KROQ LOS ANGELES
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From 1992-1995, Mark Jonathan Davis worked as morning show producer, creative director, remote broadcast manager, and on-air sidekick on the Kevin & Bean Morning Show at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles.
Davis created jingles, produced elaborate comedy skits, and created memorable on-air characters such as Paul The 55-Year-Old Intern, Stephen, and Shakespeare Man, and zany impersonations of Lt. Sulu, Tony Curtis, and Bob Hope. As Paul The 55-Year-Old Intern, Davis did entertainment news reports and remote event coverage, and conducted celebrity interviews with stars like Steve Martin, former President Ronald Reagan, and Kurt Cobain. He sang live at the KROQ Weenie Roast show, and performed a live duet with Tony Bennett at a KROQ Acoustic Christmas concert. Davis also produced two of the station's celeb-packed Christmas albums, recording tracks with Weird Al Yankovic, Phil Collins, Barry White, Ed McMahon, Chris Isaak, Squeeze, Crowded House, Cindy Crawford, and Johnny Cash. |
Here are a few highlights from Davis's days at the world famous KROQ:
[MORE CLIPS WILL BE ADDED SOON]
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PAUL THE 55-YEAR-OLD INTERN INTERVIEWS THOM YORKE & RADIOHEAD
"Perhaps" Beginning in 1992, Davis began portraying PAUL THE 55-YEAR-OLD INTERN on the KROQ Kevin & Bean Morning Show. The cranky character (inspired by the voice of Jonathon Brandmeier's newsman/sidekick Paul Talbot) provided entertainment reports and "man-on-the-street" interviews with celebrities and rockstars. Here's a 1993 KROQ recording of Davis as Paul questioning Radiohead singer Thom Yorke about the unintelligible lyrics of their hit song "Creep," in a segment called "WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY SAYING?" |
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PAUL THE 55-YEAR-OLD INTERN INTERVIEWS ANTHONY KIEDIS
"Alright!" Here's an episode of "WHAT THE HELL IS HE SAYING?" from 1993, featuring Davis as Paul interviewing Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis about their hit song "Soul To Squeeze." |
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PAUL ON 45
"I'm in a Depeche Mood." Paul On 45 was recorded in 1993. With Iceman providing the music, this medley of alternative covers was an enormous KROQ hit, and inspired Davis's later Richard Cheese project. The song appeared on the station's Christmas Album that year, and Davis performed the song live for 12,000 fans at the 1994 KROQ Weenie Roast Concert. [VIDEO CLIPS WILL BE ADDED SOON] |
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PAUL DUETS "I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS" WITH TONY BENNETT
"Free Turkey!" In 1993, Davis took the KROQ stage as 55-year-old intern Paul Talbert for an Acoustic Christmas Concert performance with the legendary Tony Bennett. This sweetened version of their live I'll Be Home For Christmas Duet has appeared on two Kevin & Bean Christmas Albums. Davis as Paul, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit to conceal his true identity, did not know the words as he sang on stage with Tony; the correct lyrics and harmonies were added later, as was the Ralph's Grocery Store plug. [VIDEO CLIPS WILL BE ADDED SOON] |
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SHAKESPEARE MAN
"Ahem!" Davis performed dramatic readings of alternative rock song lyrics as Shakespeare Man, which was based in part on a Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch. Davis performed the character at the 1992 KROQ Acoustic Christmas Concert and at the 1993 KROQ Weenie Roast Concert. This video clip from 1995 features Shakespeare Man performing "Hungry Like The Wolf" at a Kevin & Bean breakfast concert with Duran Duran. |
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LT. SULU
"Fire!" Inspired by a George Takei appearance on Late Night With David Letterman, Davis began doing an on-air impersonation of Star Trek's Lt. Sulu, appearing dozens of times on the Kevin & Bean Morning Show throughout the 1990's and 2000's. An album of Lt. Sulu comedy bits, "SULU'S GREATEST HITS" was released by Davis in 2006 and re-released in 2020. Download the album now at markjonathandavis.bandcamp.com. Click here for more info. |
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DUELING SULUS WITH GEORGE TAKEI
"HA HA HA HA HA!" Davis got the chance to do his George Takei impersonation in front of the actual George Takei in this 1993 KROQ-FM Kevin & Bean morning show segment titled "DUELING SULUS." An album of Lt. Sulu comedy bits, "SULU'S GREATEST HITS" is available now at markjonathandavis.bandcamp.com. Click here for more info. |
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NOVA SCOTIA JINGLE
"Say what?" In 1993, Davis performed this Nova Scotia Jingle in honor of KROQ's annual cross-country quest for a Christmas Tree. Davis sang all of the voices. |
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KEVIN & BEAN CHRISTMAS ALBUMS
WE'VE GOT YOUR YULE LOGS HANGIN' (1992) SANTA CLAUS, SCHMANTA CLAUS" (1993) NO TOYS FOR OJ (1994) [VIDEO CLIPS WILL BE ADDED SOON] |
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FRANK SINATRA OBITUARY
"Sinatra: A Man And His Music" In July of 1997, Davis pre-produced a radio obituary package honoring FRANK SINATRA to provide radio listeners with a timely remembrance of one of music's most celebrated stars. This moving tribute features a montage of Sinatra's most popular songs, soundbites from celebrities (such as Bob Hope, JFK, and U2's Bono*), and actualities from Sinatra's performances. The montage aired on stations around the nation via the Premiere Radio Networks, as well as on KROQ-FM, on May 14, 1998. *Bono paid tribute to Sinatra on-stage at the 1993 Grammy's in New York City...and Davis was in the audience! |
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RICHARD CHEESE ON KROQ
Davis's RICHARD CHEESE character made numerous cheesey appearances on the KROQ Kevin & Bean Show, and performed with his Lounge Against The Machine band at several Kevin & Bean events and the KROQ Acoustic Christmas Concert in 2001. The clip from August 27, 2019 features performances of "Supermassive Black Hole" and "Bad Guy," and includes the story of how Kristen Wiig cast Richard Cheese in her movie "Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar." For more about Richard Cheese, visit www.richardcheese.com |
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THIS IS BOB
"Whassat?" In the 1990's and early 2000's, Davis portrayed the voice of Bob Hope on KROQ, who called the Kevin & Bean Show for no apparent reason. These hilarious call-in phone conversations became the basis for an album entitled "This Is Bob: The Best of Mark Jonathan Davis as 'Bob Hope' on the 106.7FM KROQ Kevin & Bean Morning Show," which features 36 hilarious call-in phone bits from 1994-2006. This clip is from May 29, 2003 during Bob Hope's 100th birthday party, with a special cameo by Davis as Tony Curtis! Download the "This Is Bob" album now at markjonathandavis.bandcamp.com and continue to the next page for more about "This Is Bob." |
MARK JONATHAN DAVIS INTERVIEWED ON THE KROQ-FM KEVIN & BEAN SHOW "B-TEAM PODCAST"!
Episode 13: "Mark Jonathan Davis"
(12 October 2017)
"Meet Mark Jonathan Davis, the man behind Paul the 55-year-old Intern, Shakespeare Man, Lt. Sulu, Bob Hope, and Richard Cheese."
http://www.richardcheese.com/caudio/MJD-KROQ-BTeam-Podcast2017.mp3
Episode 13: "Mark Jonathan Davis"
(12 October 2017)
"Meet Mark Jonathan Davis, the man behind Paul the 55-year-old Intern, Shakespeare Man, Lt. Sulu, Bob Hope, and Richard Cheese."
http://www.richardcheese.com/caudio/MJD-KROQ-BTeam-Podcast2017.mp3
