Stereolaffs

Stereolaffs was founded in 1999 by Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster. The label developed from the creative partnership between Scharpling, a radio host, writer, and producer, and Wurster, a musician and comedian. Their collaboration became best known through The Best Show, a long-running radio program hosted by Scharpling. The program originally aired on WFMU from 2000 to 2013 and later continued independently online, with episodes distributed as podcasts. Wurster’s contribution to the program centered on telephone performances of recurring fictional characters. Many of these callers came from the invented New Jersey town of Newbridge, while others were presented as eccentric figures from elsewhere. The extended nature of the conversations, the accumulation of recurring characters, and the performers’ commitment to elaborate fictional premises made the material suitable for compilation as standalone audio comedy. Stereolaffs issued a sequence of Scharpling & Wurster recordings during the 2000s. Rock, Rot and Rule dates from 1999, followed by Chain Fights, Beer Busts and Service with a Grin in 2002, New Hope for the Ape-Eared in 2004, Hippy Justice in 2005, and The Art of the Slap in 2007. These releases functioned as comedy albums rather than music recordings, presenting edited, curated, or otherwise packaged material from the duo’s radio-comedy world. The label’s output was part of the broader independent audio and alternative-comedy culture surrounding The Best Show. It was not documented as a major multi-artist recording company; instead, Stereolaffs served primarily as a vehicle for Scharpling and Wurster’s own work. The duo also expanded into television, writing, performance, and other media. Their related work included contributions to Tom Goes to the Mayor and a later guest appearance on The Simpsons. The Best Show material continued to receive archival and retrospective treatment after Stereolaffs’ main release period. In 2015, The Numero Group released a 16-disc set titled The Best of The Best Show. In 2016, Scharpling & Wurster released Live at Third Man Records through Third Man Records. These later projects demonstrate the continuing circulation of the duo’s recordings, but they do not establish that Stereolaffs itself continued operating as an active label. Publicly available reference material therefore supports its historical role while leaving its current status unresolved.

• 2015

  The Best of The Best Show retrospective is released

  [1]Scharpling & Wursteren.wikipedia.org

  The Numero Group publishes a 16-disc retrospective of The Best Show material; the release is not credited to Stereolaffs.

• 2007

  The Art of the Slap is released

  [1]Scharpling & Wursteren.wikipedia.org

  The latest listed Stereolaffs album in the cited Scharpling & Wurster discography is issued.

• 2005

  Hippy Justice is released

  [1]Scharpling & Wursteren.wikipedia.org

  Stereolaffs releases another collection from the duo’s radio-comedy work.

• 2004

  New Hope for the Ape-Eared is released

  [1]Scharpling & Wursteren.wikipedia.org

  The label expands its catalog with another long-form comedy album.

• 2002

  Chain Fights, Beer Busts and Service with a Grin is released

  [1]Scharpling & Wursteren.wikipedia.org

  Stereolaffs issues another Scharpling & Wurster comedy recording.

• 1999

  Stereolaffs is founded

  [1]Scharpling & Wursteren.wikipedia.org

  Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster establish Stereolaffs as a label for their comedy recordings.

• 1999

  Rock, Rot and Rule is released

  [1]Scharpling & Wursteren.wikipedia.org

  The first listed Stereolaffs release associated with Scharpling & Wurster appears in the duo’s discography.

A specialist independent label for long-form, character-driven radio comedy and spoken-word recordings associated with The Best Show and Scharpling & Wurster.

• Comedy album · 1999

  Rock, Rot and Rule

  A 1999 Stereolaffs comedy recording by Scharpling & Wurster. It belongs to the label’s core catalog of spoken-word and character-based material connected with the duo’s radio-comedy partnership.

• Comedy album · 2002

  Chain Fights, Beer Busts and Service with a Grin

  A 2002 Stereolaffs album by Scharpling & Wurster. The title is part of the label’s run of long-form comedy releases built around the duo’s fictional callers, extended conversations, and alternative-radio sensibility.

• Comedy album · 2004

  New Hope for the Ape-Eared

  A 2004 Stereolaffs comedy album by Scharpling & Wurster, issued during the label’s principal 2000s release period.

• Comedy album · 2005

  Hippy Justice

  A 2005 Stereolaffs release by Scharpling & Wurster. It forms part of the label’s specialized catalog of radio-derived spoken comedy.

• Comedy album · 2007

  The Art of the Slap

  A 2007 Stereolaffs comedy recording by Scharpling & Wurster and the latest listed release in the cited Stereolaffs discography.

1. 1Scharpling & Wursteren.wikipedia.org