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CNN Live At Daybreak

Interview with Jimmy Barrett

Aired January 02, 2003 - 05:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we've got a college football bowl story to tell you about now, and that's why Chad has joined me here. Unlike the others, this one happened at half time and got a whole lot of folks rather upset.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You probably didn't hear about it if you weren't watching the game, it's kind of late for me, anyway.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

MYERS: But it was Virginia-West Virginia and my friend Jimmy Barrett from WRVA News Radio 1140 in Richmond, Virginia joins us, as he always does this time of day.

Jimmy, there you are.

JIMMY BARRETT, WRVA RADIO CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, boys and girls.

How are we today?

MYERS: Good morning, buddy.

I guess you've got a controversy on your hands there.

BARRETT: Well, because, I think the controversy has been resolved. Here's what happened. Well, the University of Virginia does not have a full marching band. They never have had a full marching band, I guess.

MYERS: Right.

BARRETT: And what they have is a pep band. And the pep band has gotten attention over the years for doing things that are rather unique and unusual. In other words, they put on little skits when they do their half time shows. 1985, I think it was either '85 or '86, they put on a skit where they did, they just lampooned West Virginia. That was the last time that Virginia had played West Virginia. And I mean we know all the stereotypes, right? Moonshine, hillbillies, all those types of stereotypes that have been attributed in the past...

MYERS: Lotto winners, yes, right.

BARRETT: Hey, if you want to throw gasoline on the fire, Chad, go ahead. But don't throw moonshine on it or we'll all go up in smoke. MYERS: That's right.

BARRETT: But at any rate, that's what it was all about. At the Virginia-West Virginia game, at half time the pep band performed. And once again they did a lampoon of West Virginia. And the half time show consisted of sort of a takeoff on TV's "The Bachelor." And the two bachelorettes in this skit, one of them was from West Virginia. She wore overalls, had pigtails and her goal in life was to move to Beverly Hills.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy.

BARRETT: And needless to say the folks in West Virginia, and most notably Governor Bob Wise, well, they took a little offense to that. They demanded an apology.

WHITFIELD: And they got it, right?

BARRETT: They got an apology. But here's the question, should they have gotten an apology? Have we become, as a society at this point, so concerned about political correctness that we can no longer poke a little fun or laugh at ourselves? And that's the question we're kind of posing this morning. I posed it to the audience. About 78 percent of our listeners this morning think that we should not have issued an apology.

Come on, West Virginia, get a life. Have a sense of humor. I mean let's face it, stereotypes in some cases are there for a particular reason. And if Governor Wise is really concerned about the image of the state, there are plenty of other things you can do to promote West Virginia in a positive way.

And my suggestion is very simply this, next time West Virginia and Virginia play, hey, get your marching band to do some sort of a creative skit. I think the folks at Virginia could laugh at themselves.

MYERS: Well, I can laugh at myself.

BARRETT: And for good reason, I might add.

MYERS: But I'm from Nebraska and I don't even know if we showed up at that bowl game.

BARRETT: Yes, were you at a bowl game there?

MYERS: I'm sorry, what?

BARRETT: Did you play in the bowl game this year?

MYERS: Yes, we got a, yes, we got beat by Old Miss.

BARRETT: By the way, the University of Michigan played Florida.

MYERS: Yes, they did. BARRETT: I had a little bet with my neighbor. I would fly the Florida Gator flag from my house if Florida won. She'd have to put up my go blue placard on her house. Guess what's going to be on her house for the next week?

MYERS: Go blue!

BARRETT: Go blue!

MYERS: Yes, sir.

BARRETT: All right, guys.

MYERS: That was a good game.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jimmy.

BARRETT: Good to talk to you.

See you later.

WHITFIELD: Thanks very much.

MYERS: Jimmy, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired January 2, 2003 - 05:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we've got a college football bowl story to tell you about now, and that's why Chad has joined me here. Unlike the others, this one happened at half time and got a whole lot of folks rather upset.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You probably didn't hear about it if you weren't watching the game, it's kind of late for me, anyway.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

MYERS: But it was Virginia-West Virginia and my friend Jimmy Barrett from WRVA News Radio 1140 in Richmond, Virginia joins us, as he always does this time of day.

Jimmy, there you are.

JIMMY BARRETT, WRVA RADIO CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, boys and girls.

How are we today?

MYERS: Good morning, buddy.

I guess you've got a controversy on your hands there.

BARRETT: Well, because, I think the controversy has been resolved. Here's what happened. Well, the University of Virginia does not have a full marching band. They never have had a full marching band, I guess.

MYERS: Right.

BARRETT: And what they have is a pep band. And the pep band has gotten attention over the years for doing things that are rather unique and unusual. In other words, they put on little skits when they do their half time shows. 1985, I think it was either '85 or '86, they put on a skit where they did, they just lampooned West Virginia. That was the last time that Virginia had played West Virginia. And I mean we know all the stereotypes, right? Moonshine, hillbillies, all those types of stereotypes that have been attributed in the past...

MYERS: Lotto winners, yes, right.

BARRETT: Hey, if you want to throw gasoline on the fire, Chad, go ahead. But don't throw moonshine on it or we'll all go up in smoke. MYERS: That's right.

BARRETT: But at any rate, that's what it was all about. At the Virginia-West Virginia game, at half time the pep band performed. And once again they did a lampoon of West Virginia. And the half time show consisted of sort of a takeoff on TV's "The Bachelor." And the two bachelorettes in this skit, one of them was from West Virginia. She wore overalls, had pigtails and her goal in life was to move to Beverly Hills.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy.

BARRETT: And needless to say the folks in West Virginia, and most notably Governor Bob Wise, well, they took a little offense to that. They demanded an apology.

WHITFIELD: And they got it, right?

BARRETT: They got an apology. But here's the question, should they have gotten an apology? Have we become, as a society at this point, so concerned about political correctness that we can no longer poke a little fun or laugh at ourselves? And that's the question we're kind of posing this morning. I posed it to the audience. About 78 percent of our listeners this morning think that we should not have issued an apology.

Come on, West Virginia, get a life. Have a sense of humor. I mean let's face it, stereotypes in some cases are there for a particular reason. And if Governor Wise is really concerned about the image of the state, there are plenty of other things you can do to promote West Virginia in a positive way.

And my suggestion is very simply this, next time West Virginia and Virginia play, hey, get your marching band to do some sort of a creative skit. I think the folks at Virginia could laugh at themselves.

MYERS: Well, I can laugh at myself.

BARRETT: And for good reason, I might add.

MYERS: But I'm from Nebraska and I don't even know if we showed up at that bowl game.

BARRETT: Yes, were you at a bowl game there?

MYERS: I'm sorry, what?

BARRETT: Did you play in the bowl game this year?

MYERS: Yes, we got a, yes, we got beat by Old Miss.

BARRETT: By the way, the University of Michigan played Florida.

MYERS: Yes, they did. BARRETT: I had a little bet with my neighbor. I would fly the Florida Gator flag from my house if Florida won. She'd have to put up my go blue placard on her house. Guess what's going to be on her house for the next week?

MYERS: Go blue!

BARRETT: Go blue!

MYERS: Yes, sir.

BARRETT: All right, guys.

MYERS: That was a good game.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jimmy.

BARRETT: Good to talk to you.

See you later.

WHITFIELD: Thanks very much.

MYERS: Jimmy, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com