Kevin & Bean’s Last Show: #RIPBean
• The misleading hashtag #RIPBean was trending on Thursday, a viral statement on fans’ feelings about the final Kevin & Bean Show on The World Famous KROQ/Los Angeles, which ended up being a surprisingly sentimental affair — just the kind of send-off that Gene “Bean” Baxter was trying desperately to avoid. Indeed, the farewell broadcast featured in-studio appearances by original Kevin & Bean Show cast members Jimmy “The Sports Guy” Kimmel and Adam Carolla (pictured, below), who have gone on to “make something of themselves” in the entertainment industry, and the phones blew up with calls from a bunch of former castmates, like news anchor Doc On The ROQ, impressionist Ralph Garman, producer Lightning and morning sidekick Big Tad, to name a few.
To the surprise of many, long-estranged former Loveline host and co-creator Jim “Poorman” Trenton also called in to bid farewell to Bean “and bury the hatchet.” It was the first time in 26 years that Poorman had appeared on KROQ, and, with Dave Grohl waiting on hold, the Poorman segment was equal parts, tense, awkward and riveting, as Kevin, Bean and Carolla, who had famously succeeded Poorman as the host of Loveline, alternately took some long-simmering verbal shots at each other before Poorman circled back to the original reason for his call and wished Bean the best. Take a few minutes and read the Variety recap of the Poorman call.
The KROQ website is also jammed with heartfelt tributes from Bean’s many friends and colleagues who shared their love and best wishes as he and his wife Donnaprepare to move back to Bean’s birthplace, England — but not before he and longtime partner Kevin Ryder are inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame Friday evening in New York.
In a recent in-depth Los Angeles Times profile, writer Randall Roberts asked Baxter, who turns 60 next week, about his impending relocation to London and future plans. “Hoping to find a job,” Baxter replied. “A lot of people have mistakenly wished me well on my retirement. I am nowhere near retiring. I love radio. I’ve been on the air for 42 years continuously. And I feel like I’m doing the best work of my life. I can’t wait to get behind the microphone in London, but I know I’ve got a couple of things working against me. There’ll be a certain amount of ageism against me. I also have a dumb accent.”
