Tube Bar prank calls

The Tube Bar prank calls are arguably the most famous series of prank calls ever recorded.

History

In the mid-1970s, two young men, John Elmo and Jim Davidson, began calling a bar named the Tube Bar which was located in Jersey City, New Jersey in Journal Square. The Tube Bar was owned by 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, or "Cole Kutz" = cold cuts). [Sisario, Ben. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506E5DE173FF934A35750C0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2 "POP MUSIC; Giving Jerseyana A Voice"] , "The New York Times", March 7, 1999. Accessed October 14, 2007. "Mr. Sceurman and Mr. Moran also scattered excerpts from "The Tube Bar Tapes" throughout the CD. These legendary prank-call recordings -- containing classics like "Can I speak to Al Coholic?" and "Is this the party to whom I am speaking?" (borrowed from Lily Tomlin) -- have circulated on bootleg tapes for years."] 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.

In an act of apparent desperation, Red also claimed that he would reward the caller with $100 if they would "come on down" to the bar and show his face, or meet Red at a place of their choosing. Red eventually raised the reward to $500, in hopes of enticing the young men, however it is widely believed that the callers never collected their reward because of fears of having their "prick cut off", or their "belly cut open".

Although Elmo and Davidson initially said that they had picked the Tube Bar at random out of a phone book, they later admitted that they had passed by the bar several times while still in high school, and had developed a fascination with Red ever since they saw him yelling at his patrons. They recorded the calls that they made on tape. Unbeknownst to Elmo and Davidson, the tapes they had made were beginning to circulate among their friends, and their friends' friends, becoming an underground sensation.

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 hijinx 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 copyright the tapes. The Bastards later released their own "official" version on CD which is now available for purchase on iTunes. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=J6TxcT7N9RgC&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=tube%2Bbar%2Btapes&source=web&ots=tslM5jTSTi&sig=yQOHccWG2q5tuhJ0QMWUEEk2zgo#PPA110,M1 Weird NJ Vol. 2 Tube Bar Interview] ]

Fictitious names used

[ [http://www.goarna.go.ro/arhiva/transcript.htm "The Tube Bar Tapes" - sau, "Înregistrările din cârciuma "La Ţeavă" ] ] [ [http://www.bumbarbastards.com The Official Bum Bar Bastards Website ] ]
* Al Brikyonik ("I'll break your neck")
* Al Coholic ("Alcoholic")
* Al Depanzyu ("I'll de-pants you")
* Al Kaseltzer ("Alka-Seltzer")
* Al Knockerup ("I'll knock her up")
* Al Kykyoras (Greek) ("I'll kick your ass")
* Al Killeu ("I'll kill you")
* Al Rankin
* Ben Debanana ("Bend the banana")
* Ben Dover ("Bend over")
* Bill Loni ("Bologna")
* Billy McGuire
* Bob Wire ("Barb Wire")
* Butchie Pantsdown ("Put your pants down")
* Clint Torres ("Clitoris")
* Cole Kutz ("Cold cuts")
* Connie Lingus ("Cunnilingus")
* Dick Yamidda ("Dick your mother")
* Frank Enstein ("Frankenstein")
* Hal Jalykakik ("How'd ya like a kick?")
* Hank Deshank
* Hugh Douche ("You douche!")
* Hugh Duct ("You ducked")
* Hugh Jass ("Huge ass")
* Izzy Cumming ("Is he coming?")
* Jim Nasium ("Gymnasium")
* Joe Dildo
* Joe Mama ("Your mama")
* Joe Hardern
* Lou Kout ("Look out!")
* Mark Miewords ("Mark my words")
* Marty Cone ("Maricón")
* Mike Ocksmall ("My cock's small")
* Mike Ockhurts ("My cock hurts")
* Mike Hunt ("My cunt")
* Moe Ronn ("Moron")
* Mike Rotch ("My crotch")
* Mike Unstinks ("My cunt stinks")
* Pancho Mouth ("Punch your mouth")
* Pepe Roni ("Pepperoni")
* Phil Miaz ("Feel my ass")
* Phil Degrave ("Fill the grave")
* Phil Lacio ("Fellatio")
* Phil Mypockets ("Fill my pockets")
* Sal Lami ("Salami")
* Sid Down ("Sit down")
* Stan Dup ("Stand up")
* Stan DePain ("Stand the pain")
* Stu Pitt ("Stupid")
* Tim Mara ("Tomorrow")
* Willie Doit ("Will he do it?")
* Willy Etter ("Will he eat her?")
* Willie Facker ("Will he fuck her?")
* Willie Fagger
* Willie Frango

ee also

*Louis "Red" Deutsch
*Moe Szyslak

References

External links

* [http://www.bumbarbastards.com Official BBB website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/tubebarcalls Official BBB Myspace]
* [http://www.franksworld.com/prantagonize/97July/bbb.html "Prantagonize" magazine interview with Red's prank callers]