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Permanently Suspended: The Rise and Fall... and Rise Again of Radio's Most Notorious Shock Jock
The uncensored and long-awaited life story of radio’s most notorious shock jock, Anthony Cumia.
Today, Anthony Cumia is the co-host of the wildly popular “Anthony Cumia Show,” which live-streams to a huge following of paid subscribers; however, Anthony is most well-known from the legendary, nationally syndicated “Opie and Anthony Show.” Permanently Suspended is an all-access pass to the controversial mayhem that ensued on-and-off the air.
A must-read for all diehard O&A fans, Permanently Suspended finally answers the questions that everyone has been waiting What really happened between Opie and Anthony? What was the reasoning behind the multiple firings? What prompted the tweeting about the Times Square NYC incident? What is the true account of the controversial allegations? What are the never-before-revealed details of Anthony’s stint in rehab? What does the future hold for his livestream podcast? These questions, and many more, will be answered.
Permanently Suspended is a humorous, no-holds-barred account of the legendary career and life of Anthony Cumia—a blue collar guy who made his dreams come true, rising above all obstacles to become one of the most well-known and successful personalities in radio history.
Today, Anthony Cumia is the co-host of the wildly popular “Anthony Cumia Show,” which live-streams to a huge following of paid subscribers; however, Anthony is most well-known from the legendary, nationally syndicated “Opie and Anthony Show.” Permanently Suspended is an all-access pass to the controversial mayhem that ensued on-and-off the air.
A must-read for all diehard O&A fans, Permanently Suspended finally answers the questions that everyone has been waiting What really happened between Opie and Anthony? What was the reasoning behind the multiple firings? What prompted the tweeting about the Times Square NYC incident? What is the true account of the controversial allegations? What are the never-before-revealed details of Anthony’s stint in rehab? What does the future hold for his livestream podcast? These questions, and many more, will be answered.
Permanently Suspended is a humorous, no-holds-barred account of the legendary career and life of Anthony Cumia—a blue collar guy who made his dreams come true, rising above all obstacles to become one of the most well-known and successful personalities in radio history.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published November 20, 2018
41 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
December 2, 2018
As a long time fan of the Opie & Anthony show, I was anxiously awaiting this book. When I got it, I was very surprised with how short of a book it was. Just over 220 pages, and that includes the forward and acknowledgments.
If you're looking for dirt from Anthony, you're not going to get much. Let me be more specific, if you're a fan of Opie and Anthony, you won't learn anything new. All the stories in here were told on the air, some multiple times. If you never listened to the show, the stories will all be new.
The stories were well told, but without much detail.
I don't want to say that I'm disappointed with the book, but I just hoped for more. I hadn't heard many of stories recently, so it was nice to get refreshed on them, but there wasn't anything new.
Too many things appear to be afterthoughts. The things I was hoping to read about weren't in the book.
It's a fun read, but not what I had hoped for.
If you're looking for dirt from Anthony, you're not going to get much. Let me be more specific, if you're a fan of Opie and Anthony, you won't learn anything new. All the stories in here were told on the air, some multiple times. If you never listened to the show, the stories will all be new.
The stories were well told, but without much detail.
I don't want to say that I'm disappointed with the book, but I just hoped for more. I hadn't heard many of stories recently, so it was nice to get refreshed on them, but there wasn't anything new.
Too many things appear to be afterthoughts. The things I was hoping to read about weren't in the book.
It's a fun read, but not what I had hoped for.
November 23, 2018
A condensed and unimaginative retelling of stories that had been told repeatedly on the defunct Opie & Anthony show. Presumably the only people who actually interested in reading this autobiography are avid fans of the old show and are probably more familiar with these stories than perhaps those who told them.
Additionally Ant puts virtually no blame on himself for any of the bad choices or irreparable damage he caused for his public profile. He claims to not be an alcoholic despite the fact the book itself exemplifies how drinking was a major factor in all of his bad decisions; his obsession with alcohol is a near page to page occurrence, including when he said he did not think about drinking and could take it or leave it during his 30-day rehab related to a domestic violence incident, only for him to literally be drinking a beer he savored, along with a number of bloody Marys directly after he made made it to the airport after completing the program.
If you're a fan than you know exactly what will come next at each and every turn, nothing new or interesting.
And for a book that is supposedly written by THREE authors it is written remarkably poorly; akin to an underachieving freshman's essay who's desperately redundant and repetitive to make the word count requirements of their paper.
Additionally Ant puts virtually no blame on himself for any of the bad choices or irreparable damage he caused for his public profile. He claims to not be an alcoholic despite the fact the book itself exemplifies how drinking was a major factor in all of his bad decisions; his obsession with alcohol is a near page to page occurrence, including when he said he did not think about drinking and could take it or leave it during his 30-day rehab related to a domestic violence incident, only for him to literally be drinking a beer he savored, along with a number of bloody Marys directly after he made made it to the airport after completing the program.
If you're a fan than you know exactly what will come next at each and every turn, nothing new or interesting.
And for a book that is supposedly written by THREE authors it is written remarkably poorly; akin to an underachieving freshman's essay who's desperately redundant and repetitive to make the word count requirements of their paper.
November 29, 2018
Good job Ant.....
I'll start this off by saying, I absolutely love Anthony Cumia... his sense of humor and political ideology is very much inline with my own, not to mention that giant guinea hog that dangles between his thighs, he's an All American success story..... fork over a few bucks for this book, it's a good story........
I'll start this off by saying, I absolutely love Anthony Cumia... his sense of humor and political ideology is very much inline with my own, not to mention that giant guinea hog that dangles between his thighs, he's an All American success story..... fork over a few bucks for this book, it's a good story........
December 14, 2023
It’s an ok book. If you’re a hardcore O&A fan it’s a decent read. But the actual writing is not good; and if you’re a longtime O&A fan, there really isn’t anything in here that you don’t already know. It’s fine and enjoyable enough, just don’t come in expecting any major revelations.
January 30, 2019
This book suffers from a fatal flaw, the only people that would be interested in reading these stories are hard-core Opie and Anthony fans...and those fans have already listened to these same stories on the radio, where they sounded better due to the natural banter of the show, and because on air Anthony wasn´t trying so hard to cover his own ass and bending the truth to make himself look better, basically the more truthful, off the cuff version was a lot better......also it's a lot easier to tell a story than to write it down, and it shows...this isn´t a well written book.
All in all I´m happy I didn´t pay to read this thing...you can´t give these people money.
So that's it Anthony...you were a funny guy, but somewhere down the line you got a little crazy and lost....now back to obscurity with you!
ohhh...and feed Nana!
All in all I´m happy I didn´t pay to read this thing...you can´t give these people money.
So that's it Anthony...you were a funny guy, but somewhere down the line you got a little crazy and lost....now back to obscurity with you!
ohhh...and feed Nana!
December 2, 2018
Well, that was 3 hours of my life I'll never get back. If you've followed Anthony for any period of time, save your money. There's nothing in here you haven't heard a million times before. Anthony's a saint, Opie's a p.o.s. The show fell apart because of Opie, Anthony was the victim. At one point he said that he knew he bore some responsibility for what happened in his life but then he went right back to blaming everyone but himself. Just like in "real life". Blah blah blah boo hoo hoo, time to grow up Dude. I'm also trying to figure out how 3 people could have written a book & not caught all the errors. Do none of them know about spell & grammar check? Like I said in the beginning, save your money. If you really have to have it, hold off for a bit - it'll be $1.99 at Amazon soon.
April 13, 2019
*Reviewers note* ~ This book is not written like a 5-star book, and if you're not a fan of "The Opie&Anthony Show", you're not gonna read it and think of it as a 5-star read. But, to me, a lifelong O&A fan, this was 5-stars. 5 stars of "memory lane" reading.
April 2, 2019
Say what you will about Anthony Cumia... he doesn't really give a F. And neither do I. I started listening to O&A when I was 15 or 16 because I found them entertaining and funny and I still do - Anthony can always (and still) make me laugh. Yes, I had heard some of these stories before but it was fun to hear some more details, and I enjoyed getting Anthony's perspective on things.
December 6, 2018
Funny and compelling stories from Anthony's personal and professional life.
When I was 19, I discovered the Opie And Anthony show by accident, while I was searching for Louis CK videos. It was unlike anything I had ever heard before. I was immediately hooked by the way these guys talked too each other- it was compelling and unbelievably funny. I remember showing some of the more brutal O&A clips too friends and getting mixed reactions. Some would go ''Why are they making fun of a mentally disabled man with a cooking show? Do you seriously find this funny?'' And others would find it hilarious. It was a polarizing show, and by extension I think Anthony is a polarizing guy. If you have a good sense of humor and want too read some funny stories about Anthony's formative years and his many mistakes along the way, there are some real gems in here- ranging from the time his mom attempted to punish him for disassembling a toaster, the pitfalls of setting up blind dates in the 70s over CB radio, and an ex girlfriend finding a Canadian girl in his closet. I feel I also have a better sense of who he is without a microphone. My feeling is that much of the criticism of Anthony comes from people that know nothing about him, outside clips of his brutality on the show. And it's ridiculous! Does anyone watch Scarface and think the real Al Pacino is a merciless drug kingpin? Does anyone see the Woodsman and think Kevin Bacon shouldn't be within 100 yards of a school? Of course not. Does it make any more sense too judge Anthony as a person by the things he says during the context of a comedy show? I don't think it does. Bottom line is this was a lot of fun too read and I hope Anthony writes another one.
When I was 19, I discovered the Opie And Anthony show by accident, while I was searching for Louis CK videos. It was unlike anything I had ever heard before. I was immediately hooked by the way these guys talked too each other- it was compelling and unbelievably funny. I remember showing some of the more brutal O&A clips too friends and getting mixed reactions. Some would go ''Why are they making fun of a mentally disabled man with a cooking show? Do you seriously find this funny?'' And others would find it hilarious. It was a polarizing show, and by extension I think Anthony is a polarizing guy. If you have a good sense of humor and want too read some funny stories about Anthony's formative years and his many mistakes along the way, there are some real gems in here- ranging from the time his mom attempted to punish him for disassembling a toaster, the pitfalls of setting up blind dates in the 70s over CB radio, and an ex girlfriend finding a Canadian girl in his closet. I feel I also have a better sense of who he is without a microphone. My feeling is that much of the criticism of Anthony comes from people that know nothing about him, outside clips of his brutality on the show. And it's ridiculous! Does anyone watch Scarface and think the real Al Pacino is a merciless drug kingpin? Does anyone see the Woodsman and think Kevin Bacon shouldn't be within 100 yards of a school? Of course not. Does it make any more sense too judge Anthony as a person by the things he says during the context of a comedy show? I don't think it does. Bottom line is this was a lot of fun too read and I hope Anthony writes another one.
April 9, 2019
A good, quick read - if you are/were a fan. I became a fan of the Opie and Anthony show just after listening to them, just after they arrived in NY. I stuck with them through the firings and suspensions until shortly before the end of their partnership (I just didn't enjoy their show anymore). If you were a fan, you've heard most of the stories in this book. However, at times, it's a nice document of what was. I did gain some insight into, at least from Anthony's point of view, as to how their partnership fell apart.
December 1, 2018
Great collection of stories
Anthony Cumia is a fantastic story teller, which is loud and proud throughout the entire book. The book follows Anthony from childhood to adulthood, back to childhood then settled on responsible juvenillehood. I will read it again, and hope Anthony used this experience as a catalyst to write more in the future!
Anthony Cumia is a fantastic story teller, which is loud and proud throughout the entire book. The book follows Anthony from childhood to adulthood, back to childhood then settled on responsible juvenillehood. I will read it again, and hope Anthony used this experience as a catalyst to write more in the future!
January 4, 2021
A very fun retrospective on the life and career of Anthony Cumia. Gave great insights on the behind the scenes of the radio industry. (As a bonus, if you listen to the audiobook like I did, Anthony laughs a few times, which really makes you feel comfortable. It also feels like you're really listening to Anthony reminisce about his life).
January 13, 2019
Insight into the inner O&A circle
I like Anthony, he brings a sense of reality into a word where being over the top is what gets you more fans. Great insights into his career and his life.
I like Anthony, he brings a sense of reality into a word where being over the top is what gets you more fans. Great insights into his career and his life.
March 7, 2019
Awesome Story of a normal guy making his dreams come true
I have been a huge fan of O and A since the WNEW days and still listen to some of the old shows. This book gave an inside look at those days and before and after.
I have been a huge fan of O and A since the WNEW days and still listen to some of the old shows. This book gave an inside look at those days and before and after.
December 18, 2018
Funny and honest
Very enjoyable. I can hear Anthony’s voice as I read. Well done. I laughed out loud throughout this book. I cringed as well
Very enjoyable. I can hear Anthony’s voice as I read. Well done. I laughed out loud throughout this book. I cringed as well
February 28, 2022
Anthony Cumia is a talented broadcaster, and nobody can take that away from him, but he's also kind of a piece of garbage. I read this book because I really wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, to see his point of view, and even in his own words, he seems like a dick. I like that the book is short and he's not self-indulgent in re-telling his life story, but a lot of the book just drags. The chapter early on about him meeting a girl over the CB radio and getting ready for the date only for her to be fat is the perfect summation of this book: technically well-written, but devoid of any substance, relying on shock and tired stereotypes to try and be funny. The story of O&A's various scandals is interesting, but better told through a third party like the Shock Jocks podcast documentary, because it's able to be a little more objective about the group's shortcomings as well as their virtues, and without humour being the main focus it's a little easier to appreciate what is funny.
In the later sections, Permanently Suspended feels like a list of defenses from Cumia, which lead to some weird contradictions. Like, he says that he is not and has been a racist, that all of the racially-charged comments he made were exaggerated for entertainment. But he also distances himself from the stunts pulled by Opie in the O&A days, saying he advocates for real conversation, real ideas being tossed around, which seems completely at odds with him saying many of the conversations he had were in bad faith and he was saying things he didn't believe. He also doesn't elaborate where he stands on race issues, or rape, or any of the other controversial things he's said "in character," which really just makes it seem like an even flimsier excuse.
In the later sections, Permanently Suspended feels like a list of defenses from Cumia, which lead to some weird contradictions. Like, he says that he is not and has been a racist, that all of the racially-charged comments he made were exaggerated for entertainment. But he also distances himself from the stunts pulled by Opie in the O&A days, saying he advocates for real conversation, real ideas being tossed around, which seems completely at odds with him saying many of the conversations he had were in bad faith and he was saying things he didn't believe. He also doesn't elaborate where he stands on race issues, or rape, or any of the other controversial things he's said "in character," which really just makes it seem like an even flimsier excuse.
December 8, 2018
Anthony is a comedic genius with his on the fly routines and spot-on impersonations, but he has (like most comics) a dark side to him with his drinking and racial epithets.
Been a fan since 1994 when Opie was at WBAB and then proceeded to listen to them in 1998 when they came back to NYC. It's an interesting rags to riches story. Though most of what is discussed was already known if you are a long time listener.
I wished it had more details about various topics not discussed and discussed more the dynamic of the crew. It needed to be longer and could have been much longer. I felt the storytelling was very disjointed as well. In the first few years, Spaz was a big part of the show and added much comic relief. Also no mention making fun of the established DJs at WNEW? Where was "Black Earl" or "Stalker Patty"??
For example, he didn't discuss how he met his 9-year girlfriend Melinda when she was on the show as "lobster girl" via sexual favors to "Spaz" who also wasn't mentioned at all.
On the plus side the Audible version Anthony reads himself but he could have done a little better with the delivery.
Been a fan since 1994 when Opie was at WBAB and then proceeded to listen to them in 1998 when they came back to NYC. It's an interesting rags to riches story. Though most of what is discussed was already known if you are a long time listener.
I wished it had more details about various topics not discussed and discussed more the dynamic of the crew. It needed to be longer and could have been much longer. I felt the storytelling was very disjointed as well. In the first few years, Spaz was a big part of the show and added much comic relief. Also no mention making fun of the established DJs at WNEW? Where was "Black Earl" or "Stalker Patty"??
For example, he didn't discuss how he met his 9-year girlfriend Melinda when she was on the show as "lobster girl" via sexual favors to "Spaz" who also wasn't mentioned at all.
On the plus side the Audible version Anthony reads himself but he could have done a little better with the delivery.
November 27, 2018
Great book fot O&A fans - Treat Yourself!
Reading this book was a walk down memory lane. While it's nice to get the insider perspective on important events in the O&A story, being reminded of all the epic stories over the years brought a smile to my face. I actually bought one of the hand held portable XM myfi bricks just to listen to O&A back in the day. The fan experience was definitely a special moment in time back in the day that I don't think you can repeat now. I'm happy to read that all the guys have moved onto new, interesting projects.
Reading this book was a walk down memory lane. While it's nice to get the insider perspective on important events in the O&A story, being reminded of all the epic stories over the years brought a smile to my face. I actually bought one of the hand held portable XM myfi bricks just to listen to O&A back in the day. The fan experience was definitely a special moment in time back in the day that I don't think you can repeat now. I'm happy to read that all the guys have moved onto new, interesting projects.
September 5, 2024
Very interesting story. Anthony himself was always open about his life on the radio. So, if you're a fan, you know most of the stories in this book. But there are some in-between stories that I never knew of that was interesting. My favorite part was when his agent was mediating deals left and right, and I pictured Anthony and Greg's reaction. It's so organic that it can feel you were a part of it. This wasn't a spoiler. We all know he's wealthy, but to explore the story of a man living in his truck to being a multimillionaire was fun.
November 22, 2018
Loved the book and the pictures. Loyal listeners will find that Anthony rehashes a few stories he's told on the air at different times, but the written versions have extra details and are in that Anthony story-telling style. Rewatching the Letterman appearance was even funnier after reading the account in the book. If you're a listener of any of Ant's shows, get the book. You'll even get to see 70s Ant with his insanely dorky and mile high fro.
October 10, 2019
This is Anthony's story, not Opie and Anthony's story. Personally I enjoyed it. Yes there are some stories that listeners have probably heard before, but also some new stuff. Anthony started Compound Media successfully (minus Opie), which rolls along with the same crude, rude, yet funny stuff you'd expect.
Whether you agree with him politically or not, he's still a talented, funny guy.
Quick, nicely paced, entertaining read. Great for Anthony Cumia fans, not so much for Opie fans.
Whether you agree with him politically or not, he's still a talented, funny guy.
Quick, nicely paced, entertaining read. Great for Anthony Cumia fans, not so much for Opie fans.
January 6, 2019
Was a bit disappointed. I love Anthony Cumia and think he is one of the funniest personalities to listen to on the radio or podcasts. I expected the book to be more humorous than it was. Most of the information in the book I had heard before through his shows. If you’re an Anthony fan you should still read it but don’t have high expectations
May 23, 2020
Having been a fan of the classic O&A show, I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. The book was just "ok". However, it could have been much better. It seemed as if every topic discussed was based on a five minute conversation that the authors had with Cumia. Nothing was gone into in great detail. Just a quick glossing over.
November 28, 2018
Being a long time fan of O&A, I only subscribed to XM the week before they went on the air there, I enjoyed this book a lot, but I wanted more. The book provides details but very briefly, I wanted more, book is so short I finished it in three nights.
December 18, 2018
If you're a fan, you've heard these stories a hundred times. Not very much new insight, though a couple of parts were laugh out loud funny. Not really worth it, but not long enough for me to regret having read it.
January 14, 2019
First off, linger longer. Like a lot of other people, i felt it was waaaaaaaaaay too short. He left out so much!! Because he was rushing through so much, I started noticing all the spelling errors and other mistakes. Booooooo
January 22, 2019
The boys talked about a book for years, and this is what we end up with? The show deserves a better telling by someone who can actually remember it. Barely sounds like Anthony, and it's nowhere near as funny as him.
March 28, 2019
Pretty funny book, as someone who didn't know much about Opie and Anthony other than the headlines, it was an interesting behind-the-scenes look, but I wasn't too familiar with many of the radio people.
March 12, 2021
A very easy and smooth read with no boring parts. As a fan of Anthony’s you know exactly what you are going to get with him. This book was fun to read and shared some of the great and funny stories of his radio career and gave a glimpse into his personal life as well.
November 22, 2018
Brisk and entertaining, but nothing you haven't heard already.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews