10 Questions with ... Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold

1) What were your first jobs in radio?

BOB: My first job in radio was the midday shift at WMBN/WWPZ-A in Petoskey, MI.

TOM: WETO-A in Deland, FL. On my first day, I did afternoons; on my second day, I was doing mornings; and on my third day, I was the PD.

2) When and how did you two meet and what led to the creation of the team and show?

BOB: Tom and I met in a bar in Harbor Springs, MI. I was supplementing my $3.50-per-hour income with a bartending job. I served Tom a drink and we started talking radio. Tom asked if he could come by the station to look at the trade magazines for possible employment and was hired by my station owner as the PD.

TOM: After meeting in Harbor Springs, we worked for a year or two on different solo shifts, and finally paired up for a morning show called The WJML Breakfast Club in 1982. JML was a 100,000-watt monster signal with a terrific audience. Neither of us knew what we were doing, so the show had a genuine freshness.

3) How would you describe The Bob & Tom Show?

BOB & TOM: Our show is a conversation between us, our guests and our listeners. We have lots of celebrities, comedians, and musicians who stop by, along with hundreds of original songs and bits. It's funny and cutting-edge.

4) How many stations run the show now?

BOB & TOM: When we first started in syndication, our show aired on a few Rock/Classic Rock stations. Today, we're fortunate to air on more than 150 stations, with a broad range of formats, across the U.S. and Canada.

5) What is it about your audience that makes them appreciate your brand of entertainment?

BOB: We're all in this together. We share our audience's interests and have a good time.

TOM: Our audience is educated, well-versed and down-to-earth, but they're also spontaneous and fun-loving. In other words, they're as twisted as we are.

6) Do you two spend a lot of time together off-air?

BOB: We find it more entertaining to surprise each other with stories, bits and recorded material that we work on separately. When comedy is unpredictable, genuine laughter is generated.

TOM: It's funnier to tell a story about an event when you didn't experience it together; this way, we're talking to each other, not re-hashing a shared experience. It's part of what keeps our show fresh.

7) Who is a favorite guest of the show and why?

BOB: We've had so many great guests, it's hard to choose. We have been friends with George Lopez for more than 20 years. He is always funny, no matter what the situation.

TOM: Brad Garrett and Jeff Foxworthy -- they are always fresh and funny.

8) Who would be your dream guest on the show?

BOB: Eric Clapton. He's a musical genius and icon, and I'm a die-hard fan.

TOM: My dream interview would be Jack Nicholson, who has never done a talk show ... ever.

9) Where do you get your ideas for the parody songs and bits you create that air on the show and appear on your albums? How many albums have you produced?

BOB: Our songs are original compositions, evolving from our observations of everyday life, news, pop culture or sex.

TOM: The ideas come from whatever's happening, be it topical or political. Songs like "Cameltoe," "I'm Sick of Being Sick" and "Sex is the Best" are evergreen, while others are limited to a quirky moment in time. We've produced more than 50 albums, most of them double-albums, and for the past six years, we've produced a "special album" donated to the USO for distribution to military personnel.

10) How did The Bob & Tom Comedy All-Star Tour come about?

BOB & TOM: After years of taking The Bob & Tom Band on the road, we changed things up and sent our favorite comedians on the road to promote the show in affiliate markets. It's been enormously successful -- the affiliates and listeners enjoy seeing some of our cast members and favorite comedians in their city. So far, the tour has performed over 350 shows, entertaining 400,000 fans of the radio program.