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The Greaseman remained in Jacksonville almost seven years, then moved in 1982 to [[WWDC (FM)|WWDC]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], where he replaced [[Howard Stern]]. DC-101 was his first [[FM broadcast band|FM]] station.
The Greaseman remained in Jacksonville almost seven years, then moved in 1982 to [[WWDC (FM)|WWDC]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], where he replaced [[Howard Stern]]. DC-101 was his first [[FM broadcast band|FM]] station.

===Bad joke===
In January 1985, Tracht created an uproar by making an on-air joke about the new federal holiday, [[Martin Luther King, Jr. Day|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 nothin'!"
He was suspended from the station for five days, publicly apologized, and donated money to create a scholarship at [[Howard University]] in honor of [[Martin Luther King, Jr.|Dr. King]].<ref name=SLIDE>{{cite journal| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/23/AR2007112300491.html|title=Imus Returning, but Greaseman Can't Stop His Long Slide|publisher=The Washington Post|date= November 25, 2007}}</ref> Tracht resumed his show, and the memory of his bad joke faded. The [[Washington Post]] noted that he was the highest paid DJ in D.C. during 1987, making $400,000 a year.<ref name=SCHIZO>Smith, Gary: [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/73859635.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+29%2C+1987&author=Gary+Smith&desc=I%27m+Almost+A+Trained+Schizo%27 "I'm Almost A Trained Schizo'"] Washington Post, November 29, 1987</ref> He stayed at DC-101 for over 10 years, his longest tenure at one station. He married his second wife, Anita Maria Alfieri, in 1985.

<ref name=BYRD>{{cite journal| url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-571390.html|title='Greaseman' Suspended for Racist Remark; WARW Pulls Doug Tracht Off the Air, Offers Apology |publisher=The Washington Post|date= February 25, 1999}}</ref>


===Syndication===
===Syndication===
Line 61: Line 68:


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.<ref name=IMUS>Ahrens, Frank: [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-03/09/041r-030900-idx.html "The Silenced Greaseman"] The Washington Post, March 9, 2000, page C01</ref> The Greaseman 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?"
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.<ref name=IMUS>Ahrens, Frank: [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-03/09/041r-030900-idx.html "The Silenced Greaseman"] The Washington Post, March 9, 2000, page C01</ref> The Greaseman 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 Jr.|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.<ref>Lyman, Rick: [http://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/26/us/texas-jury-picks-death-sentence-in-fatal-dragging-of-a-black-man.html?ref=john_william_king "Texas Jury Picks Death Sentence In Fatal Dragging of a Black Man"] New York Times, February 26, 1999</ref> The Greaseman had been playing a sound bite of [[Lauryn Hill]] who had ten nominations at the [[41st Grammy Awards]].
Tracht then stated, "And they wonder why we drag them behind trucks." After the comment, he immediately stated that he "didn't mean nothin'." 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 [[Firing|fired]] from WARW, but also he lost his position as a [[Volunteer]] [[Deputy sheriff|Deputy Sheriff]] in [[Falls Church, Virginia]].<ref name=BYRD>{{cite journal| url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-571390.html|title='Greaseman' Suspended for Racist Remark; WARW Pulls Doug Tracht Off the Air, Offers Apology |publisher=The Washington Post|date= February 25, 1999}}</ref>
===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.<ref name=SLIDE/> 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."<ref name=ITHACA /> 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 told he didn't deserve another chance. After being pilloried by one caller, Tracht begged, "Let me down off this cross, will you?"<ref name=IMUS /> Counseling was recommended. The show asked its audience what Tracht could do, but almost 75 percent said "nothing."<ref name=IMUS /> When it became painfully obvious that he would not be forgiven, Tracht stopped asking.


==Comments==
==Comments==

Revision as of 21:44, 19 August 2011

The Greaseman
Born
Douglas A. Tracht

(1950-08-01) August 1, 1950 (age 74)
The Bronx, New York, United States
Career
ShowWeb based
Stationgetalife.tv (Inactive)
StyleDrive time, Shock jock
CountryUnited States
Previous showThe Greaseman Show
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 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 6 foot 2 and 120 pounds. He used the radio as an alter ego; a guy with a swaggering bravado.[2] The Greaseman also goes by the names Nino Greasemanelli, Jonny Bulky, Jonny Avocado, Jonny Doodads, the Doodad Daddy of the Airwaves![6]

The show

"The Greaseman Show" is a fast-paced array of what he terms "bits," to wit: 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 "basso grosso" or "basso profundo."[2]

Career

Early career

The Greaseman 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 as he was successively lured to larger stations.

Success

The Greaseman found a home at WAPE-AM in Jacksonville, Florida, in August 1975 and became the dominant radio personality not just in northeast Florida,[7] but in the Southeastern U.S.[2] While in Jacksonville, his true identity was kept confidential as part of a marketing ploy. Curtains were hung in the window of the broadcast booth, a TV interview showed only his lips, and the Greaseman 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.[8]

He was an early shock jock, but the Greaseman 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 of humor. The others are just saying nasty things."[8] However, his show was outrageous and edgy, which offended some people.

Allen Moore, WAPE's news director, was also a bodybuilder. The Greaseman questioned Moore about his hobby, and Moore encouraged the Greaseman to try it. He 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.[8] He enrolled in an evening law enforcement training program, and after completing it, volunteered as an auxiliary officer. He occasionally worked the night shift with a Jacksonville Sheriff's Officer, then went directly to the station at 5:30 a.m. for his morning show, still in uniform.[8]

The Greaseman remained in Jacksonville almost seven years, then moved in 1982 to WWDC in Washington, D.C., where he replaced Howard Stern. DC-101 was his first FM station.

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 nothin'!" 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] Tracht resumed his show, and the memory of his bad joke faded. The Washington Post noted that he was the highest paid DJ in D.C. during 1987, making $400,000 a year.[8] He stayed at DC-101 for over 10 years, his longest tenure at one station. He married his second wife, Anita Maria Alfieri, in 1985.

[10]

Syndication

The Greaseman show was syndicated by Infinity Broadcasting Corporation for five years, from January 1993 until January 1998. Tracht moved to Los Angeles and bought the former home of Stepfanie Kramer in the Santa Monica Mountains on Mulholland Drive.[11] 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 Facias. 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]

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.[12] The Greaseman 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.[13] The Greaseman had been playing a sound bite of Lauryn Hill who had ten nominations at the 41st Grammy Awards. Tracht then stated, "And they wonder why we drag them behind trucks." After the comment, he immediately stated that he "didn't mean nothin'." 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.[10]

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.[9] 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 told he didn't deserve another chance. After being pilloried by one caller, Tracht begged, "Let me down off this cross, will you?"[12] Counseling was recommended. The show asked its audience what Tracht could do, but almost 75 percent said "nothing."[12] When it became painfully obvious that he would not be forgiven, Tracht stopped asking.

Comments

The phrase "Who's your daddy?" may have been given its first widespread airing by The Greaseman in the late 1980s and 1990s on his syndicated radio program. The Greaseman 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." The Greaseman 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."[14]

Movies

Tracht appeared in two television movies produced by his close friend Brian Dennehy[15] 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. ^ Patton, Charlie: "Greaseman begins his comeback in city today" Florida Times-Union, October 1, 2008
  6. ^ "FAQ: the Greaseman"
  7. ^ Patton, Charlie: "Greaseman's off local radio dial once again" Florida Times-Union, January 22, 1998
  8. ^ a b c d e Smith, Gary: "I'm Almost A Trained Schizo'" Washington Post, November 29, 1987
  9. ^ a b "Imus Returning, but Greaseman Can't Stop His Long Slide". The Washington Post. November 25, 2007. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ^ a b "'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)
  11. ^ Ryon, Ruth: "Lion on Prowl for Larger Den" Los Angeles Times, December 12, 1993
  12. ^ a b c Ahrens, Frank: "The Silenced Greaseman" The Washington Post, March 9, 2000, page C01
  13. ^ Lyman, Rick: "Texas Jury Picks Death Sentence In Fatal Dragging of a Black Man" New York Times, February 26, 1999
  14. ^ Paul Farhi (January 4, 2005). "Conception of a Question: Who's Your Daddy?". The Washington Post: Page C01.
  15. ^ "Jack Reed: A Search For Justice"
  16. ^ "Greeseman Bio". WWDC. Retrieved 2008-05-03. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

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