Spoonman's Classic Rock Show

Spoonman's Classic Rock Show

File:Spoonman banner default.jpg
Genre	Talkback/Classic Rock
Running time	180 Minutes / 3 Hours
Country of origin	Australia
Language(s)	English
Home station	Triple M Sydney
Syndicates	Triple M Melbourne Triple M Brisbane
Produced by	Garfield and Odie
Recording studio	Sydney
Opening theme	Spoonman - Soundgarden
Website	Official Website
Podcast	Official Podcasts

Spoonman's Classic Rock Show is an Australian late night classic rock and talkback show on the Triple M network. Journalist/broadcaster Brian Carlton is the host, although on air he uses the alias The Spoonman. The show was previously called The Spoonman, but the basic format of the show remains the same, however, all music played will be of the classical rock genre from the 70's, 80's and 90's, replacing the previous format of placing music from the station's playlist.

Show Content & Staff

The program is broadcast from Austereo's Sydney studios and networked to Triple M stations throughout the country. With slogans including 'No Topic Taboo' and 'Everything is utterly fair game', it is hosted by The Spoonman and his producers Garfield and 'Odie'. Garfield and Odie are rarely heard, but their regular duties include accepting/sorting through callers, e-mails,SMSs and audio/broadcast engineering often referred to as 'Pushing the buttons'. It's understood that Garfield's nickname originates from an instance whereby he gave a fellow staff member a copy of the movie Garfield. Odie received his nickname from the popular movie 'Garfield 2's' dog Odie. Garfield is also the producer of Dolphin Juice, a radio show on Triple M Sydney 9-11pm on Sunday nights. He has a small sporting segment on Dolphin Juice in which he reviews the week in sport. Garfield claims to want to play a part in the "Battlestar Galactica", for which he says he would leave the Triple M studios, to play a minor role. Garfield describes himself as an 'audio monkey' and can be heard during the show on some occasions. The music playlist consists of only Classic Rock music, as opposed to the mainstream rock mix of old and new played at other times on Triple M.

Listeners contribute to the show's content by phone 133353, SMS 19991049 (55c per message), Email and webform via the Triple M website. Overseas listeners are able to tune into the show's podcast, via the live stream and can contribute via e-mail.

It is one of the only radio shows with a "traditional" talkback programming style on the (commercial) FM band in Australia, so it has a comfortable niche in the FM market, and more notably in its timeslot, regulary recieving high ratings.

Broadcasting Times

The Spoonman's Classic Rock Show is broadcast 8:00pm - 11pm (AEDST) (Previously 9pm to 12 Midnight) Monday-Thursday, in Queensland-Brisbane 104.5FM (7pm-10pm during daylight saving).

The show can also be streamed online when on air, using Triple M's Live radio stream.

Adelaide Show Cancellation

On the 16^th of November 2007, 30min before the show concluded, Spoonman announced that Adelaide (South Australia) 104.7FM will no longer be broadcasting the show in SA. Reasons given were New station Programming. After the announcement, Spoonman stated that the show is only being axed in SA, and would be back in 2008 in the other 3 capital cities. it seems that the timeslot reshuffle is the likely culprit of the axing of the show in SA, as they are behind in time compared to the eastern states.

The "Across Australia" Radio Show is not aired in Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory or Australian Capital Territory

The Host - Spoonman

Nickname

Spoonman is first and foremost 'The Spoonman' as he is a "self-professed 'stirrer'". Spoonman explains his name was a collaborative effort with management and also the hit song Spoonman was also a factor into the coming of his nickname. Versions of his on air name have been used by callers, the most common (and only comfirmable one) is "Spoony", sometimes spelt as "Spoonie".

Views/Opinions

Religion

Spoony was born into a Catholic household but chose to become an atheist. He displayed this thoroughly during one of the regular Free-For-All's as well as supporting Richard Dawkins' book, The God Delusion.

4-Wheel-Drives & Owners

Spoony's hate of SUV Type 4-wheel-drives has been shown regularly and is often a segment brought up on the show. Often he says that they are acceptable for off-road vehicles but on the difficult city roads of the city they are overkill, especially of those who drive and attempt to control them as if they were a normal sedan.

Advanced Driver Training

Spoony is a huge fan of Advanced driving courses and has stated on several occasions that he wants every "L Plate driver" to do a defensive driving course before they even get out on the road. This ensures that they can learn what a car can do and in a safe environment, rather than on the road.

Cyclists

Spoony has regularly criticised cyclists, saying that they should be made to have a licence plate and registration just like other road users so that they can be easily identified on the road.

Show Segments

The show usually begins with Spoony discussing the major news topics and current events for the day and setting an agenda for discussion. Each show from Monday to Wednesday typically revolves around two or three topics. Thursdays are open to any topic (see below) that a listener calls in about, SMS's, or emails to the show.

The show also includes a number of regular and semi-regular segments including Brush with Fame, Get It off Your Chest and Spoony's War on Error. (Both Spoony's War on Error and Get It off Your Chest seem to have been phased out.) Spoonie has also proclaimed himself a dreamweaver and has consequently incorporated this talent into his show as an occasional late night segment although recently, it has been phased out. Also, sometimes he will do a rant on matters that bug him, such as his war against business ties. Spoony has also been told by one listener (named George) that he would prefer a cockroach to live rather than Spoonman. This comment was brought up in the very controversial 'Would you save the family pet, or a complete stranger' segment.

Thursday Monster Free-for-All

Every Thursday night, The Spoonman turns the show over to his listeners to talk about whatever topic they like. Although he begins the show by briefly talking about the day's major news headlines, listeners are free to call in and talk about anything of their interest or concern (he stated that this was in response to the media criticism that he had complete control over the subject matter of the show on 22 May, 2007).

It is common for topics to include anything from current events to previous topics of discussion or something going on in a caller's personal life. Callers will often raise topics near the beginning of the program which are then sometimes continued by other callers wishing to give their opinions on the matter. Spoony stresses that this is one of the most "dangerous things in talkback radio", as he hands the show completely over the listeners. It is consequently a favourite with listeners as they get to voice their opinions and views on the air.

Occasionally on other days of the week free for alls may occur. On every day during the final week of broadcast a free for all happens every night.

Brush with Fame

Brush with Fame is an occasional segment on a Tuesday night for callers to talk about their encounters with celebrities. Callers are encouraged to talk about who they met, how and where they met them, and what they were like when they met; were they nice to them, or did they give them "the brush"... hence the name of the segment. This segment, however, is not always on Tuesday night due to other topics.

Spoony's Bulging Sack

In this segment, The Spoonman reads and replies to off-topic emails and emails regarding previous topics that are received throughout the week.

Letters to Spoonman

This is an infrequent segment that Spoony does whenever a listener sends him a Letter to Spoonman. The letters are usually from a listener asking for advice (from both Spoony and other listeners) about a personal issue in their lives. Such issues are often about a relationship of some kind, such as an unfaithful partner or a partner caught-in-the-act of doing something unsettling, and in some cases if they feel they have been mistreated by society.

Special guests

Spoony occasionally has guests on his show. Notable guests include Ziggy Switkowski, Weird Al Yankovic, 2007 Australian of the Year Dr Tim Flannery, and celebrity scientist Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki.

30 Second Soap Box

This segment usually happens on a Monday night. The basis for this segment is to give the listeners 30 seconds to speak about anything without being interrupted by Spoony. However, after the 30 seconds are over, the listener is automatically cut off, regardless of their topic discussed. This segment came about after critisism that he "cuts and drones out listeners". As the listener speak without being interrupted, this makes it more dangerous than the "Free-For-All" so Spoony has set a few rules.
He can cut your call if you:

• Break the Law
• Break the Broadcasting Act
• Advertise.

Phased-out segments

Over the history of the radio program, several segments have been phased out.

Cruel Quiz

The first Cruel Quiz was held on Monday, 2006-06-26 and has become a regular segment, which is run most nights. This quiz comprises five general knowledge questions. At the beginning, 10 callers are lined up ready to play. Each caller is allowed five seconds to answer each question (known as the five-second fudge factor). The short time limit is designed to reduce the ability of a caller to quickly Google or Wikipedia the answer. In one instance, a caller by the name of Edwin attempted to Google the Austrian capital when Spoonman heard his light typing and cut him off the line.

If a caller answers a question correctly, they move on to the next question. If not, Spoony moves onto the next caller. The caller to answer the fifth and final question correctly wins a limited edition Spoonman singlet, whose value peaked at $105 on eBay. If a caller answers all five questions correctly, they will also win a bonus pack of CDs and DVDs—this first happened on 13 Feb 2007.

If, by the end of the set of 10 callers, there are questions remaining and the final question has not been asked, a new set of callers is lined up over the break. If the final question has been asked, but was not correctly answered, the quiz enters a penalty shoot out. (This is usually implemented when the show is running short on time.) In this situation, rather than lining up 10 callers, listeners are asked to keep calling and one caller will be picked of the switchboard at random after the break. This is to make it fair because the listeners have time to look up the correct answer. This "Shoot out" method has rarely been used in recent times. On one occasion, the last question of the quiz was not answered before the show's end, so it was finished the following day.

Since its inception, the Cruel Quiz has been both praised and panned by listeners. On Tuesday, 2006-09-12, after Spoony received an SMS stating that everybody hates the quiz, he ran an e-mail and SMS poll to determine how people really felt about it. During the course of the evening, he mentioned that it was roughly a 50/50 split and that he would put the topic on the agenda for Wednesday's show. The exact results of the poll are unknown. The quiz has become an "on occasion" segment on the show, and is no longer an every night segment.

The current record holder is Akhil Bangia with three Spoonman limited edition singlets.

By far the most popular Cruel Quiz caller is William of Melbourne; he rings every night and almost always is the first caller through. William was lucky enough to win a free holiday to Queensland as one listener liked him so much that he deserved to be rewarded. William has yet to win a 'Spoonman limited edition singlet', though there is no doubt all listeners listen with anticipation and hope that one day William will find success.

As of the 13th of December 2007 (the last show of the year)The Cruel Quiz has finished. Spoony stated live on air that the "Cruel Quiz" will not be returning in 2008.

Dreamweaver

Usually on a Wednesday night, Spoony will open up the phones and take calls from people who have recurring dreams, but are unable to work out what they mean. His job as the "dreamweaver" is to work out what the dreams mean, and suggest a way for the person to remove the dream or change the dream, when it occurs again. Spoony says that recurring dreams are usually our subconscious trying to alert us to something in our life. Spoony informs the listeners that he has had successful experience with work colleagues etc. Spoony says that not being able to see the caller's body language or facial expressions when he is talking to them on the air, makes it more difficult to examine people's dreams.

Get It off Your Chest

Get It off Your Chest is an occasional segment that allows callers to call in and "confess their sins". Spoony describes the segment as "radio's most dangerous confessional". The confessions vary from caller to caller, and can vary in seriousness. Most calls are typically for minor acts, such as petty thefts (or borrowing without returning) or lies.

In one instance, a caller confessed to an elaborate lie to an ex-boyfriend about giving birth to a child of his (which was actually miscarried) and subsequently putting the child up for adoption. The caller admitted to faking documentation (such as borrowing a friend's ultrasounds and photos) and that she never intends to confess the truth to him, despite losing significant sleep over it.

Spoony's War on Error

The War on Error is dedicated to exposing errors spotted by listeners, anywhere they happen to see them. Sometimes, this will even include errors made by Spoony himself. This segment is usually run on Wednesday nights, although Spoony will occasionally mention minor errors throughout the week.

Editorials

On Fridays a set of short editorials recorded by Spoony (approx. one minute each) are played throughout the day, giving his final opinion of the week's major topics. They are archived on the Triple M website for listeners to download. [1]. Spoony has not released any new editorials as of 2008 and it is uncertain whether they will continue.

The ATFS Podcast

ATFS, or After the Forking Show is a podcast only segment, introduced in 2008, which one could argue is a separate show in itself. It contains explicit content and language, so much that it cannot be broadcast over the airwaves, as it would be in breach of the broadcasting act. These rules (in Australia) need not apply to podcasts. Even still, some of the first podcast was censored out (although, in the third ATFS podcast, Garfield and Odie remarked that there would be no more censorship in future podcasts). The topics raised are completely spontaneous, and the podcast is basically a "rant" (talk) between Spoony, Garfield and the little heard Odie. The ATFS podcasts can be found at this page. WARNING: THEY CONTAIN EXPLICIT CONTENT.

Biggest Fan Award

The 'Official Spoonman Fanclub' officially voted young William of Melbourne 'The Biggest Fan of the Spoonman'. He is a regular caller and often brings a smile to each listener's face. Spoonman announced this on the radio June 12, 2007. After a Bad experience on a Connex Melbourne Train, a person only known as the Aldi man, gave Wiliam and his mother a free trip to the Gold Coast.

Spoonman's Forking Fan Club

A Few Listeners have teamed together to create the unoffical fan club of the show, entitled "Spoonman's Forking Fan Club", a fan club for the Spoonman on Myspace, Facebook, and Bebo.

URL's Are in the external links section, at the bottom of this page.

Controversy

The Spoonman has often been criticised by listeners that claim he drowns out or cuts off callers who disagree with his opinions. From these allegations arose an online petition which began in September 2005, calling for the show to be axed. The petition received an unconvincing 23 signatures before being closed in November 2006.

In August 2005, he was criticised after discussing the suicide attempt of the then-leader of the NSW Opposition, John Brogden, describing the method, wrist-cutting, as 'half-arsed'.

In September 2006, on the evening of Steve Irwin's death, Spoony raised issues concerning Irwin's treatment of animals, criticising him for regularly harassing and provoking them in his documentaries. He also claimed that "plenty of Aussies thought he was just a wanker". Although he has made similar statements in the past, the timing of this incident led to public outrage (including callers abusing him on the air and reported death threats sent by e-mail and SMS). The statements were retracted the following day, due to the high number of people that were offended by the comments.

External links

• "The Spoonman - Triple M" official website.
• "The Spoonman - Triple M" podcasts.
• "The Spoonman - Triple M" ATFS Podcasts.

Spoonman's Forking Fan Club (Unnoffical Spoonman fan club) links:

SFFC Myspace SFFC Bebo.