Jump to content

Doug Tracht: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Updated the most recent gig, Jacksonville, as having come to a close.
m →‎Later career: add end at WFYV
Line 92: Line 92:
The vice president and general manager of [[Cox Radio]] in Jacksonville is David Israel. In January, 2008 Israel brought back [[Bubba the Love Sponge]], who was fired in 2004 for indecency. When people asked about another former Jacksonville radio personality, the Greaseman, Israel tracked Tracht down and they began discussing a job in August, 2008.<ref name=COMEBACK />
The vice president and general manager of [[Cox Radio]] in Jacksonville is David Israel. In January, 2008 Israel brought back [[Bubba the Love Sponge]], who was fired in 2004 for indecency. When people asked about another former Jacksonville radio personality, the Greaseman, Israel tracked Tracht down and they began discussing a job in August, 2008.<ref name=COMEBACK />
On September 29, 2008, during the Bubba the Love Sponge show, it was announced that the Greaseman would be returning to [[Jacksonville]] to do the afternoon show.<ref name=COMEBACK /><ref>{{cite news | first=Mike | last=Boyle | coauthors= | title='Greaseman' Returning To DC101 | date= | publisher= | url =http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRWebSite/NewsStoryPage.aspx?ContentID=jFLtl7QcI2g%3d&Version=0 | work =Radio and Records | pages = | accessdate = 2008-04-03 | language = }}</ref> This wasn't his first time back since his 1982 departure from WAPE. In the Fall of 1996, his show was broadcast via syndication in Jacksonville over [[WTLK]] "Real Radio" 106.5, where it lasted until January 1998, when the station changed owners and formats. On Wednesday, October 1, 2008, the Greaseman began his 3-7pm show on [[WFYV-FM]]. He plans to originate some of the shows from his Maryland home studio, with the Jacksonville station studio hosting most of the time. According to Tracht, "It's a thrill, frankly, to be back in Jacksonville. This is where the Greaseman bloomed."<ref name=COMEBACK />
On September 29, 2008, during the Bubba the Love Sponge show, it was announced that the Greaseman would be returning to [[Jacksonville]] to do the afternoon show.<ref name=COMEBACK /><ref>{{cite news | first=Mike | last=Boyle | coauthors= | title='Greaseman' Returning To DC101 | date= | publisher= | url =http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRWebSite/NewsStoryPage.aspx?ContentID=jFLtl7QcI2g%3d&Version=0 | work =Radio and Records | pages = | accessdate = 2008-04-03 | language = }}</ref> This wasn't his first time back since his 1982 departure from WAPE. In the Fall of 1996, his show was broadcast via syndication in Jacksonville over [[WTLK]] "Real Radio" 106.5, where it lasted until January 1998, when the station changed owners and formats. On Wednesday, October 1, 2008, the Greaseman began his 3-7pm show on [[WFYV-FM]]. He plans to originate some of the shows from his Maryland home studio, with the Jacksonville station studio hosting most of the time. According to Tracht, "It's a thrill, frankly, to be back in Jacksonville. This is where the Greaseman bloomed."<ref name=COMEBACK />

On August 10, 2010, the Greaseman didn't host his afternooon show. Jake from Kansas City was on the air, and there was no explanation on the WFYV website; all references to the Greaseman were removed, as well as another DJ, Cowhead.<ref>[http://rock105i.com/inside/personalities.html "Personalities"] Rock 105 WFYV</ref>
This notice was posted on the greaseman.org website:
<blockquote>
The Grease Show is no longer airing on Rock105 in Jacksonville. Grease has asked that the Branch Doodadians refrain from sending complaints to Rock105 as it won't change anything. He complements (sic) the staff there and said they just decided to go another direction, and there are no hard feelings. His latest ratings were great. Grease vows to find a new place to shriek sooner or later, and is planning to enjoy the rest of his summer and hopes to be back in action soon!<ref>[http://www.greaseman.org/ "Topicality"] Greaseman.org website</ref>
</blockquote>


==Comments==
==Comments==

Revision as of 04:24, 18 August 2010

The Greaseman
File:GreaseWiki1.jpg
Born
Douglas A. Tracht
Career
StationWFYV
Time slotMonday-Friday 3pm-7pm
Showweb based
Stationgetalife.tv
Websitewww.greaseman.org

Doug "The Greaseman" Tracht (born August 1, 1950) is an American radio, television and movie personality. Tracht is best known for his morning show on WWDC-FM in Washington, D.C. during the 1980s where he took over the morning drive time slot from Howard Stern and his controversial comments made on that show.

Tracht recently finished a stint on the afternoon drive at WFYV-FM in Jacksonville, Florida.

Personal

Tracht was born and grew up in the South Bronx (New York City) with his younger sister, Diana and parents, Alfred and Gertrude Tracht. His father was a native New Yorker who sold dental supplies; his mother was a Lutheran immigrant from Germany who stayed home to raise her two children until they were in high school, then became a noted educator.[1] Doug attended DeWitt Clinton High School and graduated in 1968. He majored in Broadcasting at Ithaca College and landed a job at the college radio station. Tracht took to radio like a duck to water, but he wasn't happy just playing records. "From the first day I got on the air, I was trying to do comedy bits and tell jokes. After my first year in college, I had this station (WYSL) in Buffalo, New York, offer me a big time job." Tracht's parents guilted him into declining the job and staying in college. However, he got a job at WTKO, a low-power Top 40 station in Ithaca. The following year, he had moved up to night DJ at a larger station in Binghamton, New York, WENE.[2] Tracht graduated from Ithaca College in 1972[3] and married a nice Italian girl named Marie who was the receptionist at WENE.[4] Tracht keeps his personal life private and does not talk about his real wife on the air. In stories, he refers to a former wife, "Estelle". He enjoys powerboating, and has owned one since his early success in Jacksonville.

The name

The Greaseman pseudonym originated while he was in college. "In those days of Top 40, everybody who was on the radio was 'cookin'; cookin' with the Temptations, cookin' Four Tops, that kind of thing. Which meant they were really rockin'. One day I said I was cookin' with heavy grease. It was my way of saying I was out-cookin' the other guys. I said it enough times, so one day one of the other deejays referred to me as the Greaseman."[2] His radio name had been Dougie T, but when he became the Greaseman, a different personality surfaced. His voice deepened and he projected the image of a middle-aged tattooed truck driver with a beer belly and a cigar.[5] In reality, Tracht was six foot two and 120 pounds. He used the radio as an alter ego; a guy with a swaggering bravado.[2] At WENE, he was asked to do remote broadcasts from a sponsor's business and listeners were disappointed to see that he looked like a wimp.[6] The Greaseman also goes by the names Nino Manelli, Jonny Bulky, Jonny Avocado, Jonny Doodads, the Doodad Daddy of the Airwaves and Bingo![7]

The show

"The Greaseman Show" is a fast-paced array of jokes and stories, songs with substituted lyrics, endless sound effects that include squeals, screams, gunfire, and screeching tires. Calls from listeners inevitably lead to a story of a recurring character from his repertoire, and no topic is taboo. He calls his deep voice his "bosso grosso".[2]

Career

Early career

Tract went through a string of stations including WAXC in Rochester, New York; WRC in Washington, D.C. and WPOP in Hartford, Connecticut. None of the jobs lasted very long because he was constantly looking for bigger audiences and choicer time slots. The frequent moves from city to city were a major reason for the end of his first marriage, after less than two years.[6]

Success

Tracht found a home at WAPE-AM in Jacksonville, Florida in August, 1975 and became the dominant radio personality not just in northeast Florida,[8] but in the Southeastern U.S.[2] While in Jacksonville, his true identity was kept confidential because the public was disappointed that the booming, macho voice belonged to a young guy who was skinny and shy. The station turned Tracht's request for privacy into a marketing ploy. Curtains were hung in the window of the broadcast booth; a TV interview showed only his lips; and Tracht wore a Gorilla costume at personal appearances. The Greaseman was named as the top radio personality in the United States for 1977 and 1980. In 1979, he signed a five-year contract worth $1 million.[6]

He was an early shock jock, but Tract denies the label: "I'm telling jokes. The bottom line--it's a comedy show."[2] "I'm creating characters and stories, I'm weaving a tapestry or humor. The others are just saying nasty things."[6] However, his show was outrageous and edgy, which offended some people. Tract kept his stories from violating FCC obscenity regulations by using "code words" for certain anatomical features (hydraulics for male genitalia) and sound effects for physical acts.

Allen Moore, WAPE's news director, was also a bodybuilder. Tracht questioned Moore about his hobby, and Moore encouraged Tracht to try it. Tracht began a high protein diet of canned tuna, raw eggs and milk, took vitamins, and lifted weights for 90 minutes a day. In the first three months, he added 25 pounds of muscle to his thin physique.[2] After a year, he had gained 45 pounds, and people commented that he looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger.[6]

Tract remained in Jacksonville almost 7 years, then moved in 1982 to WWDC in Washington, D.C., where he replaced Howard Stern. DC-101 was his first FM station. He purchased a home in nearby Potomac, Maryland, continued working out and overcame his dislike of public appearances. During that time, he was known for a series of publicity stunts, including his "presidential campaign" in 1984.

Bad joke

In January 1985, Tracht created an uproar by making an on-air joke about the new federal holiday, Martin Luther King Day saying, "Why don't we plug four more and get the whole week off?" followed by, "Come on, now, you know I don't mean nothing!" He was suspended from the station for five days, publicly apologized, and donated money to create a scholarship at Howard University in honor of Dr. King.[9] Tract resumed his show and the memory of his bad joke faded. The Washington Post noted that he was the highest paid DJ in DC during 1987, making $400K per year.[6] He stayed at DC-101 for over ten years, his longest tenure at one station. He married his second wife, Anita Maria Alfieri, in 1985.

Syndication

His show was syndicated by Infinity Broadcasting Corporation for five years, from January, 1993 until January, 1998. Tract moved to Los Angeles and bought the former home of Stepfanie Kramer in the Santa Monica Mountains near Mulholland Drive.[10] The show originated from a private broadcasting studio in LA and was carried by stations in Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and KLOS in Los Angeles, among others. During 1994, his audience was estimated at 2.5 million listeners each day.[2] A typical comedy routine would include appropriate background music, sound effects, and dialog like this:

"I believe I lived as the Emperor Tuchus Faceas. My bride Sleazebaggius was by my side. My son Foreskinnius, my daughter Vaginitis, made us a complete and well rounded family. My word was law. Whenever a young maiden would get married in the kingdom, her first night had to be spent with me. It was a royal proclamation that I would cut the first slice as emperor. That's how it was when Testicules married Cleo Splatra. I had her. When Ejaculus married Jailbatius, oooh, my night was the first night. I'll never forget it when Poontangia was going to be wed. She came into my chambers. I said, 'My little blossom, my child, are you ready for the royal procedure? She said, 'Sire, do we have to?' I said, 'Yes, it is law. Drop thy gown, sweet little princess, and let the procedure begin.'" (Listeners would then hear a gasp and a sigh, squeaks, squishes, groans, and squirting sounds.) "Who's your emperor, who's your emperor, who's your emperor? Oh, aaggh, bbtttppp, gyeahhh, bbttppp, gyeahhh!"[2]

Syndication was not as successful as Infinity had hoped, so the contract was not extended beyond five years. In the last year of his Infinity contract, he was hired by WARW-FM for $1 million per year and returned to Washington, D.C. where he again incorporated music into his show.[11] Tracht authored a book under the pseudonym that is his radio character, Nino Mannelli. The 1997 volume was titled, "And They Ask Me Why I Drink?".

Incident

In February 1999, after a year at WARW (now WIAD), Tracht made a comment about James Byrd, who was murdered in 1998 by being dragged behind a pickup truck by two white supremacists. The day before, jurors had convicted John William King of Byrd's murder.[12] The Greaseman had been playing a sound bite of Lauryn Hill who had ten nominations at the 41st Grammy Awards. It was rumored that she had said that her music was for blacks and she was ashamed that whites liked it.[13] Tracht then stated, "and they wonder why we drag them behind trucks." After the comment, he immediately stated that he "didn't mean nothing." But it didn't help ease the backlash. This incident proved catastrophic to his radio career, igniting a firestorm of protest from listeners of all races, including Donnie Simpson, who savaged Tracht on his morning show on sister station WPGC-FM. Not only was Tracht quickly fired from WARW, but also he lost his position as a Volunteer Deputy Sheriff in Falls Church, Virginia.[14]

Apology

Rock Newman was a black businessman who knew Tracht before the incident. Newman felt that Tracht was truly sorry and accompanied Doug and his wife on a quest to apologize and show that he wasn't a racist.[11] The week following his firing, Tracht held a press conference and made an apology to his listeners, "Every day you deserve my best, and last Wednesday I gave you my worst. This experience, compiled with my past transgressions upon racial and human decency, have forever taught me the value of respect and restraint."[3] They spoke to several black organizations, then appeared on BET Tonight with Tavis Smiley on Black Entertainment Television where he faced angry questions. He was lectured, chastised, called a racist, and a told he didn't deserve another chance. After being pilloried by one caller, Tracht begged, "Let me down off this cross, will you?"[9] Counseling was recommended. The show asked its audience what Tracht could do, but almost 75% said "nothing".[11] When it became painfully obvious that he would not be forgiven, Tracht stopped asking.

Penance

A worker at DC Central Kitchen saw Tracht's apology on TV and heard his desire to show he was sorry. She thought that the "Kitchen" would be a good place for the Greaseman to prove himself, and shared the idea with a co-worker who knew Rock Newman; he made a phone call. Soon, Tracht was mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms for four hours a day, several times a week. He volunteered for four months, laboring with unemployed and homeless people. Of the experience, Tracht stated: "It's the kind of place where you can rediscover yourself. I did things I'd never done in my life. I went in there like an idiot, and now I know how to clean and mop, how to shovel and unload, how to slice and dice."[11]

Tracht began counseling with a psychologist at Howard University. After the counselor got to know his patient, he stated, "I saw nothing consistent with what I would expect to find with someone who is a racist."[11] Tracht continued to see the therapist weekly for over a year.[9]

In February 2000, a station owner in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands offered Tracht a DJ job. The Greaseman intended to make a new start, but when local residents found out about it, they objected, loudly and clearly. Local politicians talked to the station owner, who was convinced to rescind the offer.[11]

Tract was persona non grata on the radio for the rest of 1999 and all of 2000. He had a part in the Discovery Channel's show, "The FBI Files", and appeared in an infomercial for an internet dating site in 2000.[11]

Later career

By 2002, Tracht returned to the air from his home studio, broadcasting on WDMV AM 700 (previously WGOP) near Frederick, Maryland, and was soon afterward syndicated to numerous other stations in the region. He then held the morning-show slot on WMET-AM 1160 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, until November 2, 2007. The Washington Post has described this period as "six years of broadcasting his morning show on tiny, unknown AM stations with signals so weak they dissolve under the static created by a car's ignition switch." [9][11]

Marc Fisher, a Washington Post columnist who is an expert on the radio industry, wrote a story in November, 2007 asking why Tracht hadn't been rehabilitated. The list of disgraced broadcasters is long and distinguished: Pat O'Brien, Howard Stern, Don Imus, Marv Albert and Opie and Anthony. All were suspended for bad behavior, some of which was criminal, but all returned to the microphone. Fisher called Tracht "the most talented of the shock jocks, a storyteller so verbally nimble, so fantastically imaginative that his showmanship seemed wasted on an audience of adolescent guys."[5][9]

Selected Greaseman bits are heard during late PM drive on WGRX-FM 104.5 in the Fredericksburg, Virginia, area. On March 31, 2008, WWDC announced that the Greaseman show would be returning on Saturday mornings beginning April 5, 2008, and that the run would go until October 2008, after Clear Channel decided to have more "music intensive" weekends on DC101.

The vice president and general manager of Cox Radio in Jacksonville is David Israel. In January, 2008 Israel brought back Bubba the Love Sponge, who was fired in 2004 for indecency. When people asked about another former Jacksonville radio personality, the Greaseman, Israel tracked Tracht down and they began discussing a job in August, 2008.[5] On September 29, 2008, during the Bubba the Love Sponge show, it was announced that the Greaseman would be returning to Jacksonville to do the afternoon show.[5][15] This wasn't his first time back since his 1982 departure from WAPE. In the Fall of 1996, his show was broadcast via syndication in Jacksonville over WTLK "Real Radio" 106.5, where it lasted until January 1998, when the station changed owners and formats. On Wednesday, October 1, 2008, the Greaseman began his 3-7pm show on WFYV-FM. He plans to originate some of the shows from his Maryland home studio, with the Jacksonville station studio hosting most of the time. According to Tracht, "It's a thrill, frankly, to be back in Jacksonville. This is where the Greaseman bloomed."[5]

On August 10, 2010, the Greaseman didn't host his afternooon show. Jake from Kansas City was on the air, and there was no explanation on the WFYV website; all references to the Greaseman were removed, as well as another DJ, Cowhead.[16] This notice was posted on the greaseman.org website:

The Grease Show is no longer airing on Rock105 in Jacksonville. Grease has asked that the Branch Doodadians refrain from sending complaints to Rock105 as it won't change anything. He complements (sic) the staff there and said they just decided to go another direction, and there are no hard feelings. His latest ratings were great. Grease vows to find a new place to shriek sooner or later, and is planning to enjoy the rest of his summer and hopes to be back in action soon![17]

Comments

The phrase "Who's your daddy?" may have been given its first widespread airing by Tracht in the late 1980s and 1990s on his syndicated radio program. Tracht used the term comedically, but left no doubt about its sexual aspects; Tracht put the phrase in the mouth of his imagined male characters while they were in the middle of "a zesty session." Tracht said he first heard the reference in The Zombies song "Time of the Season". He said, "I converted it to have a spicy connotation. As men we want validation because we are such inept lovers...It just kind of popped out of the blue."[18]

Movies

Tracht appeared in two television movies produced by his close friend, Brian Dennehy[19] Jack Reed: A Search For Justice (1994) and Jack Reed: Death And Vengeance (1996).

He made a film, inspired by Pulp Fiction, called The Last Mango.

Books

  • Doug Tracht (November 1, 1997). And They Ask Me Why I Drink. Atria. ISBN 978-0671551605.

Radio stations

call letters, frequency, nickname, location, interval

References

  1. ^ "TRACHT, Gertrude 'Trudie'" Hartford Courant, May 18, 2008
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Reifer, Susan: "GREASEMAN" Penthouse Magazine, December 1994
  3. ^ a b Rettig, Kevin: "Alumnus 'Greaseman' wiped off D.C. airwaves" The Ithacan, March 4, 1999
  4. ^ "A Greaseman Biography" Greaseman website
  5. ^ a b c d e Patton, Charlie: "Greaseman begins his comeback in city today" Florida Times-Union, October 1, 2008
  6. ^ a b c d e f Smith, Gary: "I'm Almost A Trained Schizo'" Washington Post, November 29, 1987
  7. ^ "FAQ: the Greaseman"
  8. ^ Patton, Charlie: "Greaseman's off local radio dial once again" Florida Times-Union, January 22, 1998
  9. ^ a b c d e Fisher, Marc: "Imus Returning, but Greaseman Can't Stop His Long Slide" The Washington Post, November 25, 2007, page M05
  10. ^ Ryon, Ruth: "Lion on Prowl for Larger Den" Los Angeles Times, December 12, 1993
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Ahrens, Frank: "The Silenced Greaseman" The Washington Post, March 9, 2000, page C01
  12. ^ Lyman, Rick: "Texas Jury Picks Death Sentence In Fatal Dragging of a Black Man" New York Times, February 26, 1999
  13. ^ "Did anyone else enjoy the DJ The Greaseman" Extreme Redskins
  14. ^ "'Greaseman' Suspended for Racist Remark; WARW Pulls Doug Tracht Off the Air, Offers Apology". The Washington Post. February 25, 1999. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. ^ Boyle, Mike. "'Greaseman' Returning To DC101". Radio and Records. Retrieved 2008-04-03. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ "Personalities" Rock 105 WFYV
  17. ^ "Topicality" Greaseman.org website
  18. ^ Paul Farhi (January 4, 2005). "Conception of a Question: Who's Your Daddy?". The Washington Post: Page C01.
  19. ^ "Jack Reed: A Search For Justice"
  20. ^ "Greeseman Bio". WWDC. Retrieved 2008-05-03. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Doug_Tracht&oldid=379526810"