Looking back on Almost Live!

Hororary Citizen of Renton John Kiester (wearing neck tie) sits with the final cast of KING5’s “Almost Live.”

Nine years ago, In May 1998, I and the rest of the City Council concurred in the proclamation by Mayor Tanner which bestowed the rank of Honorary Citizen of Renton upon John Keister, host of the hit television show “Almost Live.”

John Keister, bless his heart, arrived in person to accept the Mayor’s proclamation. Mr. Keister, who hosted the beloved comedy series though many emmy-winning seasons, and who was a part of the extraordinary comedy team for the show’s entire 15-year year run, was a crack-up at the council meeting. To amuse his many Renton fans in the crowd, he quipped that he would proudly display his Honorary Citizen of Renton Proclamation next to his coveted Radio Shack Battery-of-the-Month Club Membership certificate in his office. This comment drew howls of laughter from Mayor Jesse Tanner and all the rest of us who had the ability to look critically at ourselves, and recognize where our city could improve. John Keister also told us that we had done too good of a job over the previous few years, and it was getting hard to make fun of Renton anymore. I was gratified by this observation, being in my fifth year on city council, and Jesse Tanner was likewise gratified as he was performing remarkably in his third year as mayor.

One year later, in 1999, Almost Live went off the air.

I enjoyed reading the memory by Spirit of Washington Dinner Train Owner Eric Temple described in the Seattle Times:

Eric Temple remembers cringing, with a guilty laugh, when he first heard “Almost Live” host John Keister’s quip on late-night TV, back in 1992:

“I hear there’s a new dinner train,” Temple recalls him saying. “I guess things are going great for them — except once people get to the winery, they are refusing to go back to Renton.”The Times went on to give Mr. Temple his due credit for helping turn Renton’s image around.

I am very grateful to Mr. Temple, and others like him who invested in this community, for helping us improve our city and making it a more fun place to live.

When “Almost Live” went off the air in 1999, I missed the show immensely even though it poked fun at our city. Even as a Renton official I had looked forward to watching Almost Live each week. After all, Renton did have some significant issues we were working on. And the show was part of the Northwest experience of the 80’s and 90’s, like the Kingdome, Dick’s, the Elephant Car Wash, and Chubby and Tubby’s. Besides, “Almost Live” made fun of absolutely everywhere in the Northwest: Seattle Downtown, Queen Anne, Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, Bellevue, Mercer Island, Kent, Auburn, Olympia, Bellingham, Tacoma, Spokane, Oregon, and Idaho were all widely lampooned by the show. In addition, no Seattle politician, celebrity, or sports teams was immune.

Almost live was so successful that it was televised nationally on Comedy Central, and it launched impressive and well-deserved careers for Bill Nigh (the Science Guy), Pat Cashman, Ross Shaefer (the original host) and of course John Keister.

I am sure that if “Almost Live” was in production today, they would still find a few things to tease Renton about. Last year we would have endured countless jokes about lipstick on mirrors, for instance.

And right now, while we are still working to try to get the right mix of businesses at the Landing, I can practically hear John Keister reporting in the John Report: “The city of Renton has spent 38 Million dollars to bring in what they have called the greatest new urban village to ever grace the Northwest. The Anchor Store?..Ross Dress for Less!…Citizens of Renton are reporting that they have not been this excited since Sizzler held an all-you-can-eat steak night.”

Or how about, “Renton just spent $50,000 to figure out that the new Sonics owners never had any real intention of staying in the Seattle area…appearantly Renton and four people in a submarine at the bottom of Puget Sound were the only ones who did not know this.”

Well, we don’t need the Sonics, and the council will step in and push for the right mix of shops at the Landing. We just need to keep our sense of humor, not be afraid to admit our mistakes, and aim for the stars.

Stealing from Mr. Keister’s trademark style…

I am Randy, and this was my report. Thank You.