Lois, AKA The Brandon Brain Lady, is a racist and anti-Semitic old lady who was a favorite caller to Bob's WPLP show (we are desperate for clips!). She made a call to Dick Norman's show, and when Bob pokes fun at her for it she calls in to what's ostensibly an open phones show, to tell him how disgusting he is. It's a lot of fun!
A serious, angry Bob starts off the show talking about a civil-rights group that wants to censor him, and asks for people to sound off. They don't. Bob just gets madder and insists on clean, happy talk that doesn't offend anyone. Almost in spite of itself, this is a good one.
Callers tackle a list of questions from Bob about possible government expenditures: If you have to choose between this public priority or that, which do you choose? He takes the devil's advocate position with every caller, every question. Also some open phones in the final hour, followed by a few minutes of Bob sitting on Tedd Webb's show.
If Bob hadn't named this "Open Moaning and Groaning," we would have had to call it "Social Security." In suggesting possible topics for this open phones show, Bob asks why we shouldn't cut off from Social Security benefits those old people who are perfectly well off without them. If you don't know what happens next, this must be your first Lassiter clip.
The combination of two hate letters (one that Bob reads on the air, the other recited on a station promo) inspires Bob to invite morons and masochists to call in. He gets quite a few, too. (Really, this is open phones.) My favorite is the young kid who calls in to accuse Lassiter of using bad language. (Kid: "Is your show rated R?" Bob: "No, my show is rated highly.")
After Bob's announced that he's leaving WPLP, all hell breaks loose. Lassiter would later refer to this mad free-for-all as "the original Chat With Bob show."
"Have you ever heard me more congenial?" Bob asks at the beginning of this clip. It's an anything-goes Friday night and there's a lot on people's minds --- but one of the most popular topics is Rocky's astonishing outburst from the previous evening.
It's open phones night, and the callers are getting a little silly, so Bob pads out the hour with a dose of his ever popular automated callers.
Another alias for Open Phones. After the thoroughly silly and stupid calls Bob's received for the past week, he decides to just let them have their playground on tonight's show. Lots of calls about Gary Hart, Iran-Contragate, and the famous classic call by the young fellow known as "The Kid."
An angry old lady who'd called in during the previous week's "Battle of the Bewildered" show calls in again to accuse Bob of lying the week before. Also a couple of other random, silly callers on an evening of open phones.
(Photo: Terrence McKeever, right, and Cleveland Wheeler on the air at Q105)