The Ones Behind The Songs: Meet Hall of Famer Pete

Hi Idiots.

I'd like to introduce another person you've heard about for years but haven't actually met. Someone who has made many (40+!) Dumber Than The Show intros, his most recognizable intro being "If I Had A Million Dollars" but has made others like "Ring of Fire". "Macarena" and "All Star". You can listen to all his intros on his SoundCloud.

Introducing Pete M, better known as Hall of Famer Pete.

Who are you?

Hey, I’m Pete! I live in Tennessee. I’m married, with two young-adult kids. I teach Math, and I’m starting my 15th year at Volunteer State Community College. I’ve been singing, playing guitar and bass (and a little banjo), and writing music for 25 years. Still, I’ve never had any professional aspirations – I learned very early on that the supply of talented musicians is absurdly higher than the demand.

I don’t have the “fire in my belly” to fight through all that competition. I’ve personally known people that lost their enjoyment when ‘art’ became ‘work’, and I don't want the stress to ruin it for me. Plus, I actually like my day job, and a steady paycheck. 

I’m also very involved in community theatre, and I’m the president of the board at the Hendersonville Performing Arts Company. (shameless plug to the Nashville idiots – come see Bright Star in September, I’m the Assistant Director, and it’s a beautiful show!)

Why did you start making intros?

When people first started submitting trivia intros (before they settled pretty exclusively on parodies) back in 2019, I thought it would be fun to write a song. Two popped into my head pretty quickly, and I sent them in. Hearing my original song on the radio, and the positive response it got, was such a cool feeling! Where do you get your inspiration from?

It almost always starts with hearing or thinking about a particular song. My favorites are when the show members talk about how much they like a song – I’ve written a bunch after hearing everybody sing along to something when they play Name That Tune. But most of them start with hearing a song on the radio and trying to replace words.

How long does it take to make a song?

Sometimes they're very quick (I've had them done in 15 minutes before), but most of the time, I'll get an idea for a couple of lines here and there and it just sits on a note on my phone for a few months. Only about 10% of the ideas end up as complete songs.

I tried making a parody of "Fell On Black Days" by Soundgarden, and while I liked the lyrics, it never really turned into a DTTS song. The "Laverne and Shirley" intro was the one I had the most fun with.

It truly is an art. Should I add more of this or more of that? It’s like asking me to pick out which shade of blue you should paint the walls – I can maybe tell that they’re slightly different, but I can not decide which is better. 

Which intro have you made is the most recognizable/your favorite?

Altogether, I’ve had 46 songs played on this nationally syndicated radio show, heard by gazillions of people! The "All Star" intro started a massive chain of events where I name-dropped Tony in the song, which led to Tony making Kid Rock's "Cowboy" (which I cameo'd on), which then led Brewster making "Guess Who's Back". An evolution of greatness, that I got to participate in, I've really enjoyed the collaborations. 

If you want to learn more about Hall of Famer Pete, you can find all his intros, including some that haven't aired, on his SoundCloud (username iKeepThePesos).