I'm not able to hear BaD as often as I'd like so my T.C. awareness was delayed. Confessors have advised that he was a superstar intern for Bob and Dan, possibly because he would do personal stuff for them like operate their households, but also just because he was a great intern for a couple of guys who still resent the Thirteenth Amendment. I heard a couple of references on other shows to a "T.C.," and the tone seemed to be one of bemused irritation. I remember one reference in particular from Craig, who expressed unusual annoyance at T.C.'s behavior/attitude at Ticketstock one year.
That was a long time ago.
Then we would start to hear him on the air once in awhile. I didn't get it, but I figured this guy was popular around the station, so OK, he must have something. It wasn't so much T.C. that was the issue -- it was the way the hosts treated him, like some kid who'd won a contest to be Ticket Employee for a Day. Patronizing. I couldn't tell if the hosts liked him or didn't. 50-50. But maybe their irritation was a bit, hard to say. In those days T.C. was very, very passive on the air, leading to the T.C. imitations that we now hear from hosts, a timid, high-pitched voice that we don't hear anymore but lives on in the teasing of hosts.
But T.C. kept at it, dammit. He got more aggressive about participating when he was board-opping or had some other behind-the-scenes role. A lot of readers here did not like this, but I didn't mind it so much, I didn't think he was overly intrusive. And often his remarks were on the button, or he had a good question, or he jumped in with an answer to a sports question. He and Jake got a following for It's Just Banter (where, I understand, he expressed a strong dislike for this site).
Then, after Jake moved on from The Top Ten after Grubes's departure, T.C. got that chair.
And I think he's done a real, real good job with it. He's developed a lively delivery, his intros are pithy and sometimes funny.
Today he's sitting in for Gordon on the Muser show, and I think he's done a fine job. When I first heard he was going to be on, I thought we might hear more T.C. than we might have been ready for, but not so. He's chosen his spots to jump in, and they've hit the right pitch. I liked his zombie movie/TV theory -- it was quite literary -- and I really enjoyed his skyscraper/sky deck talk.
So, good job.
It's not entirely clear to me that he's got the right timbre for a full-time host job, but it's been a pleasure to see his hard work and improved delivery pay off in increased exposure.
* * *
In the last set of comments someone took a shot at my "overdriven mic" talk. Well, too bad, because here's some more.
I figure when you've got a new guy at a mic that was too hot to begin with it's hard to get it to sound good, but T.C.'s projection really is more than his mic can take. He's coming out very fuzzy and loud. This is not T.C.'s responsibility, and, at this point, I think we can rule out the sainted Jer or any other board op. The equipment has just never worked right, it still doesn't, and twistin' and tweakin' isn't able to help. Overall The Ticket sounds noticeably worse than it did before the Victory move, all shows. Everyone's voice (except, oddly, Corby's and sometimes George) has a sizzle to it that is unpleasant to hear. Today/Suck, where everyone's hollering, sounds like a Hendrix/Beck fuzztone feedback playoff.
