13 Going Hooray

[JulyDiaz 2797]

Welcome to the Church of Hooray. What is your name? What is your name? Say your name again so you know who you are. Good. Would you be up for some informal processing? Great. Sit back and relax with Horatio, Chad, Jerry Minor and guest callers as we explore that. Don't blink. If you blink we have to go back to the beginning... you blinked... let's start over... what is your name? Would you be up for some informal processing? Great. Sit back and relax with Horatio, Chad, Jerry Minor and guest callers as we explore that.

[Lukas Holmes 2287]

OH GOD! THE CREEP DUET!

 

Best episode yet.

[PuncturedJesus 354]

I miss Jerry Minor on CBB but having him as the MVP guest of the Hooray Show makes up for it.

 

If not the best episode yet, it's top two.

[Shannon 2953]

I signed a trillion year contract with SeaWolf.... I'll be moderating these forums for all eternity. ALL HAIL OUR CREATOR J. ULLRICH

 

 

but more seriously, Jerry is so wonderful. And as an ex-fundie I really really applaud his openness about his upbringing. I can talk forever about the abuse that happens in churches and the lengths people go to discredit and cover up horrible things. I think it's really important that the people who have left these places are able to speak on their experiences. But I know it can be so terrifying to speak against these monoliths and the fear of losing everything you know. My mother and I have come to a silent understanding about my beliefs, but I still would be so so very afraid to truly tell her how I feel because it would hurt her so deeply. I can't imagine trying to escape from one of these cults. I feel very very very sad for anyone who is still stuck in such an environment.

 

 

ooof....too much typing. Point: really funny episode on a very serious topic

[DavidGarrison 6]

I wanted to learn more about Chad so I went to the host page. Turns out Horatio and Chad are not there. What up with that?

[AstronomicalCat 241]

HOORAY!

[OrigamiMami 395]

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

 

 

 

...I don't belong here

[mikebonetti 3718]

HOORAY!

 

SHOW!

[Lukas Holmes 2287]

I wanted to learn more about Chad so I went to the host page. Turns out Horatio and Chad are not there. What up with that?

 

Yeah? What up, what up with that?

[ChadKrueger 363]

Happy Hooray Show Wednesday everyone!

 

13 Going Hooray

 

Well, it is obvious what the inspiration for this episode was. What you may not know is that as of Sunday (Easter) we didn't have an episode for this week. We had no guests booked until Thursday (spoilers) and were looking at each other like "well, what do you want to do?" Being Easter, and with all of the talk going on about the scientology documentary "Going Clear" happening (I saw it, and was just as horrified about scientology as I was before I saw it) there was a lot of talk about cults in the bro-bro house.

 

We both have known Jerry for a long time, and as he says in the episode, he is out now as a former cult member, specifically the Jehovah's witnesses. Horatio came up with the idea to convert the audience to the church of Hooray, ala the movie, The Master, and we'd go from there. We opened up the phone lines on Easter Sunday and interviewed Jerry on Monday and I didn't sleep for the next 36 hours. I wound up not using most of the phone calls we took in the show, but we honestly loved every one of them. When Horatio started asking the callers "the questions", the answers and honesty we got were extraordinary. I love people so much. You guys are the best. Always know that if you call in to the show, I will never ever intentionally make you look bad or stupid or vulnerable. Even if we don't use your calls or your voicemails, it is AMAZEBALLS to talk to you and hear from you.

 

Regarding the host page on Earwolf, I can't help you there. Maybe someone from earwolf will see your comment and correct that. I'm meeting with a web guy tonight and we are going to revamp hoorayshow.com in the near future so it doesn't just remap to the earwolf page. We will have our own content and voice. In the mean time though, if you want to get to know me better, just keep listening to the show. Who I am is the slow reveal.... or just ask me questions here. That is why I participate!

 

Shannon. Amazeballs post. Thank you so much for getting it and being a fan. I am very very happy that this show spoke to you on a personal level. Once in a while, we do some good over here....

 

Chad

[DavidGarrison 6]

Chad, I was just curious about your musical past. I've heard you mention it in quite a few episodes. I really just don't know much about you except that you are funny and you are great at podcast production.

[theeversocharming 4]

Chad:

 

I keep saying this every week. What a great show.

 

It was fun talking to you (Chad) and Horatio on Easter Sunday. I am still waiting to have a copy of my executed 999 million contract with the church of Hooray.

And hearing the show I really hearing the past pain that Jerry Minor went through leaving the Jehovah's witness faith.

 

Please get some rest so you can enter Level 3, the hues of purple and red are whimsical.

 

#Zero2Chola

[ChadKrueger 363]

Chad, I was just curious about your musical past. I've heard you mention it in quite a few episodes. I really just don't know much about you except that you are funny and you are great at podcast production.

 

I've been playing piano since I was 5. I was hired as the music director for The Second City Touring Company at 19 years old (October, 1992) while studying improvisation at Columbia College Chicago with Martin DeMaat, Norm Holly and Sheldon Patinkin (among others), I met Horatio in 1995 when he, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh were hired into my touring company. Shortly after that I was sent to Detroit by Second City to be the resident MD there. I did a one year contract in Cleveland as well. From 1997-2005, I mostly made my living as a keyboard player most notably in such awesome bands you've never heard of such as "Park: A Rock Band". I was hired back to Chicago in 2005 to be the MD for the Second City etc where I stayed for 3 years and wrote 4 original revues before hanging it up for good. (with the exception of brief tour stops in Laguna Beach for a month and the Norwegian Epic for 18 weeks)

 

While I was living in Chicago, I was a regular at Buddy Guy's Legends and The Kingston Mines. I was this young skinny white kid from Wisconsin and I was getting the chance to tear it up on stage with Buddy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Brother John and all of the other Chicago Blues giants. I remember the first time I played an actual Hammond B3 on stage. After the first song, Buddy Guy jumped up on stage and grabbed a guitar and said "we're playing [don't remember the song] in E... ONE TWO THREE FOUR!" - I'm 19 years old. Frightened to death. In this bar illegally I will add, and during the song Buddy gives me the nod to take the first solo...... hooked for life...

 

 

I moved to LA last summer. I pretty much consider myself a retired musician at this point, although, I can still whoop it up on a piano if need be. Last night at the Dodger's game, the Guest Services guy I struck up a conversation with suggested I start hitting up some LA blues jams... we'll see....

 

I am also a flight simulator junkie, have passed the ground school test to be a pilot and could probably land a 737 in a pinch.

[ChadKrueger 363]

By the way guys... our Horatio is going to be a "contestant" on @Midnight tonight...

 

also... a contestant/panelist on "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me" soon...

 

Forum Exclusive,

[theeversocharming 4]

By the way guys... our Horatio is going to be a "contestant" on @Midnight tonight...

 

also... a contestant/panelist on "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me" soon...

 

Forum Exclusive,

 

Wil Riot if he does not win the Internet tonight!!!

 

And will release my inner-hidden Chola if he does not make Peter Segal laugh.

[ChadKrueger 363]

Oh! I forgot to tell you your (literal) Easter Egg in this episode!

 

If anyone can figure out what the Morse Code actually says throughout the entire episode, you win a life time supply of Cocoa Butter*

 

*certain restrictions apply

 

(it does actually spell out something)

[Lukas Holmes 2287]

I signed a trillion year contract with SeaWolf.... I'll be moderating these forums for all eternity. ALL HAIL OUR CREATOR J. ULLRICH

 

 

but more seriously, Jerry is so wonderful. And as an ex-fundie I really really applaud his openness about his upbringing. I can talk forever about the abuse that happens in churches and the lengths people go to discredit and cover up horrible things. I think it's really important that the people who have left these places are able to speak on their experiences. But I know it can be so terrifying to speak against these monoliths and the fear of losing everything you know. My mother and I have come to a silent understanding about my beliefs, but I still would be so so very afraid to truly tell her how I feel because it would hurt her so deeply. I can't imagine trying to escape from one of these cults. I feel very very very sad for anyone who is still stuck in such an environment.

 

 

ooof....too much typing. Point: really funny episode on a very serious topic

 

My mother started to take us (my sister and I) to such a church (not really ready to say where) pretty soon after my father died when I was a child but we left very quickly. I don't remember it but before she passed away she gave me a great piece of advice that I've always carried in regards to my kids. She said everyone was nice and welcoming, but they were too focused on separating the children from the parents and the siblings from one another. She told me that any group that attempts, no matter how innocently it seems, to cut down on people who would interfere in the event of misdeeds being witnessed, is doing it for bad reasons. Sure enough, about ten years later I saw that three of the leaders were in prison for various child charges.

[ChadKrueger 363]

That is such an amazing observation about seperating the children from the adults and their own siblings. I hadn't noticed that perspective but you are absolutely correct. Obviously it's not always for sexual predator purposes, but it is for control purposes more often than not. Indoctrinate the children. Believe in Santa Claus and shut up..... great post!

 

 

My mother started to take us (my sister and I) to such a church (not really ready to say where)

 

Not that this is the time or place for it, and I am certain you have your reasons, but I hope sometime in your near future you will be able to say where. Until you do, they are still exerting power over you. i.e. "I dare not speak the name"

[Lukas Holmes 2287]

That is such an amazing observation about seperating the children from the adults and their own siblings. I hadn't noticed that perspective but you are absolutely correct. Obviously it's not always for sexual predator purposes, but it is for control purposes more often than not. Indoctrinate the children. Believe in Santa Claus and shut up..... great post!

 

Not that this is the time or place for it, and I am certain you have your reasons, but I hope sometime in your near future you will be able to say where. Until you do, they are still exerting power over you. i.e. "I dare not speak the name"

 

Isn't that crazy? I'm almost 40 and during my college years I would have been more than happy to blast them and mock them (as it was still a pretty strong group in East Texas at the time) and anyone with them. Now, as a father I am terrified (crazily) that just by talking about it I'm somehow attracting those sort of negative energies to my own children.

 

On another note, I always think back to the people I knew were associated with this 'church' and who they sought out, like a woman with two kids that had just buried her husband. They just looked for the most emotionally injured people and tried to exploit that weakness. Anytime now I see churches that focus on outreach programs to women like that and my instict is not to see a group trying to help people, but one trying to suck them in when they are most vunerable.

[ChadKrueger 363]

 

Isn't that crazy? I'm almost 40 and during my college years I would have been more than happy to blast them and mock them (as it was still a pretty strong group in East Texas at the time) and anyone with them. Now, as a father I am terrified (crazily) that just by talking about it I'm somehow attracting those sort of negative energies to my own children.

 

On another note, I always think back to the people I knew were associated with this 'church' and who they sought out, like a woman with two kids that had just buried her husband. They just looked for the most emotionally injured people and tried to exploit that weakness. Anytime now I see churches that focus on outreach programs to women like that and my instict is not to see a group trying to help people, but one trying to suck them in when they are most vunerable.

 

One of the subtleties I noticed in the episode, was that Jerry a couple of times tries to make the distinction between religion and a cult. My eventual resigination in this episode, and in life, is "fine... have your Jesus... if that's what you need..." but my condition is, you have to call crazy crazy. And you have to call manipulation manipulation. Conversion and Evangelism is the power of the church, convincing the power of their followers that they are doing the Lord's work by "saving" those in desperate need.

 

We can look at it cynically, as well we should. But the point I try to make is that when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. So when all you have is the church, or all you have is Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh for that matter, you can not possibly see the world through any other lens.

 

Did you know that it really wasn't until a couple of hundred years ago that we only started using the word "blue" to describe a color that exists so rarely in nature? It's sort of the same argument. If you don't have a word for it, you can't really see it. <----credit: some NPR podcast I listen to regularly.

[ChadKrueger 363]

Also, something that got cut from this episode:

 

Jerry converting Horatio to join the Jehovah's Witness. It was fascinating. Horatio played along, it was after all a bit, but Jerry was so convincing as the converter that I didn't even want to put it into the universe. There was no humor to it at all. Jerry played the part of the guy knocking on your door and trying to convert you, and Rog played the open and willing convert.

 

As Jerry mentions in the episode, he has an upcoming serial podcast coming up where he is going to tell the whole story. CAN'T WAIT!!!

 

I love Jerry Minor to death. He has always treated me from the moment I met him more than a decade ago as if we have been friends forever, and I have always felt like somehow we have. He is a black man who grew up as a Jehovah's Witness in Flint, MI.

 

Let that sink in.

 

That's some shit you would write a sketch premise about. He has lived it.

[Joe Lerini 7329]

I never in a million years believed that my tone deaf rendition of Creep would end up a trio with Al Green and Aaron Neville. Deeply deeply honored to unknowingly be a part of that Minor/Sanz magic.

[ChadKrueger 363]

Joe! Thank you so much!

 

Huge balls.... 1st level cleared...

[Joe Lerini 7329]

Joe! Thank you so much!

 

Huge balls.... 1st level cleared...

*chanting*

SeaWolf is good, SeaWolf is great. I surrender my will, as of this date.

[Lukas Holmes 2287]

I never in a million years believed that my tone deaf rendition of Creep would end up a trio with Al Green and Aaron Neville. Deeply deeply honored to unknowingly be a part of that Minor/Sanz magic.

 

That was you! I couldn't tell if that was the caller still or Horatio. Congrats man! You are part of one of the best moments in podcast history!