Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 28, 1994 TAG: 9404280176
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOE KENNEDY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
People, in person and on the telephone, are Feldman's fodder. He ribs them mercilessly during each two-hour quiz, music and comedy broadcast, but he rarely hurts anyone's feelings.
If you don't want to be heard by listeners of 180 American Public Radio stations across the country, avoid him. If you do want to be chosen, observe the following dos and don'ts. Feldman may wing everything, but even he has some basic standards for eager guests.
``They shouldn't be dressed as a fruit or vegetable,'' he said in a telephone interview. ``They're overripe if they're doing that. I look for someone who has some eye movement, not a glassy eye or a pupil that's not very large - something that appears to be focusing.
``And I look for almost like an aura - someone who maybe has something about them that suggests they might be interesting in some fashion.''
If Feldman chooses you, be prepared for a short interview, with Feldman doing most of the talking, cracking most of the jokes.
``I like to completely dominate it,'' he said.
Do not, under any circumstances, memorize your remarks in advance. Feldman has a keen ear for canned material, and is quick to cut off people who seem to have rehearsed, telling them to get their own show.
The best guest is lively and fresh, like the host himself.
``I have had people who had medication problems,'' he said, ``and that's unfortunate for all concerned, unless it's Prozac, in which case they're happy.''
Feldman's program, in its ninth year, combines audience and guest interviews with interludes of jazz and an often silly quiz that pairs audience members with people who call in. Prizes range from the ridiculous to the merely useless. Saturday's lineup will include Larry Bly and Laban Johnson of ``Cookin' Cheap,'' the syndicated cooking program on public television, and singer-guitarist Curley Ennis. Jim Schade, a drummer from Hot Springs, will fill in with the show's jazz trio.
For audience members, the best way to get picked might be to sit in the front of the auditorium. The civic center hall does not have aisles running front to back, just unbroken rows going from side to side.
``Oh, that's great,'' Feldman said, unenthusiastically. ``I'm glad to hear that.'' The arrangement might cramp his style, but knowing him, he'll figure something out.
When Feldman does his show at home in Madison, Wis., over Wisconsin Public Radio, he is calm. On road trips, there is pressure.
``Most of the pressure occurs beforehand,'' he said, ``trying to find out something about where I'm going, so I don't sound like I dropped out of a spaceship. I have a stack of newspapers I'm starting to go through, if I can get past the Senate race. It's background reading, sort of to get an idea about topics of concern, like brush collections.''
When he and his crew reach a town, they conduct further research.
``The first thing we do is settle down and find out where the bar is in the hotel, what the local drinks are,'' he said. ``Then we walk around and see what there is to see, or maybe we'll be taken on a driving tour to get the lay of the land. Friday night is the night not to go out.
``Everyone else wants to go out and carouse, so I try not to, but I have succumbed on occasion. My main concern is trying to sleep in a hotel.''
Feldman said he has a ``hotel phobia,'' the result of having shared a few places with participants in wrestling tournaments and other lively sorts.
``The worst one I ever had was shop students at an industrial arts convention. These kids were on a tear.''
Late Saturday afternoon, Feldman will travel to the Salem Civic Center grounds, where he will be the emcee of a shrimp-eating contest during Shrimpfest '94, a fund-raiser for Roanoke's Festival in the Park. He also may entertain at a concert by the Atlanta Rhythm Section at 8 that night, though this was news to him.
Shrimpfest tickets sales have ended, but concert-only tickets will be available at the gate for $5.
``WHAD'YA KNOW?'' will be broadcast Saturday from 11 to 1 at the Roanoke Civic Center auditorium. An early arrival is recommended. Tickets are $20 and $15. They are available at the Roanoke Civic Center box office (981-1201) and at TicketMaster outlets. As of Wednesday, 914 tickets were available.
Keywords:
PROFILE
by CNB