KJEE

KJEE's Adam Lundquist interviews the Clippers' Sam Cassell.

KJEE Morning Show co-host Adam Lundquist has been making waves throughout the Internet over the past few weeks, thanks to a YouTube video of an interview conducted with Los Angeles Clippers star Sam Cassell. In the video, shot while the Clippers were in Santa Barbara for training camp earlier this month, Lundquist takes Cassell to task, asking him if people are correct when they call him ugly, and if Cassell thinks he most resembles Gollum from Lord of the Rings, or E.T.. Lundquist used information gleaned from Wikipedia’s entry on Cassell, and at the beginning of the interview, mistakenly said Cassell played for the other Los Angeles basketball team, the Lakers. “I knew he’d be annoyed,” Lundquist said.

The interview has been featured as the Sports Illustrated “Video of the Day,” was linked to the Best Week Ever website, and also featured on AOL’s sports site, resulting in more than 75,000 hits, and 200-plus comments on the YouTube page. He will be interviewed today, October 30, at 1:15 p.m. by Boston radio personalities Toucher and Rich, who the Boston area native Lundquist idolized while growing up. “They got me into radio,” he said.

Lundquist, who has been at KJEE for four years, has been asking questions of celebrities and athletes for years, but the Cassell interview certainly takes the cake in terms of popularity, he said. Lundquist once asked former baseball player Jose Canseco, who admitted to using steroids, which current player, if any, would he be most interested in injecting steroids into. He also asked current basketball player Lamar Odom, who has been suspended in the past for marijuana use, what about playing basketball makes him want to smoke weed. He recognized his opportunity as a radio show host to really dig deep and ask the tough questions. “I hate when other stations are like, ‘What’s your favorite cupcake?’” he said.

At a media gathering during Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich visit to Santa Barbara in September, Lundquist asked Kucinich if he could be elected despite his short stature. “I promise as president I’ll stand on a ladder,” said Kucinich, who often gets ribbed for his short height, which is especially noticeable when he stands next to his wife, who, when wearing heels, is almost a head taller than he is.

Not everyone realizes he is trying to be funny, Lundquist said, which makes it all the more interesting for him. “People just don’t have a sense of humor sometimes,” he explained. “That’s what makes it funny.”

Lundquist has also been getting plenty of emails from people who haven’t found the interview quite so funny, and have made threats and demeaned the Morning Show host. He’s even gotten emails from reporters, telling him that he’s ruining interview opportunities for those with real questions. “I didn’t think it was that controversial,” Lundquist said. “He does look like an alien.”

Lundquist has more ideas in the pipeline for interviews, perhaps next with former television anchor Tom Brokaw, who is coming to UCSB in November. “It will not be the last,” he said, “I will not be silenced.”

He also has other adventures lined up along the way, including a second trip to the MTV dating show Next. He was so entertaining during his first appearance, apparently, that MTV invited him back for an appearance on the Next “All-Star” edition. “It’s the first thing I’ve ever been an all-star for,” he said.

For more of Adam Lundquist, tune into the KJEE Morning Show every weekday from 6 to 10 a.m. at 92.9 FM.

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