Mal Sharpe
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Sharpe is an American
television
and radio
personality with roots in San Francisco, California.
In the early 1960s, Sharpe teamed with Jim Coyle to create a series of comic on-the-street interviews for San Francisco radio station KGO. Armed with a tape recorder, Coyle and Sharpe confronted pedestrians with unusual questions or strange behavior. In a 1964 interview with Newsweek
magazine, Sharpe explained "We try to pose an almost plausible question, then proceed step by step into absurdity until the interviewee is seething."http://www.coyleandsharpe.com/9.html
After four years of recording short skits for KGO, Coyle & Sharpe recorded a hidden camera television pilot in 1964 called The Imposters with host George Fenneman
but it remained unsold and was never aired in full. A 2007 four disc box set of 1960s material titled These 2 Men Are Impostors contains The Imposters pilot in addition to KGO radio recordings and previously unreleased pranks.
Along with Coyle, he also recorded two comedy albums of street pranks in 1964 for the Warner Brothers record label. As a solo performer, he later released two albums.
In 1971, Sharpe continued as a solo interviewer with a syndicated TV series titled The Street People
. In the 1980s he hosted a series of public television specials titled Mal Sharpe's San Francisco which included a mixture of new material and older clips.
Sharpe currently resides in Berkeley
, California
with his wife. He hosts a jazz
show, Back on Basin Street, from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. Sunday Pacific Time on KCSM at the College of San Mateo
in California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
personality with roots in San Francisco, California.
In the early 1960s, Sharpe teamed with Jim Coyle to create a series of comic on-the-street interviews for San Francisco radio station KGO. Armed with a tape recorder, Coyle and Sharpe confronted pedestrians with unusual questions or strange behavior. In a 1964 interview with Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine, Sharpe explained "We try to pose an almost plausible question, then proceed step by step into absurdity until the interviewee is seething."http://www.coyleandsharpe.com/9.html
After four years of recording short skits for KGO, Coyle & Sharpe recorded a hidden camera television pilot in 1964 called The Imposters with host George Fenneman
George Fenneman
George Watt Fenneman was an American radio and television announcer.Fenneman was born in Beijing, China, the only child of American parents in the import-export business. He was nine months old when his parents moved to San Francisco, California, United States, where he grew up...
but it remained unsold and was never aired in full. A 2007 four disc box set of 1960s material titled These 2 Men Are Impostors contains The Imposters pilot in addition to KGO radio recordings and previously unreleased pranks.
Along with Coyle, he also recorded two comedy albums of street pranks in 1964 for the Warner Brothers record label. As a solo performer, he later released two albums.
In 1971, Sharpe continued as a solo interviewer with a syndicated TV series titled The Street People
The Street People
The Street People was the name of two American groups to score hits on the US Billboard charts in the 1970s.A group called The Street People hit #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970 with the song "Jennifer Tomkins". The group's vocalist was Rupert Holmes....
. In the 1980s he hosted a series of public television specials titled Mal Sharpe's San Francisco which included a mixture of new material and older clips.
Sharpe currently resides in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with his wife. He hosts a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
show, Back on Basin Street, from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. Sunday Pacific Time on KCSM at the College of San Mateo
College of San Mateo
College of San Mateo is a community college in San Mateo, California. It is part of the San Mateo County Community College District....
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
External links
- KCSM
- Coyle and Sharpe Official Site
- Extensive interview with Sharpe on public radio program The Sound of Young AmericaThe Sound of Young AmericaThe Sound of Young America is a public radio program and podcast based in Los Angeles, California and distributed by Public Radio International...
- Profile by Ben Fong-Torres