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Entertainment Columnist - Scott Tady
01/08/2006
Good or bad, he's no Howard Stern
AK NAHAS
Give him credit for not being a Howard Stern clone.
Landing on terrestrial radio last Tuesday, David Lee Roth sounded more like a mix of Dr. Phil, Dr. Laura and Pittsburgh's own Jim Quinn.
The Roth show, heard locally on WRKZ-FM (93.7), debuted dismally, but by Friday the former Van Halen singer hit a groove that made his show fairly entertaining, or at least worth a few more listens.
Focusing on listener phone calls and his own rapid-fire riffing, Roth wisely has left the strippers, drunken dwarves and crazy cabbies to his predecessor, Stern, whose Sirius Satellite Radio show premieres Monday.
The bigger risk by the 51-year-old Roth is his refusal to load his show with celebrity guests. Roth explained he doesn't want to interview Hollywood stars because then he'd have to pretend he saw their latest movie.
That's a refreshing attitude, but it backfired during Roth's most crucial hour - the 8 to 9 a.m. drive time slot on his debut show - when he spent the entire time interviewing his Uncle Manny, a World War II veteran and 1950s Greenwich Village club owner.
With his stories about bombing Berlin and booking Peter, Paul & Mary, Manny was the perfect radio guest ... for an AM nostalgia station like WJAS (1320.)
Things hadn't improved much by Wednesday for listeners who tuned in to hear an emergency medical technician discussing the importance of 911. Just what gridlock-weary commuters need - a boring lecture. Roth has undergone extensive training as a New York City EMT, something he talked about at great length last week.
The Roth show improved Thursday and Friday when the host fielded phone calls and dispensed advice on relationships and parenting. Though his show is heard throughout eastern and Midwestern markets, most of those callers had Brooklyn accents that "Saturday Night Fever's" Tony Manero would have struggled to comprehend.
At times, his conversations with listeners turned political, allowing Roth to get on a soapbox on issues such as gun control (he's opposed, though he says hunters should only be allowed in the woods after receiving extensive gun training).
With his bold opinions, quick wit and colorful use of language, Roth showed ample potential. He fired off some funny one-liners ("The problem with Cuban coffee," he said, "is that a week later I'm drowsy again.") and displayed a proper mix of defiance and humor in dealing with the inevitable crank-calling Stern fans.
But with no provocative guests to grill, Roth's shtick sometimes grew tiresome. To maintain a verbal flow, Roth surrounded himself in the studio with several underlings, none of whom contributed much in the way of humor or insight, though in fairness we should give them time to see if there's a Stern-styled Stuttering John or Baba Booey in the bunch.
Roth, too, deserves a few more weeks to fine-tune his show.
Though, if he doesn't soon find someone more interesting than Uncle Manny to talk to, WRKZ officials might want to start figuring out a backup plan.
...
Scott Tady can be reached online at stady@timesonline.com.
©Beaver County Times Allegheny Times 2006
01/08/2006
Good or bad, he's no Howard Stern
AK NAHAS
Give him credit for not being a Howard Stern clone.
Landing on terrestrial radio last Tuesday, David Lee Roth sounded more like a mix of Dr. Phil, Dr. Laura and Pittsburgh's own Jim Quinn.
The Roth show, heard locally on WRKZ-FM (93.7), debuted dismally, but by Friday the former Van Halen singer hit a groove that made his show fairly entertaining, or at least worth a few more listens.
Focusing on listener phone calls and his own rapid-fire riffing, Roth wisely has left the strippers, drunken dwarves and crazy cabbies to his predecessor, Stern, whose Sirius Satellite Radio show premieres Monday.
The bigger risk by the 51-year-old Roth is his refusal to load his show with celebrity guests. Roth explained he doesn't want to interview Hollywood stars because then he'd have to pretend he saw their latest movie.
That's a refreshing attitude, but it backfired during Roth's most crucial hour - the 8 to 9 a.m. drive time slot on his debut show - when he spent the entire time interviewing his Uncle Manny, a World War II veteran and 1950s Greenwich Village club owner.
With his stories about bombing Berlin and booking Peter, Paul & Mary, Manny was the perfect radio guest ... for an AM nostalgia station like WJAS (1320.)
Things hadn't improved much by Wednesday for listeners who tuned in to hear an emergency medical technician discussing the importance of 911. Just what gridlock-weary commuters need - a boring lecture. Roth has undergone extensive training as a New York City EMT, something he talked about at great length last week.
The Roth show improved Thursday and Friday when the host fielded phone calls and dispensed advice on relationships and parenting. Though his show is heard throughout eastern and Midwestern markets, most of those callers had Brooklyn accents that "Saturday Night Fever's" Tony Manero would have struggled to comprehend.
At times, his conversations with listeners turned political, allowing Roth to get on a soapbox on issues such as gun control (he's opposed, though he says hunters should only be allowed in the woods after receiving extensive gun training).
With his bold opinions, quick wit and colorful use of language, Roth showed ample potential. He fired off some funny one-liners ("The problem with Cuban coffee," he said, "is that a week later I'm drowsy again.") and displayed a proper mix of defiance and humor in dealing with the inevitable crank-calling Stern fans.
But with no provocative guests to grill, Roth's shtick sometimes grew tiresome. To maintain a verbal flow, Roth surrounded himself in the studio with several underlings, none of whom contributed much in the way of humor or insight, though in fairness we should give them time to see if there's a Stern-styled Stuttering John or Baba Booey in the bunch.
Roth, too, deserves a few more weeks to fine-tune his show.
Though, if he doesn't soon find someone more interesting than Uncle Manny to talk to, WRKZ officials might want to start figuring out a backup plan.
...
Scott Tady can be reached online at stady@timesonline.com.
©Beaver County Times Allegheny Times 2006
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