Northwest Now Steve On The Street
Pat Cashman/Almost Live Reunion
(upbeat music) - KBTC, a viewer supported community service of Bates Technical College. (upbeat music) From KBTC Public Television Studios into Como, Washington. (upbeat music) Welcome to the Steve on the Street Podcast, a closer look behind the headlines. As public policy and current affairs impact the real lives of real people. (upbeat music) - Hello, and welcome to the Steve on the Street Podcast, produced by KBTC Public Television's Public Affairs Program Northwest Now. I'm your host, reporter and photojournalist, Steve Kigans. Today's episode of the podcast is really quite a treat. Joining me on the podcast is John Keaster and Ross Shafer, both former hosts of the iconic and locally produced comedy television show, "Almost Live." This summer, I received a gracious opportunity to ride to the top of Seattle Space Digital to rub elbows with a handful of those who made history in the Seattle television broadcast industry. "Almost Live" ran from 1984, from 1999, on Seattle's NBC affiliate, "King 5." But "Almost Live" was ultimately canceled after King Broadcasting Company was sold to the Texas company, Belo Corporation. And under subsequent ownership, King 5 continued to air reruns of "Almost Live" and the show can now be found on streaming channels online. In the 2010s, a short-lived successor to "Almost Live" called the 206, ran for a short time with several familiar faces showcased on screen. "Almost Live's" first host, Ross Shafer's Wake, caused waves back in 1984 by coming shockingly close to changing the state's official song to Louis Louis. And later on, when dawned in gorilla suits, climbed to the top of the Space Digital and protest of an inflated gorilla, which sat right on top. Years later, in 1989, when John Keaster was then host, an April Fool's Day prank stunned viewers across the region after they watched a fake news report that told viewers the Space Needle had collapsed. Of course, the Space Needle did not collapse, but the prank still receives notoriety nearly 30 years later. So "Almost Live" will soon be celebrated locally with an exhibit inside Seattle's museum of history and industry starting at the end of August, showcasing props and costumes, show notes, and clips of the show, and much more. Earlier this summer, nearly the entire cast from the show's original run were brought together back at the Space Needle, where Seattle Times planned a photo shoot with the show's cast and crew. (gentle music) A rumble in memory's past builds to giggles. - Doesn't matter how many decades we're in between. - Yeah, you get together with this group of people and then instantly you remember all the stuff we did. - The comedians who trailblazed local television history on "King Fives Almost Live" were united this June. Nearly every number of the shows cast came together at Seattle's Space Needle. - That's Rob. - The Northwest icon that often became a punchline on TV. - Our head writer, Jim Sharpe, said this like 30 years ago. He goes, you know, these are the good old days. - Yeah, yeah. - And it was prophetic in a way. - Yeah. - All this time has passed and he was right. And demand. - "Almost Live" hit the air in 1984 with Ross Shafer as host. When an inflatable gorilla loomed atop the needle, the team took the wind out of the eight. - Let's go, boys. - We interrupt. - Later in '89 when John Keaster was host an April Fool's death skit, tricked viewers when a fake news report claimed the needle had toppled. - Bummer about the needle. - We've attacked the needle many times over the years. And it's always been kind of a comic staple. And for some reason, they went along with us. - Okay, everybody. - "Almost Live" then pooled local stereotypes and rivalries. A Seattle Times photoshoot captured the cast reunion where one Seattle icon birthed another, all to celebrate the show's exhibition at Seattle's Museum of History and Industry. - Just think it's really cool that we're now gonna be part of that big collection. It feels very nice, you know, it feels good. - Yeah, that feels good until we learn that Bill Nye-- - He's getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. - He also has a live exhibit at the Smithsonian. - Yes, he continues to live his forest gump life, just sort of walking through it. - Speed walking right through it all. - Speed walking through it all, yes. - At Seattle Center, Steve Kiggins, Northwest Now. (upbeat music) - KBTC's Northwest Now was also invited as a guest of Seattle Times to their photoshoot. And that's where former almost live host Ross Shaver and John Kaster join me for an interview. Take a listen. (upbeat music) - What's the last time all of you kind of have the same opportunity to be together like this? - Oh boy, it's been decades. It's been a long time since we-- - Yeah, the entire cast has gotten together for a very long time. - But it's so great to see everybody. - Yeah, no, it's great to see everybody here. - You know, it's like when old friends, you just pick up right where you left off. Doesn't matter how many decades we're in between. - Yeah, yeah. - That's what it feels like. - No, I mean, yeah, you get together with this group of people and instantly you remember all the stuff we did running around town. - Right, it holds a little bit. - Yeah. - Running around town, acting without permits at all. - Yeah, no permits, you know, just-- - We had live gun wear. (laughing) - Yes, yeah, we had a lot of stuff, a lot of interesting props. - Does it feel like you're an institution? - It feels like we're in an institution sometimes that's institutionalized. - Well, there was a, our head writer, Jim Sharpe, said this like 30 years ago. We were doing something somewhere and he goes, you know, these are the good old days. - Yeah, yeah. - And it was prophetic in a way. - Yeah. - All this time has passed and he was right. - Yeah, I said, yeah, he said, you know, I believe we're living the good old days. - That's right, it was, yeah. - That's really something, they're there before you know it. - Yeah, yeah. - They're happening as they're happening. - Yeah. - That's really quite recognized. - Well, I mean, to me, I think this show, it influenced this area in a lot of ways that people don't really, that there's a lot of the comic vocabulary of this area came from the show and people, you know, when they say things about, you know, things about the ballad and Kent and just the kind of stuff that the jokes we made, you know, we set kind of a, like I say, a language for the area. - It's connecting, it's, yes, maybe I don't understand it, but I know when I go to ballad, so maybe I can't draw it. I know what that's like. - Yeah. - We may have not been smart enough to realize how connected that was in real time, but by finding the personalities within these communities, it really created a loyal fan base. - Yeah. - There was almost a little bit, if you're renting, you're against ballad. If you're ballad, you're against snow homage. There was all kinds of things that really worked in our favor. - Yeah, I mean, not just a bunch of Tacoma jokes, like people used to do. I'm serious actually, you know. That we kind of did almost know very few Tacoma jokes because, you know, we both, I think, wanted to shift. That's what, you know, that had been sort of a thing forever. And I was like, ah, you know, there's more stuff. - Are you surprised to let you up there? (laughing) - We've attacked the needle many times over the years. There's always been kind of a comic staple, and for some reason, they went along with us. - Yeah. - We had, I think that gave us a kind of a power, having that TV show, thinking, oh, those guys are harmless. They'll be in and out, which we were. - But they never heard exactly what we said. We attacked with the gorilla suits one day. - Yeah, yeah. - And walked around on the upper deck. - Yeah, we were in this space needle a lot, actually. And yeah, they were mad initially when it fell over, but then they got such publicity. They got such big publicity over that I was in an event a couple of years ago, and the guy who was the manager at that time came up to me and just said that was the greatest day of this video, we all look back on that, and I was like, okay, you know, hmm. - For something we said about a locally produced television program, in the Northwest, through the years that you did it, almost no other media around the country did something. - No, there's a mention today, it's almost, is it still bigger than all of us? - Well, you know, in a way, yeah, I think that the show, at the time we were on, yeah, I think that it had a much wider audience than I think even we anticipated. And there was something else I wanted to say, but I'm old, let's see. - But there is something about almost life, where if you know you know, there is a poor group of people who watched every episode, and remember bits we forgot we even made, over and over. - Did you memorize the line? - They do, in my time, it was the Louis Louis campaign, it was a really big deal, and that put us on one step up on the map, and John, with the space needle collapsing, was those signature moments people still talk about. Also, what was working in our favor, was there only four channels? - Yeah, yeah, and that time. - But there's a streaming of the YouTube, right? - You have to watch points, so you had them really by the neck. - Yeah, oh, what I was gonna say is there was, the only other show I knew of that was local, and did comedy, it was Mystery Science Theater 3000. - Sure, oh yeah, yeah, totally different, yeah. - Yeah, completely different. And those were the only two local shows as far as I know, that made it onto Comedy Central, so, yeah. That's something. We're very proud that we're gonna be enshrined in Mohai in the Museum of History and Industry. I used to love to visit it as a kid, and I just think it's really cool that we're now gonna be part of that big collection. It feels very nice, it feels good. - Yeah, that feels good, until we learn that Bill Nye is in the... He's getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which, you know, you won't be able to be here. - He also has a live exhibit at the Smithsonian. - Yes, and so that's his version of him. - Yes, he continues to live his forest-gump life, just sort of walking through it. - Speed walking right through it all. - Speed walking through it all, yes. - You know, I've been so fortunate and privileged in my career to meet and interview so many fascinating, and interesting people over the past couple of decades, but getting the chance to chat with Ross Schaeffer and John Keaster, that day in June, rises to one of my all-time favorites. So again, thanks very much to Seattle Times, who invited Northwest now along for their photoshoot. And of course, thanks to Ross Schaeffer and John Keaster for sharing a few thoughts on the success and legacy of "Almost Live With Me." And most of all, thank you. Thank you for taking the time and interest to spend your time here with me on the Stephen the Street podcast. You're continued to support just by being here listening. It's very much appreciated. Again, thank you. I'm the host of the Stephen the Street podcast, photojournalist and reporter Steve Kiggins. And until then, we'll see you next time. Cheers. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (gentle music) [BLANK_AUDIO]