When New York City band A Brief Smile walked into WFNY, 92.3 Free FM's studios last week for "Talent Tuesdays" on The Dog House's morning show, they were expecting their first shot at commercial radio play. But what they experienced was something quite different. Upon entering the studio for their interview, bassist John Carnes made a comment about the decline in quality of the station. As a result, the show's two hosts, Jeff Vandergrift ("JV") and Dan Lay ("Elvis"), shot back with relentless insults, calling him a "pansy" and eventually "a faggot." The DJs kicked the 21-year-old bass player out of the studio for disrespecting the show but still gave the band a shot at playing their song, "This Machine," off of their self-released debut album, R.E.S.T., on air. As with every Tuesday's segment, the hosts discussed the song and brought callers on with their reactions. After playing the song, Elvis exclaimed, "I thought the bass sucked, threw the rhythm off of everything. It felt like a faggot was playing it." Carnes, outside of the studio, immediately reacted to the use of the slur and came back in to react. "Flamer or faggot are hateful words," Carnes tells CMJ. Upon re-entering the studio, he informed the hosts he was bi-sexual. "They are trigger words for me and when I heard them say that the bass sounded like a faggot was playing it I kind of went into an uncharacteristic rage," he adds. The hosts, unaware of his sexual preference before using the word, told him that they didn't care and that he was acting like a baby. Following the show, Carnes was found punching the walls of the green room until a staff member came to calm him down. "He took me to the lobby, explained to me the nature of the show, but I never got an apology from him which I was pretty upset about," says Carnes. Instead, it was Carnes who sent an apology the following day for insulting the show, but still explained his hatred of the word. Elvis did respond to the bass player via e-mail, saying, "Relax, no worries bro. We are an edgy show that rips on everybody. Sorry it went that way. By the way, I have two brothers that are gay, no one needs to be bashed for who they are." Elvis also responded on air to an aggravated e-mail from a listener, saying, "Listen, if I am with my friends and I say that was very faggy... it has nothing to do with their sexuality... [Carnes is] the one who came in and was disrespectful... so I kicked him out. Then he came in saying he was bisexual and everything. Quite frankly I didn't care. I'm not interested in your sexuality, just don't act faggy in here. I can use the word if I want to. If they try and take it away from me, I'm still gonna use it." He also added that they ceased with the derogatory remarks once Carnes revealed his bisexuality and that the show in fact employes a bisexual staff member, Rudy, who runs the boards. Rashad Robinson, senior director of media programs for the Gay And Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is not satisfied by the station or CBS' (which owns WFNY, and along with the show's hosts and producers, did not return calls by presstime) reaction. "We are shocked and appalled that this kind of defamatory and vulgar comments are allowed on the air," Robinson says. "At the end of the day, this is the type of commentary and terminology that incites violence. [Programmers] like CBS and the folks that sponsor this show have a responsibility to not create a climate where this is supported. In a world where people are very aware of what homophobia looks like, if they are the only ones that cannot see it, CBS has unfortunately put together a staff of people who are severely unaware of cultural norms." This is certainly not the first time so-called "shock jocks" have had their antics called into question. In fact, a similar incident occurred January 15 on The Dog House with openly gay rapper Cazwell. "I did my research, I knew what I was getting into," he says. "The key was to stay positive because once they find a weak spot, they'll go into it for entertainment. Everything they did was to appease their ignorant audience. They seemed cool after, asked if I took it seriously, but I admit I was shocked that this is allowed to happen." And while Cazwell says he would go on the show again, he wants the hosts to know that people are offended. "If some kid is struggling with his identity, this fuels the fire," he says. "They need to cool it with the homophobic talk." Queerty.com, a gay-focused blog that posts on everything from fashion to politics, was the first to respond to A Brief Smile's appearance. "No matter how many times I hear homophobic slurs—and that's what these were, homophobic slurs—my gut drops," editor Andrew Belonsky explains. "I've become so used to hearing remarks similar to those made by The Dog House boys—and that's what they are, boys. Unfortunately, such flippant pejoratives are part and parcel with a certain brand of homophobia: the homophobia of which The Dog House is guilty." You can download the March 27 episode of The Dog House, featuring A Brief Smile here. Download the January 15 show, featuring Cazwell here. www.923freefm.com www.abriefsmile.com www.cazwell.com
