Prior to an intense discussion about the new Pearl Jam single yesterday afternoon, WEEI’s Dale Arnold (left) and Michael Holley (right) shifted through a pile of abusive email from listeners.
One such missive, accused Holley of being “a communist.”
Holley calmly explained that he wasn’t, in fact, a communist.
Arnold: Why do you give these people the time of day?”
Holley: You’ve got to be true to yourself, that’s all I’m saying.
Arnold : If someone wrote in calling you a pedophile, you wouldn’t bother to respond, would you?
(uncomfortable silence)
Holley : I’m not touching that one.
And from there, it was a quick segue into a roaring argument between Arnold and a caller about the best way in and out of Foxboro’s back roads.
When you figure that this might be one of the more listenable programs on WEEI, perhaps it is time to reconsider whether or not all broadcasting ought to be turned over to the state.
I came across this site looking during a google search looking for something else…then I found this. I was listening to Dale and Holley that day and remember every topic they discussed, and at NO time did Mike ever say or imply that he was a Communist. Your quote selection from the show is insufficient – I’d love to see the full transcript from that segment to prove you wrong, but your case is so weak that it’s not worth my time.
I don’t know if the RATM shirt he wears in that picture (from WEEI’s website) is another unwritten reason you think Holley said something wrong, but that would be stupid too. Just cuz you wear a RATM shirt or a RATM fan doesn’t mean you’re a radical too in your politics.
Holley “tested the limits of free expression”? Pleaze!
Chuck,
I’ll have to take you at your word that you listened to the entire program. Just as I’ll have to presume you read the above post from begining to end.
You are correct — at no time did Holley say or imply he was a communist. In fact, he went to some length to DENY being a communist.
Said charge wasn’t invented by me out of the blue. Holley was responding to a listener’s letter than he’d read on the air.
If you’d like to call WEEI and request a transcript of the show — said exchange took place at approximately 12:15pm — just prior to Dale reading the Pearl Jam tour dates (!), be my guest. If they can help you out, I’m certain you’ll see that my account is correct.
The headline, “Testing The Limits Of Free Expression With Dale & Holley” is meant to be a joke, and refers to the awkward moment in which Arnold asked Holley if he’d bother responding to an accusation of being a pedophile.
I do not, for whatever it is worth, think Holley said anything wrong (not during that segment at least) and I have no interest in portraying him as a radical. His choice of a RATM shirt was his, presumably, and believe it or not, was the only photograph I could find of him and Arnold together.
If some of Holley’s listeners have a problem with his supposed politics, that’s another matter, but does cut to the heart of his reply to an angry letter to the station.
The fact that this show is pure fucking torture to endure is in no way related to anyone being “radical in their politics”.
Please. Read the above passage again. If you can find the bit where I’ve claimed that Holley said or implied he was a communist, I’ll send you a Four Skins 7″ autographed by Todd Benzinger.
Ok, here it goes. You said: “Holley calmly explained that he WASN’T, in fact, NOT a communist.”
Unless you were mistaken to include double negatives (“wasn’t” then “not” in the same sentence), that’s where you said it. You should’ve said that Holley explained that he “WASN’T, in fact, A communist.”
Todd Benzinger, eh? Those were the days.
CJ,
the grammer lessons are always appreciated. And please, let me know how you’re getting along with that transcript from WEEI.
Man, I expected a better, less cheap of a response from you than that.
First of all, you gave me a challenge, and I won.
Second, I don’t need no transcript because I didn’t confuse you with the Holley emailer. You need to read and fix your own.
(The double negative words in your “Holley calmly explained that he WASN’T, in fact, NOT a communist” sentence is what started my argument with your analysis in the first place.) In fact, all you need to do is take out the word “NOT” from that sentence, and be done with it. No more confusion. No more arguments needed.
But one more thing. You say the D&H show might be one of the more listenable shows on WEEI, then say later that it is “pure fucking torture to endure.” You might want to explain that too.
I personally like the Dale & Holley show, but it can be one of the more boring shows on the station when they don’t have any scheduled interviews with the pros (and Holley sure isn’t the boring one).
Lastly, how about the new Pearl Jam!
CJ,
Cheap response? Heck, I did say thanks. And while I’m certainly grateful for the proofreading help, “all you need to do is take out the word “NOT†from that sentence, and be done with it”, I’d done already done so prior to your last post.
However, if that’s not enough acknowledgement for you, along with that autographed Four Skins 7″, I’m prepared to throw in a commemorative sash and tiara which will make you the envy of your friends.
re : D&H being one of the more listenable shows on WEEI. Yep, that’s what I said. I’ll stand by it. I also said it is “pure fucking torture to endure”. And I’ll stand by that as well — compared to the rest of the station’s offerings, D&H are comparitively tolerable. But pitted against any other form of entertainment — radio shows, TV, newspapers, badminton, scrabble, pushing you down a flight of stairs, etc. — it’s a horrible way to spend a few hours.
Paired with someone else, I can imagine Michael Holley as a perfectly serviceable chat show host.
Pearl Jam still sucks.
GC,
I must say that I can see your point on D&H. Heck, lstening to any radio show, especially a talk show for four hours every day is difficult – I don’t even try cuz I get bored pretty quickly.
Look forward to hearing from you about those funky gifts (even if you’re not a PJ fan)!