There comes a time in the life of every P1 and Confessor when he pauses, thinks:
that he must really be honest with himself,
no matter what he is saying to the outside world,
or in the comments he leaves on Reddit or My Ticket Confession,
or in the emails he sends to Jeff ("The New World Catman") Catlin,
or what he mutters under his breath when he's driving home from work;
and he asks himself:
Is The Hardline really as bad as I've been saying and thinking it is?
Corby and The Hardline get more grief from readers in these pages than do any other host/showgram. Is it deserved?
I acknowledge the obvious:
The Hardline lads are very light on show preparation. We can hear it, and we hear other Ticket notables acknowledge it on the air (Mike Sirois being a recent example). Corby is a bit of a celeb-sniffer and has a strong attraction to the kickass lifestyle he is able to enjoy because of his local celebrity, and has a stylistic addiction to hyperbole. Danny's cynicism can be wearing. Each of them is at or near the bottom of apparent sports knowledge among all of the hosts. (No? The only evidence we have is what comes through the buds, sorry lads.) The political leftism is just so unnecessary and trendy and contrary to the iconoclasm one would hope from a show called "The Hardline."
And the jewel in the crown of the show's issues: Hall-of-Fame Mike too often becomes Checkout Mike. This site has offered the thought many times that Mike, not Corby, is the author of the weaknesses of the Hardline. He has -- yes, I think he still has, I don't think it's atrophied from disuse -- the authority to sharpen up that show, and to beat back the browbeating he takes way too often and at too-great length from Corby and Danny. But he seems to have decided that, most of the time, it easier not to.
It's can be sad to hear, because I and many of you have observed that Corby is better, much better, away from the Hardline when he's had to step up his game, or when he's running a Hardline on his own. When Mike is engaged or has a sportsy co-host during a Corby vacay, he can rise to the heights of the pre-Greggo-meltdown days. Danny may be the wittiest off-the-cuff guy on the station.
So let me stake my position here: I still love The Hardline. I almost never punch out. I'm in for the sometimes genuinely hilarious stuff they get going. Corby can be a very funny man -- I probably laugh out loud at him more than any other host on the station (Junior and Gordon in a tie for a close second). Yes, I'd like much greater balance. Yes, I'd like to feel like segments didn't get planned during the just-completed commercial break. Yes, I'd like to hear Mike get up on his hind legs and sound like a real old grey wolf who has had enough. But in the meantime, there's plenty to enjoy on The Hardline. The ratings back me up -- still on top despite the repeated efforts of the competition to cull a compromised calf from the herd. Corby is a frequent leader to those who correspond with Why Today Doesn't Suck. It isn't just that there isn't any competitor worthy listening to -- on its merits, The Hardline is -- is still -- great radio.
I'm not going to tell anyone to stop listening if they loathe Corby, although that would seem to be a simple route to a better life if you really can't stand the guy. You may be weary of this characterization, but I really think Corby is the Howard Cosell of The Ticket. (Uh, do Confessors remember Howard Cosell?) An annoying on-air presence, a weird voice, but a superior interviewer -- come on, guys, he's really good -- and somehow oddly compelling enough that you can't turn away.
Now, you don't have to stop criticizing Corby or Mike or Danny or the show as a whole on this site (with the usual cautions regarding vulgarity, anger, and ad hominem attacks on co-Confessors).
But I do want you to search your soul and consider whether, on balance, The Hardline really, really lets you down with regularity.
Speaking only for myself (who else?), it does not. It's about as good as it's ever been, if not better.
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| I'm with you, Pdunce. And that Mino is dreamy! |
