In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Johnny Brennan and Kamal Ahmed, two self-described “low lifes from Queens” became an early viral sensation with a series of R-rated prank telephone calls later branded under the name “The Jerky Boys.”
The Jerky Boys – The Super Across the Way
Tape recordings of the provocative (and, if you’re like me, still funny in a very juvenile way) calls were shared at parties by fans who had a love for lowbrow humor and a tape-to-tape deck in their stereo.
The recordings were an underground phenomenon until Howard Stern (in his terrestrial radio days) started playing the calls on his show.
Just like that, the Jerky Boys were big business. Select Records released an “official” Jerky Boys album (of roughly the same audio quality as the bootlegged cassettes). It rocketed to the top of the Billboard charts and was certified double-platinum by the RIAA.
Several more albums (and even a feature film–I saw it–IN A THEATER!!!) followed, but eventually, creative tensions between Ahmed and Brennan forced the duo to split in 2000.
Other than leaving the occasional Jerky-themed voicemail message on my brother’s phone, my relationship with the Jerky Boys brand had essentially come to an end.
That is, until I was searching for a particularly silly call on iTunes (Roofing–the language is raw–you have been warned) and I learned that Brennan had, in 2011, started a Jerky Boys podcast in which he explained the back stories behind the characters he and Ahmed had portrayed on the calls and explained the complex licensing arrangements that had to be made to get the “victim’s” approval to be included on the records.
I’m not exaggerating. It was fascinating. It was like a really good DVD “director’s commentary.” Brennan, whose characters were abrasive and weird, was ebullient and engaging with the fans who called in to share stories of how the duo’s records had helped them survive some pretty dark times through humor.
It was powerful stuff, but the podcast was short-lived, cancelled after 17 episodes.
I was unable to find an official statement about why Brennan stopped doing the show, but a visitor to a prank call forum (I love you, Internet) who claimed to be Brennan posted last April about why he had not been turning out new material (including the podcast):
“You have to try and understand what it’s like to sell 8 million CDs and have almost nothing to show for it. This is why you have not heard a new prank in forever. I figured I’d just get f***ed all over again.
This legitimately was a test run. I have 2 children and I’d love to do things just for the fun of it, but I can’t. I literally cannot. I wanted to see how the MP3s sold so I knew it would be worth it to go out and begin doing this again.
Also, I understand Podcasts are free, and I will probably start it up again for free of course, but the company putting them out certainly was making money off of it. I know what you are saying about Adam Corolla, but he does read ads. Sideshow Network was making money off me, I got nothing. I understand what you are saying but I’d rather use that time for new calls. I wasn’t well known for my radio persona.”
Working backward through the forum, I learned that Brennan was responding to a critical review by one of the forum’s administrators, who goes by the name “Carlito.”
In the meantime, Brennan has announced the cancellation of his short-lived podcast because there is “no money in it.” He also claims he will release more “new” prank calls if a lot of people pay for this current batch of 5.
Ask any podcaster out there – there is no money in it. The most successful comedians-turned-podcasters out there (arguably Adam Carolla, Joe Rogan, Kevin Smith, others) do this to get their name out there more and boost up their turnouts at appearances in other projects.
Maybe they’ll push Netflix or Gamefly promo codes also to defer production costs, but the point is the ability to keep fans engaged and have them support your other projects in a venue that YOU control.
Johnny, instead, seems he was trying to just continue his career on it. It doesn’t work like that. You use the podcast to rally your troops, then get out there and do your good work. It was working…there were a lot of excited subscribers to his new podcast.
Apparently those numbers didn’t equal direct dollars. You start to get the feeling that Johnny Brennan and his people just don’t get it.
As a marketing student focusing this semester on “Emerging Media,” it’s a pretty fascinating cautionary tale.
From my perspective, Brennan seemed to be doing everything right. His podcast was sponsored and had distribution on the Sideshow podcasting network. He frequently referred to his own Facebook page, the Jerky Boys official Facebook page and to the Jerky Boys official website from which his albums and other merchandise could be purchased.
The lesson here, at least as I see it, is that a podcast doesn’t guarantee, as Carlito suggested “direct dollars.”
Podcasting expert Patrick Flynn would seem to side with Carlito.
In a guest column he wrote for Gruber-Jaramillo Marketing, Flynn said that his podcast, while requiring a lot of effort, did not translate directly into dollars. However:
Ever since starting the podcast, I have noticed a higher average of new daily subscribers. In fact, before the podcast, I was averaging about 15-20 new subscribers per day. Now seeing numbers 25, 50, 100 new subscribers per day. My free ebook has been downloaded more than 20,000 times and I recently hit the 50,000 mark on my subscribers list.
The other problem Brennan may have encountered is on the supply side. With no (or limited new material to offer his fans, the podcast may have had a limited life expectancy to begin with.
Don’t feel too badly for Johnny Brennan. He’s got legions of fans and continues to find work as a voiceover artist. You may have heard his voice on the Fox Network’s “Family Guy” as neurotic pharmacist Mort Goldman.
I’d be interested in your thoughts. Did Brennan “hang up” on podcasting too soon (prank call pun there) or was he right to abandon this method of promoting his unique services?
Post away there, Liverlips.
ericminorimc 