Loveline
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Loveline is a syndicated radio call-in program in the United States, Canada and Mexico, offering medical and relationship advice to listeners. Currently it is heard from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m PST (1 a.m. to 3 a.m. EST) Sunday-Thursday (Monday-Friday in the CST and EST). Syndication is usually on rock, alternative, and adult talk radio stations. Loveline can also be heard online anywhere in the world, by streaming through the websites of affiliate stations. Selected episodes are made available on Westwood One's website.[1] In addition, some fans digitally record and share episodes.
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[edit] History
Loveline began in 1983 as a Sunday night segment on Los Angeles radio station KROQ, hosted by DJ Jim "Poorman" Trenton and DJ Swedish Egil (Egil Aalvik). About a year later, Trenton added a segment called Ask a Surgeon, hosted by his friend Dr. Drew Pinsky, who was not yet a doctor but a fourth-year medical student at the University of Southern California. The two segments soon merged into their own show, co-hosted by Trenton and Pinsky. In February 1992, the show went from airing solely on Sunday nights to five nights a week (Sunday through Thursday). Over the years, Trenton's relationship with the station grew rocky, and in August 1993 he was replaced by former MTV VJ Riki Rachtman. Dr. Drew and Rachtman were joined by Adam Carolla in October 1995, just as the show was first being syndicated nationally.[2] The trio hosted together for several months, but Carolla and Rachtman often competed for airtime, leading Rachtman to resign suddenly in April 1996. [3] From that point, Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew hosted the show until Carolla's departure on November 3, 2005.
The popularity and reach of the show increased dramatically during the "Pinsky/Carolla" years. The two had a natural chemistry, in which Carolla's jocular tone emphasized Pinsky's reasoned expertise. Together, they refined the format of the show, and capitalized on their growing popularity with speaking tours, a television show, a book, and cameo appearances on television shows and in movies. Carolla left the show on November 3, 2005 to prepare for hosting a new morning radio show in 2006.
Loveline follows the call-in question-and-answer model with the primary goal of helping youth and young adults with relationship, sexuality, and drug addiction problems. As a practicing internist and addictionologist with training in psychology, Dr. Drew's answers have medical credibility, but the addition of Adam Carolla's humor and insight resulted in a program with entertainment value as well. Carolla repeatedly stated his role on the show as something of a trojan horse: He lured listeners with dirty jokes and wisecracks in hopes they'd learn something that could improve their lives. Actors or members of popular bands often participate as guests.
Since Carolla's departure in November 2005, the show has continued with celebrity co-hosts and guests, some of whom have announced their hope to be hired as Carolla's replacement. Since July 23, 2006, KROQ disc jockey Stryker has served as co-host with Pinsky.
[edit] Personalities
[edit] Radio Hosts (1983 - Present)
- Dr. Drew Pinsky -- 1984 - Present
- Stryker -- July 2006 - Present
- Adam Carolla -- October 1995 - November 2005
- Riki Rachtman -- 1993 - April 1996
- Attorney Lee Alpert -- 1986 - 1989
- “Swedish” Egil Aalvik -- 1983 - 1990
- “Spacin” Scott Mason -- 1983 - 1987
- Jim "Poorman" Trenton -- 1983 - 1993
- Dr. Bruce Heischober -- "Dr. Bruce" (Ichabod Bruce, Dr. Spaz)
- Dr. Gary Alter -- "Dr. Alter"
- Dr. Ohad Menashe Ben-Yehuda -- "Dr. Ben" (The Vag Doc)
- Dr. Marcel Daniels -- "Dr. Marcel"
- Dr. Reef Karim -- "Dr. Reef"
- Dr. Bruce Hensel -- "Dr. Bruce"
- David Alan Grier, a popular and frequent guest, sometimes referred to as the "Third Host" of Loveline.
[edit] Television Co-Hosts (1996 - 2000)
- Laura Kightlinger -- 1997
- Lou Thornton -- 1997
- Carmen Electra -- 1997
- Idalis DeLeon -- 1997
- Diane Farr -- 1998
- Catherine McCord -- 1999 - 2000
- Kris McGaha -- 1996 - 1997 (?)
(Donna D'Errico was a pseudo-host on Loveline: Live in Time Square (2000))
[edit] Producers
- Ann Wilkins -- ? - present
- Lauren (Junior Producer) -- January 2003 (first on air reference)[1] - present
[edit] Engineers
- Anderson Cowan (The Magic Fingered One, The Liberace of the Potentiometers) -- 1999 - Present
- Chris Perez – September 2003 (first on-air reference)[2] - 2005
- Michelle – After January 2004 - November 2005 (left for Adam Carolla Show)
- Mike Dooley (The One-Nut Wonder) – Early Loveline (?) - 1999. Made many of the 'songs' (Drew Boogie, Drew Shuffle)
[edit] Phone Screeners
- Tara - Temperamental phone screener, affectionately called "Ta-ra don't call me Tar-a God-damn-it" by Adam. Tara's is on my MySpace [3], and her MySpace blog is syndicated on LiveJournal [4].
- Bryan - Former phone screener, now working for the Adam Carolla Show. Bryan had a blog on The Loveline Companion for a short time [5].
[edit] Lingo
- Ace Rockolla - Adam's alter-ego, making fun of "wacky" morning radio show hosts. (Named by rapper Ice-T)
- Attack Crows - An idea raised by Adam Carolla, who suggested that someone should train crows as bodyguards.
- Behymen - Anal virginity, a portmanteau of the words "behind" and "hymen".
- Bogosity - The degree to which a Loveline caller's story is bogus.
- International Laws of Bogosity - If a host declares a caller's problem to be fake, the caller is required to admit it. Also referred to as "the Geneva Convention of Loveline."
- Bumper - The short snippet music that is played when it comes back from commercial.
- C-Ring - cock ring; the word "cock" would get censored on the air, so Adam used this term
- Chief Thunderbear - A Native American gynecologist. He only speaks in his native language, so Dr. Drew translates. He is voiced by Adam Carolla.
- Crystal Ball - Dr. Drew often can look into his "crystal ball" and forsee the future of callers based on their behaviors and family history. He typically points out he sees things like a pole in a girl's future or bad addiction
- Douchenozzle - Adam's version of the popular douchebag, claimed to be more insulting as it is the "business end of the douche." Suggested to be effective in traffic, as in "Shake your ass, ya douchenozzle!"
- Drop Trou - What "Ace Rockolla" is constantly ready to do.
- Happies - Adam Carolla's term for herpes.
- The Little Lord Fauntleroy School for Albino Hemophiliacs - Adam's nickname for Dr. Drew's prep school.
- Longtime listener, first-time caller - One night, a little over a year after Adam started on the show, he flew into a rant insisiting that "Longtime listener, first-time caller" was a traditional part of the radio call-in show, but that in his time on Loveline nobody had ever used it. Starting with the very next caller, and running for years after, the phrase became the most common way for callers to start off their question.
- Mahalo - Adam's traditional sign-off phrase of both the Loveline radio and MTV shows. When Adam left in 2005, Dr. Drew created his own sign-off, "be well."
- Mason Jar - The key term given by a bogus Loveline caller to declare its bogosity and end the call. (Usually preceded by "her asshole was the size of a…")
- Passionate, Passionate Man - How Adam describes Dr. Drew. The term can also be used in reference to Ben Stein.
- Ricockulous - More extreme than ridiculous. Replacing the "dic" with "cock".
- Sativa - A car that Adam Carolla created after hearing a caller's name.
- Sploser - Someone who is 'part spaz, all loser.'
- Vicar of Christ - Adam's alias when the Catholic Church was choosing a new Pope.
- Hobo-power - A measure of stink created by Adam. A 1-100 scale, where 50 is a cat crapping on a white-hot hibachi grill, and 100 is a theoretical 'absolute zero' that has never been attained. It is theorized that 100 Hobo-power would be deadly.
[edit] Quotes
[edit] Adam Carolla
- "Hey everybody, this is Loveline. I'm Adam, that's Dr. Drew. Phone number, 1-800-LOVE-191. Dr. Drew is a board certified physician and addiction medicine specialist."
- "How dare you!?"
- "I am literally a millionaire."
- "Drew will you PLEASE stop punching the mic."
- "Good times."
- "Im Droppin' Trou, I Will Drop Trou, Drew!"
- "No, cannot have!" (Armenian Accent)
- "Perfectly normal, perfectly healthy."
- "Red wine, that's my medicine, Dr. Drew."
- "Shhhoooccckkkiiinnng."
- "The world is your oyster, because that's all the world is."
- "Junior college is basically just a high school with ashtrays"
- "Rape is not a sexual crime. It is not sexual. Rape is a violent crime...it's a violent crime, where you cum at the end."
- "UN-acceptable...unacceptable!"
- "That's ricockulous!"
- "We can't judge, Drew."
- "Mahalo." (trademark sign off)
- "Hey baby doll, what's your question? (to female callers)
- "It's a slippery slope, Drew."
- "I swear to Christ!"
- "The only threesome you need to be having is with you, your husband, and a man by the name of Jesus Christ."
[edit] Dr. Drew Pinsky
- "Okay...so what's your question?"
- "It's time to start listening, goddammit!"
- "Are you Mormon?"
- "Dr. Drew in the hizzy!" (a drop from his Crank Yankers appearance)
- "Good night and stay well" (trademark sign off)
- "You're a lesbian"
- "You're gay"
[edit] Stryker
- "If the girl is in the vicinity then we're happy"
- "I insist you stick it in my ass"
- "Hey Drew guess what I did today?" (usual saying when coming on loveline)
[edit] Out-of-Context Drew Drops
Engineer Anderson Cowan is fond of splicing up phrases Drew had uttered on previous shows and "dropping" them into new shows in mid-call. This causes confusion to new listeners and callers and hilarity to seasoned listeners. Some favorites are:
- "Are you Mormon?"
- "You're fat."
- "You're gay."
- "Faggot better run."
- "Yes, sir, Mr. Carolla!"
- "I've had anal sex."
- "I'm a rapist."
- "When I was 19 I ate six boiled peyote buttons and stayed up all night but felt no effect."
Some of the Drew Drops were set to music in the "Dr. Drew Shuffle" and the later "Dr. Drew Boogie."
Adam's Pet Peeves
There are a number of issues and pet peeves that Adam repeatedly visited on Loveline with various levels of hostility and humor.
-Junior College or Community College Adam had a belief that not only is junior college a total waste of time but that he could smell junior college on his callers due to the foolishness of their questions. Adam once said that he understands if you're going to junior college to be a nurse or any other profession that's usually only taught at a junior college.
I smell junior college on you...
Pie versus Cake Adam has an extreme disdain for sheetcake in particular and birthday cakes in general (particularly the ones given at office parties) and at times ended up screaming at the mic about the sheep-like devotion people had to cake. Often Adam referred to the possibility of getting tuberculosis from the blowing out of the candles.
LA Traffic Particularly the amount of tickets given out by the Burbank police department and the overzealousness of the police in LA in general with regards to moving violations. Adam frequently complains that police are using traffic tickets as fundraisers. In addition red left-hand turn signals, esp. Culver City, are held in disdane.
Cranberry Sauce - Adam has repeatedly mentioned, often around Thanksgiving season, that canned Cranberry Sauce is completely unacceptable. People should go to the store, pick up a bag of cranberries, and follow the directions on the back to make sauce.
[edit] Games
[edit] Germany or Florida?
Germany or Florida is a game that originated at Jimmy Kimmel Live with the staff of writers who discovered a correlation in the news stories they would read for joke material. Adam observed that "All weird stories eminate from either Germany or Florida." Originally intended as a game to be used on Kimmel's show, it was rejected and Adam decided to bring it to Loveline. The object of the game is to have a listener read off a strange, macabre, or just plain weird news story and have the hosts (and guests) choose Germany or Florida. First mentioned October 19, 2003. According to some listeners' best guesses, Adam is about 55% correct, and Dr. Drew is about 40%. Theme songs introducing the game have been created by guests and callers, most notably David Alan Grier's opera and beat-box renditions. [6] Carolla even brought the game with him when he guest hosted The Late Late Show in 2004 and on his short-lived Comedy Central show Too Late with Adam Carolla. Additionally, the game has been played on Carolla's morning show, The Adam Carolla Show.
[edit] Lightning Round
Although not technically a game, it was a favorite show ender for Carolla much to the chagrin of Dr. Drew. It consisted of his imitation of the non-stop morning DJ ("slow 'n' go watch for brake lights", "8:29, 29 past the hour", "50,000 watt flamethrower!", "Van Nuys checkin' in at 61, Laguna Beach checkin' in at 61, Burbank checkin' in at 61...", "I'M A CRAZY MAN! I WILL DROP TROU!"), a vicious cowbell, and audio drops of thunderclaps.
[edit] General Caller Betting
Without talking to a caller for more than 15-20 seconds Dr. Drew and Carolla would put them on hold and place $1 bets on the caller's past. The theory being that they have fielded so many calls by so many people that they could hear the specific problem in the caller's voice and detect what events led to their present. Example:
- Caller: I'm just depressed all the time.
- Carolla: I can hear the little girl voice, Drew. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
- Drew: My wife has my wallet. I'm good for the dollar.
- Carolla: I'm going with...father, no no, a weird Uncle touched her at the age of...9.
- Drew: I hear molestation too, but I'm going with kid-on-kid. This was someone she played with. Maybe a year or two younger.
- Carolla: Caller?
- Caller: My best friend in 3rd grade forced me to touch her repeatedly.
This serves to show people that their problems are not unique; hundreds of previous callers had the same problem and it manifested in a detectable way in their voices. Callers often call the show with seemingly trivial questions, but through General Caller Betting, Dr. Drew and Carolla cut through to deeper underlying problems.
[edit] Smoke Detector Batteries
Every once in a while, while a caller is asking a totally unrelated question, Adam and Drew hear a tiny, high-pitched beep in the background and jump all over the caller. They have been conditioned to recognize the tell-tale sound of a smoke detector chirping to remind the owner to replace the battery. This is a personal pet peeve of Adam and Drew, an example they use to show how stupid the majority of their callers are. They make sure to draw attention to it by making the caller be quiet until they can time the space between beeps (usually between 30-40 seconds), and then every 30 seconds of the caller's question they will interrupt him or her so they can hear the beep. Some callers will deny that something is beeping, but then later in the call, Adam and Drew will find out there is a smoke detector over the caller's bed. Adam has commented that a pet lizard in the person's room would kill itself, yet the caller is totally oblivious.
[edit] Bogus Callers
Starting in 1996 a specific male individual would call in with a completely honest sounding, but bogus, question. He would keep the hosts going as long as possible until he could work in the phrase "Asshole the size of a Mason jar", and then hang up. Over time this became code for "This is a bogus call." His run ended after Adam and Drew started to recognize his voice immediately, and cut off his last two attempts midway through the first sentence saying, "And let me guess, she had an asshole the size of a Mason jar," and then hung up on him.
Several years later copycat callers were spawned and would play out the same scenario with a real-sounding but bogus problem, and attempt to end the call with the Mason jar reference.
[edit] On-screen and in print
A TV version of Loveline ran on MTV from 1996 to 2000; it followed the same general format as the radio program but featured a live audience and a female co-host. The female co-host role was filled over the course of the series by MTV VJ Idalis, actresses Chris McGaha, Catherine McCord and Diane Farr and comedian Laura Kightlinger. The show never gained much traction, nor was it advertised much, and was cancelled after four seasons.
The Dr. Drew and Adam Book: A Survival Guide to Life and Love, an advice book written in a tone similar to the radio show, was released in 1998.
[edit] Controversy
- In 1999, the punk band Pennywise was the show's guest. Their guitarist, Fletcher, became so intoxicated that he began making violent threats. He barracaded the sound booth and claimed he had a grenade and would blow them all up. Much of this was aired before Producer Ann could cut away. The LAPD arrived, took charge, and the incident ended without violence. The band was asked back to the show several times after the incident.
- The radio show has been the subject of occasional controversy. The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council once ruled that the program breached the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Code of Ethics, but was not racist and did not violate human rights. No penalty was imposed.
- The controversy emerged from a show that aired on August 21, 2002 when a female phone sex operator called in to complain that her clients were reaching orgasm too quickly, hurting her earnings. Carolla suggested that she should drop subliminal phrases about unsexy topics, such as cancer or the Holocaust. To the amazement of the hosts, the caller admitted that she had never heard of the Holocaust and had no idea what it was. Adam and the phone sex operator then simulated what that call might sound like with this suggestion.
- Adam (simulating telephone): Brrring. Brrring.
- PSO (hotly spoken): Hi! How ya doin'?
- Adam: Ooooh, hi, what's your name?
- PSO: I'm Sugar.
- Adam: Sugar, I'm Ace.
- PSO: Hey Ace.
- Adam: Yeah, what are you wearing?
- PSO: Mmmm, I'm wearing a nice black garter.
- Adam: Uh-huh.
- PSO: Oooooh, just thinkin' about the Holocaust.
- In 2003, the show was pulled from Hawaiian affiliate KPOI after listeners complained about derogatory comments Carolla made regarding Hawaiians, on the November 9, 2003 show. Carolla intended to be humorous. [7]
[edit] External links
[edit] Official Sites
- Loveline – Official site from Westwood One
- Loveline – Official station finder
[edit] Unofficial Sites
- The Loveline Archive
- Video Clips from MTV's Loveline
- KROQ: Loveline
- The Loveline Companion
- Phone Screener Bryan's blog (no longer updated)
- Email Notifier for The Loveline Companion
- The Loveline Companion RSS Feed also syndicated on LiveJournal and on FeedBurner
- The Loveline Companion's list of affiliates
- Tera's Last Night on Loveline
- Phone Screener Sarah's Last Night
- Dr. Reef fills in for Dr. Drew on June 30, 2002
- LiveJournal Communities
- last.fm
- Animation of Loveline
- Loveline Fan
- Adam Carolla Destroys The World (Theme Song & Video)
- CBSC Formal Decision on the "Holocaust Call"
- Loveline Quote Archive re: Phone Screener Sherry
- Articles tagged 'loveline' on CiteULike
- Peter Hook from New Order on Loveline, 1993, re: Phone Screeners Rob & Scott