And nobody knows that better than the king of concert reality TV, Larsen E. Whipsnade, who launched the genre back in 1999 with the groundbreaking Who Wants To Marry A Concert Promoter?.

“Who could have imagined that we’d come this far?” asks Whipsnade from his primo booth at Spago. “But then, combining the take-no-prisoners world of the concert industry with the voyeuristic nature of reality TV was always a no brainer. It just took a brainless guy like me to bring it all together.”

Whipsnade should know, for in the past five years he’s been responsible for several major concert / reality hits, including Who Wants To Audit the Eagles Tour Accountant?, and The GWAR Groupie’s Apprentice. This year Whipsnade promises that his new concert / reality shows will have the water cooler crowd buzzing for weeks.

First up is the controversial Which One Of You Roadies Is My Father?, which combines 20-somethings with road warriors from the 1980s who worked for that decade’s major touring acts like Duran Duran and Ratt. Even though the show has yet to air, it has already generated controversy, with over 20 affiliates located throughout the Bible Belt and Bakersfield threatening not to air the program unless something is done about incidents of alleged nudity and vulgar language.

“A tempest in a teapot,” says Whipsnade as he dismisses the show’s detractors. So we show a few bare backsides? Hasn’t anyone ever seen a nude roadie before?”

Whipsnade’s remarks are a reminder of his most famous failure – 2002’s What Would You Say To A Naked Roadie? – which was taken off the air after one of its stars, a lighting tech for Oasis, appeared in a promo for Monday Night Football wearing nothing but a towel and a smile.

“Apparently we misjudged the fabled lowest common denominator on that one,” says Whipsnade.

But there’s no misjudging today’s TV audience as Whipsnade prepares to launch what he promises will be the biggest collection of reality shows in television’s history. In addition to Which One Of You Roadies Is My Father?, Whipsnade is also the producer of the surreal I’m A William Morris Agent, Get Me Out Of Here!, scheduled to debut in January on the WB, and My Big Fat Obnoxious Clear Channel Executive, coming to UPN in February.

However, Whipsnade’s failures continue to overshadow his successes. Recently, every network, as well as more than 90 percent of the independent stations in the country, refused to air Which One Of You Musicians Left Me With This Rash?, citing family values, as well as CSI-like computer-generated graphics depicting the life cycles of various communicable diseases, as the main reasons for rejecting the show. In fact, one critic described the show as “the most revolting program since The Spittle Life,” which pitted fans against their favorite heavy metal bands like Motley Crue and Judas Priest in a contest to see how far contestants could lob their loogies.

Will TV audiences tune in for more concert / reality TV? Or will more shows featuring concert professionals caught in the act of being themselves serve as a wake up call indicating that television has finally scraped the proverbial bottom of the barrel?

“Oh, the entire country will watch,” claims Whipsnade. “After all, what else are Americans going to do at night? Read a book? Get real.”