Sunday, September 30, 2012

Two Cheers for Hardline Music Talk

    
 
Whenever I do an article on Hardline music talk, I get a lot of comments highly critical of The Hard Ones, especially noting (1) music snobbishness, usually by Danny but sometimes by Corby, and (2) the frequency that a small number of artists are featured:   Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, a handful of others.
 
I'll declare my bias.  Long before I was aware of The Hardline, if you had asked me to name my three favorite modern acts, they would have been Steely Dan,  Jeff  Beck, and Neil Young -- three of Mike R's favorites as well, plus Petty.  So off the bat, I don't mind most of the music talk at all.  Other than Danny's (fairly rare) mentions of newer local and obscure national acts, the guys' fave raves coincide with those I got a taste for from my years of primo music appreciation.
 
But I'm not defending their taste in music.  I want to make a larger point about The Hardline, and probably The whole Ticket.  I'll concede the Confessors' point, that there is a fairish degree of repetition in a lot of it.  Even Nude Music Tuesday, on whatever weekeday it happens to fall, tends to feature new releases by old acts.  (So that's where the one cheer gets subtracted.)
 
The thought I want to share is this:  Isn't one of the things that makes The Hardline and all of the showgrams great that they don't pander to the P1?  That these shows are almost more overheard than  heard?  A bunch of white guys + Donovan sitting around talking?  Sure enough, repetition can be boring.  But I'd much rather that Mike, Corby, and Danny were unselfconscious in their music talk rather than trying to gin up chatter for stuff they don't care much about.  I've never heard a single Widespread Panic song, but Corby's enthusiasm for the band has attained the status of a bit, and it's OK.   Mike defends his attraction to certain older, sometimes schmaltzy, pop hits that earn Corby's and Danny's scorn, and it's always a refreshing interude.
 
So I'm good with the quantity and quality of music talk on The 'Line.  Sure, I disagree with it sometimes, as I did with Andy Williams.  And I've defended The Beach Boys in these pages against Danny's and Corby's sneering.  (Oh Danny, Danny, Danny -- or, Little Douche Coupe)
 
And, to get you all good and lathered up, let me say that Neil Young has made some of the most beautiful music, and written some of the most striking songs, of the past fifty years. 
 
 

30 comments:

  1. I don't mind that they do it solely for themselves, every now and again. Unfortunately all music talk is solely for themselves. Including the few times they go local. Even that is self-serving (for their local yokel music careers and to make sure that the 'in' or 'hip' local acts/musicians are on their side/in their good graces). What also sucks about Hardline music talk is that when they venture outside of their comfort zones, they almost never know what the f they're talking about. And what's worse, it's most always if not exclusively, Corby who treads those murky waters. Corby who is basically a music idiot if Widespread, Young, or a few select others aren't the act in question. Anything else, his thoughts are downright laughable. At least Mike and for the most part Danny stick to what they know best. I'll give them that much.

    Neil Young is vastly overrated, by the way. If I want to hear Kermit the Frog sing, I'll listen to "The Rainbow Connection." Which, by the by, is a much better and more heartfelt sung tune than anything Young ever did. Whoopee! Here's another song about my drug use, some other person's drug use, or an experience I had while on drugs. No thank you.

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  2. "Here's another song about my drug use, some other person's drug use, or an experience I had while on drugs"


    You've just described half the songs written in the 60's.

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  3. Plainsman, I know that you aren't able to listen everyday, all day. Understood. We can't all have jobs and-or lives that allow for such a luxury. But I must say that sometimes your lack of being able to listen to some or all of the programs on an almost daily basis makes some of your points a bit strange sounding. Strange sounding here in that if you listened to The Hardline on a daily basis, then you'd know that music talk has gone from a once in a blue moon treat (Greggo days, pre Corby and pre Danny's more vocal on-air role) to a now nearly everyday occurrence. Much of the music talk revolves around What's on Mike's Mind. Mike, being (I guess you could call it) forced to come up with a segment that reflects his interests for the last 6 or so years, in my opinion has it the wall. Other than the recent fascination with lists (which I like), 90% of what's on his mind is something music related; and 95% of what's on his musical mind consists of a very small group of artists from a very particular era. I understand that What's on MIKE'S mind is all about Mike. Got it. But it's an everyday thing, and its content has in turn influenced the rest of the show in a copycat sort of way. Meaning: more and more music segments, more frequently, and mostly revolving around what Mike finds interesting (and by chance, so do Danny and Corby). The upshot is, there's too much music talk. And too much about the same few artists, over and again. Furthermore, it is all about them, listener be damned. Once is a while that can be a cool thing. Nearly every single show, sometimes a couple of times within a show, is not so cool. I think if you were able to listen more often you'd see that this is the case.

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  4. Welcome, edfes. I don't recall seeing your moniker before. Hope to hear from you often.

    90%? Come on. I listen to a fair chunk of The Hardline almost every day and your description of music-talk domination is positively Corbyesque in in its exaggeration and its effect on the show.

    Besides, I acknowledged that music talk was sometimes excessive and boring, and I deducted a cheer for it.

    So while I'm happy to receive your respectful disagreement, I don't think the article is "strange" in the slightest. Your estimation of the frequency of music talk, however, kinda . . . is.

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  5. I've posted here several times. We'll have to do the old agree to disagree. I think you vastly underestimate the amount of music talk on the show. You also misread what I wrote. I said 90% of What's on Mike's Mind is music related, and 95% of the WOMM music talk is of a specific type. So uh, right back atcha.

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  6. Good to hear that Seabass is back. Plainsman, I didn't catch the new ticker guy from the weekend that you mentioned. Can you elaborate?

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  7. I echo that: Welcome back SeaBass. It's great to hear your voice again.

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  8. Looks like you owe edfes an apology or an my bad. He's right that you didn't understand what he wrote. Man up Plainsman.

    Glad you're back Sea Bass. Hope all is getting better. At least as good as it can be, considering what happened.

    The Hard Line music segments beat me into submission. They are a whip. By the way does anyone here remember old Tikcit slang like whip or beating? Pretty old old school Ticket. From back in the day when the Musers were on in the afternoon and The Hard Line were in the Norm spot. I think their music segments would be easier to take if they weren't musicians. You'd think the opposite, but it isn't so IMHO. They try to be too inside and technical. Almost show offy in a way. I don't care for it.

    On a final note, I'm liking MaSS but hey Scot and Matt I've had enough of the weekly infomercial for the Pour House and the Flying Saucer by the lake. It's a bit much. It's every single week. Several times a show. Actually went to the Pour House because of it, and it was OK. Just OK.

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  9. I understood edfas. I knew he meant 90% on Mike's Mind because that's what he said. It's a vast exaggeration. No apologies, but it was a good comment and I hope we hear from him often.

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  10. I join the chorus of "welcome back" for Sean Bass. Jump back in hard, SB. The Rangers need you.

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  11. 148: I probably shouldn't have posted about the Saturday Tickerman. I'm not sure he's a new Tickerman at all. The Ticket is a little thin at the JV ranks these days with Krenek's departure, SB's leave, and Jake doing Cirque later on. In the past I've tried to be hands-off with new guys. Probably just jitters, and I hope he gets another shot.

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  12. Has anyone noticed that the FAN is now offering up a poem after each Cowboy game?

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  13. Sorry Plainsman, I like this blog and you seem like a guy I'd enjoy having a beer or 7 with, but your reply to my comment implies that you read my comment as saying 90% of the show was about music. Sayeth The Plainsman:

    "90%? Come on. I listen to a fair chunk of The Hardline almost every day and your description of music-talk domination is positively Corbyesque in in its exaggeration and its effect on the show."

    So either you're back pedaling or your initial response was poorly worded to the point that your meaning was twisted. But hey, that's OK. To finish I'll say that I would be willing to lay a nice wager on the next (we'll make it easy to do here) 10 Mike's Minds that 9 of them pertain to music. Yes, I'll put my money where my comments are.

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  14. I enjoy the Music talk, between Mike and Danny. I happen to share an appreciation for similar music to both. It would be nice if corky went off-air for those segments all together, kind of like when Gordon goes off-air for most sports segments during the Musers.

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  15. Ticket Tribute Guy, we're waiting. (tickettribute.com)

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  16. My Ticket Confession, Confession

    Hopefully you won't delete this. I'm not a troll, and this is the first time I've made a comment. First time commenter, long time reader. Here goes. In keeping with your Plainsman avatar, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. In reverse order.

    The Ugly.
    The allowing of obvious trolls to linger on far too long. Though I have to say that you've been better about it lately.

    The Bad.
    Your lack of Ticket history and its effect on some of your views. Now in your defense, you do say how you appreciate others filling you in on Ticket history. But your knowing roughly half of Ticket history makes some of your insights on the hosts and what is possibly making them tick pretty off the mark. There have been a few posts that were totally based on something that was based in the past, but for you it was brand new and you didn't know where it was coming from.

    Running a blog on a radio station that you don't know its less than 20 yr old history very well, and that you don't get to listen to so much. You have admitted to not being able to listen very much on a daily basis and sometimes not at all for days or weeks at a time due to other commitments. This also shows up in your posts.

    The Good.
    First and foremost, your commenters (self not included!). Truth be told, they are the reason I visit your blog. Some are excellent writers and thinkers about all that is Ticket. It's also cool to hear from actual Ticket people.

    The fact that you seem to know how great some of your commenters are and are smart enough to not interfere. You let them do their thing.

    That when you do post up a thought, no matter what I think about it, it's always well written and thoughtful.

    Finally, the tone of the posts, the comments, and your replies are most always civil. That's pretty cool. It's also pretty rare these days.

    Thanks for the forum.

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  17. http://ratings.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb024

    How did the Fan double their listening audience from August to September, Cowboy football?

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  18. Someone else tuned in?

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  19. Well, we have determined that Corby thinks tonight's game is fascinating.

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  20. Anyone out there besides me get a wee case of the heebeejeebees when McClearin was talking about his internet love life and then his subsequent calling himself The Internet Lover? Bad touch. That dude shares way too much of his personal life. Waaaay too much.

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  21. @ Anon 11:13

    Now I'm mixed up. Doesn't McClearin have a child bride?

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  22. Yeah, he does. He was talking about his pre teen bride days. From what he said, he pretty much exclusively met his lady friends online. A previous engagement was procured from an online relationship. Same with seeing a photo of some chick 3 hours away one morning, contacting her to tell how cute she is, then basically pleading with her to allow him to make the 3 hour drive that very day to come see her. Don't know if I would've shared that with the metroplex. Then again, we're talking about someone who shares his experiences with aliens, Christmas fistfights with his brother, as an adult, not a kid, mind you, that make his mother cry, and well, the list just keeps growing. Hey, it's uncomfortable at times to listen to; but in truth, I don't mind it; it makes for crazy radio. And I'm all for crazy radio. Though you could tell that Scooter H was a bit uncomfortable with the direction Matt was taking the thing in.

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  23. I'm with you, it's crazy radio. It's also interesting to listen to. There is definitely no one else on the radio that is as weird as he seems to be. I catch their show a couple segments usually every week and I like it, they seem to fit well together since Scott seems pretty grounded and McClearin is a completely random freakshow. But it works and is entertaining. They had some Josh Hamilton talk yesterday that I thought was really good and on point.

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  24. Gagreed. It is interesting and at times weird radio. I'm listening more and more with each passing week. So at least for me they're doing something right. I just wish Diamond Talk would get its own show. I know Ticket Sports Saturday is sorta their show. But it's not always on and it's not always Seabass and Newbury. Those guys are top notch in my book. Love to see them with a regular paired up gig.

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  25. ALERT. ALERT. Audio issues on WTDS. EVERYONE PANIC AND TALK ABOUT HOW THIS IS THE END OF THE TICKET.

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  26. Ah, welcome back troll a-wipe. It's been, what, nearly 3 months or so since you last graced us?

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  27. @LastAnon: Don't you understand? He totally crushed it.

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  28. I understand, Deezy. Oh, I understand. I think we all understand how much it crushed it. Its level of douchedom is off the charts.

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  29. Was McLearin the one who DROVE TO PITTSBURGH to meet some chick he met in an internet chat room?

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