vol. 2 no. 8      April 1, 2000

Who are Sheena & Sam
and why are they saying those outrageous things?
By G-Man

Fans make web sites for them. Callers wait 20 minutes on hold to talk to them. And listeners never know what direction their minds are going to bend. Who are they? Meet Sheena Metal and Sam Phillips, of the Sheena & Sam Show on 97.1 FM Talk in Los Angeles, the L.A. duo who will talk about anything.

Recently moving to 7-9p.m Saturdays after months in the post-midnight/pre-dawn netherworld, the two irrepressible talkers are proud to tackle any caller on any subject.

Self-described as "two chicks going at it in the night," their show is often loud but just as often proud of its examination of life on the edge of sanity. NoHo's Sheena mostly maintains an ear-friendly ambience, although she is very quick to adopt the sassy tones of a classic put-down artist when confronted by verbal outrage from listeners. This probably is the result of five years of live performances with her shock-rock band, Beer Bong.

Bong has won a following in L.A. based on its high-energy send-up of eighties rock, coupled with very funny lyrics that comment on everything in modern society, including drugs, sex, cosmetic surgery, KISS, politics, and morality (or lack thereof) - a perfect match for the Sheena & Sam program because it, too, deals with everything in modern society, including drugs, sex ... etc.

Unlike shock-jocks, Sheena & Sam don¹t go looking for people to attack or ridicule. "Nope, they come to us," Sheena says with a smile. With wicked timing and an offhand delivery that kind of sneaks up on you, they have deftly dispatched all forms of late-night callers from the belligerent, to the drunk or drugged, to the stu-, um, intellectually challenged in a way that makes even the most crass caller tame in the end. "It's fun to have callers do funny things on their own initiative," Sheena states. Sam agrees: "We listen with a sympathetic ear. And then I usually laugh about something Sheena or the caller says."

Funny and sometimes unsettling, but always entertaining, the program is the most unusual blend of high-energy concepts and laid-back delivery. Verbally, Sheena & Sam punch holes in the alternate reality of many people¹s warped minds. Or, as more than one listener has put it, "Sheena & Sam say what needs to be said." 97.1 FM Talk web site (www.fmtalk971.com).