The retirement of John Madden, sadly, means his chief imitator is also surely consigned to the scrap heap. And so, fare thee well: Thou never shalt hear Frank Caliendo any more.
Of course, the host of the late, great Frank TV would beg to differ. Sure Madden is his most popular impersonation, but he is by no means a one-trick pony. Caliendo was on WHB in Kansas City yesterday talking about it.
"Yeah, I'm working on my Collinsworth. I'm going to bring a picture of a toucan up on stage. "Hi I'm Chris Collinsworth, I'll make you mad." No, I love Collinsworth. You know what, it's interesting because people are writing articles all over the country, first President Bush is gone, now John Madden, what is Caliendo going to do? And I'm always like, well, as like as I've still got Al Pacino, Dr. Phil, Charles Barkley and all these others I think I'll be alright."
On hearing the news that Madden had retired:
"My manager emailed me this morning, he goes "did you hear, John Madden decided to retire." Did I hear? 75 radio stations let me know."
But one should probably not mistake Caliendo's sudden radio popularity with the enduring kind. As Brett Favre was Madden's go-to guy, likewise Madden is Caliendo's. Now the former two are gone; so think of Caliendo's recent batch of radio interviews as a meteor burning out in Earth's atmosphere. Although we will also accept: "Very Funny," if said in a sarcastic manner.
The Man Most Upset About John Madden Retiring [Sports Radio Interviews]