by Jack E. Browne
Sunshine State Pop-Format Radio Review
MO 5 Apr 99
WYRM radio personality Ed Ward and Doug Cherokee of the rock band Flint pose for the cameras twice during the evening at the FATMA awards held last Wednesday.
Tallahassee-- Despite Matchbox 20’s near-clean sweep of the FATMA (Florida’s Arts & Technology Music Awards) awards in Tallahassee, it was a scene-stealing speech from Flint’s Doug Cherokee that will be remembered from this year’s award show.
Cherokee, who in the past six months alone has had trouble with the law for drug smuggling in Thailand and throwing a photographer through a New York club’s window, was given a golden opportunity to cement his reputation as rock’s top rebel when Flint won a FATMA for most promising group on the strength of their album White Trash Folklore.
Accepting on behalf of the band "who are off doing better things", an obviously intoxicated Cherokee took the award from presenters FATMA Gospel winners, Adam & Eve Forgiveness, and proceeded to thank "my girlfriend back home, Mister Ed (Ward) for playing our album and feeding me drinks tonight and most of all, the great Satan. Without him, none of this would be possible."
Audience reaction ranged from absolute shock to uncontrollable laughter. FATMA spokesperson Fala Felgood said "We can’t control what winners are going to say and do not endorse any one who wants to use the FATMAs to make their point of view known. Certainly, Mister Cherokee wasn’t a gracious accepter and may have offended some of our audience. We are sorry but there’s not much we can do."
Overlord Records chairman Harrison Lee Wingate was in attendance and wasn’t concerned by Cherokee’s comments. "These things are always so boring and stuffy. I’m glad Doug had the balls to try and make people laugh."