Peter E. Parisi was the primary creative force behind St. Louis’ most-notorious cable access/local origination show, World Wide Magazine, which ran from 1986 until 2001. But even the late, great PEP, a world-class wisenheimer, would’ve granted that his varied cast of recurring characters were essential in keeping the show interesting to devoted, local viewers throughout the 1990s.
A key member of that cast recently left this mortal coil. Vince Cali, according to an obituary on STLtoday.com April 14, died on April 2. One of Parisi’s main foils on World Wide Magazine, Cali was consistently put into odd, weird and (sometimes) slightly dangerous situations. And, like the rest of his recurring cast members, Cali was almost always up to whatever task Parisi introduced. And along with Marty Dellbringge, he was a part of the gag called The Vince and Marty Show, the two frequently pairing up for sketches.
Last week, we touched base with Jim Varagona, who’s done as much as anyone to keep the WWM flame alive around town and, for that matter, the world. He’s located and curated a ton of clips for YouTube, in the process creating a digital archive from as much of the original material as he’s been able to track down. And he’s done this while fighting through the occasional rights-usage flare-up and sharp notes from occasional, disaffected ex-cast members. It’s been a labor of love, for sure.
Asked about Cali, Varagona wrote back, saying, “I just found out two days ago. The obit ran on 4/2 in the Post. I found it strange and interesting that the text only dealt with this role: ‘Cali, Vincent J. II passed April 2, 2013. He was known for his role on World Wide Magazine and The Vince and Marty Show. Rest In Peace, Vince.’ It makes me wonder who submitted it and if he even left family behind.”
Varagona notes Cali’s central role on the show: “Vince Cali exemplified the World Wide Magazine cast member. He was just an ordinary guy that worked at a Clark gas station, but he was there when Pete Parisi needed him to ask strange questions to people on the street, roll down the street as a ‘roll model,’ show his herniated belly button as he cackled, or stuff his face with Joanie’s Pizza, despite having a bad heart. Vince will certainly be missed.” (See some of these clips below.)
On the other hand, he puzzles over The Vince and Marty Show. “I’ve seen/heard many refer to his role on [that]. As far as I know, there was only one bit entitled The Vince and Marty Show. That being said, many of his more memorable bits were with Marty, and they tend to be mentioned together because of this. These were two guys that probably seemed like regular Joes in real life, but through World Wide Magazine, we witnessed a weird and wacky side that Parisi had the knack of bringing out in folks and exposing to his hoosier minions.”
An enthusiastic member of the cast with his twin brother Colin, Brent Feeney says that “as far as Vince goes, he was a great guy. I talked to him often, and would run into him at some of the bars in Soulard every so often. He loved being on the show. I lost touch with him several years ago, and wondered what he was up to. I'm really, really sorry to hear about his death and all good thoughts and wishes go to his family and all the WWM fans out there.”
Mike Perez, who served as Parisi’s primary cameraman from 1990 to ‘97, says of Cali that “62 is not really old, at all. I will miss him, the lovable goof.”
Here, we’ll highlight a few clips from the WWM YouTube channel. For those unfamiliar, World Wide Magazine was sarcastic, juvenile, and in-jokey, possessing quick hits of xenophobia and racial/LGBT insensitivity. It didn’t err on the side of political correctness, ever. The flipside being the lack of sacred cows, with public figures and regular folks roasted on the same video skewer. Those qualifiers aside, there’s no other local show that bridged the day-to-day, street-level life of St. Louis from the late ‘80s into the new century with quite the same panache and style, driven by Parisi’s demented genius and a willing cast of memorable bit players.
Don’t believe us? Click below.
Vince & Marty at the Chain of Rocks
Vince at the Joanie’s Pizzeria Eating Contest
