FRED PARRY: On Getting the Boot

COLUMBIA, 12/11/08 (Beat Byte) -- In a rare moment of public self-reflection that shatters some stereotypes about Fred Parry's outsized personality, the former KFRU talk show host writes that "Getting Fired Ain't So Bad" in this month's edition of his magazine, Inside Columbia.

"I'd liken the experience to having the opportunity to attend your own funeral. People in hushed tones offered their expressions of sympathy and regret. When I told them 'I'm okay...It's all good,' they'd wink at me and tell me it's normal to be in denial."

Among former listeners who've signed a petition at http://www.bringbackfredparry.com/, the sentiment runs like this: "It will never be the same without Fred." Signed, Leslie Bowman.

Parry says he misses those listeners, but has moved on to "new opportunities."

"There was an impressive cast of characters that woke up every morning with KFRU. Those tales from menopausal nuns, curmudgeons, rednecks, and the second oldest living person in Boone County made the mornings fly by," Parry writes. "While I'll miss my listeners and the opportunity to roll in the mud with Simon Rose, it's abundantly clear to me that new opportunities are on the horizon....When one door closes, another one truly opens."

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