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Some guys have all the luck. Consider one Brian McFayden, new MTV news anchor. Just a coupla years ago, he was majoring in the University of Nebraska's frat party scene and waiting tables at an Outback Steakhouse in Omaha.
Even though the mac-and-cheese-and-Foster's kinda guy was lovin' life, somehow, somewhere, he sensed there had to be more. So, he quit school and set out for the big city (you know, Minneapolis), where a chance encounter led to a gig at radio station KEGE. There, he flourished as "Altar Boy"--the comedic sidekick for deejay "Cane"--and helped The Cane Show move up to powerful New York radio station K-Rock.
Soon after his move to the Big Apple, luck struck again--McFayden was discovered by MTV and hired to anchor news segments on Total Request Live. Now, the network is even developing a news-magazine pilot around the guy.
Which got us to wondering:
New news magazine eh? Will he be like Hugh Downs for the MTV generation? "More like Hugh Downs on crack! But I can't really talk about it, because it's in development."
Right. Why did they call him Altar Boy? "When I was nine--you know, barely reaching the toilet, bro--I had a crush on this 15-year-old girl. She had braces, and I think that's what turned me on about her. Anyway, I developed this fixation on becoming an altar boy--I thought that would get her attention. I told that story to some friends in a bar one night, and it stuck."
Speaking of stuck, why did he want out of Omaha? "You're a lifer if you're there after 20."
He's come a long way, interviewing big-time performers on MTV--Snoop, Fred Durst, Jennifer Lopez, 'N Sync. Anybody stick out for him? "Yeah, I just went to San Francisco to interview [Metallica drummer] Lars Ulrich. He's got this big-ass house overlooking the Bay Bridge. It's amazing."
What kind of music does he like? "I grew up on country and hip-hop. When I was a kid, my mom would take me to the Laundromat--we didn't have much money. She'd bring this boom box full of Patsy Cline, Bobby Goldsborough, George Jones and Elvis. Plus, I grew up in kind of an urban neighborhood in Omaha, so I'd listen to a lot of old-school rap like Run-DMC and the Fatboys."
A good background for MTV. Must've been cool getting that call. "It was a dream come true. I couldn't believe I was going to be on MTV, saying, "That's news for now. Stay tuned for more news every 10 to the hour."
--Dan Frankel