Morning X (Barnes, Leslie and Jimmy) reunites — for a few minutes — on Dave FM
The team in 1996. CREDIT: AJC/Charlotte Teagle
Dave FM’s program director Scott Jameson had a wacky idea after former 99X morning host Leslie Fram was inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame on Saturday: how about getting his current host Jimmy Baron back together with Fram and Steve Barnes? The trio were the heart and soul of the most successful rock morning show in Atlanta in the 1990s called the Morning X at 99X.
Well, the reunion just happened this morning for a few minutes – albeit Leslie and Steve were on the phone.
For those of you who were fans, it was probably very amusing. For folks who are newer to Atlanta and knew nothing about the Morning X, it was more like going to a high school reunion for a high school you’ve never been to.
Anyway, I listened to the show for much of its run back on 99X from 1993 to 2004 and it clicked — until it didn’t. “It didn’t end well,” Baron noted. “It was ugly, There were lawsuits.” [In 2006, after Barnes had a film out called "No Witness," he sued Jimmy and Leslie, as well as Fred Toucher, for defamation after holding a screening without his permission and mocking it. The case was eventually settled in 2007.]
As ratings went down in the 2002-03 period, relationships deteriorated between Barnes and Baron. Though the two have since become civil, Baron noted the trio had not talked together for six years.
At 7:23 a.m., Baron played a snippet of the old Morning X opening jingle. It was surreal, to say the least. He noted that Barnes left 99X six years ago this week. (Leslie and Jimmy stuck around a bit longer.)
Baron gave a history of Fram and why she’s such a legend in rock radio, helping break artists and building 99X to its mondo status in the 1990s. A phone snafu forced Baron to take a break for a few minutes.
Returning at about 7:32 a.m., he introduced Barnes. Baron admitted he had no idea how this reunion would sound. Barnes congratulated Leslie for her award. “Jimmy and I will never even sniff that. I’m glad one of us got it and you deserved it the most,” Barnes said.
Gracious as always, Leslie said, “Part of it should be shared with you guys since we spent so much time together.”
“That’s what I told the committee,” Jimmy joked. (Leslie calls him “JB.” I am trying to stick with the formal use of Jimmy’s last name but keep typing in his first name. For some reason, the show always called Barnes by his last name and the other two by their first. So let me just call him Jimmy from here on in.)
“You spend more time with people you work in radio than your own family,” Leslie noted.
“You spend so much time with one person you wonder why the marriage fails,” Barnes mused.
Jimmy said he talked to folks about the pending reunion the night before and they asked him if they were going to fight again. Then Barnes threw out the funniest line of the conversation:
“Is this like an on-air booty call?”
“You realize you just can’t stay mad at people with whom you shared a lot of good memories with for a long time,” Jimmy noted.
“You’re like Jerry Springer,” Barnes cracked.
“I see myself more like Gandhi,” Jimmy said. “A peacemaker. That’s how most people see me.”
“Not a day goes by, I don’t go somewhere to eat,” Barnes said. “They say, ‘How’s Leslie? How’s Jimmy? When are you going to come back on the air?’ Well, I don’t know.”
Jimmy plugs Leslie’s radio station in New York, WRXP-FM. Then Barnes throws in his own promo, his appearance on an upcoming film “The Jones” starring Demi Moore.
“When it comes out,” Jimmy said, “I’ll review it.” [That's a total inside joke related to the "No Witness" mess referenced earlier.]
Afterwards, Jimmy noted that this was emotional and “weird.” He had major anxiety the night before. He compared the Morning X to a marriage with lots of good times. “You have kids. You have beautiful years. It falls apart. You hate each other for a long time. After awhile, you realize it wasn’t that bad. We had good times. We gave each other a lot of joy. Once you get past the hurt and anger, it’s nice to reconnect.”
Interestingly, Jimmy’s current cohost Yvonne Monet also worked at 99X for many years, though not with the Morning X.
Barnes worked at Dave FM under a different program director from 2004 to 2006 so it was intriguing to hear his voice on the station again.
Jameson, the program director, said afterwards that he wanted to honor Fram because she is no longer on Atlanta radio and couldn’t do it herself. “She’s an iconic woman in radio broadcasting,” he said. Even though he was not in Atlanta during her heyday, he knew about her and people in radio nationwide respected her.
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69 comments Add your comment
ChippersLoveChild
October 20th, 2009
8:51 am
It was great to hear them back together if only for a few minutes. I really miss the old 99x format. It’s nice to have the station back and providing great music again, but the on air personalities are of no match to the ones 99x used to give us. Hopefully 99x can restablish their presence and provide us with many of the wonderful things they gave us in the past (Live X, BDO, etc.) Cheers to all three of them!
Elliot Garcia
October 20th, 2009
8:58 am
Yvonne is sexy!!
MovedOn
October 20th, 2009
9:03 am
Time to move on folks! There is much better talent now with Q100’s Bert Show and the Regular Guys.
Simply SQL
October 20th, 2009
9:09 am
I’ve really come to like Jimmy on 92.9. He’s hilarious in the morning. Glad the reunion went well.
ChippersLoveChild
October 20th, 2009
9:09 am
Move on says the guys who is still listening to the Regular Guys, DJs that have been recycled in this market, what three times?
LH
October 20th, 2009
9:09 am
Who cares about the talent at other morning shows. It’s the 99X format I miss. Atlanta radio is absolutely pathetic.
chuck e
October 20th, 2009
9:22 am
Jimmy sucks, put Mara on in the morning.
Jimbo Jones
October 20th, 2009
9:25 am
They all suck, get SIRIUS!
Bob Bitchin
October 20th, 2009
9:41 am
Steve Barnes was Barnes because Steve Craig (Steve of The Steve Show) had a wrap on the name.
josh
October 20th, 2009
9:41 am
PUT GIANT BRIAN ON 99x!!!
Recovering 99X'er
October 20th, 2009
9:45 am
Reading this makes me EVEN MORE THANKFUL for XM Satellite Radio now.
I am ashamed to admit I was a devoted listener of this trio many moons ago.
Heavenly creature
October 20th, 2009
9:47 am
Jimmy is alright! He answers his own phone in the morning. I called during lunch yesterday to comment on something Mara said and a freakin’ assistant answered the phone! I made the comment not knowing it wasn’t the DJ, and the girl said “excuse me?” I said “you’re not Mara…” and she said no. So I hung up wondering why the hell I bothered to call if I couldn’t talk to the DJ!
Ralplh
October 20th, 2009
9:48 am
I had the pleasure of meeting Leslie while she was still working in Mobile at WABB long before she every moved to Atlanta. She was a real class act back then and nothing has changed since. She has earned her place in Broadcast History and is a great example of what happens when you work hard to achieve goals. Leslie you are and will always be The Best.
Slappy
October 20th, 2009
10:03 am
It’s a man, baby!
FDawg
October 20th, 2009
10:11 am
It was great to hear the old 99x gang back together…if only for a few moments. Congrats to Leslie for all her accomplishments. Jimmy, glad you’re back on the air…Barnes is still a tool!
Burdell
October 20th, 2009
10:13 am
Death to terrestrial radio!!!!
Get SIRIUS/XM. Better talk talent. Commercial-free music. No searching for channels when traveling.
Rodney Ho
October 20th, 2009
10:21 am
Email me Sirius/Xm folks. I’d like to do an update item about them. rho@ajc.com.
@Bob Bitchin – Duh! Of course! That makes total sense. Steve Craig, by the way, is now doing mid-days at WRXP-FM in New York working for… Leslie Fram.
Tom
October 20th, 2009
10:36 am
I was also an avid listener in the 90s. I listen to Sirius now. I did enjoy the show, though. I even was in the studio for one of the Xmas shows–the one where someone “shot” one of the interns (Clark Howard was the culprit). Leslie was incredibly nice, Jimmy was in and out of the studio during commercial breaks, and Barnes kept his nose in the newspaper when not on the air and didn’t talk to anyone else.
JeffC
October 20th, 2009
10:38 am
Jimmy is one of the most insecure people I’ve ever had the displeasure of listening to. I can’t believe that he’s back on the air.
quake
October 20th, 2009
11:04 am
It was great hearing Leslie on the radio again, happy she’s doing so well in NYC, nice that she moved on to something bigger and hopefully better.
Josh Pougreh/Lawrenceville
October 20th, 2009
11:06 am
The Morning-X was THE best morning show in Atlanta-smart & funny! I’ll never forget their classic April Fool’s jokes like the underground amusement park. The original 99X is sorely missed.
Chris
October 20th, 2009
11:11 am
Enjoy your satellite radio while it lasts. I wish I could have heard the reunion.
99x was great before Toucher showed up.
Iam99x
October 20th, 2009
11:15 am
Thank you to the nerds that want us to pay for dying satellite radio. Its dying because its terrible. It was indeed good to hear them back on the air together. On the other hand, its a deep travesty that 99x’s old airwaves are now home to Q100’s pop garbage and a morning show that couldn’t be cheesier. One of the biggest pains of not having these three together and not having 99x as a serious radio station is the concerts they sponsored. Events like Big Day Out and Music Midtown brought so many great bands to the people of Atlanta, and at great value. Thats not even mentioning the great FREE summer series concerts with bands like Weezer and Foo Fighters. Now with Q100 we get them sponsoring Lady Gaga, David Cook, amd Miley Cyrus. Its like a soccer mom’s paradise.
I am 99x!
Michael
October 20th, 2009
11:17 am
I was an avid listener to the Morning X, but it was the afternoon show with Axel that really got me going. His voice was sexy enough to send me places everyday!
Matt
October 20th, 2009
11:39 am
I came to 99x late into the Morning X days and liked it, but I loved the Don Miller Morning show days with Toucher, Jimmy, Leslie, Wally, Fat Kid, and Crash.
Pwr99
October 20th, 2009
11:41 am
The Morning X was decent but the show I miss is the “House of Retro Pleasure” during lunch
Recovering 99X'er
October 20th, 2009
11:47 am
“The House of Retro Pleasure???”
The last time I heard that phrase, someone was referring to Michael Vick’s love life in that all-male federal prison.
YoYo
October 20th, 2009
11:48 am
Halloween is Leslie’s favorite holiday. She just carries a bass guitar around and she’s Geddy Lee from Rush.
Tom
October 20th, 2009
11:51 am
I used to love the Morning X. I even bought one of their compilation CDs once upon a time. The Leonardo DiCaprio April Fool’s Day joke was great. This takes me back to my early days in Atlanta, 12 years ago now. I moved on well before they went off the air – 99x started playing too much rap metal and pop, but it was great awhile back. How times change. Ah, memories.
Recovering 99X'er
October 20th, 2009
12:01 pm
Rodney,
Just an FYI on Satellite Radio:
It is still WONDERFUL and worth every penny.
In a few short weeks, I will have 6 different genres of COMMERCIAL-FREE CHRISTMAS (not “Holiday”) music to enjoy if I so choose.
All the NFL, NHL, MLB and NASCAR coverage I get in addition to my music selections with XM + “Best of SIRIUS” Package on my “Lifetime Subscription” has already paid for itself.
Clear Channel and Cumulus have permanently ruined FM & AM in this town.
Chip
October 20th, 2009
12:08 pm
To clear, Barnes plays the role of “Guy #1″ in The Joneses.
Pyaing for radio?...
October 20th, 2009
12:16 pm
http://www.live365.com
Chris
October 20th, 2009
12:23 pm
Lifetime satellite subscription – that’ll be worth a lot in two years when it goes under.
Barnes
October 20th, 2009
12:33 pm
Chip – you’ll be hearing from my lawyers.
Lucky in New York
October 20th, 2009
12:43 pm
I was a morning listener to 99x while living in ATL from 94-99. I am still listening to Leslie and the great Matt Pinfield every morning on Rock 101.9. The show is the best in New York.
Shark Eyes
October 20th, 2009
12:46 pm
There’s a reason the Morning X is no longer around. DAVE-Leave it alone all ready! Engage Yvonne more…it’s obvious that she is the shows big talent. Use her more!!!
Shawn D.
October 20th, 2009
1:01 pm
I was never a regular listener, but would drop in every once in a while until I (quickly) tired of Barnes being a tool. What made me depart and never come back was when one of them pondered “Why is the symbol of Atlanta the phoenix?” and NONE of them had a clue as to why. Sorry, but I’m not impressed by pop culture devotees who know little about other subjects.
Sam Twain
October 20th, 2009
1:05 pm
Yoyo, you slay me.
esa
October 20th, 2009
1:11 pm
Does anyone know what happened to Don Miller? I really miss him.
Gary
October 20th, 2009
1:29 pm
Didn’t hear the reunion though I have heard Jimmy back on the air while shifting through the FM stations. Not too bad of a job, but I remember the 99x days simply because of the music midtown shows and everyone in college listening to station early in the mornings. Good stuff and I could see why they were tops in Atlanta.
Rodney, I am an Sirius/XM subscriber. While I don’t subscribe to the notion that it is a waste or that it is head and shoulders above over-the-air radio; it does give some balance and I will continue to pay the fees as long as its available, but I will not give up on FM/AM either. You know someone once told my father that paying for satellite tv (directv in the early days) was a waste of money because cable tv would blow them away in a few years. 16 years later for him (and 11 years for myself) our satellite TV is much better than anything Comcast, Charter, etc….puts out there. I think satellite radio could do that well too, but it needs to use the same business model.
Rodney, if you would like any information on satellite radio from a subscriber of 5 years (mostly with XM) please let me know. I will be glad to share any information with you.
Chip
October 20th, 2009
1:57 pm
Barnes, that is hilarious! Perfect reply. I actually did laugh out loud!
Josh
October 20th, 2009
2:13 pm
I love Barnes’ Air-Tran commercial for two reasons. One, it’s great watching him try to act, but he can’t even convincingly appear to be asleep. And two, it’s a perfect representation of him – I guarantee his computer actually IS full of pictures just of himself.
Toots
October 20th, 2009
2:31 pm
They were so self-righteous and pretentious back then that I can think of no reasonable explanation to bring them together even for a few minutes EXCEPT, of course, for a quick fix ratings grab. Ugh. Move on.
And Barnes? Give me a flippin’ break. He can’t act, direct, write…
mike
October 20th, 2009
2:36 pm
Barnes was a total a-hole.
mike
October 20th, 2009
2:38 pm
Barnes is an idiot! met him once with Jimmy trying to get Elton John tix to the Roxy. Wished Jimmy a happy new year (jewish) in hebrew, Barnes started making fun of it. I should have hit him when I had the chance.
TW
October 20th, 2009
2:39 pm
Bring back Orf and the music. Jimmy’s whiney schtick was pre-teen back then, and just pitiful today.
Bring back Orf…heck, commercials in between tunes would be better than ‘what’s bothering whiney Jimmy today?’
Over it – check back in 6 mos for a change.
Latin Teacher
October 20th, 2009
2:47 pm
Barnes’ back acne has a cameo in his new movie.
Steve Stoff
October 20th, 2009
2:59 pm
It’s always nice to listen to old friends. Leslie you sound as young as always (WABB in Mobile, those were the days!)and Yvonne you were my favorite DJ back when Bobby Shaw and Myself asked you to play our hits for WB and RCA. You guys sound great! Keep it going…
Skinny Bobby Harper
October 20th, 2009
4:09 pm
What about me?
I should be working
October 20th, 2009
4:18 pm
Barnes was the token jerk on the show back then and they played it up well until he let it hurt his itty bitty feelings. But I have to agree, Toucher destroyed the morning show and was the final nail in the coffin for 99X!