The general public never supposed to know about Keith Hughes and what he does for a living.
As a radio joke provider, Hughes’ job always had been to remain anonymous while his wit helped morning and afternoon show deejays appear hilarious and entertaining.
But Hughes doesn’t mind fessing up now that one of his song parodies for the James Blunt song “You’re Beautiful” has coasted to online blogging fame.
The recently uncredited “My Cubicle” song mentioned in news articles nationwide and heard on dozens of Web pages was written by Hughes and performed by Jym Britton with local guitarist Scott Bennett strumming in the background.
Hughes’ Denver-based comedy prep service, Morning Sidekick, has created underground topical bits, song parodies and punch lines for 100 radio stations since 1987.
The stations use the materials and funny jabs related to current events, celebrities and Hollywood gossip as phone-call starters and dead-space fillers during the four-hour long broadcasts.
But this is the first time any of his work has catapulted into our collective pop culture consciousness.
“It was just one of those kinds of things you do and forget about,” Hughes says. “The general public is not really supposed to know about this stuff since it’s really just for the radio stations. The next thing you know, someone gets a hold of it and it’s all over the Internet.
“I don’t need to be personally famous for this, but I don’t want someone else taking credit for it either.”
Fans familiar with Blunt’s song can instantly catch the lyrical similarities and sing along with “My Cubicle,” a ditty about the life of an office drone:
“My job is stupid, my day’s a bore, inside this office from eight to four. Nothin’ ever happens, my life is pretty bland. Pretending that I’m working, pray I don’t get canned.”
“My Cubicle” was just another parody Hughes’ company recorded in December and made available to their affiliates on their website and in their daily prep e-mails sent out in January.
By June, Hughes started getting e-mails from other stations asking for the MP3 version of “My Cubicle” to be placed on their website.
A few days later a video company in Dallas asked if they could shoot a video to place on YOUTUBE.com, a popular DIY-broadcast video site akin to Myspace. Still later, Hughes’ server crashed on thecompany website because so many people were downloading the MP3 from morningsidekick
.com.
“Parodies are popular because they are an easy connection for the listeners,” Hughes says. “Parodies don’t work if you don’t know the song.”
Even Blunt acknowledges his song is easily one of the most over-played on the radio right now.
Staff writer Sheba R. Wheeler can be reached at 303-820-0000 or swheeler@denverpost.com.
