News
Tonight at 6 p.m., while other students crowd into Food Court, finish sports practice at the gym or study in the Reserve Corridor, two juniors will go on the air at WDCR-AM for two hours of hilarity that has already won them a loyal following.
Steve Zrike '98 and Doug Young '98, acknowledged by their peers as WDCR's "biggest personalities," host the funny, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants "Steve & Doug Show" every Tuesday from 6-8 p.m.
The sound booth from which the show originates -- on the third floor of Robinson Hall -- was chaos during last week's program.
Zrike's microphone continued to fall off its stand and Young's attempt to complain about the misuse of toilet paper at the College was continually interrupted by a caller or by an interjection from Zrike.
By the end of the show, matzoh crumbs and jam littered the floor and desk, and the booth became a bit more crowded, as Ryan Broderick '98, Alison Carter '98, Justin Littlefield '98 and Avery Rueb '98 all stopped by to join the fray.
Satire and sarcasm
The Steve & Doug Show seems more like a humorous conversation among friends which the listener has the fortune of overhearing than a structured "act" that the pair puts on.
Zrike and Young -- who have been friends since their freshman year -- first went on WDCR together in early March as co-hosts of a sports talk show that followed Dartmouth basketball broadcasts.
The pair began the first show of Spring term with the idea of converting their post-game show into a weekly sports talk show.
But when an unidentified caller named "Linda" dialed in during that first show to tell Zrike that he had a "sexy voice," Young and Zrike decided not to limit themselves to sports.
Now the show's format consists of the pair's commentary on campus and local events, call-ins, in-studio guests, and spoofs and skits.
"People are a little high strung," Zrike said.
"We like to have fun on the air," Young added.
The pair, who have been likened to "a bickering old couple" by their friends, continually interrupt each other to get in the last punch-line.
Their conversations are satirical and sarcastic, not necessarily grounded in the truth of the matter, but always highly entertaining.
Zrike typically plays a bit of the straight man to Young's outlandish humor.
Young and Zrike said they will talk on their show about anything they see on campus during the week or anything that a caller wants to bring up.
Last week, conversations on the show bounced at a sometimes-frenzied pace between Passover, Earth Day, "Prom from Hell" stories, complaints about strange student activities on the Green and awkward shower situations.
And two weeks ago, Zrike and Young tried to launch a "massive kissing spree," complaining to listeners that there is entirely too little kissing on campus and urging the audience remedy the situation.
One of the themes of last week's show was "personal hygiene" and featured stories of flagrant disregard for hygiene that Zrike and Young said they have witnessed in College bathrooms.
Big personalities
The show's slightly off-color humor is perpetuated by the "special guests" that appear, making use of Young's acting ability and wide range of accents.
Young's cousin, "Phil Mancuso," frequently visits the show from Philadelphia, bringing his latest shipment of cheese to the Hanover area.
