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The Suffering of David Lee Roth

Johnny Dickshot Apr 13 2006 06:02 PM

As most of you know I was a regular Howard Stern listener but mostly out of habit over the last several years, and when he left regular old radio I didn’t bother following him. Nor did I change the station I wake up to. It’s pretty much white noise anyway in the morning. … my main purpose of a morning show is to get me through the 12-15 minutes of walking to and from the subway on my daily commute. But my god, have any of you heard David Lee Roth? I feel sorry for the guy. He means well, he tries … but he’s just. Not. Good. At. This. And with crappy ratings, the suits who were either dumb enough or daring enough to try him out are demanding changes, he’s resisting them, then acquiesing, then changing again... and the whole show has become a slow-motion train wreck. It doesn't mean or stand for anything. I can barely describe how awkward the whole thing is… and whenever he gets whacked – tomorrow? Next week? – I think I’m going to miss it, only because this was either the most daring thing ever put on the radio or the worst. Maybe both. Say you were there.

Methead Apr 14 2006 09:20 AM

Exactly. I actually thought he was on to something (as opposed to just being on something) when he was doing the show the way he wanted. Management has their idea of where they want the show to go, but honestly, if you just want some guy to read the news, you don't hire a crazy former rock star to do it. Like you, I never changed the station I wake up to, and I can't. I just enjoy train wrecks too much.

Frayed Knot Apr 14 2006 09:44 AM

In the meantime, other set of suits are worried over the smaller-than-expected numbers of peeps who followed Stern onto satellite radio.

seawolf17 Apr 14 2006 09:47 AM

You can't "replace" Stern, and that's what they tried to do. It was still too fresh; they tried to let him do his own thing, but he wasn't any good at it, so they handcuffed him, which only made it worse. They took a calculated risk, but did the math all wrong.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 14 2006 09:59 AM

Satellite radio is a flawed concept doomed to fail, I think. I mean, I see where it has cool stuff. But if it were more like cable TV, where the programming isn't (all) owned by the providers, and wasn't exclusive, and the consumer could own a device that could tune in whatever XM or Serius satellite channel he wanted, then I could see more acceptance. But they've screwed me out of signing up for either service by exclusively playing Stern on one system, baseball on the other. It makes them both worthless. Plus they haven't come up with a device that works as well as a portable walkman radio, portability-wise, or price-wise. I've decided I'm rooting for DLR: I think he can get better but would bet heavily against him ever getting the chance to. What an interesting character he's sorta become.

TheOldMole Apr 14 2006 11:12 AM

I think satellite radio is a great concept, but I don't see Sirius making it. Eventually they'll have to get bought out by XM.

Frayed Knot Apr 14 2006 01:23 PM

I don't know if the whole concept is doomed to failure but part of the problem is that it just continues and even exaggerates the "narrow-casting" trend from terrestrial radio. I think there will soon be a station devoted completely only to country songs with female vocals recorded on a Tuesday. There's only so far you can cater to a specific taste before you cater your audience into monotony.

metirish Apr 20 2006 01:15 PM

Opie and Anthony apparently will replace Roth....wow... http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/ny-etradio0421,0,6430631.story?coll=ny-top-headlines

Johnny Dickshot Apr 20 2006 01:32 PM

I was listening to Roth this morning and he obviously didn't know that. I went to high school with Opie. He's 40 or 41, not 37 as reported in that article.

seawolf17 Apr 20 2006 02:08 PM

Johnny Dickshot wrote: I went to high school with Opie. He's 40 or 41, not 37 as reported in that article. It's a small Opie world; Opie went to the same college as I did. (Before me, but we both worked at the same college radio station.)

Johnny Dickshot Apr 20 2006 02:20 PM

Yeah, the article says also that Anthony went to Glenn, who, if you were a jock, was supposed to be your sworn enemy. I rooted against my high school football team.

Willets Point Apr 20 2006 02:21 PM

I have an idea. How about if radio stations currently playing Roth, formerly playing Stern and considering Opie & Anthony instead hired a local person to work at the radio station. This person would have a good knowledge of the radio station's style of music and play a good selection of music interspersed with interesting comments on the music and related issues. We can call this person a DJ. Along with a DJ, other staff could be a person who reports on current events (a News Person), condition of local highways and public transit (Traffic Reporter), and weather (Meteorologist). Do you think it would fly or is this idea just way to radical for morning radio?

Elster88 Apr 20 2006 02:47 PM

I'd be down with that. I don't understand why the radio doesn't play music in the morning either. When I'm first up in the morning I don't want to be bombarded with people screaming and roaring in hilarity at their own witticisms. Why do people who have obviously been drinking coffee laced with red bull and doing eight balls of coke since 5:30 AM think that someone driving to work two hours later wants his eardrums blasted? Elster88 wrote: I don't understand why the radio doesn't play music in the morning either. Maybe because everyone has been trying to imitate Imus's show since it's inception and, later, Stern's show.

Willets Point Apr 20 2006 02:54 PM

Did you just quote and answer yourself or is the forum going screwy? By the way my point is not just getting more music on the radio but also getting local talent for a local radio show instead of some guy in New York or Los Angeles being blasted across the national airwaves.

Lundy Apr 20 2006 03:38 PM

What's most interesting about this is that they'll be staying on XM while at the same time on terrestrial radio, working within FCC guidelines. It'll be interesting to see how they work that out.

OlerudOwned Apr 20 2006 04:15 PM

Willets Point wrote: I have an idea. How about if radio stations currently playing Roth, formerly playing Stern and considering Opie & Anthony instead hired a local person to work at the radio station. This person would have a good knowledge of the radio station's style of music and play a good selection of music interspersed with interesting comments on the music and related issues. We can call this person a DJ. Along with a DJ, other staff could be a person who reports on current events (a News Person), condition of local highways and public transit (Traffic Reporter), and weather (Meteorologist). Do you think it would fly or is this idea just way to radical for morning radio? Which is why Booker should have the morning slot.

Frayed Knot Apr 20 2006 04:24 PM

The problem with "local" radio teams is that these big city stations (and many smaller town stations as well) are owned by the huge communications giants.

Willets Point Apr 20 2006 04:28 PM

That's not a problem that's an obstacle. The problem is that these huge communications giants have bought up our public airwaves.

Edgy DC Apr 20 2006 04:32 PM

Part of a broader problem of cultural homogenization, but a poiint worth making.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 20 2006 10:38 PM

If I understand this rumor properly, we're to receive yesterday's XM O&A show cleaned up for reg'lar radio?

Rockin' Doc Apr 20 2006 10:51 PM

I believe Elster is hearing voices. Someone best call jb.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 21 2006 07:15 AM

Yes, I'm listening to the last DLR show ever. Played "I can see for miles" now he''s playing "Burning Down the House." Goodbye, my sweet trainwreck.

abogdan Apr 21 2006 10:02 AM

Wow, they don't even let him say goodbye. DLR ends an interview with Jeff Bridges, goes to commercial, and then 30 minutes of music until the next show begins.

metirish Apr 21 2006 10:09 AM

So does he go back to being an EMT?, what kinda money was DLR making for the radio gig?

abogdan Apr 21 2006 10:20 AM

Something like $4 million a year. How much of that he'll end up seeing, however, will likely be decided by a judge or jury years from now.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 21 2006 10:22 AM

I suppose they feared some Diamond Dave broadsides. I feel terrible for the guy.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 24 2006 09:59 AM

So the "big announcement" hit at 9 am, marking the first time I've ever listened to Opie & Anthony, at least in a long while. They made a great point in that maneuvering to split a show between terrestrial and Satellite was what Howard Stern should have gone for the whole time, but Howard overplayed his satellite hand. CBS/Infinity seems to be getting the last laugh here, revenge on Howard AND Serius, unless Howard aligns with a terrestrial provider whom he hasn't crossed yet, if any of them still exist, while not alienating the millions he convinced to sign up with Serius. O&A will be starting Wednesday officially and will be live 6-9. I thought we'd get a taped show, but they actually will broadcast in the XRK studios in the mornings, then go to XM studios at 9am and continue a dirtier show there (it's only a few blocks away). The XM feed will not include the stuff dumped from the 6-9 version (as if that's worth $12.95 a month or whatever)...

Willets Point Apr 24 2006 10:04 AM

So these guys basically just doubled their workload.