The Al Franken Show
Encyclopedia
The Al Franken Show was the flagship talk show
of the former talk radio network, Air America Radio
. Hosted by Al Franken
, it featured commentary
and interview
s arguing for left-wing positions on the issues of the day, and comically
poking fun at the George W. Bush
Administration. The show began as The O'Franken Factor on March 31, 2004. Between January 3, 2006, and February 14, 2007, the show was recorded and broadcast from the 28th floor of the historic Foshay Tower
in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota
. Prior to that date it was based in New York City
. The final show was broadcast on February 14, 2007, the day Franken announced his candidacy for the United States Senate
in 2008.
Franken is a comedian
, satirist and now United States Senator who has written several books, including the 2003 Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. He was a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live
, where he usually teamed with fellow writer/performer Tom Davis
.
. Lanpher left the show to write Leap Days, a memoir about her experiences moving to New York City
. Lanpher did not rejoin the show because she did not wish to move again when Franken relocated to Minnesota. In November 2005, Franken told an audience in Berkeley, California that he would not seek a replacement for Lanpher. Her departure did not change the content of the show.
When the show began, Franken signed a one-year contract. "I'm doing this because I want to use my energies to get Bush
unelected. I'd be happy if the election of a Democrat ended the show", he said in an interview with The New York Times
. Bush won a second term on November 2, 2004, but Franken stated that the show would continue whether a Democrat or a Republican was in office.
Beginning on September 7, 2004, Sundance Channel broadcast a one-hour televised version of the show on weekdays. The show aired its last episode in November 2004. The channel inked a new contract with Franken and aired a second season of the show from June 6, 2005 until early November 2005.
On November 15, 2006, Air America affiliate KQKE (The Quake) in San Francisco announced that Franken would leave Air America on December 10, as indicated by an audio clip posted on Whatamockery.com. After December 10, though Franken was still on Air America, KQKE began airing the Thom Hartmann
Program in place of the Al Franken show.
On his January 29, 2007 show, Franken announced that his last show on Air America Radio would be that Valentine's Day. Affiliates who carried the Franken show carried Thom Hartmann
after that date, while XM Satellite Radio
now carries Ed Schultz
in that time slot. At the end of his final show, Franken announced his intention to run for the United States Senate from Minnesota
.
and his The O'Reilly Factor
. O'Reilly is widely thought to have instigated Fox News Channel
's lawsuit against Franken for using their trademarked phrase "fair and balanced", which was thrown out of court in summary judgment
, but ended up giving publicity to Franken and his book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
. Franken said that he chose the title to "annoy and bait" O'Reilly into suing him again, thus generating publicity. That lawsuit never came, and on July 12, 2004, the program was renamed The Al Franken Show.
Franken described his show as taking place in a "Zero Spin
Zone" where Franken pledges to tell the truth and there is "no spinning allowed." This is a parody of O'Reilly's characterization of the O'Reilly Factor as a "No Spin Zone."
issues and current events analysts: Jonathan Alter
, David Brock
, Joe Conason
, James Fallows
, Howard Fineman
, Christy Harvey
, Paul Krugman
, Thomas Oliphant
, Norman Ornstein, George Packer
, Melanie Sloan
, David Sirota
, and Lawrence O'Donnell Jr.
Wait Wait… Don't Lie To Me! : Every Friday afternoon, Franken hosted a mini-game show with fellow judge Joe Conason. The contestant listened to a series of audio clips from earlier in the week, and was asked to identify whether each statement made is the truth, a lie, or a "weasel
" (defined as "a statement that is technically true, but intended to mislead"). The title was based on the National Public Radio show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Contestants received a copy of The Al Franken Show Party Album regardless of their performance, though Franken referred to the CD as both the prize for winning and consolation prize for losing. In the spirit of the lying theme, Franken frequently stated that the game won ever increasing numbers of Peabody Awards — over one hundred by the end of the show — which itself was a humorous dig at Bill O'Reilly, who incorrectly boasted that his former show, Inside Edition
, won two Peabodies. The segment's theme music was the 1980s Fleetwood Mac
hit song "Little Lies
".
Hate Email of the Day : Franken picked his favorite hate email and read it on the air, often noting spelling and grammatical errors, and usually concluding with "We take your criticisms very seriously."
Boring Correction : Taking great pride in the veracity of the information cited by his program, Franken invited his audience to bring any factual errors to his attention so they could be addressed. Franken would then issue a live on-air "Boring Correction" where, to a jaunty tune and the sound of typewriter in the background, he corrected the error. Most of the time, the "boring correction" addressed a hypertechnicality rather than a substantive error.
"Resident Dittohead" Mark Luther : The show regularly featured a segment with Mark Luther, Franken's childhood friend and self-proclaimed dittohead. Franken would play a clip by Rush Limbaugh
, take issue with Limbaugh's facts or logic, and argue about it with Luther.
Good Ribbin' : A correspondent would travel to some of the best southern barbecue
hot spots in the country, to talk with people who love barbecue and hate Franken's show. Patrons were invited to tell the audience what they are eating and then argue with Franken.
The Fifteen Second Debunk : An audio clip was played, and then debunked by another audio clip from the same person. Although the two clips were usually less than fifteen seconds, they were preceded by very lengthy introduction and followed by a lengthy outro.
Nigel Chestley : Franken played a BBC correspondent who sometimes reported on international news, and other times simply provided an update on the Queen's long running drum solo
.
Senior Moment : Franken played Enid Davenport, a crotchety old woman who offered an extremely confused perspective on the news (she preferred to call the segment "A piece of my mind"). This character was somewhat reminiscent of Gilda Radner
's Emily Litella from Saturday Night Live
.
The Slide Whistle : Franken played a slide whistle along with the highs and lows of President Bush's approval rating since taking office. The whistle started with a moderate note, raised to a high note to reflect the time period following 9/11, then steadily sunk to lower notes as Bush's popularity decreased (with occasional blips of higher notes in between). This was a popular segment surrounding State of the Union
addresses.
Right-Wing Non-Lie of the Day : Franken would play a clip of a conservative telling a "non-lie," which would usually last for about 10 seconds. On The Very Best of the O'Franken Factor, featured non-lies included Rush Limbaugh
saying he was looking at an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal and Bill O'Reilly reading the definition of the word "conundrum."
Some other skits no longer occurred regularly after Katherine Lanpher left the show. These included:
Tour" that included stops in
The show also did musical parody introductions for regular guests
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
of the former talk radio network, Air America Radio
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
. Hosted by Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
, it featured commentary
Political criticism
Political criticism is criticism that is specific of or relevant to politics, including policies, politicians, political parties, and types of government.-Controversy:...
and interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s arguing for left-wing positions on the issues of the day, and comically
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
poking fun at the George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
Administration. The show began as The O'Franken Factor on March 31, 2004. Between January 3, 2006, and February 14, 2007, the show was recorded and broadcast from the 28th floor of the historic Foshay Tower
Foshay Tower
The Foshay Tower, now the W Minneapolis – The Foshay hotel, is a skyscraper in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Modeled after the Washington Monument, the building was completed in 1929, months before the stock market crash in October of that year. It has 32 floors and stands high, plus an antenna mast...
in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. Prior to that date it was based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The final show was broadcast on February 14, 2007, the day Franken announced his candidacy for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 2008.
Franken is a comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, satirist and now United States Senator who has written several books, including the 2003 Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. He was a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, where he usually teamed with fellow writer/performer Tom Davis
Tom Davis (comedian)
Tom Davis is an American writer and comedian. He is an Emmy Award winner, and is best known for his former partnership with Al Franken, as half of the comedy duo "Franken & Davis" on Saturday Night Live.-Life and career:...
.
History
From the show's inception in March 2004 until October 7, 2005, the show was co-hosted by experienced journalist Katherine LanpherKatherine Lanpher
Katherine Lanpher is an American writer, journalist, broadcaster, and podcaster, who came to national prominence as the co-host of the Air America Radio program The Al Franken Show in 2004 and 2005....
. Lanpher left the show to write Leap Days, a memoir about her experiences moving to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Lanpher did not rejoin the show because she did not wish to move again when Franken relocated to Minnesota. In November 2005, Franken told an audience in Berkeley, California that he would not seek a replacement for Lanpher. Her departure did not change the content of the show.
When the show began, Franken signed a one-year contract. "I'm doing this because I want to use my energies to get Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
unelected. I'd be happy if the election of a Democrat ended the show", he said in an interview with The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. Bush won a second term on November 2, 2004, but Franken stated that the show would continue whether a Democrat or a Republican was in office.
Beginning on September 7, 2004, Sundance Channel broadcast a one-hour televised version of the show on weekdays. The show aired its last episode in November 2004. The channel inked a new contract with Franken and aired a second season of the show from June 6, 2005 until early November 2005.
On November 15, 2006, Air America affiliate KQKE (The Quake) in San Francisco announced that Franken would leave Air America on December 10, as indicated by an audio clip posted on Whatamockery.com. After December 10, though Franken was still on Air America, KQKE began airing the Thom Hartmann
Thom Hartmann
Thom Hartmann is an American radio host, author, former psychotherapist and entrepreneur, and progressive political commentator. His nationally-syndicated radio show, The Thom Hartmann Program, airs in the United States and has 2.75 million listeners a week...
Program in place of the Al Franken show.
On his January 29, 2007 show, Franken announced that his last show on Air America Radio would be that Valentine's Day. Affiliates who carried the Franken show carried Thom Hartmann
Thom Hartmann
Thom Hartmann is an American radio host, author, former psychotherapist and entrepreneur, and progressive political commentator. His nationally-syndicated radio show, The Thom Hartmann Program, airs in the United States and has 2.75 million listeners a week...
after that date, while XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
now carries Ed Schultz
Ed Schultz
Edward Andrew "Ed" Schultz Is an American television and radio host and a liberal political commentator . He is the host of The Ed Show, a daily news talk program on MSNBC, and The Ed Schultz Show, a talk radio show, nationally syndicated by Dial Global, promising "straight talk."-Early...
in that time slot. At the end of his final show, Franken announced his intention to run for the United States Senate from Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
The O'Franken Factor
Until July 12, 2004 the name of the show was The O'Franken Factor. That name was a jibe at Bill O'ReillyBill O'Reilly (commentator)
William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
and his The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
. O'Reilly is widely thought to have instigated Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
's lawsuit against Franken for using their trademarked phrase "fair and balanced", which was thrown out of court in summary judgment
Summary judgment
In law, a summary judgment is a determination made by a court without a full trial. Such a judgment may be issued as to the merits of an entire case, or of specific issues in that case....
, but ended up giving publicity to Franken and his book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them is a satirical book on American politics by comedian, political commentator and now Senator Al Franken, published in 2003 by Dutton, a subsidiary in the Penguin Group. Franken had a study group of 14 Harvard graduate students known as "TeamFranken" to help him...
. Franken said that he chose the title to "annoy and bait" O'Reilly into suing him again, thus generating publicity. That lawsuit never came, and on July 12, 2004, the program was renamed The Al Franken Show.
Franken described his show as taking place in a "Zero Spin
Spin (public relations)
In public relations, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a certain organization or public figure...
Zone" where Franken pledges to tell the truth and there is "no spinning allowed." This is a parody of O'Reilly's characterization of the O'Reilly Factor as a "No Spin Zone."
Regular guests
The show's regular guests included respected progressiveProgressivism in the United States
Progressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
issues and current events analysts: Jonathan Alter
Jonathan Alter
Jonathan Alter is an American journalist and author who was a columnist and senior editor for Newsweek magazine from 1983 until 2011. He is currently a lead columnist for Bloomberg View, a new commentary website. He is also a contributing correspondent to NBC News, where since 1996 he has appeared...
, David Brock
David Brock
David Brock is an American journalist and author, the founder of the media watchdog group, Media Matters for America, and a Democratic political operative...
, Joe Conason
Joe Conason
Joe Conason is an American journalist, author and political commentator. He writes a column for the weekly New York Observer newspaper, for Salon.com and has written a number of books, including Big Lies , which addresses what he says are myths spread about liberals by conservatives.-Life and...
, James Fallows
James Fallows
James Fallows is an American print and radio journalist. He has been a national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly for many years. His work has also appeared in Slate, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker and The American Prospect, among others. He is a...
, Howard Fineman
Howard Fineman
Howard Fineman is an American journalist who is senior politics editor at the Huffington Post. Prior to his move to Huffington Post in October 2010, he was Newsweek’s Chief Political Correspondent, Senior Editor and Deputy Washington Bureau Chief. An award-winning writer, Fineman also is an NBC...
, Christy Harvey
Christy Harvey
Christy Harvey is the Director of Strategic Communications at the Center for American Progress. She was a regular guest on The Al Franken Show. She also edits a free news website for the Center called Mic Check...
, Paul Krugman
Paul Krugman
Paul Robin Krugman is an American economist, professor of Economics and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Centenary Professor at the London School of Economics, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times...
, Thomas Oliphant
Thomas Oliphant
Thomas "Tom" Oliphant is an American journalist who was the Washington correspondent and a columnist for the Boston Globe. - Life and career :...
, Norman Ornstein, George Packer
George Packer
George Packer is an American journalist, novelist and playwright.-Biography:Packer's parents, Nancy Packer and Herbert Packer, were both academics at Stanford University; his maternal grandfather was George Huddleston, a congressman from Alabama. His sister, Ann Packer, is also a writer...
, Melanie Sloan
Melanie Sloan
Melanie Sloan is the Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit government watchdog group.-Early Life and Family:...
, David Sirota
David Sirota
David J. Sirota is a progressive Denver-based American political figure, radio show host and commentator. He is an author, book reviewer, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, a Democratic political strategist, political operative, Democratic spokesperson, and blogger...
, and Lawrence O'Donnell Jr.
Lawrence O'Donnell Jr.
Lawrence Francis O'Donnell, Jr. is an American political analyst, journalist, actor, producer, writer, and host of The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, a weeknight MSNBC opinion and news program that formerly aired at 10 p.m. Eastern, but moved to the 8 p.m. slot, replacing Keith Olbermann's...
Regular features
In addition to general political discussion, the show featured several recurring comic relief segments. These included:Wait Wait… Don't Lie To Me! : Every Friday afternoon, Franken hosted a mini-game show with fellow judge Joe Conason. The contestant listened to a series of audio clips from earlier in the week, and was asked to identify whether each statement made is the truth, a lie, or a "weasel
Weasel word
A weasel word is an informal term for equivocating words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said, when in fact only a vague or ambiguous claim, or even a refutation has been communicated.For example, an advertisement may use a weasel phrase...
" (defined as "a statement that is technically true, but intended to mislead"). The title was based on the National Public Radio show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is an hour-long weekly radio news panel game show produced by Chicago Public Radio and National Public Radio. It is distributed by NPR in the United States, internationally on NPR Worldwide and on the Internet via podcast, and typically broadcast on weekends by member...
Contestants received a copy of The Al Franken Show Party Album regardless of their performance, though Franken referred to the CD as both the prize for winning and consolation prize for losing. In the spirit of the lying theme, Franken frequently stated that the game won ever increasing numbers of Peabody Awards — over one hundred by the end of the show — which itself was a humorous dig at Bill O'Reilly, who incorrectly boasted that his former show, Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
, won two Peabodies. The segment's theme music was the 1980s Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
hit song "Little Lies
Little Lies
"Little Lies" is a song by the English/American band Fleetwood Mac. It was the third single to be taken from their 1987 album Tango in the Night. As of 2011, it is their final top 10 hit in the U.S....
".
Hate Email of the Day : Franken picked his favorite hate email and read it on the air, often noting spelling and grammatical errors, and usually concluding with "We take your criticisms very seriously."
Boring Correction : Taking great pride in the veracity of the information cited by his program, Franken invited his audience to bring any factual errors to his attention so they could be addressed. Franken would then issue a live on-air "Boring Correction" where, to a jaunty tune and the sound of typewriter in the background, he corrected the error. Most of the time, the "boring correction" addressed a hypertechnicality rather than a substantive error.
"Resident Dittohead" Mark Luther : The show regularly featured a segment with Mark Luther, Franken's childhood friend and self-proclaimed dittohead. Franken would play a clip by Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
, take issue with Limbaugh's facts or logic, and argue about it with Luther.
Good Ribbin' : A correspondent would travel to some of the best southern barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
hot spots in the country, to talk with people who love barbecue and hate Franken's show. Patrons were invited to tell the audience what they are eating and then argue with Franken.
The Fifteen Second Debunk : An audio clip was played, and then debunked by another audio clip from the same person. Although the two clips were usually less than fifteen seconds, they were preceded by very lengthy introduction and followed by a lengthy outro.
Nigel Chestley : Franken played a BBC correspondent who sometimes reported on international news, and other times simply provided an update on the Queen's long running drum solo
Drum solo
A drum solo is an instrumental solo played on a drum kit. A drum solo may be set or improvised, and of any length, up to being the main performance....
.
Senior Moment : Franken played Enid Davenport, a crotchety old woman who offered an extremely confused perspective on the news (she preferred to call the segment "A piece of my mind"). This character was somewhat reminiscent of Gilda Radner
Gilda Radner
Gilda Susan Radner was an American comedian and actress, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1978.-Early life:...
's Emily Litella from Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.
The Slide Whistle : Franken played a slide whistle along with the highs and lows of President Bush's approval rating since taking office. The whistle started with a moderate note, raised to a high note to reflect the time period following 9/11, then steadily sunk to lower notes as Bush's popularity decreased (with occasional blips of higher notes in between). This was a popular segment surrounding State of the Union
State Of The Union
"State Of The Union" is the debut single from British singer-songwriter David Ford. It had previously been featured as a demo on his official website, before appearing as a track on a CD entitled "Apology Demos EP," only on sale at live shows....
addresses.
Right-Wing Non-Lie of the Day : Franken would play a clip of a conservative telling a "non-lie," which would usually last for about 10 seconds. On The Very Best of the O'Franken Factor, featured non-lies included Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
saying he was looking at an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal and Bill O'Reilly reading the definition of the word "conundrum."
Some other skits no longer occurred regularly after Katherine Lanpher left the show. These included:
- The Oy Yoy Yoy Show, in which Franken played "old Al" and responded to a litany of depressing news items by saying "Oy", along with a constant expression of concern for Israel
- Mastication Theater, in which Franken and Lanpher would perform a skit while stuffing their mouths with food
Swing State Tour
In the runup to the 2004 U.S. presidential election, the show went on a "Swing StateSwing state
In United States presidential politics, a swing state is a state in which no single candidate or party has overwhelming support in securing that state's electoral college votes...
Tour" that included stops in
- San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
(though California was not often considered a swing state) - San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
- Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
- Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
- Madison, WisconsinMadison, WisconsinMadison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
- Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
- Miami, FloridaMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
Music
- Theme: Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
- "Terrapin Station" (live) - Grateful Dead - "Sugaree" (live)
- Commercial Bumpers: Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
"Going Down the Road Feeling Bad" (live) - The KlezmaticsThe KlezmaticsThe Klezmatics are a Grammy Award-winning American klezmer music group based in New York City, who have achieved fame singing in several languages, most notably mixing older Yiddish tunes with other types of more contemporary music of differing origins...
http://www.klezmatics.com/ - "N.Y. Psycho Freylekhs" (used for "The Oy Yoy Yoy Show" segment) - many original compositions of Adam Albright-Hanna, including the phone number song, "866-303-2270"
- Grateful Dead - "Touch Of Grey" (last segment intro, later replaced by "Sultans Of Swing")
- Dire StraitsDire StraitsDire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
- Sultans of Swing (Plays this song until "that note", after commercials) - Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
- "The Wheel" Garcia - Fleetwood MacFleetwood MacFleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
- Little Lies (the theme song to "Wait Wait... Don't Lie To Me!")
The show also did musical parody introductions for regular guests
- "Jonnie Alter" (to introduce Jonathan AlterJonathan AlterJonathan Alter is an American journalist and author who was a columnist and senior editor for Newsweek magazine from 1983 until 2011. He is currently a lead columnist for Bloomberg View, a new commentary website. He is also a contributing correspondent to NBC News, where since 1996 he has appeared...
) - Parody of Shelley FabaresShelley FabaresMichele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. Fabares is known for her roles as Donna Reed's oldest child, Mary Stone, on The Donna Reed Show , and as Craig T. Nelson's love interest and eventual wife, Christine Armstrong Fox, on the sitcom Coach. She also was Elvis...
' "Johnny Angel" - "We Will Brock You" (to introduce David BrockDavid BrockDavid Brock is an American journalist and author, the founder of the media watchdog group, Media Matters for America, and a Democratic political operative...
) - Parody of QueenQueen (band)Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's "We Will Rock You" - "Carry On Joe Conason" (to introduce Joe ConasonJoe ConasonJoe Conason is an American journalist, author and political commentator. He writes a column for the weekly New York Observer newspaper, for Salon.com and has written a number of books, including Big Lies , which addresses what he says are myths spread about liberals by conservatives.-Life and...
) - Parody of KansasKansas (band)Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...
' "Carry on Wayward Son" - "Oh Howard You're So Fine" (to introduce Howard FinemanHoward FinemanHoward Fineman is an American journalist who is senior politics editor at the Huffington Post. Prior to his move to Huffington Post in October 2010, he was Newsweek’s Chief Political Correspondent, Senior Editor and Deputy Washington Bureau Chief. An award-winning writer, Fineman also is an NBC...
) - Parody of Toni BasilToni BasilAntonia Christina Basilotta , better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, filmmaker, film director, choreographer, and dancer, best known for her multi-million-selling worldwide #1 hit "Mickey" from 1982.-Early life:Basil was born Antonia Christina...
's "Mickey" - "Christy" (to introduce Christy HarveyChristy HarveyChristy Harvey is the Director of Strategic Communications at the Center for American Progress. She was a regular guest on The Al Franken Show. She also edits a free news website for the Center called Mic Check...
) - Parody of Johnny MathisJohnny MathisJohn Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
' "Misty" - "Can't Touch This" (to introduce Paul KrugmanPaul KrugmanPaul Robin Krugman is an American economist, professor of Economics and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Centenary Professor at the London School of Economics, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times...
) - Parody of MC HammerMC HammerStanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
's "Can't Touch This" - "Hey Judd" (to introduce Judd Legum) - Parody of The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Hey Jude" - "Oh Donnell" (to introduce Lawrence O'Donnell) - Parody of Ritchie ValensRitchie ValensRitchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
' "Donna" - "Baby Oliphant Walk" (to introduce Tom Oliphant) - Parody of Henry ManciniHenry ManciniHenry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
's "Baby Elephant Walk" - "Norm in the USA" (to introduce Norman Ornstein) - Parody of Bruce Springstein's "Born in the USA"
- "My Sirota" (to introduce David SirotaDavid SirotaDavid J. Sirota is a progressive Denver-based American political figure, radio show host and commentator. He is an author, book reviewer, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, a Democratic political strategist, political operative, Democratic spokesperson, and blogger...
) - Parody of The KnackThe KnackThe Knack was an American New Wave rock quartet based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international number one hit in 1979.-Founding :...
's "My Sharona" - "Melanie Sloan" (to introduce Melanie SloanMelanie SloanMelanie Sloan is the Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit government watchdog group.-Early Life and Family:...
) - Parody of George ThorogoodGeorge ThorogoodGeorge Thorogood is an American blues rock vocalist/guitarist from Wilmington, Delaware, United States, known for his hit song "Bad to the Bone" as well as for covers of blues standards such as Hank Williams' "Move It On Over" and John Lee Hooker's "House Rent Boogie/One Bourbon, One Scotch, One...
and the Destroyer's "Bad to the Bone"
Staff
The staff of The Al Franken Show: http://shows.airamericaradio.com/alfrankenshow/about- Host: Al FrankenAl FrankenAlan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
- Executive Producer: Billy KimballBilly Kimball-Personal life:He was born in New York City and graduated from Harvard College where he was an editor of the Harvard Lampoon. He is currently married to the former Alexandra Manuela Vargas Hamilton and has two daughters.-Career:...
- Producer: Ben WiklerBen Wikler- Biography :Wikler grew up in Madison, Wisconsin where he cofounded an entirely student-run newspaper known as The Yellow Press. While a student, he won election to the student senate and launched Students United in Defense of Schools with Peter Koechley to demand increased school funding and...
; later J.R. Norton - Associate Producers: Joel Meyer and Chris Rosen
- Engineer and Researcher: Andy 'Scooter' Barr
- Webwriter and Researcher: Eric Hananoki
- Researcher: Miranda Wilson
- Administrative Assistant: Kathy Kostohryz