BEST OF: Shush Martin 7.30.2009

   Just because Sybil and I are out frolicking in the South Pacific, couldn't leave you guys hanging. So while I'm gone let's do what the syndicated radio shows do. Yeah, a little "best of ..."
   I'll post some of my favorite stories from the past and before you know it I'll be back live and in living color with tales from abroad.
   Thanks again for your patronage, your patience and your understanding of my honeymoon sabbatical.

SHUSH MARTIN

By Richie Whitt

Dallas Observer

July 30, 2009

   Russ Martin is a jackass.

   He’s a vulgar, passive-aggressive, pompous bully who for years physically and psychologically tormented his Dallas radio co-workers to gain fame and fortune.

   “Stuff he’d say to us on the air he wouldn’t say to us in the hall, because he’s a coward,” says J.D. Ryan, Martin’s radio right-hand man for 25 years. “To him everything was a bit, but eventually he crossed the line. It became personal. He made it clear that being successful wasn’t enough. For him to be truly happy, those around him also had to fail miserably.”

   Russ Martin is a hero.

   He’s a talented, wildly popular, temporarily shelved talk-show personality and tireless philanthropist who for years promoted animal rights and raised money for the families of fallen policemen and firefighters.

   “I consider him a friend, and I’ve always respected his unique style,” says Dallas Police Chief David Kunkel. “He always came to the defense of the cops, sometimes when nobody else was. Sometimes even at the expense of his own popularity.”

   Russ Martin is a criminal.

   Charged—via Cause No. 1120508—with kicking, pushing and pulling out the hair of ex-fiancée Mandy Blake in July 2008, Martin pled “no contest” to misdemeanor charges in Tarrant County on July 10. Initially arrested for felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, he for months boasted his innocence. But, according to two sources close to Martin, after a brief reconciliation during which Blake moved into his $3 million Frisco mansion and wore his $30,000 engagement ring the couple broke up in late June, injecting him with fears of her “loose cannon” element on the witness stand. By accepting a plea bargain of deferred adjudication and two years’ probation, Martin avoided a trial and possible jail time but also absorbed the stigma of guilt in that he did not, after all, refute the charges against him. If he completes his probation – which includes a $1,000 fine and battering intervention counseling – there will be no conviction on his record.

   “When we’re able to work out a plea to get someone counseling, we’re going to take that position,” Tarrant County District Attorney’s Family Violence Unit chief Sean Colston said after the deal. “We consider a situation where someone is going to be monitored for two years a good resolution.”

   But above all else, Russ Martin is an enigma. ...

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