Listen...... ....yeah?

October 2, 2005 12:33 PM

Why you yellow rat bastard...When I get ahold of you, I’ll put two zigs on both cheeks. You’ll remember me for the rest of your.... I know you! Don't worry! Louis 'Red' Deutsch spouted perhaps the filthiest, yet most eloquent cursing you may ever hear. I got an underground tape of the prank phone calls from a buddy of mine back in high school. Certainly it's influenced everyone from Matt Groening to the Jerky Boys. The prank calls to Red have even had a (lousy) movie feature (with perhaps the best casting I've ever seen). More than 25 years later I still laugh my head off at even the cadence of Red's profanity.
posted by Smedleyman (15 comments total)

There are a couple good underground tapes like this. I have one of two men Peter & Ray, drunkenly arguing and threatening each other, etc.

Funny stuff.
posted by Smedleyman at 12:38 PM on October 2, 2005

Thanks for the flashback, Smedleyman...I've got to find an mp3 of Raymond and Peter to replace my tape (still have the tape, but own no tape player!).
posted by Bugbread at 12:50 PM on October 2, 2005

I have more than a few friends whose email threads with me devolve into verbatim ray and pete dialogue... While visiting San Francisco a few years back, I made a pilgrimage to the lower Haight to photograph the Pepto-Bismal palace and O'Lunneys (anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about -- get a copy of "Shut Up, Little Man" ASAP!)

The Wipeouters (former members of Devo) have a song called "Shut Up, Little Man" with excerpts from the tapes.
posted by AJaffe at 1:07 PM on October 2, 2005

wow, that watermark's pretty much destroyed the point of the audio samples. Still, funny.
posted by Busithoth at 1:13 PM on October 2, 2005

Umm, where exactly can I hear these mp3s?
posted by StickyCarpet at 1:27 PM on October 2, 2005

Is this something I'd need a telephone to to understand?

Sticky: http://bumbar.tripod.com/sample.html
posted by Eideteker at 2:36 PM on October 2, 2005

ya cacksecka!
posted by Hat Maui at 3:18 PM on October 2, 2005

oh the memories...i used to have a dub of tube bar on cassette (with bizarre ride 2 the pharcyde on the other side). ever since then, all the other prank call recordings have paled in comparison...
posted by slogger at 3:33 PM on October 2, 2005

A friend of mine just finshed the job of remastering the whole collection of shut up little man (he worked with Eddie Lee Sausage for several years). A full compilation should soon be available on CD. Sorry, no more info beyond that.
posted by lkc at 4:29 PM on October 2, 2005

Ah, memories (thanks Smedleyman, you yellow rat bastard). My copy of the Tube Bar tapes, sent years ago by my brother-in-law the semi-famous jazz musician, had the classic Buddy Rich rant on the other side. Plus assorted swell stuff like the [definitely NSFW] Jerry Lewis/Dean Martin promo [MP3] for their movie The Caddy.
posted by LeLiLo at 5:00 PM on October 2, 2005

I'm probably not going to listen to the mp3s right away or anything, but that picture with Rocky Marciano is really amusing.
posted by blacklite at 6:10 PM on October 2, 2005

Umm, where exactly can I hear these mp3s?

umm.
posted by cytherea at 7:31 PM on October 2, 2005

When I get ahold of you, I’ll put two zigs on both cheeks.

For great justice!
posted by moss at 8:03 PM on October 2, 2005

Thanks for this!

My fellow workers are sitting at their desks, headphones on, making wild faces at me...
posted by Blip at 8:14 AM on October 3, 2005

"Whaddy tryin to make a jerk out of yourself?"

I like how if you quote from Red, if there's someone else who knows about it it's like seeing another person who's tripping. There's a whole private world of joyful yet furtive experiance there.
posted by Smedleyman at 10:02 AM on October 3, 2005