RADIO REVIEW:GAY BYRNE has always known the value of emotion. During his years hosting The Late Late Showhe found that the audience fluctuated between two extremes: hysterical laughter at comedy and riveted silence during dramatic human-interest stories.
Yet as he shared such insights with Ryan Tubridy (
Tubridy
, 2FM, weekdays) what was most striking was the tight rein Byrne continues to keep on his own emotions, if not his prejudices.
Wednesday's encounter between the veteran host and his Late Late Showsuccessor made for an interesting clash of styles, in which Byrne's flinty persona contrasted with the jaunty poise of the would-be heir to the throne of Ireland's most successful broadcaster. From the off Byrne played up the role of the curmudgeonly old stager. He spoke of still being on the "wireless" with his Lyric FM show, Sunday with Gay Byrne, feigning irritation when Tubridy declared himself a fan. "You're too young to enjoy our time warp," he said, harrumphing.
Lest anyone think this was all an act, however, Byrne grew more strident in his opinions the longer the interview went on. He spoke soberly about the Hollywood actor Martin Sheen – whom he met for his television series The Meaning Of Life, being opposed to abortion while labelling his stance on other issues as “trendy leftie liberal”. He described the ruling by the European courts that it was discrimination to charge males more for car insurance in similar terms, as a “trendy leftie ruling driven by political correctness”. The verdict is one of the reasons Byrne hates Europe. “I was agin it from the word go,” he said. “Everything that happens in it is a lie.”
At the same time Byrne put Tubridy in his place in jocular but firm manner. He repeatedly reminded Tubridy he had been his own producer on the Late Late, while his host was "in the lucky position of having lots of minions". The way Byrne dominated the interview was a reminder of why he ruled the roost for so long: no matter how emotive or divisive the topic, Byrne remained in control of himself and his brief.
Tubridy, by contrast, finds it hard to hide his feelings when confronted with difficult subjects. He sounded uncomfortable during Tuesday’s interview with Tony Heffernan, a man whose five-year-old daughter, Saoirse, died of Batten disease in January and whose son is suffering from the same neurological condition. It was a natural response to such a tragic story, as was Tubridy’s desire to seek scraps of positivity, such as whether Saoirse was, even at the end, a “happy child”. But, with his nervous tone, Tubridy inadvertently came across as a man dutifully enduring a discomfiting encounter.
One could not imagine the stoical Byrne reacting in such a manner. He may have been forthright in stating his views to Tubridy, but, typically, he allowed no glimpse of his inner life beyond fond descriptions of his grandchildren. Tubridy, on the other hand, spoke about two “vivid and lucid” dreams he had about Gerry Ryan, in which he told the late presenter how much he missed him. Ryan’s death, Tubridy said, had more of an effect on him than he realised: “He’s been on my mind a lot.” It was a revealing and affecting moment: in the end Tubridy’s emotiveness was more appealing than Byrne’s grumpy implacability.
One man who made no apologies for his emotions was George Hook ( The Right Hook,Newstalk, weekdays), who wore his heart on his sleeve with characteristic bluntness after Ireland beat England in the cricket World Cup. Broadcasting from his hometown of Cork, he was unashamedly weepy as he recalled how as a young man he had fallen in love with cricket there, despite the sport being scorned as a "garrison game". There was no doubting Hook's passion. When someone sent a text that the victory would mean nothing to 80 per cent of the population he was outraged, saying such an attitude was not only wrong but cynical. The cricketers should be applauded, as "we have little to cheer about when this nation was raped, pillaged and burned by those who led us for 15 years."
Still, Hook got a bit carried away in his enthusiasm. The cricket team was a role model for an Ireland that needed to recover its courage and self-esteem, he said. As he warmed to his theme one could practically hear the tones of A Nation Once Again –or, at the very least, Ireland's Call– swelling in the background. "If 11 men in green with willow against ball can prove they can do it, then why not us? Why not small and medium businesses around the country, to look at the opportunities of taking on the big boys of industry around the globe?" At such times Hook teeters into self-parody. But his teary sincerity was disarming and, in the best sense of the word, uplifting. Sometimes it is good to let emotions out.
Radio moment of the week
As the party-political chatter of the election was replaced by tight-lipped negotiations, new independent TDs filled the void on radio, with the Roscommon deputy Luke “Ming” Flanagan staking an early claim as a quotable media favourite. When he was interviewed by Mary Wilson on Monday’s Drivetime (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays), he rebutted the notion that as an Independent he would be beholden to local interests. For one thing he ignored the traditional political practice of attending local funerals unless he knew the deceased. “In 2004 I topped the poll in my local electoral area, and five years later I increased my vote by 50 per cent. I did not attend one funeral,” he said. “Bar my mother’s, unfortunately.”
