Darian O'Toole, troubled SF disc jockey, 40
La N
Darian O'Toole, S.F. disc jockey dies at 40
Justin Berton, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Darian O'Toole, the San Francisco disc jockey best remembered for her
"Ovaries With Attitude" advertising campaign in the late '90s and getting
fired after falling asleep on the air, died Monday at an Oakland hospital of
complications suffered from a broken leg. She was 40.
Ms. O'Toole, whose real name was Karen Begin, had what one journalist
described as a "flamethrower for a mouth" in the mostly all-boys club of
morning disc jockeys. She promoted herself as the "Morning Beyotch" and "The
Antidote to Howard Stern" on San Francisco's KSAN and KIFR.
Like Stern, Ms. O'Toole bounced among several radio jobs, and in 2006 was
fired by KIFR after she passed out while on the air, an episode she later
attributed to her battle with alcoholism. She later spent eight months at
San Francisco's Epiphany House, a recovery and transitional housing program
for women.
After the firing, Ms. O'Toole created a blog for her fans and wrote at one
point: "What am I doing lately? A lot of soul-searching and focusing
attention on a healthy lifestyle. Something I've lacked for several years.
I've been on the radio, or off and desperately trying to get back on, for so
many years I've forgotten how to relax. I guess my body decided to send me a
message. And it was received."
Her agent, Paul Anderson, said Wednesday that Ms. O'Toole was close to
signing a television deal in the Bay Area, though he would not disclose any
details.
Dwight Walker, former general manager at KSAN who both hired and fired Ms.
O'Toole, said she shot up in the ratings during the 1995 O.J. Simpson trial
by railing about Simpson's guilt. She also had a talent for riling San
Francisco's politically correct crowd, Walker said.
"She was a pioneer for female broadcasters to speak their mind and not hide
anything about their lives," Walker said. "She was not a shock jock - just
someone who spoke the truth."
Ms. O'Toole was from Nova Scotia, where she studied theater in college,
Anderson said. She got her first radio job in Atlantic City, moved on to
Philadelphia and gained notoriety in Baltimore after getting fired for lying
on her resume.
After her successful run during the Simpson trial at San Francisco's KBGG,
Ms. O'Toole headed to New York City in 1998, lasting only a few months
before returning to the Bay Area. She spent two years at Walker's KSAN
before she was let go in 2000. "The audience did not respond to her the same
way the second time around," Walker said. "After the Simpson trial, when
that element went away, she seemed to lose some of her luster."
In recent weeks, Ms. O'Toole had looked into working for Butler and
Associates, a Concord private investigator's firm, according to owner Chris
Butler. Butler said Ms. O'Toole had responded to a Craigslist ad to work as
an undercover decoy in the firm's infidelity cases.
"She was very sharp, very quick-witted," Butler said. "Just like she was on
the radio in her heyday."
No services have been announced.
E-mail Justin Berton at jbe...@sfchronicle.com.
bway...@gmail.com
> Ms. O'Toole was from Nova Scotia, where she studied theater in college,
> Anderson said. She got her first radio job in Atlantic City, moved on to
> Philadelphia and gained notoriety in Baltimore after getting fired for lying
> on her resume.
And that's *after* she got fired, notoriously, in Philadelphia. Karen
Begin (or "Karin" Begin, as she spelled it at the time) was doing
afternoon drive at WXPN, the University of Pennsylvania station, and
she was a great personality - I really enjoyed listening to her.
And then the other shoe dropped. She was such a colorful, flamboyant
performer that Philadelphia Magazine did a feature interview with her.
The story ended up as an exposé. The magazine proved that nearly all
the credits on her resumé - that she had a regular role on a Canadian
sitcom, that she had a part in the early Kiefer Sutherland movie "The
Bay Boy" - were untrue. She also claimed to have a long time
friendship/romance with Sutherland - that turned out to be a lie, too,
although I don't think she ever admitted it. (There were many more
allegations in the story, although I can't remember them all now.)
She denied all the magazine's claims; the station's other hosts
defended her on the air, and even rival DJ John DeBella (then with
commercial powerhouse WMMR) brought her on the air to interview her.
But after a short time she caved and admitted that she had fabricated
all of her professional experiences in order to get an American work
permit.
Then she got that job at a commercial station in Baltimore. Things
were going well for her there... until a CBS News magazine show (I
think it was "48 Hours") profiled her for a story on lying on the job.
In it, Karen cracked "Show me an actress who hasn't lied on her
resumé, and I'll show you a waitress." (One of the people interviewed
for the story, as a commentator, was gossip columnist Cindy Adams.
When the CBS reporter repeated Karen's "show me an actress" joke,
Cindy said, "That's a good line - I wish I'd said it. In fact, I think
I *will* say it.")
The CBS story downplayed the seriousness of Karen's transgressions,
making it look like she had merely fudged a few things to get a job.
When the full seriousness of what she had done came to light, she lost
the Baltimore job too. I always thought it strange that she would
invite a CBS crew to Baltimore to interview her - even letting them
film her while she was doing her show - knowing that it might cost her
a job. But I guess she had such a craving for attention that she would
do anything to draw attention to herself. Judging from her obituary,
it looks like that self-destructive trend continued after she moved to
the West Coast and changed her name.
It's a real shame - she was a dynamic personality and an excellent
broadcaster. But oh, what she could have been.
-Tim
Charlene
I remember that! She had all these fake credits for Atlantic TV shows
which she'd never been on, and the Americans never checked on one of
them.
The satirists had a great time with her because - well, I'm sure
Baltimore and Philadelphia are nice places, but...
wd44
Tracey H
La N
"Tracey H" <petetowns...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:6347-47F9...@storefull-3351.bay.webtv.net...
> How do you DIE from a broken leg?
>
"Complications from a broken leg".
She was evidently a long-term alcoholic. Alcoholism is often associated
with health complications, including susceptibility to infections, slow
healing, etc. Who knows ....
- nilita
Brad Ferguson
<petetowns...@webtv.net> wrote:
> How do you DIE from a broken leg?
It happens once in a while. One way is to throw a clot that hits your
heart or brain.
pra...@gci.net
> How do you DIE from a broken leg?
She died from respiratory distress. That could be several things. A
clot caused complications if it traveled to her lungs, adverse
(alergic) reaction to any medication she was on. You'd be surprised
at the simple things that can cause death.
I'm sure many of you don't believe these articles, I didn't, but I was
determined to find out. It's not hard to get to the truth. I simply
called the Alameda County Coroner's office who verbally confirmed that
a death certificate was issued for Karen Begin. Even Karen couldn't
pay a hoax to that extent.
I know Karen often left disaster behind but she was a person like no
other. Yes, she suffered at the hands of her demons, of which there
were many, but she was also an amazingly funny and dynamic person
that's near impossible to forget, not to mention her ability to play
with "the big boys" and never back down. In person, Karen somtimes
seemed less authentic than when she was on the air. I think that's
one of the few places she was really herself. There will only be one
Karen Bagin and despite all the negative, I will miss her.
Charlene
> "Tracey H" <petetownshendsch...@webtv.net> wrote in message
And broken legs can cause not just blood clots but even chunks of
marrow to end up in the lungs. Even a minor embolism that otherwise
could be treated can be fatal in someone prone to infections.
And I really don't get this "she battled her demons" crap. She did not
have demons. She drank.
wd44
Jed
Who was the jazz singer who died from a clot that traveled to her
heart many years after she had simply broken a toe? Or was that urban
legend?
La N
"Jed" <zyzygy@plenipôtentiary.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:qnelv3hh277d13ag4...@4ax.com...
I think that was an episode of HOUSE ... ;)
And I am indifferent as to "battle her demons" euphemism. It sounds as
though besides being an alcoholic, she was mentally ill, although none of us
here are in a position to make any kind of (dual) diagnosis. To her, her
life may very well been hell. I dunno ....
- nilita, who have had several kinfolk with evidently the same demon
problems who didn't live very long lives ....
Terry del Fuego
CMELAK = RETARD
CMELAK = OWNED
CMELAK = SPAMMER
CMELAK = TROLL
CMELAK = WIFE BEATER
CMELAK = FOOL
CMELAK = SHITHEAD
CMELAK = CRYBABY
CMELAK = OWNED 100%
CMELAK = BAD TEETH
CMELAK = PARASITE
CMELAK = BUM
The Bill Cmelak of Antigo, Wisconsin "tribute" website:
http://www.buccaneerpublishing.com/Cmelak.htm
My name is William Bill Cmelak. I am a fat and stupid shithead. I spam
newsgroups using the following sockpuppets:
Hoodude
Hoodoo
Hoodini
Shrike!
25th Century Quaker
SSS333
Bug Bomb Pest Removal
Zaprat
I have been stalking another guy for almost four years because I am
jealous of him and because he hurt my widdle feelings and I just
cannot get over the pain.
I live in an old mobile home here:
William Cmelak
N9340 Pickerel Creek Rd
Pearson, WI 54462-8140
I drive a 25 year old ex-military truck because that's all that I can
afford.
It's an old diesel truck and I drive that because I know that I can
steal heating oil to burn in the truck when I cannot afford diesel.
Which is most of the time.
My teeth are black and worn to the gum. I cannot afford to see a
dentist.
I used to brag about being retired until someone found out that I was
a handyman. I pump septic tanks for a living, when I can get work.
If my momma hadn't died and left this mobile home for me I would be
homeless.
My family says that I sponge off of them. They called me a bum and a
parasite.
My brother and Daddy drank too much and it killed them. I used to be
an alcoholic, but I had to quit. Now I go around preaching to everyone
else about them being drunks when they drink two beers.
Wonder why I don't have any friends?
I flunked out of trade school. I went to a slow-learner's high
school. Everyone used to pick on me in high school.
I spend most of my spare time at my computer using an old dial up
connection. The rest of the time I watch television 24/7.
My biggest achievement in life was being mentioning in my tiny little
hometown newspaper for spotting something odd in the crossowrd. It
wasn't a mistake or anything, but it just made me laugh.
Bahahahahhahahahahhahaha!!! I wrote to the newspaper and they
mentioned my name. My relatives all said that was because the
newspaper thought that I was an oddball, but I don't see things that
way.
I am really good at trivia, even if none of the trivia that I know is
important stuff. No one gets my jokes, and no one would ever hire me
to supervise anyone else, not even at the convenience store where I
used to work. But it doesn't matter - I are smarter than them.
No one will give me the respect that I know that I deserve.
Four years ago I was approached by an old woman named Karen Anderson
who talked me into helping her stalk and troll this guy. She had had a
crush on him and he kicked her to the curb. She drove to his town and
followed him around for two days without him knowing it. She is also
jealous of him. Anderson has stalked several other men before.
She lives at:
Karen Anderson
3590 Narrows View Lane NE #102
Bremerton, WA 98310
Anderson and I are both addicted to stalking. We know that what we do
is wrong, and we see this other guy kick our asses all the time, but
we just don't have the willpower to stop stalking him.
I am so jealous, jealous, JEALOUS of that guy that it makes me want to
BURST. I spend all of my time researching what he does, where he
lives. Hell, I even follow his eBay account.
This dude that I hate is popular in his town and community and I HATE
that. So I make up crap about him and his girlfriend and post it to
newsgroups and generally make a nusiance out of myself. Most of what
I make up is a complete figment of my imagination but if I repeat my
lies often enough maybe someone stupid will believe them.
This guy just drives me CRAZY. He's president of a motorcycle club,
he's involved with several charities. Everyone that meets him seems
to like him. I am so damned jealous that I cannot stand it.
Did I mention that I am insanely jealous?
He lives in a warm climate, and I am stuck here in the sticks of
Wisconsin, barely able to afford to keep warm.
He travels all the time and I haven't been out of Wisconsin in years.
He is active, and my health issues keep me from leaving the house.
He motorcycles all over the country and into Mexico and I cannot ride
any more. I hate that. And I hate those damned Mexicans, even though
that doesn't make me a racist because I said so.
I tell people that I am a big, tough Harley dude but the truth is that
I only owned a Sportster - sort of an entry-level Harley - for 6
months before it got repo'd.
I had a good job once. Back in 1998. Then I fucked up, got fired,
and my wife left me. Now I cannot hold down a regular job.
This guy makes more money than I do and that can't be right. I just
know there's something wrong there.
He has a girlfriend that loves him and takes care of him and I haven't
had a date with a woman for over 10 years. And when he was single he
got laid all of the time. Now that's not right either.
My 400 lb. wife - Lori Cmelak - left me. And I miss the little
heffer, even if I did have to smack her a time or two to keep her in
line. But she won't talk to me any more, and I hate that.
What can I possibly do? I am so unhappy. I'd blow my brains out but I
cannot afford the bullets.
Signed, Bill Cmelak of Antigo, Wisconsin
ladyluck77777
Talk show hosts do not introduce the next record by the Archies.
R H Draney
>
>Why do the media persist in calling radio talk show hosts "disk jockeys"?
>
>Talk show hosts do not introduce the next record by the Archies.
And even if they do, it's unlikely to be from any sort of disk....r
--
What good is being an executive if you never get to execute anyone?
Ken
Sad..and so young
This is the first I've heard of her passing
.I remember her from her days at KSAN but don't listen to radio much
anymore, except to check KCBS for traffic jams
Ken.........SF Bay Area native
R H Draney
>
>On 8 Apr 2008 07:19:59 -0700, R H Draney <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote:
>
>>And even if they do, it's unlikely to be from any sort of disk....r
>
In something called "meg", by which they mean neither 10^6 nor 2^20....r