Cruising around the streets of Liberty City in a stolen police car, running over NPCs, and listening to the absurd satire ofGrand Theft Auto 3’s iconic radio talk show Chatterbox is what players might remember most about this installment of theGrand Theft Autoseries. Many other radio stations featured inGrand Theft Autoare steeped in satire, however, Chatterbox stands out amongst the rest because of its hour-long uninterrupted stream of crude comedy, making it the first of its kind.
Although the host of the talk show Lazlow is featured in futureGTAtitles as a problematic personality, inGTA 3he comes across as a rational man constantly undermining the illogical ramblings of his callers. The talk show consists of strangers ringing in from the surrounding area, free to talk about whatever they want, whilst receiving witty remarks from Lazlow as he analyzes their proposed theories. In between calls, adverts from ridiculous fictional companies are played, including PetsOvernight.com, promising Liberty City residents a service that can deliver exotic pets to their doorstep the next morning, including tigers, giraffes, and manatees.
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Grand Theft Auto 3’s Chatter Line
Each conversation Lazlow has with his callers on the Chatter Line segment seems more random than the next, with topics of discussion ranging between extreme gun politics, turnips, possum meat, personal manners, and Cartesian coordinate systems. One call features a woman phoning in to complain about video games, accusing them of having a negative influence on children, a satirical reference toGTA’s notorious reputation. She then goes on to say that “life doesn’t have a reset button,” to which Lazlow replies, “no, but this line does,” before promptly hanging up. Although this is a fairly tame interaction, Chatter Line does include more bizarre content, and quite frankly disturbing one-liners, such as the posh Brit’s repeated phrase, “Freddy needs a nanny because he’s been a very naughty boy.”
Due toGrand Theft Auto 3being the first game Lazlow is featured in, much of his persona remained a mystery to players back in the early days of the series. The only personal details Lazlow discloses inGTA 3is that he is married, attended broadcasting school, and is dissatisfied with his “measly salary.” Of course, with the release ofGrand Theft Auto: Vice Cityand future titles, Lazlow becomes more integrated into the storyline, frequently being mentioned. The erratic spiral of Lazlow’s flawed personality eventually ends up with him being tracked down by Michael inGrand Theft Auto 5, before forcibly receiving a tattoo of a large phallic-shaped object on his back, orchestrated by the player.
Lazlow isn’t the only character from Chatterbox Radio who plays a larger role in-game. As the hour-long script draws to an end, a man called Toni Capriani gets put on the line, woefully expressing that his mother doesn’t think he’s a “real man.” Antonio Capriani appears as a recurring character inGTA 3and is the protagonist ofGrand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Chatter Line also picks up a call from Maria Latore, complaining that her boyfriend doesn’t talk much, and is always “working and hanging out with the guys.” This mysterious boyfriend is actually Claude, the beloved main character ofGTA 3.
Chatterbox Radio has retained a special place in the hearts ofGrand Theft Auto 3players, more so thanGTA: Vice City’s Flash FM orGTA: San Andreas’K Rose. Fans will forever remember the gardener ringing up to talk about turnips, mistaking Chatterbox for “Gardening with Maurice,” and the proud nudist declaring that winter is a conspiracy created by clothing companies. Additionally, Lazlow is based on the former Rockstar writer and producer, Jeffrey Crawford “Lazlow” Jones, so it’ll be interesting to see if he appears in futureGTAgames.
