The Kirk McEwen and Mike O'Meara Morning Show

Photo by Tim Lundin

On a hot summer day over 15 years ago Kirk (yes, Kirk, not Kurt) McEwen and Mike O’Meara met by chance at a ballgame; it was love at first sight. Yet like all great Hollywood love stories, it would be years later until they met again. The scene: a pre-arranged marriage courtesy of WVRX-FM 105.9 The EDGE. The announcements went out and thousands of listeners tuned in on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at 5:00 a.m. to “witness” the union of Washington, DC’s newest duo and radio show aptly entitled the Kirk McEwen and Mike O’Meara Morning Show.  

McEwen, a Washington and Baltimore rock radio veteran, musician and stand-up comedian was one of the first on-air personalities that launched The EDGE in the fall of 2009. He is no stranger to morning radio, having spent 10 years as part of the successful morning show at WIYY 98 ROCK.   Just as distinguished, O’Meara has been a major radio personality in the DC area, notably one half of the nationally syndicated “Don & Mike Show.” Adding a little spice to their union is veteran radio producer Jeff Shamrock.   Together these seasoned personalities have created a new morning show that is fun, topical and filled with music from four decades of classic rock including AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana,  Pearl Jam, The Rolling Stones, STP, U2 and more.

On Tap caught up with McEwen and O’Meara in the DC studio where they are already finishing each other’s sentences.

On Tap: You come from successful shows with extensive careers in broadcasting, what similarities do you share that make the show work?

Kirk McEwen:  I think we all like to laugh, we all know “funny” and we like each other.  There is a lot of laughter, a lot of respect and it’s just fun.

Mike O’Meara: In my experience, you know, very quickly, chemistry. We knew from our first show that it was there. You have to be a mutual audience for one another and we established that.  He will do something that will make me genuinely laugh – you can’t fake it – and I will do something that will make him genuinely laugh.  If you have that, it’s going to go a long way in making the partnership work.

OT:  Some people may think three guys on the radio equal a show without a female perspective. However, you mention your wives often and seem to love women for being women yet you’re still able to defend the caveman.  So who exactly is tuning in?

MO: The biggest surprise I’ve had – with a music format that one would think would be traditionally dominated at a male 25 – 50 demographic – is there are…

KM: …chicks on the phone!

MO:  (smiles)…women on the phone.  Our music generates a lot of interest to the female demographic and when we have significant discussions, the female audience is there, digging the show and calling in. When you think The EDGE, you think rock and roll, Aerosmith…and naturally think it’s mostly men out there listening but we definitely have women tuning in as well.

OT:  What do you love about DC?

MO: I love the people because everyone seems to be in the same boat and you can find a lot of comic ground with a lot of different people. Everyone always seems to be part of the same struggle in Washington, DC. We struggle with the heat, we struggle with the traffic, we struggle with our jobs and that’s the common ground.

KM: I love the metropolitan nature of the city…the intelligence of the people, it’s a big diverse city and I really dig that.

OT:  Favorite interview and why. 

KM:  Grace Slick.  She was like talking to an old friend.  This was during the time she was shooting at shit from her front porch and she had an art book she was pimping.  She was just really, really cool and I remember ending that interview thinking, “Grace Slick was cool as shit.” 

MO:  One of my favorite all time interviews was Carly Simon. I grew up listening to her and James Taylor so to have her come in, sit there, look me in the eye and play her guitar, was a really cool moment. It was decades ago but it really stands out.  As far as my male favorite, it has to be Patrick Swayze.  He had been in DC all night and came by the morning show.  He was wrecked. He had his head down on the desk and it looked like he was sleeping but when the mic came on, he turned on. 

KM: Tracy Morgan is my guy. This is before “30 Rock” and he was kind of down. He came in with all types of zirconia on and was hitting on my producer Stephanie. He was really ghetto funny.

OT:  And if you could interview anyone, who would it be?

MO: That’s easy. Whoopi Goldberg.  I think that she is a special person. She is great, with an old-school personality that I respect and admire. She doesn’t give a rat’s ass about what other people think.

KM:  I’d like to get a filmmaker you may not have heard of, his name is Raul Christian. He has some great films, including the Assman series. I love his technique. Look him up.

OT: Any pet peeves for callers that you’d like to share with your listeners?

KM:  Mike does. (Laughter)

MO:  Have a point!  You get a small percentage of people that are going to call into the show…

KM:  The “actives.”

MO:  Yes, the actives…and in many ways they are looking to audition for a comedy show and not really participate on the topic but once people understand they have to get on a rhythm and have a conversation, we can all have a lot of fun.  We also get those gems from time-to-time that call in and become regulars and characters of their own…we love them.  But in a nutshell, don’t call in with an agenda to get your shtick or point of view out, just call in to join in the discussion.  Everyone wants to be a superstar these days.

KM: That’s the whole YouTube generation, everyone feels that they can make a moment happen so we have to be aware of that but it’s cool. I just love people that call in.

OT:  Why 105.9 The EDGE?

MO:  You mentioned the friendly nature earlier and it is a friendly morning show. So far it has been a wonderful experience for me and it is only going to get better as it becomes more interactive with more participants and more comedy. There are a lot of morning shows in this town but most of them have been around for a while and are stale, it’s time for a little shake up. And it’s like I said before, the station that plays my favorite music now has my favorite personality on it, me!

KM: The EDGE plays great music, it has an attitude and it fills a void that was sorely missing in this town. The other classic rock station is like a big smiling golden retriever and we are like…grrrrrrrr. We give you a little shot of whiskey in the morning.

The Kirk McEwen and Mike O’Meara Morning Show, weekdays 5 to 9 a.m. on WVRX-FM 105.9 The EDGE. Check out their podcasts at www.TheEdge1059.com, follow them on Facebook at www.theedge1059.com/kirkandmike and Twitter at www.twitter.com/kirkandmikeshow.Upcoming Appearances: The Kirk McEwen Band will perform @ Outlaw Jam August 1st 2010 www.outlawjam.com/ Kirk @ The Prince William County Fair Saturday, August 14th 2010 www.pwcfair.com