole? Big J: We wanted to fist fight Steve Guttenberg. He’s a dick. Nic: We started asking him about the Police Academy movies, and he said, “Guys, that was 20 years ago. Do some research.”
Do you like or loathe the competition? Nic: Bob and Tom [The Eagle morning show hosts] broadcast out of Indianapolis, so it’s not as if we could see them at the grocery store. Big J: It’s a good thing. Otherwise, I would heckle and fake-laugh at them.
But I don’t think he’s been doing much in the last 20 years. Nic: Exactly. Big J: Plus, he definitely didn’t want to talk about Dancing With the Stars. And his press release talked all about how he was the star of the Police Academy movies and Dancing With the Stars. Nic: We quickly ended the interview and never aired it. But we have a running joke that Steve Guttenberg is a jerk.
What music should we be paying attention to? Nic: My favorite band of 2012 is Dead Sara. We brought them in for a free show in June and they blew us away. We begged them to come back for our anniversary show, Thursday, Aug. 23, at the Knitting Factory. We’ll have four bands: Saving Abel, Dead Sara, Aranda and Midline.
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If you were the entertainment police and had the authority to yank any entertainer away from show business, who would that be? Big J: Let’s start with a band: Coheed and Cambria. Nic: Our hatred for them bonded the two of us pretty early on. Big J: Plus, Snooki should definitely go away. Nic: That’s a good choice. We really hate reality show stars. What are your latest Arbitron ratings like? Nic: They just came out. For May through July of this year, The X was the No. 2 station for men, ages 25-54. We’re the No. 3 morning show in that same demo. Who is No. 1? Nic: The Eagle. Big J: But we trade the No. 1 slot off-andon with them a lot.
Have you timed it that you can roll out of bed and get to the station pretty quick? Big J: I live in Middleton. If I can hit what I call “the gauntlet,” getting all green lights between my home and the station, I can get here in 26 minutes. Nic: The alarm goes off at 4:15 a.m. for me. I’ve got it down to about 15 minutes. Are you eternally tired? Nic: Pretty much. But I sleep in on weekends, which is glorious. Big J: I get far more sleep than he does. I feel guilty. Do you want to do this until you drop? Nic: I found a job that I love and a place that respects what I do. I’m here as long as they’ll have me. Big J: Do you need some Chapstick for your lips after kissing so much ass? Big J: So we have a question for you. When will this interview be printed? BW: Oh, we’re not going to print it. We’re going to send it to Steve Guttenberg.
RALL may represent a looming existential threat—unemployment and the 6 environment are more urgent—but “take your medicine” austerity isn’t much of a sales pitch, especially when two-thirds of the people are already feeling squeezed. Voters reward candidates who present an optimistic vision, a future in which they see themselves richer, happier and with fuller, more lustrous hair. The fact that Romney can’t manage to put forward a credible economic program doesn’t help either. Since his entire campaign is predicated on the argument that he’s the economy guy and knows how to fix it, he needs to cough up a plan. However, my real concern is that Rom-
12 | AUGUST 22–28, 2012 | BOISEweekly
ney’s gangbusters right-wing extremism lets Obama and the Democrats off the hook. If all Democratic strategists have to do to attract progressive voters is to frighten them with greater-evil Republicans, when will people who care about the working class, who oppose wars of choice and whose critique of government is that it isn’t in our lives enough ever see their dreams become party platform planks, with some chance of being incorporated into legislation? In recent elections (c.f. Palin and some old guy vs. Obama), liberals are only voting for Democrats out of terror that things will get even worse. That’s no way to run a party or a country.
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