Marty Slash' is a rock promoter in the episode "For Cryin' Out Loud".
Biography
Early Life
Marty Slash is in an audiologist's office, complaining of hearing strange noises in his head. The doctor asks if it is a thumping or a ringing, but Marty says it sounds like some guy trying to find his bearings, such as a man getting up in the morning and groaning at having to face the day. The doctor says that is an unusual aberration, but chalks it up to being imaginary, as his mind probably is struggling to discriminate between hearing disorders. He tells Marty that he has done permanent damage to his hearing due to repeated exposure to high decibels in his line of work. The doctor prescribes Marty some high alcohol medicine as well as gooey ear sap to be used twice a day, and provides earplugs like what are used at gun ranges, saying that from now on he is to wear them at his rock club. Marty feels ripped off in having to pay $200 for a little baggie of stuff, so the doctor dryly remarks he will throw in some medical advice as well. "If you want to keep what little hearing you have Mr. Slash, get out of the rock & roll business". Marty is in agreement with that saying (for his own reasons) and responds "Would tonight be soon enough?" Later that night, Slash is the MC for "Save the Amazons" a benefit concert starring Iggy Pop and the Leather Weazl. During a band break, Marty comes up on stage and praises everyone for "making his dream a reality" and presents a giant benefit check to an Amazon chief. Marty gives his sincere pledge to the audience that "This money will go where it is needed most!" Offstage, the "chief" is revealed to have an American accent, in actuality an unemployed man who was paid cash by Marty to play the part. Marty withdraws to his office and opens a portrait to reveal a wall safe with stacks of cash. He remarks to himself "This money will go where it is needed most alright: the Marty Slash Retirement Fund!" he was approached by the voice of his own consciousness trying to prevent him from committing the fraud whom Marty evidently don't listen. As he gets ready to run away with the money, an admirer enters at his office apparently to compliment him to have to organize this benefit concert. The groupie tries to seduce him...until that she retired her own wig, revealing that she was Mrs.Kilbasser, his own greedy banker dizguized to trap him after having noticed that he removed the money of the concert in cash. So, she blackmails him, threatening to call the police if he does not give her half of the money.
Crime
The voice in his head told him to say no to her. "It's not too late to do the right thing." Paying the voice no mind, Marty is pretending to give his agreement, and while Mrs Kilbasser is counting here share of the money, Marty closes the curtains of his office window and kills Mrs. Kilbasser by smashing her on the head with an offered guitar by Pete Townshend from The Who and hide her body in Donnie Osmond's box.
Fate
Just after, The voice was strongly insisting Marty to turn himself in, which Marty still ignores. Marty was visited by a cop coming because the neighbors complaining about the disturbance of the peace at night engendered by the concert. Marty has a crisis because of the voice in his head and hide it by playing guitar like a excited rock fan. The officer see's the Donnie Osmond box, claiming to like him, and lucky for Marty, his worker said that Osmond's tour is in Alaska, so Marty ordered the box to get to Osmond's tour right away. The cop was on his way, however, the voice was so angry with Marty for not turning himself in to the cops, he started yelling to make Marty give in, only to have him get even with the voice by first trying to drown it in ear drops, which the voice says in 18% alcohol. Marty is still on the brink of a nervous breakdown as he practically squeezes a whole tube of ear salve on the cotton swabs and painfully swabs it in his ears just to get at the voice, who is still making fun of Marty at the time. Marty is about to use a sharpened pencil in his ear, but stops himself and claims that he's wasting time trying to get to the voice and he has a plan to catch. When he left his office, the voice has had it with Marty and says "If you're not going to turn yourself in, I'll have to do it for you!" Ironically, When Marty went by certain people and the voice was telling the people about how Marty killed Mrs. Kilbasser, all people present in the concert are disgusted to see him. But Marty claims that the music is so loud, no one will here him, so he goes into the concert to hear the loud music. Slash order to the sound manager to put the stronger volume, drawing again the attention of the cop. Marty then goes up to the amp speaker on the stage, to listen to it even more while the voice keeps telling Marty to confess. When the cop turned the volume off, the voice screamed "I KILLED MY BANKER!!!" The voice claimed that everyone heard him that time. In a fit of stress, Marty confesses about killing Mrs. Kilbasser and also reveals that he was trying to steal the Save the Amazon money, and throws it into the audience as proof that it's still with him, every last penny. The voice admit that he was proud of Marty for doing the right thing and telling the truth, only to find out that in reality, a broken cotton swab was jammed so hard in Marty's ear, that it was bleeding, and that was why everyone was looking at Marty bad as the voice said "Hey, Marty, something just occurred to me. Do you think that's what everyone was starring at the whole time, and that no one can really hear me? Oh, Marty, that means if you had just kept your mouth shut, you could've gotten away with it after all." Two years after his arrest, Marty has not only lost his mind, but his hearing as well, and it was all because one voice leading him into so much trouble. On the day of his execution, Marty was yelling "Is it time? Is it time yet?! IS IT TIME?!!" while the voice can say "What's the hurry, Marty?" as he laughs menacingly. Which brings us to the beginning of "For Cryin' Out Loud" where the guards where taking Marty to the chair, and an impatient Marty was yelling "Please, please! Hurry up! Let's do it!" as he runs to the electric chair and straps himself in most of the way while the guards are finishing up. While Marty was giving a final argument with his voice, the guards were wondering who is he talking to. But Marty was rushing them the execute him, which they did, and Marty had died with a happy smile on his face as he enjoyed it.
Behind the Scenes
- He was portrayed by Lee Arenberg.
- His conscience was voiced by Sam Kinison.
- Lee Arenberg and Sam Kinison were also a Guest-Star along with Bobcat Goldthwait (Billy Goldman) and Lewis Arquette (Ernest Feeley) in Married With Children starring Katey Sagal (Kilbasser).
- Lee Arenberg will be also a guest star in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman who starred Teri Hatcher (Stacy). Other guest-stars appearing are Roy Brocksmith (Vic), Gerrit Graham (Theodore Carne), Troy Evans (Al), Earl Boen (Mr. Clayton), Harry Anderson (Jim Korman), Mark Rolston (Zachary Cling), Michael Harris (Trip Anderson) and Carlos Lacamara (Paolo).
- Lee Arenberg will become famous for to portray Grumpy/Leroy in Once Upon a Time with Richard Schiff (Lester Middleton) and John Rhys-Davies (Emil Duval).
Trivia
- Marty's final fate is shown beforehand, and the rest of the episode is in flashback.
- In the outro, the Crypt Keeper is wearing a T-shirt which advertises Marty Slash's club.