WHFS Top 99.1 of 1992

The WHFS Top 99.1 usually aired on either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. The New Year's Eve editions had a sense of anticipation about them, rather how it feels to have left work with a party to attend later that evening. The New Year's Day editions were a rather different affair. Sleep-deprived and partially hung-over, the announcers could get a bit punchy. Each had a charm and an energy all its own.

The 1992 edition was presented on New Year's Day. In many ways the 1992 edition is my personal favorite. It found the station evolving the craft of the Top 99.1. It is also the only year in the set that ran completely commercial-free. The 99.1th song (a.k.a. the special one in a class by itself, was a locally produced number, featuring Wild Wes Johnson of the Modern Rock Morning Show, in a parody of both Star Trek Two: the Wrath of Khan and the MC 900 foot Jesus song from the year before. It's not every day you get a musical work that parodies two completely different things. This one does, and he does it well.

The program begins with Gina Crash handing the program over to Johnny Riggs at 10AM. He complains about how early it is and then concedes that it isn't any earlier than when he normally comes in. I'm not sure about this, but I think he may have been up a bit later than usual last night. Johnny carries on into the low 40s, where he is relieved by Zoltar, the Brother from another Planet. Johnny is tired, and Zoltar is clearly enjoying the moment. Zoltar then finishes out the Top 99 and plays the Just passin' thru sequence.

Based on the 1991 experience, I figured there was a chance it could fit onto a single 8-hour videocassette. But I had my bets hedged with a clean new second tape sitting at the ready, just in case. As luck would have it, the Just Passin' Thru ran about ten minutes over the end of the first tape.
At this point the commercial-free nature of the program became a challenge. Not having a commercial break to provide me a gap, I was forced to switch out the tape during a talking break.

Having done so, I was then treated to an additional six hours of excellent WHFS programming. Zoltar carried the hour after the Just Passin' Thru series ended. Then followed Kathryn Lauren's Request-o-Rama and the Spastic Plastic that she co-produced with Aq (a.k.a. Aquaman).
The Spastic Plastic episode features the three parodies of the MC 900 Foot Jesus song, "The City Sleeps," a song that finished in the high 40s in the 1991 program. These are: MC 900 Foot Doughboy, who sets a story of a doughnut maker opening early to make the confections the public craves; MC 900 Foot Goatboy, who actually does a parody of the "Sweater Song;" and last but not least follows MC 900 Foot Shatner with "You Klingon Bastard, You Killed My Son!" This is the very same song that was number 99.1 in the countdown.

Aq repeats the last 11 songs of the Top 99.1 during his Top 11 at 11, the regular production in which the 11 most requested songs of the day were typically played. Along the way he actually plays the Number Two song by mistake, so that song appears three times within the 14 hours of this year's program.

The tape ends around midnight, toward the end of a song. As it fades to silence, I find myself once again wishing I had loaded a third tape before bed.

If you enjoy this program, please post a comment with your nickname ... think if it as signing a guest book. Thanks!

--jkw

WHFS Top 99.1 of 1992 -1- 99.1 to 82.mp3
WHFS Top 99.1 of 1992 -2- 81 to 63.mp3
WHFS Top 99.1 of 1992 -3- 62 to 44.mp3
WHFS Top 99.1 of 1992 -4- 43 to 27.mp3
WHFS Top 99.1 of 1992 -5- 26 to 8.mp3
WHFS Top 99.1 of 1992 -6- 7 to 1, Just Passin' Thru '92 First Hour.mp3
WHFS Top 99.1 of 1992 -7- Just Passin' Thru '92 Second Hour, Zoltar.mp3
WHFS Top 99.1 of 1992 -8- Kathryn Lauren's Request-O-Rama with MC 900 Foot Trifecta.mp3
WHFS Top 99.1 of 1992 -9- Kathryn Lauren's Request-O-Rama.mp3
WHFS Top 99.1 of 1992 -A- Kathryn and Aquaman Request-O-Rama.mp3
WHFS Top 99.1 of 1992 -B- Aquaman Top Eleven at Eleven.mp3