Scoops, Kansas City's beloved ex-DJ, is going through a rough patch. He lost his job at 96.5 The Buzz, lost his bid to collect unemployment, and even broke up with his boyfriend. At 29, he says he's in the midst of a quarter-life crisis. And he's having it on Westboro Baptist Church's couch.
It's a weekday afternoon, and Scoops is inside the Topeka home of America's most famous hate-spewers. This isn't Scoops' first time here, either. He has asked for and been granted three visits -- including, as he is eager to point out, on Easter Sunday.
When Scoops told me he was tight with the Phelps family, I was naturally skeptical, given his gayness. To prove it, he called up Megan Phelps, granddaughter of hate-riarch Fred Phelps. She answered, and they laughed about how Scoops gave her AIDS when he kissed her on the cheek at a Lady Gaga protest. Then Scoops showed me video of his previous visits, during which he helped the family plan a protest against him.
Sufficiently baffled, I offered to drive him to Topeka, to witness in person this collision of attention whoring. So here Scoops is, back in the Phelps family's living room. Megan's mom, Shirley Phelps-Roper, wears her trademark bubblegum-pink "God Hates Fags" shirt, while Megan sits to the side in shockingly short jorts.
"Why do you put up with this?" I ask Shirley.
"Hon, we put up with everything," she says. "Omigosh! Have you seen the way people act towards us on the street? He doesn't come up and hit us! He doesn't throw things at us and he doesn't spray bear mace at us!"
She makes a good point. Every good relationship is founded on the principle that both parties will refrain from the misuse of bear mace.
Scoops films the entire exchange on his Flip, collecting footage for a movie he plans to make about his relationship with the family. But he pauses the camera whenever he smells theology coming. Rhetoric has nothing to do with Scoops.
"Hold on hold on," he says. "I only have so much tape on here, so I have to get certain things."
"All right," Shirley says, patiently.
Now, back to Scoops.
"Do I have a civil case against them?" he asks, referring to the Buzz. "Based on them trashing me on the air, making me unhireable?"
"I don't hear one," Shirley, a lawyer, says.
"So I need signs," Scoops says. "We need to go to the warehouse and make some signs."
Shirley laughs. "What would your signs say?"
"Um, you tell me," he says. "Do I need to get attention by exposing them for frauds?"
"I don't know!" Shirley says, growing impatient. "Look, this isn't about the word of God or serving God! This is about Scoops dealing with some people he's upset with."
"I don't know what he wants here," she says to me.
I'm starting to wonder that myself. But Scoops asks first.
"Why are we drawn together? You guys talk to Katie Couric and you're not hanging out with her. What is the reason? There's gotta be something there!"
"Hon, you're working too hard at this," Shirley lectures.
But he's here, I say. You must want something from each other.
"We're here talking to him 'cause he asked if he could come over," she says.
She looks at her watch with a dramatic flourish. We've been here for more than an hour.
"What do you want from me?" Scoops says, in one last attempt to expose the Phelps family's closet Scoops fetish. "Why do you keep coming back to me?"
"Hon, we don't come back to you," Shirley says. "We'll talk to anyone."
It's time to go; it's getting awkward. But before we leave, Scoops wants a photo. He and Megan sandwich Shirley between them, and Shirley stretches her arms around the two of them. It almost feels like a family photo with her kids, she says. Almost.
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Somehow this looser makes the Phelps family look nice and accommodating. How sad. Can't wait to see this Movie/Youtube clip he "plans" on making.
I wonder how educated these people are that are saying that god hates fags. I have to doubt that the people that truly believe such things are educated beyond high school.
that is right all you fags out there have the wrong Idea about the westboro baptist church because they tell the truth about fags and dykes the westboro baptist church is the true church
Nasal talking ass hat- god hated him so much he took him off the air- jsut to make sure everyone else was happy. He would have given his only son ten times over jsut to make up for that fag.
The Westboro Baptist Church is right about God hating homosexuality. It's in the Bible in language that even idiots can understand ... had you idiots ever bothered to read it. The Bible also says that God hates nations that tolerate homosexuality. America is doomed.
Wait, I still don't get it. How are they friendly with you? They believe homosexuality is the worst sin you can commit. Didn't they say anything to you about that?
Look, i think its pretty couragous on both sides, scoops maybe a lot of things but hes talented, a good friend and more important he doesnt sugar coat anything. He deserves to be happy just like everyone else. And everytime you hate, you just promote them. So you get it where you you can get it..love you scoopies
fascinating. he seems like an attention whore, and everyone KNOWS the phelps folks are, but what an entertaining read nonetheless. "Every good relationship is founded on the principle that both parties will refrain from the misuse of bear mace." LOVE IT.
Westboro baptist church is not a church they are a hate group, all about the money.
Wow! Look everyone! attention whores!
Everyone in this story sucks including the writer.
I like Scoops...he's entertaining :) I have boycotted the buzz since Jason and him are no longer on air...
first off.... thank u kp
that's the bigger picture here.....but anonymous has other things on his mind
second off...i am not an alocholic
Its sounds like every1 that's commented so far on scoops aren't getting the bigger picture. The Phelps family are modern day terrorists by defination. They bred hate, especially towards gays, yet none of you even mentioned that. Who cares why he didn't get unemployment, or why he's single,they opened their home to an openly gay man, more than once. But no1 is talkin about that?! WTF?
He is a drugged up alcoholic. He did not break up with his boyfriend, he was dumped cause he is a loser.
scoops did quit, he even told everyone he did. and tried to get unemployment and was denied. hes upset because he found out they were going to fire him and had brought people in on his days off to fill in as interviews for the job, the lied about it.
Well we know who is telling the truth now. He was denied unemployment? Sounds like he quit to me.
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