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'{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2012}} {{Infobox presenter |name = Erich "Mancow" Muller the nazi |alias = Sean Swaggin Williams |image = Mancow Muller at a Star Trek Convention. November 2, 2000.jpg |imagesize = |caption = |birth_name = Hitler |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|6|21}} |birth_place = [[Kansas City, Missouri]] |death_date = when hell freezes over |death_place = up your ass |show = [[Mancow's Morning Madhouse]] |station = [[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] ([[Talk Radio Network]] / [[Dial Global]]) |timeslot = Mon–Fri 5:00–8:00&nbsp;am CT (Live) |style = Talk, Comedy, Politics, hate radicallism |country = United States |prevshow = Your Mom |website = [http://www.mancow.com/ Mancow.com] }} '''Matthew Erich "Mancow" Muller''' (born June 21, 1966) is an [[United States of America|American]] radio and television personality and former child model and actor. Considered a [[shock jock]], his career has been well known for controversy and clashes with the [[Federal Communications Commission]]. He is best known for ''[[Mancow's Morning Madhouse]]'', a [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]]-based syndicated radio show, and ''The Mancow Radio Experience'' which have been nationally distributed by [[Talk Radio Network]]. Muller also co-stars with his brother Mark in the reality TV series ''[[God, Guns & Automobiles]]'', which airs on [[History Channel]].<ref>{{cite web|title=History To Bow Unscripted ‘God, Guns & Automobiles’ On July 8|url=http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/gods-guns-automobiles-history-premiere-july-8-mancow-muller/|publisher=Deadline}}</ref> ==Early life== Erich Muller, as he was commonly known, was born to parents John and Dawn Muller and raised in the [[Kansas City, Missouri]] area with older brothers Johhny and Mark.<ref name=Dad>{{cite book|last=Muller|first=Mancow|coauthors=Calkins, John|title=Dad, Dames, Demons and a Dwarf: My Trip Down Freedom Road|year=2003|publisher=Harper Collins|pages=16, 19, 22, 29|location=New York, New York|isbn=}}</ref> He expressed an interest in radio and the entertainment industry as a whole from an early age. As a child he would listen to old reel-to-reel tapes of classic radio shows like ''[[The Shadow]]'' and ''[[The Stan Freberg Show]]'' with his father.<ref name=Dad/> Erich Muller soon found work as a model and child actor, working in regional print and television commercials as well as Kansas City theater productions. Among his print modeling work were ads for [[Lee (jeans)|Lee jeans]] and [[Wal-Mart]].<ref name=TV>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/people/mancow-muller/|title=Mancow Muller biography|publisher=TV.com/CBS TV|year=2013|accessdate=26 August 2013}}</ref> As a youth he appeared in over 100 stage performances, with one notable long-running role being that of Billy Ray, Jr. in the play ''[[On Golden Pond (play)|On Golden Pond]]''.<ref name=Dad/> During one performance of the play legendary actor [[Henry Fonda]] was in the audience, and would later go on to play the lead character Norman in the film version.<ref name=Legends>{{cite book|last=Brown|first=John W.|title=Missouri Legends: Famous people from the Show-Me State|year=2008|publisher=Reedy Press|pages=210–211|location=St. Louis|isbn=}}</ref> Erich Muller attended multiple schools in the Kansas City area, including Blue Ridge Christian School. In his book ''Dad, Dames, Demons, and a Dwarf: My Trip Down Freedom Road'', he recounts an incident in fifth grade where in an act of [[corporal punishment]] he was severely beaten with a board by the school principal, an event that changed his outlook on organized religion.<ref name=Dad/> Muller transferred to the suburban Harrisonville school district, where he graduated high school.<ref name=TV/> Following high school Erich Muller attended college at Central Missouri State University (now [[University of Central Missouri]]) in [[Warrensburg, Missouri|Warrensburg]], not far from the Kansas City metropolitan area.<ref name=Legends/> At CMSU he continued to work in theater, and it was his role as a half-man, half-animal in one production that gave rise to his nickname "Mancow".<ref name=Legends/> Muller would earn double degrees from the university in [[Public Relations]] and [[Theatre]] in 1990.<ref name=Legends/> To earn extra cash while in school he operated his own mobile DJ business, providing music for school dances, weddings, class reunions and the like, a job he later said he hated.<ref name=Dad/> It was also while in college he took his first tentative steps into the world of broadcasting. ==Radio career beginnings== Muller's radio career began while he was still in college. He got a job at [[KOKO (AM)|KOKO-AM]] in Warrensburg as a late night control board operator, playing local commercials during satellite broadcasts of ''[[Larry King|The Larry King Show]].''<ref name=Legends/> His role at the station gradually expanded until he got his own afternoon show. Among Muller's fans was the general manager of KLSI-FM, Kansas City, who offered him a full-time job as head of station promotions. Muller accepted the position, plus a weekend air shift, while completing his final semester at Central Missouri State. After graduation in 1990 Muller was hired as the [[Drive time|morning drive]] air talent at Kansas City's [[KBEQ-FM]], Q-104, where the ''Holy Moley & Maxx Show'' quickly rose to #1 in the ratings and helped Q-104 dominate the market.<ref name=Legends/> After his early hometown success, Muller left Kansas City for a brief stint at [[KDON-FM]] in [[Monterey, California]]. Soon though Muller headed north to San Francisco and [[KYLD|KYLD-FM]], "Wild 107". Now going by his old college nickname Mancow, in 1993 Muller made national headlines with a publicity stunt that caused a major traffic headache for the City by the Bay. Reacting to a story that President [[Bill Clinton]] tied up air traffic at [[Los Angeles International Airport]] for over an hour while getting a haircut from celebrity hairstylist [[Cristophe (hairstylist)|Cristophe]] on [[Air Force One]], Muller staged a parody of the incident on the [[San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge]] during rush hour. He used vans to block the westbound lanes on the bridge while his then sidekick, Jesus "Chuy" Gomez, got a haircut.<ref name=Legends/> As a result of the publicity stunt, Muller was prosecuted and subsequently convicted of a felony by a San Francisco Municipal Court.{{Citation needed|date=April 2013}} His sentence included three years probation, a $500 fine and 100 hours of community service. The radio station eventually paid millions in fines,<ref name=Legends/> and a reported $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a bridge commuter.{{Citation needed|date=April 2013}} [[File:Mancowbk1.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Muller's 2003 book]] ==Mancow's Morning Madhouse== {{Main|Mancow's Morning Madhouse}} Muller accepted a job offer by Evergreen Media President Jim de Castro at more than double his salary if he would be willing to move to Chicago to work at [[WWBZ (defunct)|WWBZ-FM, "The Blaze"]]. "The Blaze" had lost its fire and it was renamed to "Rock 103.5" (WRCX-FM), and created his radio show, ''[[Mancow's Morning Madhouse]]'', which debuted in July 1994. Originally, he broadcast from WRCX-FM (Rock 103.5) studios in the [[John Hancock Center]] and in 1998, moved to the city's [[alternative rock]] station, [[Q101 Chicago|WKQX-FM (Q-101) 101.1]], where the show was broadcast from the [[Merchandise Mart]] for eight more years. Within two [[Arbitron]] ratings periods he took the station's 19th-ranked morning show to No. 5 among all teens and adults, and No. 1 among 18- to 34-year-olds. During his run on Q101 Mancow had a much publicized [[feud]] with fellow "shock-jock" [[Howard Stern]].<ref>http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-11-24/news/0411250040_1_howard-stern-radio-show-roll-high-school-sirius-satellite-radio</ref> He also had close on and off air relationships with [[Howard McGee|"Crazy Howard" McGee]] of [[WGCI-FM|WGCI]] and [[Mike North]] of [[WSCR]]. McGee and Mancow's shows ran at the same time but catered to different demographics (WGCI is an R&B and [[hip hop]] station) and in 2000 Mancow pulled an [[April Fool]]'s day prank on his pal by switching his transmitter with that of Urban station WGCI causing McGee to unknowingly broadcast on Q101's frequency while Mancow introduced himself as the "White Czar" and taunted McGee on his own station, causing a barrage of calls from gullible listeners in McGee's defense. McGee was confused as he took many of the calls, but did not realize for over an hour that he was the butt of a joke. After realizing the prank, McGee played along for the remainder of the segment.<ref>http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2005-05-23/news/0505230235_1_shock-jock-howard-stern-talk-radio-network/2</ref> Muller's "Mancow's Morning Madhouse" ended its live run on Emmis' Alternative outlet in Spring 2006, and had the highest rated audience in Chicago with Men Ages 25 to 54 (among English speaking stations). According to Arbitron, a radio ratings service, Mancow's show, measured in Average Quarter Hour listening percentages (AQH) had a 5.7 Share. The next closest station was all-news WBBM with a 5.3 Share. In his target demographic, men between the ages of 18 and 34 years, Mancow AQH was an 11.8 Share of the audience in that age group, the highest Share of any other English-speaking station in Chicago.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}} His show, however, was not without controversy. In 1999, Janet Dahl, the wife of Chicago talk radio host [[Steve Dahl]], filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Muller over [[lewd]] comments Muller made about her on his show. In 2001, the case was settled out of court. Although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, it reportedly reached seven figures.<ref name="CST123189">{{Cite news | last = Feder | first = Robert | author-link = Robert Feder | last2 = | first2 = | author2-link = | title = Dreck, lies and videotape: On the air in '89 | newspaper = [[Chicago Sun-Times]] | page = 1 | date = 1989-12-31 | url = | postscript = <!--None--> }}</ref> After [[Wes Borland]] left Limp Bizkit, [[Fred Durst]] was to be a judge in a [[Guitar Center]] competition allegedly to find the next guitarist for the band. Hundreds of people showed up to audition. Durst showed up late for the event, gave everybody in attendance the [[middle finger]], then promptly left. In response, Muller posted a photo on his website of Durst flipping off the guitarist competition audience and began periodic on-the-air anti-Durst rants.<ref name="mtv001">{{cite news |first=Gil |last=Kaufman |date=July 28, 2003 |title=Limp Bizkit Walk Offstage After Chicago Crowd Gets Hostile |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1474912/20030728/limp_bizkit.jhtml |publisher=MTV |accessdate=May 23, 2009}}</ref> For a full week leading up to [[Limp Bizkit]]'s Summer Sanitarium 2003 concert in Chicago, Muller continually [[wikt:mock|mock]]ed Durst on his radio show<ref name="mtv001" /> and invited listeners to attend the concert with anti-Durst placards.<ref name="db001">{{cite journal |date=October 28, 2003 |title=Industry News: Bizkit Too Limp |url=http://www.dbmagazine.com.au/315/industry.html |work=dB Magazine |volume=315 |accessdate=May 23, 2009}}</ref> When Muller's fans complied by showing up with the placards, openly taunting the singer, booing him and pelting him with refuse, Durst erupted into a profanity-laced homophobic tirade and left the stage only 17 minutes into the show. Durst was eventually sued for breach of contract (for not completing the show) by Chicago lawyer Michael Young in a [[class-action suit]].<ref name="bbc099">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3178492.stm |title=Fans sue Limp Bizkit over walkout |date=October 9, 2003 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=May 23, 2009}}</ref> On October 22, 2008, [[WLS (AM)|WLS]] in Chicago announced that Muller, along with Pat Cassidy, would join that station as a weekday radio talk show host, in the 9&nbsp;am to 11&nbsp;am time slot, beginning on October 27, 2008. Muller continued to host his nationally syndicated morning radio program.<ref name=rosenthal20081022>{{cite news |first=Phil |last=Rosenthal |authorlink=Phil Rosenthal |date=October 22, 2008 |title=Mancow Muller to join WLS-AM lineup |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/oct/22/business/chi-081022mancow-returns |work=Chicago Tribune |accessdate=May 23, 2009}}</ref> Just four months after the debut of Mancow and Cassidy, Arbitron ratings had the show at No. 1 in the 12+ audience, and nearly doubling Chicago competitors in the male demographic as of February 2009.<ref>{{ cite news |url=http://www.ntsmediaonline.com/?p=3839 | title=Mancow Roars Back In Chi-Town |accessdate=2010-05-29 | date=2009-03-30 }}</ref> Despite the ratngs, Muller was fired from his job on news and conservative talk station WLS-AM after only 16 months.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/10/mancow-muller-and-pat-cas_n_457134.html |work=Huffington Post | first=Jen | last=Sabella | title=Mancow Muller and Pat Cassidy Fired From WLS | date=February 10, 2010}}</ref> Muller then hosted a Sunday night show on [[WABC-AM]] from September 2010 until October 2011, when he was let go following [[Cumulus Media]]'s acquisition of WABC-AM parent [[Citadel Broadcasting]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wabcradio.com |title=News Talk Radio 77 WABC New York |publisher=Wabcradio.com |date= |accessdate=2010-10-07}}</ref> On October 22, 2012, Muller began his new show, simply titled [[Mancow (TV show)|Mancow]], on [[WPWR-TV]], a live broadcast of his current radio show "The Mancow Experience," with co-host Teresa Cesario. In February 2013, a program called "The Mancow Mashup" began airing on the network, which was a half-hour program that showed highlights from the previous morning's Television show. == Mancow and the FCC == Muller and [[Emmis Communications]], the company that owns radio stations on which Mancow's Morning Madhouse was broadcast, have had numerous run-ins with the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) for broadcasting offensive or obscene material. In particular, in 1999 David Edward Smith, the then-executive director of the [[Illinois]]-based Citizens for Community Values, began filing complaints with the FCC. While the first several of these complaints were initially dismissed by the FCC for lack of context,<ref>http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Tristani/Statements/2001/stgt146a.pdf – Letter from FCC Enforcement Bureau's Charles W. Kelley to David Smith, 7/2/01</ref> eventually the FCC began levying fines on Emmis{{spaced ndash}}largely as a result of persistent efforts thereto<ref>http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Tristani/Statements/2001/stgt146.html – Press Statement of Commissioner Gloria Tristani Re: Enforcement Bureau Letter Ruling Regarding Indecency Complaints Against WKQX (FM), Chicago, Illinois</ref> from anti-obscenity commissioners [[Gloria Tristani]] and [[Michael Copps]]. By June 2002, various media sources reported that Emmis had paid $42,000 in fines for FCC violations on Muller's program. Smith continued to file complaints about the content of Muller's show. In 2004, Muller filed a suit against Smith, claiming that Smith was violating his [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] rights to free speech. A federal judge declared this suit to be "frivolous and insubtantial", and as a result Muller dropped the suit on August 3, 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=123972&pt=archive |title=Mancow Drops Lawsuit Against Anti-Indecency Advocate |publisher=Radioink.com |date= August 3, 2004 |accessdate=2010-10-07}}</ref> Shortly thereafter Emmis Communications announced it had reached a, "[[consent decree]]", with FCC, agreeing to pay $300,000 and to admit that the Mancow program had at times violated FCC regulations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiohottalk.com/radiohottalk/news/82004.shtml |title=Multiple media sources report that Emmis Communications has signed a consent decree with the FCC |publisher=Radiohottalk.com |date= |accessdate=2010-10-07}}</ref> In the meantime, Smith had petitioned FCC to deny the renewal of Emmis station licenses, including one for a station, WIBC-AM in Indianapolis, that did not broadcast Muller's program<ref>http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=124080&pt=archive">Decency Activist David Smith To FCC: Don't Renew Emmis Licenses – 8-10-04</ref>{{spaced ndash}}which was unsuccessful. == Cowboy Ray == On November 20, 2005, Ray Hofstatter, aka, "Cowboy Ray", a 45-year-old [[mentally challenged]] frequent caller and guest on ''Mancow's Morning Madhouse'' was struck by a car in a [[Hit and run (vehicular)|hit-and-run]] accident and critically injured.<ref name=pr-trnfm>{{cite press release |title=Mancow Pursues Hit&Run Driver Who Ran-Down Cowboy Ray |publisher=[[Talk Radio Network]] |date=November 28, 2005 |url=http://www.talkradionetwork-fm.com/cowboy.pdf |accessdate=May 23, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Sarah |last=Schulte |date=November 21, 2005 |title='Cowboy Ray' critically injured in hit-and-run |url=http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=3650377 |publisher=[[ABC News]] |accessdate=May 23, 2009}}</ref> Ray died shortly after his life support was terminated on January 11, 2006.<ref name=toomey20060112>{{cite news |first=Shamus |last=Toomey |date=January 12, 2006 |title=Hit-run fatal to Mancow's 'Cowboy Ray': $13,000 reward for ID of driver who struck him Nov. 20, radio host says |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1611155.html |work=Chicago Sun-Times |accessdate=May 23, 2009}}</ref> Muller offered a $13,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the driver,<ref name=toomey20060112/> but was unsuccessful. The hit-and-run case of Cowboy Ray was featured on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]'s ''[[America's Most Wanted]]'' television show on February 25, 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=37115 |title=AMW Fugitive Data File For Unknown Cowboy Ray Killer |publisher=[[America's Most Wanted]] |accessdate=May 23, 2009}}</ref> As of September 2013, the driver responsible had still not been found. ==Politics== On December 6, 2005, Muller made an appearance on [[Fox News Channel]]'s ''[[Fox & Friends]]'' where he referred to [[Democratic National Committee]] chairman [[Howard Dean]] as "vile", "bloodthirsty" and "evil". Muller also commented on Dean's negative opinions on [[2003 invasion of Iraq|the War in Iraq]], calling Dean a traitor who "ought to be kicked out of America" and "tried for treason".{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} On May 22, 2009, Muller had himself [[waterboarding|waterboarded]] during his radio program on WLS-AM,<ref name=pollyea20090522>{{cite news |first=Ryan |last=Pollyea |date=May 22, 2009 |title=Mancow Water boarded, Admits It's Torture |url=http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Mancow-Takes-on-Waterboarding-and-Loses.html |publisher=[[NBC News]] |accessdate=May 23, 2009}}</ref> having lost a listener poll determining whether he or co-host Pat Cassidy would be the one waterboarded. The talk show host had previously claimed that calling waterboarding "torture" was wrong, something he had stated that he hoped his reenactment would prove.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tqZwWYWAiA</ref> Lasting only 6 seconds ("8 seconds less than the average person", according to program guest Marine Sergeant Klay South), Mancow afterward changed his opinion, saying, "It is way worse than I thought it would be, and that's no joke", and described waterboarding as "absolutely torture".<ref name=pollyea20090522/><ref name=byrne20090522>{{cite news |first=John |last=Byrne |date=May 22, 2009 |title=Conservative radio hosts gets waterboarded, and lasts six seconds before saying its torture |url=http://rawstory.com/blog/2009/05/conservative-radio-hosts-waterboarded/ |work=[[The Raw Story]] |accessdate=May 23, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Questions were later raised about the validity of the procedure. South had no formal training in waterboarding and had never before performed the procedure, leading the online celebrity and gossip site [[Gawker.com|Gawker]] to accuse Muller of faking the whole thing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/5271813/did-erich-mancow-muller-fake-his-waterboarding-for-publicity |title=Did Erich 'Mancow' Muller Fake His Waterboarding for Publicity? |publisher=Gawker.com |date= |accessdate=2010-10-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/5272691/mancows-waterboarding-was-completely-fake |title=Mancow's 'Waterboarding' Was Completely Fake |publisher=Gawker.com |date=2009-05-29 |accessdate=2010-10-07}}</ref> Muller later stated in an interview on ''[[Countdown with Keith Olbermann]]'', "I admit it, it was a stupid radio stunt. But waterboarding, all it is, is water in your nose and mouth with your head back." Further adding "We went into this thinking it was going to be a joke. But it was not a joke – it was horrible. 'Hoax' is probably not the right word, but we did think it was going to be a joke."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2009/05/did-shytown-shock-jock-erich-mancow-muller-fake-his-own-waterboarding.html | work=The Los Angeles Times | title=Did Erich 'Mancow' Muller fake his own waterboarding? Glub, glub | deadurl=yes}} {{Dead link|date=January 2012|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/30/mancow-addresses-accusati_n_209352.html |title=Mancow Addresses Accusation That His Waterboarding Was A Hoax (VIDEO) |work=Huffington Post |date= May 30, 2009|accessdate=2010-10-07 |first=Nick |last=Sabloff}}</ref> == Personal life == Erich Mancow Muller married Sandy Ferrando, a former [[publicist]] on February 14, 2003. He has twin daughters named Ava Grace and Isabella Sofia. His father, a former traveling salesman, died of cancer at age 62. The event deeply affected Muller and in part prompted him to write his first book, ''Dad, Dames, Demons and a Dwarf''.<ref name=Dad/> Muller is a business partner with his older brother Mark in "Max Motors" a car dealership in Missouri, along with several other business enterprises.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/shows/god-guns-and-automobiles/cast/erich-mancow-muller|title=Cast-Erich Mancow Muller|publisher=History.com|year=2013|accessdate=9 July 2013}}</ref> On February 24, 2009, Muller appeared on the [[Trinity Broadcasting Network]] [http://www.tbn.org/watch/files/index.php?file=2009_2_24_300k.wmv&show=85 Praise the Lord] to talk about his Christian faith. ==Filmography== ===Television=== {| class="wikitable" |- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" !Title !Role !Episode !Additional notes |- ||''[[Night Stand with Dick Dietrick|Night Stand]]'' ||Himself ||"Eurotrash" ||1996 episode |- ||''[[Party of Five]]'' ||Bartender ||"Fragile" ||1999 episode |- ||''[[Early Edition]]'' ||Randy, Car Salesman ||"Home Groan" ||1999 episode |- ||''[[The Shield]]'' ||Arrestee ||"Hurt" ||2005 episode |- ||''[[Sons Of Anarchy]]'' ||Nomad ||"Na Triobloidi" ||2009 episode |- | rowspan = "3" |''[[The Chicago Code]]'' ||Himself (voice) ||"Cabrini Green" ||2011 episode |- ||Himself (voice) ||"Wild Onions" ||2011 episode |- ||Himself ||"St. Valentine's Day Massacre" ||2011 episode |- ||''[[God, Guns & Automobiles]]'' ||Himself ||main star ||2013 episode |} ==See also== *[[Mancow's Morning Madhouse]] ==References== {{Reflist|2}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Muller, Mancow | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American radio host | DATE OF BIRTH = June 21, 1966 | PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Kansas City, Missouri]] | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Mancow}} [[Category:1966 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Kansas City, Missouri]] [[Category:American talk radio hosts]] [[Category:Radio personalities from Chicago, Illinois]] [[Category:University of Central Missouri alumni]] [[Category:American Christians]]'