Same. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I don’t enjoy either show, and life moves on.
Toucher and Hardy: The new 98.5 morning show
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
- Start date
Covid broke both of them.
I do love Toucher and Hardy though. I listen more than I did the last 3 years of T&R. I’m also a Hardy guy and would love to do some DYI projects around the house with him
It certainly seems so. Rich living on the island and Fred moving towards the breakdown show....
I listen to it in the background while working. If I focus on what they are talking about, hey look Wallach looks like a bird!, Doris Burke voice, complaining about normal thing 98% of people do, I want to turn it off and delete the app. I want to like it but the energy of the three of them is bad. I'm waiting for the day Wallach is cut for budget reasons. He hardly speaks and when he does it's getting very close to grandpa simpson screaming at the moon. It's hard to generate humor when it's thumbs down all the time.
Yep. I listened to probably 2-3 hours of T&R every weekday for geeze, over 10 years? Now I don't find either show all that entertaining. I might catch a segment here or there on a podcast. Such a bummer.
Anyone hear about them going off on a TikTok account from two overweight people that put out videos to help other overweight people see what rides they can and cannot go on?
It was trending for a bit this week, a go-worker mentioned it. Got enough blowback that they removed clips from socials ( not sure about the audio from the website).
One of the women responded on her scooping and has over 50k “likes” and nearly 2,000 comments. Quick check of T&H instagram (way more eyeballs than TT) show most of their posted clips have less than 10 comments and 100 or so likes. I’m sure Freddy T will blame Nick for this. Assholes.
It was trending for a bit this week, a go-worker mentioned it. Got enough blowback that they removed clips from socials ( not sure about the audio from the website).
One of the women responded on her scooping and has over 50k “likes” and nearly 2,000 comments. Quick check of T&H instagram (way more eyeballs than TT) show most of their posted clips have less than 10 comments and 100 or so likes. I’m sure Freddy T will blame Nick for this. Assholes.
I did hear that segment. T&H's main thing seems to be turning into lame denigrating of anything. Listening to them go off on Adam12 for tote bags and doing very normal stuff made all three of them seem like morons. Oh, you go to a body of water when it's hot out? Oh, you go walking in the woods? Then the long discussion of about going to the bathroom in the water...
Between the above awfulness and Rich's recent attempts to expand into lite politics (secret service agent, the lame attempts to work in the famous weirdo NH primary candidates), the topics they've spent time on are neither enjoyable, engaging, or entertaining.
Funny as it sounds, T&H needs a Rich to bring levity and some "hey whatever everything is great!" energy. Lately, T&H has been extra on the life sucking energy. It seems like it really cranked up once Rich got back on the air and especially in the last few weeks with the first ratings. They sound like they are well on the way to becoming what they made fun of at WEEI for years.
I found the TikTok clip you are referring to. Looks like T&R erased their TikTok account? Wow. I missed the T&R segment. Was it mostly Fred doing all the talking or did Hardy chime in just as much? I bet we see a more (forced) apology tomorrow.
I heard this bit in real time and I’m a little surprised there’s backlash - it’s the kind of thing they’ve laughed at a million times since the dawn of the original show. A bunch of corny Disney moms leaning into cringe isn’t an unusual target. It’s low hanging fruit but it was fine.
Have to assume the Snoop Dogg / Cancel Culture segment was in response to the Tiktok stuff. Fred protests too much about finding out who decides.
I listened for a while, but I'm just not that into the show anymore. I find myself listening locally to Boomer and Gio on WFAN moreso in the mornings now. It's just not that entertaining anymore.
I just can't get into T&H or TRSS. T&R truly worked together. Rich is too manic on his own without anyone keeping him in check, which Fred could do. Rich brought the material, though; Hardy just isn't doing that either because he can't and/or won't. T&H has funny-adjacent moments, but they pale in comparison to what T&R could crank out when they were in their prime. T&H is missing recurring funny/entertaining bits and characters. I'm hoping they will come when the fall book opens, and T&H have something to work towards. We shall see.
I understand. I find that both shows have their moments but neither are great,
I used to listen every day, even when on vacation. Yet I was on vacation earlier in July and not only didn’t I tune in once, but I also haven’t listened since I got home 2 weeks ago. Neither show is compelling.
And while I spent most of the first few months of the show saying I like Hardy… now I’m not sure he’s good with Fred. When last I listened it dawned on me that they’re both very 90s guys — cynical and itching to hate on anything people enjoy. They express it in different ways, but I don’t know if it works to have two hosts who lean into the “everything sucks, harumph harumph harumph” approach.
They could rename the show "The C.A.V.E.S.: Citizens Against Virtually Everything." because they do go off on the most ridiculous things people find joy in.
They haven't done a good original bit since they launched. When they roll in Adam12 to try and do bad knock off (that sad attempt at spinning "Bad local band or race horse" just hurt) bits, it's just lame.
It's also very weird that both shows are using Chili Guy audio now. I noticed Rich using it last week and it sounds like he clipped it from other audio. Because how else would he have that soundboard?
The only "original" thing they have is Tyler Milliken's cousin, which is clearly an attempt to bring back something like when Nick was an intern combined with Mike Behind the Mic. This has one major difference: it's just not funny. Fred is pretty much bringing to the table what he always has, but the song choices for TM's cousin, and the produced-up bits, just fall flat. It's actually the perfect microcosm of the entire show: it has potential to be something good but just lands with a thud.
Listened to T&R forever, every day for years. I was on paternity leave earlier this year and I was one of the few who watched T&H on YouTube every morning. It just never felt *quite* right, can't explain it, it was fine background noise, especially when I was on absolutely no sleep whatsoever. But the fact is since I've been back to work, I haven't even attempted to get caught up on a podcast once speaks volumes. I want to love it, I really do, but something is just missing and it's not for me anymore.
I echo most of the thoughts here. For the past couple of months, I have been mainly listening to Rich over T&H, as it was something new, and I like the more positive vibe. But I'm starting to listen to it less and less. It's just not that compelling. As for T&H, I was hoping Hardy would be a good complement to Fred and bring some bits and production value to the show, but it just hasn't worked out that way. I probably will start flipping back and forth a bunch during Pats season, but I wouldn't be surprised if come 6 months from now, I switch fully over to podcasts.
I tuned in, on and off, for a hour or so today. The Bird movie bit is a great example how sometimes you just gotta bury a planned segment when it doesn’t work. Fred went in on Bird right away, riffing on him being a college grad and all that “he’s dumb” stuff. But the conversation Bird did with Nick that was the source material just wasn’t interesting. And it wasn’t bad enough to make fun of.
I didn’t find the segment awful. It just wasn’t particularly good. It was a few minutes of filler, which I guess has its value. I don’t know if better production would have made it more engaging. They could’ve scrapped the whole thing though and nothing would have been lost.
I didn’t find the segment awful. It just wasn’t particularly good. It was a few minutes of filler, which I guess has its value. I don’t know if better production would have made it more engaging. They could’ve scrapped the whole thing though and nothing would have been lost.
I missed the beginning, what were they ranting about this morning? Sounded like they were criticized by some other radio program?
Yesterday's show was one long complaint from the moment it started (Fred discovered the POV of another by sitting in the passenger seat while his son drives) to the very end.
Today, I bailed during the Joe Murray segment. Lame and lazy, nothing new or original. I might try to listen again when football starts but I'm done. I find myself getting more annoyed at their constant complaining. I mean, all my posts here are me bitching about how they don't stop bitching.
Today, I bailed during the Joe Murray segment. Lame and lazy, nothing new or original. I might try to listen again when football starts but I'm done. I find myself getting more annoyed at their constant complaining. I mean, all my posts here are me bitching about how they don't stop bitching.
Tuned in this morning around 8:30am. One bit that I like is the Matt McCarthy impression. The impression sounds like a Southern dandy (Lindsey Graham?) but does oddly sound like the breathy McCarthy tone.
I also like the Matt McCarthy impressions, I believe the voice is loosely based on a family guy character. He's so miserable and lacks any personality or humor.
Have they made some sort of on-air apology yet? I haven't really been listening to the show. Seems that Beasley/98.5 has been treating it more with a "nothing to see here" strategy.
Seriously. F them. I heard a few clips and that was more than enough. Now sounds like they want to play the victims instead of doing any sort of introspective and a sincere apology. Not surprising. Absolutely no reason to listen to those clowns or the station in general.
I still haven't heard any clips. Can you find them anywhere? I'm just wondering who made the lion's share of the comments referenced in that article above. I immediately assume Fred but wasn't sure.
Most have been taken down or I can't find them at the moment. This user has a small clip almost a minute in.
That's a pretty shitty look and a really shitty thing to do. TBH, I'm a bit surprised at them. I don't think that they usually go all out cruel like that usually, they bust balls but usually there's some funny in there. I haven't heard the audio, but based on what I read there was no funny in any of that segment. It was just real dog shit stuff.
They've become what they always made fun of over at WEEI. Bunch of old guys bitching and moaning.
Is this where Rich’s presence is really missed? Not that he’s some bastion of morality or anything, but he’s never struck me as totally mean spirited. I didn’t listen to the entire run of T&R, but I don’t recall them going all in on regular people like that. Celebs and athletes and media types, sure. And when they went after their own whack pack it was always resolved with friendship it seemed.
Like I said above, I heard most of it live and for the most part this wasn’t anything way of the ordinary for the show - in any version. It was punching down for sure but not substantially worse than your average armpits of America segment.
The video they were discussing was especially cringeworthy and corny - there was plenty to go after that didn’t involve the lazy fat jokes.
I’m not going to give a full-throated defense of Fred, some of what he said was over the top, but the pearl clutching is a bit much.
We all agree the show needs help. It’s stale, and though Fred and Hardy have a good rapport, they’re just too similar in style.
The video they were discussing was especially cringeworthy and corny - there was plenty to go after that didn’t involve the lazy fat jokes.
I’m not going to give a full-throated defense of Fred, some of what he said was over the top, but the pearl clutching is a bit much.
We all agree the show needs help. It’s stale, and though Fred and Hardy have a good rapport, they’re just too similar in style.
I didn't catch this, but Fred often talks about the way other people look like he's some kind of physical specimen. Sounds like nothing out of the ordinary here.
Fred frequently says that he's no specimen. He's always talking about how unattractive he is. That's usually his cover for making comments about someone else's appearance.
And thanks for the detail @hube . As someone who was at Disney World last month, let's just say that my family made more than one comment about some of the folks on scooters there. I wouldn't do it on a radio show, but we all have our moments.
True, but he doesn't hesitate to call someone ugly or a "fatso". I cringe whenever he talks about how unattractive someone is on the air.
Trust me, I'm all for a good, offensive joke/humor, including fat jokes every once in a while. I just think in the case it was especially mean spirited, given that they were targeting a group of people who seem to be trying to promote something positive and fun. It was a bad look.
I don't think so. It's not like Fred would have stopped if Rich told him to.
I could not have listened to T&R for all those years if Fred were always this mean. Neither Fred nor Rich are the same as they were when they did 98 mile, but Fred has especially changed for the worse in my opinion. Rich is just out of ideas.
I was more thinking that Rich wouldn’t have produced a bit like that to begin with. The Armpits of America stuff was always based on newscasts IIRC. Not scrolling through Tik Tok to make fun of someone.
It strikes me that there’s a difference, but maybe I’m wrong.
Yeah I totally agree with you then. I thought this was a spontaneous thing that came up, like the Tebow Hitler Youth thing. I didn't know it was basically a live teleplay reading of r/FatPeopleHate.
I said above I half listened to most of the bit and...it didn't strike me as overly offensive. Wasn't very funny or interesting. I'm kind of surprised it's still being discussed. I'm VERY surprised if management gave them shit over the content.
Any chance it's a copyright issue with Disney? Unless one of the people they made fun of was like a high powered attorney I can't believe it's still being discussed as an issue.
Any chance it's a copyright issue with Disney? Unless one of the people they made fun of was like a high powered attorney I can't believe it's still being discussed as an issue.
I actually don't mind Kendra just because it's at least a different dynamic when she's in there. But she says some stuff that is so just blatantly wrong, this morning they gave her a pass, barely pushed back. They were talking about Simone Biles, and she called her the GOAT, and the other two pushed back a bit and made the good argument that the real GOAT is an athlete who probably plays multiple sports. She then countered that Biles could play other sports, but when pushed, she came up with of all things, VOLLEYBALL. They were like are you kidding, she's about 4'8. And she said that wasn't an issue she could still be a good volleyball player at a very high level, which is such an absurd thing to say.
i used to turn off 98.5 whenever I heard Kendra’s voice, now I turn them off whenever I know she’s coming on air, like all morning Thursdays and early Saturday mornings…. She’s an attractive woman who’s articulate, confident, and dumb as a rock.
They are "Old Man Yells at Cloud" radio without her. With her Fred gets horny and creepy, Hardy has a hard time hiding his dislike, and Wallach is the nerd trying to act cool. It's uncomfortable. It sucks. It all sucks.
Didn’t hear the segment but they posted that on Insta yesterday. I don’t doubt that Kendra gets awful DMs because the internet is terrible. But at this point, since this has become a bit, I’m guessing a lot of what she gets is people sending weird stuff on purpose.