Soul Coughing wheezed its way on to my radar in the mid-1990s. I don't recall hearing them for a first time, as they always just seemed to be there. I think of the words "Soul Coughing" today and I immediately think of Super Bon Bon, probably the band's biggest single and possibly the only Soul Coughing song we had in rotation. And since student management found it irresistible, the song got plenty of airtime during our modern rock shifts. Its hyperactive beats and scraggily-sounding vocals echoed out of the control room almost daily. However I cannot think of Super Bon Bon without quickly being reminded of the rise and fall of Super Ron Ron.
First, a few words on the bon-bon: Soul Coughing was formed in 1992 by vocalist and guitarist Mike Doughty. Mark De Gli Antoni, Sebastian Steinberg, and Yuval Gabay soon were introduce to "M" Doughty and began working the New York circuit, eventually signing to a major label and releasing three albums between 1994 and 1998. Two years later the group broke up and each went their separate, but musical, ways.
Then there was Ron. Like any other student DJ at my undergraduate station that rose through the ranks, Ron began his tenure in the Communication department as an eager freshman or sophomore ready to get his ears wet in broadcasting. I don't remember when he first showed up (perhaps 1996) but I know he was in the category of students who had the drive as well as the talent – though both traits were not always in top form. Ron was very much into popular music and made his bones doing his required three-hour shift as well as picking extra hours and experience throughout the semester. In fact, it could have been argued at the time that he was one of the top ten most heard student announcers that year.
His gung-ho attitude and likable personality made him easy to get along with and, as his experience grew, so did the student management team's willingness to give him more responsibility. Soon he was working one of the best time slots our station had, the weekday 3-6 PM rock shift, and being one of the prime go-to guys for station promotions or live remotes.
Many students took air names for their music shifts: nicknames or pseudo alter-egos they used to sound a bit more hip than they really were. On air, Ron was simply "Ron." However his dedication and ability to juggle many varied hats eventually won him a new name: Super Ron Ron.
And, as it sometimes goes, Super Ron eventually got super big. Meaning, in the head.
Now that I think of it, there was another Soul Coughing track in the studio, a meaningless remix of Super Bon Bon, that I remember as sounding undistinguishable from the original. I'm sure we all salivated at the sight of that preview disc the week it appeared....
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Super Bon Bon
(Mike Doughty/Soul Coughing)
Soul Coughing
From the album Irresistible Bliss
1996
Move aside
and let the man go through
let the man go through
Move aside
and let the man go through
let the man go through
Move aside
and let the man go through
let the man go through
Move aside
and let the man go through
let the man go through
Through
If I stole
Somebody else's wave
To fly up.
If I rose up
Up with the avenue
Behind me.
Some kind of verb.
Some kind of moving thing.
Something unseen.
Some hand is motioning
to rise, to rise, to rise.
Too fight that you must cut clean.
You got to take the elevator to the mezzanine,
Chump, change, and it's on, Super bon bon
Super bon bon, Super bon bon.
Too fight that you must cut clean.
You got to take the elevator to the mezzanine,
Chump, change, and it's on, Super bon bon
Super bon bon, Super bon bon.
And by
The phone
I live
In fear
Sheer Chance
Will draw
You in
To here.
Too fight that you must cut clean.
You got to take the elevator to the mezzanine,
Chump, change, and it's on, Super bon bon
Super bon bon, Super bon bon.
Too fight that you must cut clean.
You got to take the elevator to the mezzanine,
Chump, change, and it's on, Super bon bon
Super bon bon, Super bon bon.
Super bon bon, Super bon bon.
Super bon bon, Super bon bon.
Super bon bon, Super bon bon bon bon
Move up and let the man go let the man go
Move up and let the man go let the man go
Move up and let the man go let the man go
Move up and let the man go let the man go through
Move aside
and let the man go through
let the man go through
Move aside
and let the man go through
let the man go through
Move aside
and let the man go through
let the man go through
Move aside
and let the man go through
let the man go through
