The Adventures of Mark & Brian

In an impossible time slot (against 60 Minutes, which was still in it's prime) Mark and Brian entertained me greatly with their adventures. When I watched the show I was not an M&B listener (I have since become one) but what I enjoyed at the time, and continue to enjoy as a listener, is how good natured they are. There is a sense of fun, without meanness (but just enough naughtiness to keep them interesting)

Whether they were swimming with sharks, or being birthing coaches, they were real and natural, and were never artificial in their reactions, as is so often the case on modern celebrity reality shows. They were really ahead of their time.

I hope that this series is eventually released as a DVD set. Knowing Mark and Brian, part of the proceeds will go to a worthy charity, because that is the kind of guys that they were, and still are.

Unlike so many other Southern Californian's (not to mention almost everyone that is famous), I've never been lucky enough to meet Mark & Brian but I've listened to their show off and on forever and these guys are something special. This TV show was simply too far ahead of it's time, I watched every episode and I was entertained every second. Brian Phelps is naturally one of the funniest people you'll ever hear speak and his partner Mark Thompson has one of the neatest voices of all time (we're talking "Gene Hackman" cool). Together the Mark and Brian radio show and The Adventures of Mark and Brian TV show are so unique and original that you can't compare them to anything else. They have done thousands of great things, while giving to everyone along the way, and making us laugh the entire time. One of their most notorious radio moments was when they buried one of their friends (for fun) in a planter, and parked a bike in his bare butt. Isn't it called comedic genius when people are still laughing about something years later? This multi-talented hard working team is in a league all by themselves, at the top. Thanks to Illinois and Alabama for sending 'em over, because of 'em California has been a lot cooler place to live for the last 20+ years.

This show did not have enough time to showcase what tremendous talents Mark and Brian were on TV. If you are fortunate enough to hear their radio show extravaganza, you will understand why the weasels at NBC denied us a weekly visual treat. However, you can still see them here and there in little bit parts in movies and TV. One of the most memorable parts were the Homosexual scared creatures they played on an episode on Star Trek:TNG.

I was lucky enough to meet them in a run-down drive in the late 80's for a hilarious Halloween parade. Then again at Disneyland for a private Fantasmic party. They are so fluid and relaxed and genuine as partners, you can see and hear that they actually enjoy each other in a surreal and strangely intimate way.

The Adventures of Mark & Brian was Reality TV years before the craze hit. They were real guys doing real stuff - performing with the Temptations, broadcasting NFL games, training for NASA, swimming with sharks, etc. These weren't stunts, they were reality. It's really a shame that the Adventures of Mark & Brian didn't get pitched 5 years later, as it surely would have been a hit. Compared to some of the other reality shows that have lasted for years, their work was pure genius.

The best show might have been them helping the pregnant woman whose husband was overseas fighting in the Persian gulf. They still have contact with that woman and her son (who is now old enough to drive). Mark & Brain continue to broadcast a spirited, smart, hilarious morning show, without the wacky antics of some other on-air talent. It would be great if they could get NBC to release the rights to this show to them so they could release it on DVD for charity.

I agree with Siskiyous, I think Mark & Brian have woven themselves into the actual fabric of the Socal experience. I've listened to them from day one, I'm listener #12, (yeah I know, so is everybody else, that's the joke), and I've seen few situations where a fan base has come together time and again, to help others or just have a great time.

I started donating blood, (approaching 7 gallons)on a regular basis, because of Mark & Brian, we've raised kids together, lost loved ones together, and matured together, (although some would disagree with the later thought), I've delivered "Wizard of Oz" tapes so they could find if anybody committed suicide, I delivered a young man who could burp the alphabet to a drive-in, (who is now a grown man), and I've been threw two wives and several jobs while listening to them.

Funny thing is, they wouldn't know who I was, if spotted in public, but somehow they've nurtured this huge family. We've cried together, argued, and loved together. We've celebrated our victories, and shared grief. I think part of their success is that even when we don't all agree, there is room for others thoughts and beliefs.

I personally, am in the age bracket of Mark & Brian, so have had most of the personal experience's at approximately the same intervals. Loss of family members or medical emergencies, and always issues were treated with grace and a touch of humor, they have been truly therapeutic in helping their listeners threw very tough times, and all the time returning to humor to bring us threw.

We're all getting older, and at some point moving on. Whether that is threw transition or just a life change, at some point they'll be gone. I think the radio waves will lack something, future generations will only have the legends and myth's, after all, who would really park a bike in a friends butt, or shoot a Bob's Big Boy statue over a river?

There is legend of a plane crash, and it's quoted, It's, "the day, the music died"....when Mark and Brian finish their last show, it'll be, "The day, Radio died".....

I can say, I'm a truly better person for listening to them. I'm a better husband from listening to Mark, I'm a kinder gentler person from listening to Brian, and learning from them both, I'm fiercely loyal and loving of my family and friends, after all, what else in life is there???