Remembering Fez Whatley
I’m writing this with a heavy, aching heart and a mind that flooded with memories of love, laughs, and joy.
When I got the news that Fez passed over to the next realm on August 14, I cried. A lot. I won’t get hear another killer Fez story, I won’t get to hear that infectious laugh or see that cat that ate the canary smile.
Sad? Beyond.
One of the many things I learned in this business is that no matter how crazy, weird, and funky the changes happen, as much as you can, help the new people fit in. I got that help when I broke in and I felt obligated to pass it along to the next person.
So when Ron & Fez did their first show at WNEW on February 29, 2000, it was an honor to help them get it moving.
It turned out that after you showed them what was where and how it worked, it was a wrap. You just took that step back, watched them work, and enjoyed the ride.
One of the many things that impressed me from jump was that they never acted like ‘the new show from out of town’. They sounded like New Yorkers who just returned from short vacation and just leapt right in like they’ve been here all of their lives. Yet they were doing the online stuff long before it became a thing. The first time I became aware of Google, Yahoo, AOL, and YouTube was because of Ron & Fez.
I decided to listen to one break. Then it became two. Then one hour. Then an hour and a half. Pretty soon, I found myself walking out the same time they did.
Ron was – and is – Captain Cool. Add that with Fez’s verbal jabs – which hit harder than most comic’s haymakers – it was funky, quirky, odd, bold and got-damn beautiful. The New York audience took to them because they recognized that they were of the same tribe. One of us.
I took the leap, fell into their wonderful world and was accepted with open arms.
The talk radio incarnation of WNEW-FM was somewhere between a frat house, pirate ship and insane asylum, except the inmates got to go home at night and on weekends. It was this odd mix of castoffs, adventurers, mavericks and holdovers. So for the other shows to give unsolicited props to a show that aired from 11pm to 1am meant that they were doing some next level stuff. O&A were the crazy older brothers. Ron & Fez were your funky uncles.
The promos – the bulk of which Fez wrote – were the stuff of legend. They were collected and passed around like mix tapes or bootlegs. 30 seconds of comedy that rivaled anything you heard on any medium. A-level hilarity.
Fezzatorials, The Nature Boy. Even live reads took on a life of their own.
Edgy, yet informative. Textured, yet hilariously absurd.
Master classes on how find comedic gold in everything.
I was blessed enough to have a front row seat. Even more so to be asked to contribute to the show on air and off. When they made the move over to satellite radio, I was given the assignment of a lifetime: Executive Producer. Daily lessons on how to bring the funny.
In addition to being one of the funniest people to ever grace the mic, Fez Whatley was caring, sharp, insightful, witty, and encouraging in ways that I couldn’t explain even if I had a lifetime to explain it. He demanded attention to detail, flawless execution and wanted the best not only because he and Ron were the best, but knew – sometimes before you did – that the quality was also in you.
Fez Whatley was also the bravest person I ever met.
It takes a lot of courage to put your struggles with health, identity, anxiety and depression on full display. Yet somehow he was able to stare it all down, confront it and find a deep well of humor in it all. Even when he wasn’t feeling his best, even during the midst of being in poor health, Fezzie kept knocking comedic hits out of the park.
Fez Whatley wore a lot of hats: Son, brother, uncle, mentor, broadcaster, producer, and writer. But the best hat he wore was that of a friend, and he was the best friend anyone could wish for.
Sorry, I’m going to cry again…
Sending love to Fez’s family, friends and all who loved him.
I love you Big Cat.
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Latest posts by Earl Douglas (see all)
- Earl’s World: The Filtered Excellence: September 7, 2021 - September 7, 2021
- Remembering Fez Whatley - August 15, 2021
- Earl’s World: The Filtered Excellence: July 23, 2021 - July 25, 2021
