When I started this blog, my first, I figgered I'd need to develop a thick skin to shrug off some of the passionate negative comments I'd get from fans of a station about which people are passionate. I didn't anticipate passionate loathing from readers when I didn't post. But that's life online, I guess. Well, my hungry Confessors, here you go, some red meat for you: My very occasional report on the state of BaD, to my ears.
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This piece was started quite some time ago, and was put aside during the upheaval caused by the move to Victory. So it mentions some things that were fresh at the time, but no longer. I stand by the stale stuff.
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I feel bad that this site somewhat neglects Norm and BaD, mainly because I don't get to hear them as much. I'm quite certain those hosts intensely regret their relative lack of coverage here as well.
However, I've been making a real effort to listen to BaD more often. In the past year I've spent more time in my car middays, so got myself a good dose. Way back when. this started out as a Dan article, but think I should get all my BaD thoughts out of the way. Yes, I know it's too long.
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Dan McDowell is one of the more polarizing figures at The Ticket, in my case more south-polarizing, but every few months I kinda come around on him a little more, and there are times when I think -- hey, Dan's OK. I'm still not all the way there after 8 years, but I'm trying.
First, let's be positive. Awhile back we heard from a couple of anonymous big fans of BaD and especially of Dan. Here they are:
I have an STD. Well, and STD from me to myself: I have come to the conclusion that BaD has become the best show on The Ticket. I know there aren't a lot of Stars fans on this blog, but their interview with Trevor Daly today was very interesting. I also love the give and take between the analytical Bob and the gut-feeling Dan. And the thing is, Bob can get gutty on you, while Dan will all of the sudden go statsy. I think it's a great mix and a great show. I used to not think as such. The Hardline is either all gut-feeling Mike R organic I just thinks or Corby I just know because it sounds right to my mind. The Musers have that analytical/gut-feeling mix, but they seem to never really get to the heart of a sports issue. And Norm oscillates between analytical thought to sheer lunacy, all within the same segment and about the same topic.
Completely agree and I was thinking the EXACT thing during the Trevor interview today. I got in the car for lunch, heard them talking to Ralph and was thinking "shit all I'm going to get to hear is Stars talk during lunch today". Then Trevor came on and it couldn't have been more interesting. Bob and Dan are both so great, I can't really decide which one I like more (although I lean towards Dan since he thinks like I do); they just fit together really well.
So: Any commentary on BaD needs to acknowledge the obvious: It's not only a ratings hit, it has a number of fans who know exactly why they like the show -- not just because it's on The Ticket, but because they like Dan and Bob, and Dan qualifies as the station favorite among a significant segment of listeners. Got no argument with those folks.
And I can agree that BaD is good and renders its competition superfluous.
However, for me the show is still a very mixed bag.
(1) Good: I remain convinced, as I wrote awhile back, that Dan is much better solo. Not only better, but good-in-fact. I listened to the show a fair amount during Bob's absence way back when, and found it pretty easy to take with him and Donovan. I know not all Confessors share this view and could not wait for Bob's return. Me, I thought the discipline of carrying the show really sharpened Dan's approach. I'll repeat what I've said in the past: Dan is a better sports host than he is a Sports Humorist. While he can get off a good line once in awhile, "Dan" and "humorist" don't coexist comfortably in my psyche.
(2) Good: I was getting a lot of hits from an Aggie fan site where someone had linked to MTC. When I looked at the site I found a string where several P1's were giving Dan big props for being very friendly when approached by fans during remotes. This is not a small thing; any hosts that show consideration for the listeners in this way should be commended.
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(4) Good: Bits. Homer Call. Some of the Donovan black stuff is unique and entertaining. Guest Booking League.
Although the GBL is a better bit than some of the resulting interviews. I was amused the last week or so when BaD was teasing The Musers for being the show that interviews the relatives of the famous, whereas BaD gets the stars themselves. Maybe -- but at least The Musers have taken some care to hone their interviewing skills.
(5) Good: Handling of racial issues.
(6) Good-But-So-Strange: Recall that Dan sat in for Corby on The Hardline awhile back, as did a couple of other Ticket notables. I heard about George's and Gordon's plus-ones, but got zero response when I asked Confessors to let me know how Dan's stint went. When Corby returned, Mike took a segment to thank each of the guys who sat in. I found his very friendly remarks on Dan extraordinary, and strongly supportive of my suspicion that Dan is something of an outlier at The Ticket.
What was extraordinary was not Danny's statement that Dan was "the worst host, and my favorite," although that was a pretty interesting locution (I may not have it quite right). What struck me was the extent to which Mike went out of his way to report on how Dan gladly accepted the invitation to sit in and on Mike's apparently growing personal appreciation of Dan, things they have in common (baseball love), and the like. Although Mike was uncharacteristically effusive, almost gushing, I found his Dan-praise entirely sincere.
I also found it entirely weird that Mike was heaping all this very personal praise on Dan, which would hardly be called for if Dan were already regarded as a one-of-the-guys Ticketarian and friend to all. Not so weird if Mike felt there were some need to describe Dan in a way that sorta suggests that hey, people, Dan's really, really a good guy. No, really.
Wild guess: The Ticket gets lots of email about Dan.
(7) Latest Dan Theory: OK, I'm listening to BaD. And Dan has been featured on a couple of segments. And he's fine. Smart, as he usually is. Occasionally funny. Nothing wrong with the overall content. But for some reason, I'm finding it a really hard listen. Why is this? It's not the pipes, I'm way past that. Pipes are fine, although since the move the poor engineers have not been able to solve the problem of Dan frequently, and seriously, overdriving the mics. (No criticism intended here -- this is not a Dan issue, I think it's a Victory issue, as Dan is not the only one with this problem. Don't the CTO actually listen to the station?) It's something else. Driving me nuts. I'm going hey, I make a big show out of trying to be fair even when there's something I'm not crazy about. So why do I have vast reserves of tolerance for Gordon's and Corby's occasional jerkitude and very little for Dan's mannerisms, even when (as was the case at the time) he's not actually being a big jerk? Why is my mind wandering to speculation on what Elf might have going today?
And then, it hit me.
It was just a phrase or two, but I went aha, and the more I listened, the more I realized my problem (maybe it's only my problem) was this: Bob and Dan, but mostly Dan, spend an enormous amount of time commenting on their own commentary in the course of giving that commentary. Endless loops of monologue, ironic observations on their own observations. It takes Dan (and again, Bob to a slightly lesser extent) forever to get something said. That's what Danny must have meant lo those many months ago when he said that Dan "bogs crap down." That is exactly what he does. Doesn't make him a bad guy, but it's exasperating for the listener -- this listener, anyway. Bob may have the reputation of a ceaseless talker (and much of that ceaseless talking does indeed consist of subordinate clauses apparently intended to qualify his opinions into innocuousness -- I've got this on my list as a separate topic), but there's usually a point somewhere at the end of the spiral of verbiage. Dan seems to feel the need to embellish his phrases with self-observation that, I guess, is what he believes a sports humorist should be doing. Yes, yes, I know, I'm a fine one to be skeptical of subordinate clauses.
The August 3 E-Brake was an example. (Sometimes, I write stuff down.) That was the one where Dan asked Tom Grieve a question that rambled on self-referentially for over minute, during which Tom passed away on the other end of the line. Not that unusual for either of the boys, but for me, too often large chunks of the show sound like that. Christ, get on with it.
The heck of it is, Dan is plenty interesting and knowledgeable and smart and listenable without all of the self-interruption. (Not to mention the interruption of others, another topic entirely.) Just talk, dammit; say what you're going to say. Listen to tapes of Junior Miller, that most elegant of Ticketarians, the Fred Astaire of weekday hosts, who gets to the point faster and more effectively than any of the rest of them and is entertaining in the bargain. Dan isn't going to turn into Junior Miller and no one would want him to, but I can't help but feel that with his brains and his quickness Dan could be a first rate host if he'd just lose the false (?) modesty or insecurity or whatever it is and say what he has to say with about 75% fewer commas.
(8) Good: Donovan: Donovan takes his lumps on this site from time to time, but I must say I don't get it. I find him a bright spot on BaD. Some here have accused him of air hoggery, but I find this baffling. His contributions seem to me to be appropriate and no more prominent than other sub-hosts. And I find that I like what he has to say and, as I've noted above and elsewhere, BaD overall pitches the race thing about right. I enjoy Donovan's segments where he brings the community to us pasties. So I'm pretty OK with Mr. Doo. His Magic Johnson theory aside, which I wrote about here..
(9) Bad: The usual Bob issues: While I am a Sturm admirer and don't want to hear anyone else do Cowboy pre-game (other than his broadcast partner at the time, Rich or whoever), and while I listen in slack-jawed amazement at his hard-sports analysis when he offers it on BaD, it must be said that Dan is not the only one who brings that show to a screeching halt. I was on the verge of scrapping this essay -- whatever you may think, I really don't like going negative -- until I was listening a couple of weeks ago to a BaD segment featuring Cash Sirois and a promotional thing he had concocted for the Mavericks. Bob was introducing it. Some marvelous thing Cash was going to tell us about. Coming right up. It's really amazing. Here it comes. And we'll be hearing about it . . . when? Good lord, as Danny might say, the preamble, or pre-ramble, just went on forever with no sign of actually getting to the story. I was seconds away from punching out when they finally got to it. Good story, as it turned out (sending a Dirk bobblehead into near-space via balloon), but needlessly truncated by Bob's prefatory ambulations.
So I decided to go ahead and post.
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That's enough BaD, and way more than enough me. I feel terrible about my BaD misgivings, I really do. I want to be an old-fashioned fan of everyone on The Ticket, and truth to tell my opinion of Dan, in particular, has brightened a lot since I started listening to The Ticket. But BaD Radio is just not one of those seamless listens for me, like The Musers and The Hardline and even Norm.
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WAIT, I was ready to wrap this up, but I thought of a way to encapsulate my view of BaD.
Sometimes, I get the feeling that BaD struggles to broadcast.
It's hard for them. It's work.
Whatever you might think of The Musers or The Hardline, or even Norm, with those shows (well, maybe not Norm quite so much) you get the feeling that you're overhearing some friends talking about sports and guy stuff. Now this is work for the hosts on those shows as well, but their labor doesn't come through the ear buds. That's their gift.
Bob and Dan, for all their skills and brains, have a difficult time conversing naturally, at least with one another. Those skills and brains are considerable and it's still a much better listen than what the competition is slinging. But too often it's forced and audience-aware and cautious and slow and -- for me -- the show simply can't get out of its own way. It stumbles, it labors to rise and move on. By then, I may have done so myself.
Sorry, BaD fans. I really do listen, my reactions ranging from pleasure, to shaking my head, to yelling at the Crosley, to XM 21. As you can see, I find a lot to like about BaD. But this is The Ticket, the greatest radio station in the world; the standards are high. I've listened with care and I just have to conclude that with the truly superior talent in those chairs, BaD could be better.
Sometimes, I get the feeling that BaD struggles to broadcast.
It's hard for them. It's work.
Whatever you might think of The Musers or The Hardline, or even Norm, with those shows (well, maybe not Norm quite so much) you get the feeling that you're overhearing some friends talking about sports and guy stuff. Now this is work for the hosts on those shows as well, but their labor doesn't come through the ear buds. That's their gift.
Bob and Dan, for all their skills and brains, have a difficult time conversing naturally, at least with one another. Those skills and brains are considerable and it's still a much better listen than what the competition is slinging. But too often it's forced and audience-aware and cautious and slow and -- for me -- the show simply can't get out of its own way. It stumbles, it labors to rise and move on. By then, I may have done so myself.
Sorry, BaD fans. I really do listen, my reactions ranging from pleasure, to shaking my head, to yelling at the Crosley, to XM 21. As you can see, I find a lot to like about BaD. But this is The Ticket, the greatest radio station in the world; the standards are high. I've listened with care and I just have to conclude that with the truly superior talent in those chairs, BaD could be better.
Set me straight, BaD fans. Or, heaven forfend, agree with me.
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I'll post up a comment about the article tomorrow. But I just wanted to say welcome back, Plainsman. It's been too long, pal.
ReplyDeletePleasure.
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head with your final analysis. And it's my position that the reason why BaD seems forced or difficult work at times is because you have two hosts who should be on their own. Yes, perhaps they aren't the best of pairings. And yes, maybe if you paired Dan with a baseball intensive, free-wheeling partner like Rhynes or Danny, and Bob with a more sports-intensive guy like Sea Bass or Newbury it might make for a more natural show. Maybe. But it's my contention that that wouldn't be the case. I think we've seen enough of a sample size of each host on their own to realize that they are better hosts when they're on their own.
ReplyDeleteDonnie used to suffer from interruptusitis and logorrhea. Not anymore. I'm fairly certain his afflictions were due wholly to being the new guy and trying to establish himself as a contributing cohost of sorts--instead of some yuck monkey, which he isn't.
Great stuff, Plainsman. I echo the first Anon: glad to see something substantive from you.
Glad you're opening the floor for some BaD discussion.
ReplyDelete-I think part of BaD's scatterbrained-ness is the fact that I think they include everyone more than other shows. Instead of the hosts only(and Danny with HL), they include the producer and board ops in many segments. More voices, more opinions, more for us to get annoyed with.
-I was always a bigger Bob fan than I was Dan, but he stepped up, whether he meant to or not, during Bob's abscence....maybe he quit coasting or something, but either way, it helped.
-I'm not a Donovan fan...I think he sometimes takes an opposing viewpoint and sticks with it no matter what in order to find some room on the show...also, I noticed a few things he always does. He'll really EMPHASIZE some WORDS and then do his laugh-talking "he-heh-heh-right!!-heh-heh." Once I noticed it...I couldn't ignore it. Kinda like Bob and Rich with their "by the ways." To be fair, I'm sure if I talked for 3 hours a day people would get annoyed with me...but then again it's not my profession.
-I think the fascinating thing about the Ticket may be that sometimes we listen even when we don't want to. For example, I look forward to BaDs's Tivo segment...but then get frustrated when they just pick apart little things..or miss plot points, etc...but I still listen. Same with Hardline music talk. Danny & Corby are music snobs of the highest order, but I still listen.
I enjoy BaD radio above the other shows on The Ticket but don't have any issues with your observations. I think the most appealing thing to me about BaD when comparing it to the Musers in particular is the casualness of it. Musers feel like they're pretty formulaic and have been doing nearly the same show for years and years. Their show seems to fall a bit more into the morning drive formula than I'm comfortable with (still hands down better than their competition obviously, but it does have hints of what makes me despise Mike and Mike which is the "sterile-ness" of it). Just about any interview on the Musers is an instant punch out for me -- it completely feels like they're going through the motions with little though about whether or not the listener will REALLY be interested in the answer to the question.
ReplyDeleteThen you have Dan. He seems to pride himself on absolutely refusing to fall into any kind of assumed formula. He refuses to ask generic, boring questions when conducting an interview. Probably because of this, he does struggle to make it sounds easy or to have a good flow. It takes more work to always be skeptical and think through things before you just go through the motions.
I like Donny but I don't think he adds much to BaD other than the rare Donny led segments, which are good. Normally, he has to try to fight to shoehorn himself in and it just doesn't work (he ends up always just repeating someone's joke he found funny, except worded in a slightly different way). I've said it before, but he really should be moved to partner with Norm. He would actually make that show listenable for me.
Steve, I agree that Dan does try to be non-generic. And I should have mentioned here, as I have in past entries, that there is fearlessness about Dan that can lead to some good radio.
ReplyDeleteToo often, though, his approach sounds like iconoclasm for its own sake, forced. And it also sometimes comes across as hostile and chip-on-shouldery. And, ultimately, insecure. It is possible to explore uncomfortable topics with interviewees without making it seem like an ambush.
I'm not saying all his interviews and show interactions are like that. I just hear too much of it for my taste.
Steve: Great point about Donnie Doo. He and Norm make an excellent team on the Cowboys post game show, so why not extend that chemistry? There are many long long time Dallas sports radio listeners (my Dad, for one) who will tell you that Norm was at his absolute best when he had a partner. Specifically, Leon. No, I don't think that the fact that both Leon and Donavon are African-Americans has anything to do with it.
ReplyDeletePlainsman: Nice BaD post. You're pretty much spot on in my opinion. You're follow up comment about Dan's iconoclasm rings true. As well, the chip on the shoulder issue that he seems to have does indeed affect his performance and relationships with others at the station. At least it sure appears that way. Perhaps it's due to his dads situation, but he does seem to have some sort of loyalty or abandonment issues. I mean, for Pete's sake, anyone who does anything for another show without first having done it or something like it for BaD is immediately and on air called out and lambasted. It makes for the bad kind of uncomfortable radio.
"You're" when I meant "Your." Yeah, 8 am is early for me!
ReplyDeleteThey've surpassed the Musers as my favorite show on the Ticket. I think maybe because of the lack of formula that you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteBoth Bob and Dan annoy the piss out of me individually at times - Bob puffing out his chest talking about "11 personnel" (which he's mentioned several times lately) or whatever the football term is that he's recently latched onto. He did it with Jason Witten the other day. I get the feeling he's trying to make Dan and Donny feel dumb, while he laughs with an NFL Tight End - and Dan, who sometimes I get the feeling doesn't pay any attention at all to sports, as Bob and Donny have to correct him often. I also hate how in the midst of a conversation (about any sport) he compares it to his fantasy football league. Yes, we all play FF, but it has no bearing on any conversation concerning "real" sports - as a duo though, I think they're great. Homer Call is a little played out though and there are too many interviews (Jason Witten and Tom Grieve are good for falling asleep).
No big problems with Donny individually - the "heh heh heh right" from the earlier commenter is spot on though. I also think he takes a subtle joke from Bob and Dan and makes it an obvious loud joke, as if the listener didn't pick up on it originally. Those are minor gripes though.
My take: I get up early enough to hear some of the replay of the Top 10. Then I listen religiously to the Musers (I can have a radio on in my office). By the time Norm comes on I am starting to get sportsed-out, and of course Norm takes the sports talk up a notch or two. In the past, I rolled over to WBAP at 10:00 and listened to the last hour of Mark Davis and then stuck around for Rush. By the time Rush was over I was getting close to end of the work day and started doing my last walkabouts to check on things. Then on the way home it was back to the Ticket for WTDS/Hardline. So I pretty much missed BaD Radio. Except for segments I might catch on the Top 10.
ReplyDeleteWell now Mark Davis has been replaced by a generic talking head and Rush gets old after a while (although I am listening to him more as the political season cranks up). But I am also listening to BaD Radio more often and have no problem with their presentation - with the possible exception of the aforementioned long-winded wind ups. They could be wearing out Doogie's "Come on!" drop.
I love Donnie's contribution to the show. I don't think he overexposes him self too often and he has enough of a different viewpoint that it is refreshing more often than not.
ReplyDeleteAs for the issue of rambling, I wholeheartedly agree with you that it's the worst part of the show. I have to turn it off every once in a while because they go off on tangents of tangents of tangents and I can't even remember what the original point was supposed to be. It's the way they are, though. They've always been that way and that's a big reason why people tend to either love them or hate them. I think they're a perfect antidote to Norm. If I have to listen to him for any length of time, I'm glad to hear some pointless rambling.
When Dan was last in with "It's just Banter" the one from Addisson, he (Dan) essentially disclosed that his radio persona is just a character. I have enjoyed him more in the last five years than I have ever did.
ReplyDeleteAs for Donovan, it is apparent to me that even as much and Bob, Dan, and the rest of the on-air cast love to talk about current pop culture and local DFW issues, they still have little knowledge or willingness to learn about minorities (both Latinos and Blacks) and talk about it on air since it will be met with opposition as much as the convention music choices were. The result is the "ghetto jeopardy"/"cultural frontrunning"/"Donovan asks while women questions". That is very stale.
We could find out what else BaD Radio has to offer if they have three to five less segments a week to talk Stars with a lockout likely.
As for today (9/13), George tried to bow up to Boone Pickens about fracking but quickly turtled. That was embarrassing. I could hear Gordo giggling during that part of the interview.
Does anyone happen to follow Jean Jaques "Wyngz and A$$" Taylor on Twitter? F'n A, his latest photo/avatar or whatever it's called is amazing. A black and white, glamor-Cybil Shepherd Moonlighting-filtered, while wearing mirrored cop/aviator sunglasses. Certain things tell you a lot about someone. This definitely does. In short: what an asshat.
ReplyDeleteNow on to BaD: If it's true that Dan is merely playing a character on the radio, then I've lost all respect for him. Same goes with Gordo, who often claims as such. If you're going to base your station ethos on a "we're just like you, we're not above it all, and let's all relate" sort of vibe, then pretending to be such and such sort of person for the entertainment of others/self-protection is, to use one of Dan's terms, a load of bulsh. Do I think Dan puts on an act? No. Of course I've no way of knowing this, but I can't see how someone can show up for what, ten or more years, and step into character. Even if that was the case in the beginning, surely it isn't anymore.
I did not hear the Dan Banterview.
ReplyDeleteWhat "role" did he say he was playing? What did he either state or imply about the difference between the sort of chap he really is and the guy on the show?
Jake and T.C. got Dan to talk about the "different worlds" which Dan has from working at The Ticket and his domestic life.
ReplyDeleteDan admitted that he acts, "not that much of an a$$hole around his kids...that he can act one way around his buddies, but he goes on the air you cannot say the profanities and he is trained to do that. While his wife has used profanities around our kids, he have never done that.
I never once took Dan's comments on IJB to mean he's portraying a character on the radio. Not cussing around your kids doesn't mean he's putting on an act. I'd venture to say most guys don't cuss around their kids.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who lives out of state & does most of his listening during the day. I think Steve hit the nail on the head for me by stating how formulaic The Musers sound. Almost like they are on autopilot a bit. The Hardline still sounds like it is in transition and still finding its own "character traits" as Hardline 2.0. So, BAD has become my favorite show. The only thing that somewhat bugs me is the talking over each other, but it's not that bad for me. You can tell though that they seem to be the pieced together from different parts of the country pairing. Especially when they recently talked about tuner wives briefly talking at Madano's deal. And for what it's worth, I am listening to Norm more lately. I think it has to do with a combination of him beingore comfortable at the Ticket and playing along with bits/ribbing, and he seems to let others contribute more, so it is more than just Norm, now.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of overdriving mics, I heard the reply of the Ticket Mouse this morning. TM was almost incomprehensible. I have a feeling it was an EQ problem and not an overdrive problem, but whatever it was, it was very difficult to make out what TM was saying. Usually not a problem for TM. The perils of live radio, I guess.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I miss the old Norm. The Norm who, no matter how passe, would still play "That Smell" and other classic rock and oldies tunes that were painfully dated and obvious. Now we get "The Y Pad." I know it refers to his yellow notepad, but it sounds gross. Like a feminine hygiene product. That and the trying to rename everything (like The Ox for Oxnard). I do like that he includes Sea Bass more and Sirois less. Sorry CdS fans, but Sea Bass is much better. Sirois is the kind of guy I'd like to be buddies with, but he's a sports knowledge poseur.
ReplyDeleteI would venture to guess that a couple of the guys up there are playing characters. Dan and Gordo for sure. It's entertainment first and foremost. Perhaps it's not 100%out of their normal personalities but I would imagine it's definitely a large exaggerration of who they really are, designed to create on air tensions or push their shows. I don't think Corby is quite the braggart he makes himself out to be or that Danny is as dark and "everything sucks" as he is on air but it makes for an interesting mix and they play those personalities well, so it works. To think these guys are going on air and being 100% themselves is naive.
ReplyDeleteI'm no acquaintance with anyone at The Ticket. Though I have run into several hosts on more than one occasion at local bars. Some more than others. I've seen Danny numerous times, too many times to count. He's a regular a watering hole down the road from my place. The guy is definitely not a black cloud. He's seems like a good man. Always friendly, upbeat, and will chat with anyone that comes up to him about anything. Yes that includes sports. Corby might be a great father, husband, son, and friend, but the 5 or so times I've been in close proximity of him at a bar (admittedly, he had a drink in his hand each time) he was saying the exact same stuff he does over the air. Zilch difference. Run into Gordo a couple of times at a bar and a couple of times at neighborhood eateries/coffee shops. He's always been solo, with his daughter, or either a few friends or his wife. Pretty quiet dude. He might be cracking jokes and spewing darkness, but if he is, he isn't showing it.
ReplyDeletePulling back the curtain a little bit: The harmonizer (the thingy that does the podium and chipmunk/Ticket Mouse voices) is an older piece of equipment (one that we carried over from the old studios) and it's still a work in progress as far as getting it to work like it did before with our all-digital microphones and equipment. It sounded good "in the moment", to me at least, but on the replay I wasn't terribly thrilled either. Sorry about that.
ReplyDeleteBig Strong: Thanks for putting your big noggin' into this small potatoes thing. I for one remember having band rehearsals (in my soon after college go nowhere band) where all the multiple pedal effects our guitar player had in a small room sounded so perfect...in reality, both live and recorded, came off quite less as amazing than our ears initially told us. So I for one feel you, brother. It's a treat to hear from you, and stay hard!
ReplyDeleteFor my ears, new or old studio, none of the Gordo disguised voices have ever been clear. From The Ghost of Seattle Slew to the Valley Ranch Deep Throats to The Ticket Mouse, if it weren't for Rotten Radio or the Top Ten, I would've missed the gist of what each character/bit was saying.
ReplyDeleteIn general, the overall sound of the station is worse. Many hosts frequently overdrive their mics. Dan, Bob Junior, George, Mike. Odd exception: Corby.
ReplyDeleteThe Victory conversion has hurt Gordon's impressions. I have no knowledge about radio audio tech, but here's my guess: For all of the harshness of the new sound, the new mics are picking up a whole lot more of the voice signal and so the "real voice" of the individual that got somewhat mushed over with the older stuff comes through. That's why the "telephone interview" sound tends to result in better impressions for the celebrity impressions (Fake Jerry and Garrett). Speaking straight from the ass here.
PLEASE!!!!!!! Does today's Cowboy's pre-pre game show mean the end of the Joe Morgan Show????? PLEASE!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGood job by MaSS today. Not sure if it was premeditated, but I liked the way McClearin shared more of the bus driving duties. The last few months, the show has become sort of the Scot Harrison Show with Matt McClearin as the side kick, but not cohost. Today definitely had a two host show. Really liked it. As I said, good job today MaSS
I wish they'd just stop using the harmonizer all together. All it does is remind me of Kidd Kraddick doing it last time I actually listened to his show back in the 90's or early 2000's. It was a terrible use of the technology then and it still is now. Surely, with all of the different voice disguising options out there on the internet they could come up with something better by now.
ReplyDeleteBut Steve, isn't that the point? That's it's cheesy? That, at least in the case of the deep-throats, it operates as a send-up of the whole disguised-informant genre?
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