The Viking was a recurring
character on The Uncle Floyd Show. He would tell corny, old jokes while
dressed (sort of) like a Viking. In 1980, The Viking recorded a campaign of
radio commercials for Elvis Costello's new album "Get Happy!!" The ads were
so popular that radio stations were getting requests. Not requests to play
the Elvis Costello songs - requests to play the commercial!
Dated April 2, 1980, the memo from CBS Records reads "WNEW-FM called to say
they received 10 requests in 1 day to play the Elvis Costello radio spot."
Click an image below to hear one of these commercials. It's included as a
hidden bonus track on the Rhino re-release of "Get Happy!!"