Tube Bar prank calls
Encyclopedia
The Tube Bar prank calls are a legendary series of prank call
s. Performed in the mid-1970s, John Elmo and Jim Davidson made a number of phone calls to the Tube Bar in Jersey City, asking the proprietor if they could speak to a named customer. The given names were homophones for other, often offensive, phrases. Recordings of the calls circulated widely on bootleg tapes and were suggested as the inspiration for a running gag in The Simpsons
.
named the Tube Bar, which was located in Jersey City, New Jersey
, in Journal Square
. The Tube Bar was owned by heavyweight boxer Louis "Red" Deutsch, and most of the time Deutsch was the person who answered the calls. During each call, the callers would ask Deutsch to call out fictitious names, which, when said aloud, sounded like something else entirely (for example, "Al Coholic" = alcoholic
, "Ben Dover" = bend over, or "Cole Kutz" = cold cuts
). Most of the time, Deutsch would call out the names, unaware that he was being subjected to a prank. Sometimes, however, Deutsch would catch on to the prank, and when he did, he responded with extreme hostility, shouting at the caller with profanity
, obscene sexual references (usually involving the caller's mother), and threats of physical harm. He would say things such as, "I'm gonna break dem bones in your feet, so you'll never be able to walk right again!" as well as "I'll cut your belly open and show you all the black stuff you got in there!" Sometimes, Red would offer the two $100 (and later $500) if they would show up at his bar, but they never did.
All the prank calls were taped and shared with friends. By the 1980s, the equipment managers of several Major League Baseball
teams had shared copies of the tapes, which had become known unofficially as the Red Tapes or Tube Bar Tapes. The tapes' popularity spread throughout the league, branching out to other professional sports
leagues and then to sports reporters and into the media. By 1981
, one of the Bastards' gags ("Mike Hunt") was incorporated into the movie Porky's
. Animator
Matt Groening
had obtained a copy and incorporated the phone high jinks into a running gag on The Simpsons
with barkeeper Moe Szyslak
, who is based on Deutsch. Several New York City
alternative rock record labels released various edits of the tapes on vinyl before the Bum Bar Bastards came forward in the 1990s to claim copyright of the tapes.
Prank call
A prank call is a form of practical joke committed over the telephone. Prank phone calls began to gain an America-wide following over a period of many years, as they gradually became a staple of the obscure and amusing cassette tapes traded amongst musicians, sound engineers, and media traders...
s. Performed in the mid-1970s, John Elmo and Jim Davidson made a number of phone calls to the Tube Bar in Jersey City, asking the proprietor if they could speak to a named customer. The given names were homophones for other, often offensive, phrases. Recordings of the calls circulated widely on bootleg tapes and were suggested as the inspiration for a running gag in The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
.
History
In the mid-1970s, two young men, John Elmo and Jim Davidson (later known collectively as The Bum Bar Bastards, or BBB), began calling a barBar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
named the Tube Bar, which was located in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, in Journal Square
Journal Square
Journal Square is a business district, residential area, and transportation hub in Jersey City, New Jersey, which takes its name from the newspaper Jersey Journal whose headquarters are located there. The "square" itself is at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenues...
. The Tube Bar was owned by heavyweight boxer Louis "Red" Deutsch, and most of the time Deutsch was the person who answered the calls. During each call, the callers would ask Deutsch to call out fictitious names, which, when said aloud, sounded like something else entirely (for example, "Al Coholic" = alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, "Ben Dover" = bend over, or "Cole Kutz" = cold cuts
Cold Cuts
Cold Cuts is a 2002 live album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. It was their first live album to be released in a gatefold/digipack case...
). Most of the time, Deutsch would call out the names, unaware that he was being subjected to a prank. Sometimes, however, Deutsch would catch on to the prank, and when he did, he responded with extreme hostility, shouting at the caller with profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
, obscene sexual references (usually involving the caller's mother), and threats of physical harm. He would say things such as, "I'm gonna break dem bones in your feet, so you'll never be able to walk right again!" as well as "I'll cut your belly open and show you all the black stuff you got in there!" Sometimes, Red would offer the two $100 (and later $500) if they would show up at his bar, but they never did.
All the prank calls were taped and shared with friends. By the 1980s, the equipment managers of several Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
teams had shared copies of the tapes, which had become known unofficially as the Red Tapes or Tube Bar Tapes. The tapes' popularity spread throughout the league, branching out to other professional sports
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
leagues and then to sports reporters and into the media. By 1981
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
, one of the Bastards' gags ("Mike Hunt") was incorporated into the movie Porky's
Porky's
Porky's is a 1982 comedy film about the escapades of teenagers at the fictional Angel Beach High School in Florida in 1954. It was released in the United States in 1982, and spawned two sequels: Porky's II: The Next Day and Porky's Revenge! and influenced many writers in the teen film genre...
. Animator
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
had obtained a copy and incorporated the phone high jinks into a running gag on The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
with barkeeper Moe Szyslak
Moe Szyslak
Momar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
, who is based on Deutsch. Several 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...
alternative rock record labels released various edits of the tapes on vinyl before the Bum Bar Bastards came forward in the 1990s to claim copyright of the tapes.
Discography
- The Tube BarTube Bar Red's Bootleg Tape (Remastered)-Tube Bar Red's Bootleg Tape :Tube Bar Red's Bootleg Tape is a prank call comedy album by the Bum Bar Bastards. As the album title suggests, this was originally a bootleg tape that was passed around in the public....
(11/6/88, TeenBeat RecordsTeenBeat RecordsTeen Beat is an independent record label, originally based in Arlington, VA, now based in Cambridge, MA. It was founded by Mark Robinson in 1984 at Wakefield High School along with Phil Krauth , Andrew Beaujon , Tim Moran , and Ian Zack .The label was originally set up like a lending library...
) - Tube BarTube Bar (album)-Tube Bar :Tube Bar is a prank call comedy album by the Bum Bar Bastards. After the Tube Bar Bootleg Tape was published by TeenBeat Records in 1988, the creators Jim Davidson and John Elmo came forward and released their first official release with the now-defunct Detonator Records in 1993. The...
(1993, Detonator) - Tavern TourTavern Tour-Tavern Tour:Tavern Tour is a prank call comedy album by the Bum Bar Bastards. This is their second album of prank calls featuring more Tube Bar calls as well as some others....
(1997, Padded Cell Productions) - Bum Bar Bastards Special DVD/CD Collector's EditionTube Bar Collector's Edition-Tube Bar Collector's Edition:Tube Bar Collector's Edition [2-CD Set] is a prank call comedy compilation by the Bum Bar Bastards. This 2 disc album is a compilation of the previous 2 albums Tube Bar and Tavern Tour....
(9/1/04, T.A. Productions). - Tube Bar Collector's EditionTube Bar Collector's Edition-Tube Bar Collector's Edition:Tube Bar Collector's Edition [2-CD Set] is a prank call comedy compilation by the Bum Bar Bastards. This 2 disc album is a compilation of the previous 2 albums Tube Bar and Tavern Tour....
(2-CD Set) (1/1/06, T.A. Productions) - Drunk, Dirty and DisgracefulDrunk, Dirty and DisgracefulDrunk, Dirty and Disgraceful is a prank call comedy album by the Bum Bar Bastards. This is their third album of prank calls featuring more Tube Bar calls as well as some others....
(10/30/06, T.A. Productions) - Tube Bar Red's Bootleg Tape (Remastered)Tube Bar Red's Bootleg Tape (Remastered)-Tube Bar Red's Bootleg Tape :Tube Bar Red's Bootleg Tape is a prank call comedy album by the Bum Bar Bastards. As the album title suggests, this was originally a bootleg tape that was passed around in the public....
(09/17/07, T.A. Productions) - TUBE BAR Legendary Prank / Crank Calls [The ULTIMATE COLLECTION] (10/23/08, T.A. Productions)
- Tube Bar Prank Calls 35th Anniversary Complete Collection [DVD+CD] Dolby/ (09/01/10, T.A. Productions)
Fictitious names used
Among the names used in the prank calls were:- Al Coholic (Alcoholic)
- Cole Kutz (Cold cuts)
- Sal Ammy (Salami)
- Al Brickyurnick (I'll Break Your Neck)
- Bill Loney (Bologna)
- Mike Ocksmal (My Cock's Small)
- Al Kaseltzer (Alka Seltzer)
- Phil DeGraves (Fill the graves)
- Mike Hunt (My cunt)
- Stu Peit (Stupid)
- Pepe Roni (Pepperoni)
- Phil Myass (Fill my ass)