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Free Documentary On "Radio Genius" Phil Hendrie Is Must See TV
I began watching a bit of this late last night after discovering it on Tubi. It's a one hour-plus documentary on Phil Hendrie, who hosted probably the most unusual talk show in radio history and is considered a genius of the genre.
I don't think his show ever made it to Canadian airwaves, but it was on all over the U.S., including at WGR-AM when it was in its talk format.
What made him so unique? He essentially satirized talk radio while doing a talk show. He was not only the host, he played almost all the characters on his program, in an insane paced few hours that had him talking into his mic one minute and then into his phone as one of his guests the next.
And the premises were insane. I remember the first time I tuned in. He had a dad on the line whose son had just passed away. The funeral was on Super Bowl Sunday and the father was a football fanatic, so much so that he was willing to miss his own kid's last rites to stay home and watch the game.
The outrage from callers was exactly what you would expect, as they told him what a horrible man he was. Of course, the "dad" was played by Hendrie, who mocked the callers and told them it's what his son would have wanted.
I was also angry at the guy but after a while I realized it was all a put-on to fool listeners who weren't in on the joke. His show didn't care whether you were a Democrat or a Republican - he made fun of them all and made them look like idiots.
The documentary, called "Hendrie," revisits the show, has interviews with Phil and those he influenced, and even includes scenes from other radio legends like Howard Stern and The Greaseman. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of it on a lazy Labour Day weekend and thought some here might want to watch it, too.
You can find it here, and it does not need a VPN.
- g121
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Re: Free Documentary On "Radio Genius" Phil Hendrie Is Must See TV
RadioActive wrote:
.. I don't think his show ever made it to Canadian airwaves ..
Wasn't he on CFRB for a short while? & as I recall, it was unlistenable .. but to each their own.
- Chrisphen
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Re: Free Documentary On "Radio Genius" Phil Hendrie Is Must See TV
He was on CKTB for a few years in the early 'aughts. Entertaining stuff.
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Re: Free Documentary On "Radio Genius" Phil Hendrie Is Must See TV
.. I don't think his show ever made it to Canadian airwaves ..
Wasn't he on CFRB for a short while? & as I recall, it was unlistenable .. but to each their own.
You may be right about 1010. I don't have a memory of it, but it's possible.
As for it being unlistenable, as you rightly say it was a matter of taste. But seeing him go on and off mic and through the phone was almost like watching an acrobat at work. He rarely if ever blew it. Not sure how he managed it, because the show was so fast paced.
As one of the comedians who was a fan said, "not many people could do what he did, all ad libbed." Love him or hate him, the comic was right about that. It was an amazing performance and he did it every single night for years.
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Thread Starter- g121
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Re: Free Documentary On "Radio Genius" Phil Hendrie Is Must See TV
.. I don't think his show ever made it to Canadian airwaves ..
Wasn't he on CFRB for a short while? & as I recall, it was unlistenable .. but to each their own.
You may be right about 1010. I don't have a memory of it, but it's possible.
...
ChatGPT suggests the Phil Hendrie show lasted about 7months on CFRB.
Before May 2010 No Phil Hendrie
~May 17, 2010 Phil Hendrie added, overnight
Summer/Fall 2010 Hendrie continues
By Dec. 29, 2010 CFRB 1010 had replaced him with 24-7 Comedy Overnight
- RadioActive
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Re: Free Documentary On "Radio Genius" Phil Hendrie Is Must See TV
He is definitely an acquired taste, but to watch footage of how he did his magic on air - going off mic to be the phone guest and then back on mic as the host, even sometimes cutting himself off in mid-sentence to be interrupted by his fake persona - is a stunning achievement.
Even if you hated his show, it was an incredible audio trick, all done live.
It must have been exhausting.
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Thread Starter- AspectRatio
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Re: Free Documentary On "Radio Genius" Phil Hendrie Is Must See TV
ChatGPT suggests the Phil Hendrie show lasted about 7months on CFRB.
Yes, rolled out to some press release fanfare as I recall. Henrie may have even talked to the morning show team to promote it:
“We are excited to have Phil Hendrie join our line-up at CFRB, Toronto. He’s sure to stir up some controversy and stimulate opinions. We can’t wait to let him loose and see how Toronto reacts,” says Mike Bendixen, Program Director, CFRB, Toronto.
I guess they found out "how Toronto reacts" - not well enough to keep it around. 
- cash
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Re: Free Documentary On "Radio Genius" Phil Hendrie Is Must See TV
I pretty sure he was on 640 also
- RadioActive
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Re: Free Documentary On "Radio Genius" Phil Hendrie Is Must See TV
I know the first time I heard him was on WWWE Cleveland.
He actually deals with the syndication of his show in the documentary, noting it was a dream come true, he was making a lot of money and he thought he'd finally made it - until the entire thing fell apart.
Turns out when he was on the air locally, people got used to his bizarre and sometimes controversial show. But every time he debuted in a new market, listeners were confused and angered by his fabricated guests, thinking they were real. And when they got mad and complained to the stations, advertisers pulled out, leaving the show with reduced income. He was never allowed time for them to get in on the joke and the program was soon pulled.
He turned to paid podcasting instead, eliminating the outraged callers, and that turned into a years long success for those who wanted to hear his skewed concept of a talk show.
This was a terrific documentary not only about Hendrie but radio itself. Even if you never heard him or his show, it's worth an hour of your time.
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Thread Starter- mic'em
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Re: Free Documentary On "Radio Genius" Phil Hendrie Is Must See TV
I used to listen to him in the early 90's out of Atlanta. He was not syndicated yet, it was a just evening local show. He was just beginning to introduce the characters that became regular callers. I do recall him saying he had relatives in Canada, Ottawa I believe ? His show was unique, extremely creative, no one has reproduced what he did to my knowledge. The man is simply a genius in the art of broadcasting.
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I have heard this guy in the past and can’t remember where! It must have been at least ten years ago when I worked evenings at times, as I recall listening to him in my car and being amused but had no idea who he was. From all the info from the comments in this thread, it probably was Phil Hendrie.
- newsguy1
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Re: Free Documentary On "Radio Genius" Phil Hendrie Is Must See TV
Did anyone else get the feeling that this documentary was also a hoax?
Especially since Hendrie himself appears to have written everything and narrated it.
I found it strange that there's such a lineup of well known comedians etc all praising him and calling him a genius and saying they don't know how he was able to do such a show.
I listened to Hendrie years back when he was on either 1010 or 640.
I hated it.
I hate when a show hosts takes delight in humiliating unsuspecting callers and laughing at their confusion and gullibility.
I never liked shows like Candid Camera or the Canadian Just For Laughs stunts.
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Re: Free Documentary On "Radio Genius" Phil Hendrie Is Must See TV
Did anyone else get the feeling that this documentary was also a hoax?
Especially since Hendrie himself appears to have written everything and narrated it.
I found it strange that there's such a lineup of well known comedians etc all praising him and calling him a genius and saying they don't know how he was able to do such a show.
I listened to Hendrie years back when he was on either 1010 or 640.
I hated it.
I hate when a show hosts takes delight in humiliating unsuspecting callers and laughing at their confusion and gullibility.
I never liked shows like Candid Camera or the Canadian Just For Laughs stunts.
Well, as noted, this was always a matter of taste. As an old radio producer, I was fascinated by how he never mixed up the mic with the phone, potting one down while turning up the other. As far as I know, he almost never blew it - and since he was constantly interrupting himself and there was no pre-production, that was quite an achievement.
It wasn't meant to be a Just for Laughs or a Candid Camera, although I can see the resemblance. That was to make people look foolish. Hendrie's schtick was meant as a satire on the very kind of show you say you hate. That's why I liked it so much and no one has ever done it better or done it live like he did.
But I understand why it was not for everyone and clearly the producer of the documentary was a Hendrie fan, so of course it's going to be sympathetic to him. I very much doubt established comedians like Bill Hader or Kevin Pollack would sell their proverbial souls to praise the guy if they didn't mean it. What's in it for them?
Still, I really enjoyed the film as both a fan and as a radio story of one man's unusual career in the medium.
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