We need to talk about Brendan O'Connor

jetsonx

The Brendan O'Connor from the "Don't Feed the Gondolas" era was a cool guy. He was irreverent and did not follow the status quo. This made him charming, likeable and funny.

Then something happened. Like that cool cousin that got job with a bank or a legal firm, Brendan changed.That irreverent and funny guy disappeared. He became all serious. During interviews, you get the impression he is on a knife-edge in case his interviewee says the wrong thing. Marian Finucane is way more relaxed at interviews than Brendan.It's just like having a sharp but relaxed auntie interview someone over a cup of tea. As a listener or viewer, I don't want the uptight. I want irreverence of Jerry Ryan or that relaxed earthiness of Marion. I don't want that uptight afraid-to-say-something wrong vibe. Stilted discourse kinda bores me.


So what happened to Brendan?

Neames

He became a middle aged man.

Mad_maxx

jetsonx wrote: »

The Brendan O'Connor from the "Don't Feed the Gondolas" era was a cool guy. He was irreverent and did not follow the status quo. This made him charming, likeable and funny.

Then something happened. Like that cool cousin that got job with a bank or a legal firm, Brendan changed.That irreverent and funny guy disappeared. He became all serious. During interviews, you get the impression he is on a knife-edge in case his interviewee says the wrong thing. Marian Finucane is way more relaxed at interviews than Brendan.It's just like having a sharp but relaxed auntie interview someone over a cup of tea. As a listener or viewer, I don't want the uptight. I want irreverence of Jerry Ryan or that relaxed earthiness of Marion. I don't want that uptight afraid-to-say-something wrong vibe. Stilted discourse kinda bores me.


So what happened to Brendan?

He had his teeth pulled, that's for sure.

Safe as houses establishment water carrier now

Incredibly annoying voice

yosser hughes

He joined in the property bubble and pimped it along with most of his colleagues in journalism. Look up 'smart and ballsy'. He probably got burned. Just as well RTE now employ both him and his wife and as we know, RTE are very generous with other people's money.
Plus he has weekly witterings in the Sindo. Ireland's worst newspaper.
Very small pond here. The Sindo will eventually go under and RTE surely will be forced to rein itself in. Brendan will do what he's told.

I never thought much of him anyway.

branie2

He's still cool

Atoms for Peace

He's no Ray D'Arcy.;)

Beechwoodspark

never liked him.

Spent an evening in his company around 2001 (long story)

Bollix then bollix now.

Balmed Out

Far prefer him to the smug Jerry Ryan uggh. Never considered him cool to be honest but entertaining all the same.

kneemos

Whatever bit of talent or individualism he had got sucked out in the RTE re-education program.

take everything

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

never liked him.

Spent an evening in his company around 2001 (long story)

Bollix then bollix now.

He was in UCC then wasn't he. He used to work as the night attendant (or whatever they're called) for student apartments by UCC there If I'm not mistaken.

branie2

by students apartments, you're referring to Castlewhite?

super_furry

Who's in the house? Jesus in the house!

Ipso

FF, celtic tiger, Galway Races tent true beliver. As mentioned above his smart and ballsy nonsense should consign him to the don't take seriously camp.

branie2

And the underpants came straight off

Slydice

yosser hughes wrote: »

He joined in the property bubble and pimped it along with most of his colleagues in journalism. Look up 'smart and ballsy'. He probably got burned. Just as well RTE now employ both him and his wife and as we know, RTE are very generous with other people's money.
Plus he has weekly witterings in the Sindo. Ireland's worst newspaper.
Very small pond here. The Sindo will eventually go under and RTE surely will be forced to rein itself in. Brendan will do what he's told.

I never thought much of him anyway.

Someone put a shedload about it into a property section on his wiki page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_O'Connor_(media_personality)#Property

Yer Da sells Avon

Neames wrote: »

He became a middle aged man.

He was a prick long before that. Big cheerleader for the Iraq war back in 2003.

BorneTobyWilde

He became Mrs Brown and it was downhill from there.

branie2

I remember he caused a bit of controversy on an episode of Don't Feed the Gondolas by mentioning Mother Teresa in a joke, a while after she died.

trixiebust

Neames wrote: »

He became a middle aged man.

Having basically the same gig for years - in front of the camera & becoming a middle aged man in the process, he should have surely got better at it?

But he hasn't has he??

kneemos

branie2 wrote: »

I remember he caused a bit of controversy on an episode of Don't Feed the Gondolas by mentioning Mother Teresa in a joke, a while after she died.

Don't Feed the Gondolas and Nighthawks,when RTE was vaguely controversial.

Ulysses Gaze

jetsonx wrote: »

The Brendan O'Connor from the "Don't Feed the Gondolas" era was a cool guy. He was irreverent and did not follow the status quo. This made him charming, likeable and funny.

Then something happened. Like that cool cousin that got job with a bank or a legal firm, Brendan changed.That irreverent and funny guy disappeared. He became all serious. During interviews, you get the impression he is on a knife-edge in case his interviewee says the wrong thing. Marian Finucane is way more relaxed at interviews than Brendan.It's just like having a sharp but relaxed auntie interview someone over a cup of tea. As a listener or viewer, I don't want the uptight. I want irreverence of Jerry Ryan or that relaxed earthiness of Marion. I don't want that uptight afraid-to-say-something wrong vibe. Stilted discourse kinda bores me.


So what happened to Brendan?

He was never, ever, ever any of those things.

Ever.

bfa1509

jetsonx wrote: »

The Brendan O'Connor from the "Don't Feed the Gondolas" era was a cool guy. He was irreverent and did not follow the status quo. This made him charming, likeable and funny.

Then something happened. Like that cool cousin that got job with a bank or a legal firm, Brendan changed.That irreverent and funny guy disappeared. He became all serious. During interviews, you get the impression he is on a knife-edge in case his interviewee says the wrong thing. Marian Finucane is way more relaxed at interviews than Brendan.It's just like having a sharp but relaxed auntie interview someone over a cup of tea. As a listener or viewer, I don't want the uptight. I want irreverence of Jerry Ryan or that relaxed earthiness of Marion. I don't want that uptight afraid-to-say-something wrong vibe. Stilted discourse kinda bores me.


So what happened to Brendan?

He's had a rod up his ass ever since the threat of libel against RTE after panty thing's comments about those journalists a few years back on the saturday night show.

The TV license money bailed him out and now he's afraid to say or do anything.

jetsonx

bfa1509 wrote: »

He's had a rod up his ass ever since the threat of libel against RTE after panty thing's comments about those journalists a few years back on the saturday night show.

The TV license money bailed him out and now he's afraid to say or do anything.

Tell us more about this.

Because honestly, he genuinely seems petrified at some comments.

isnt he a much beloved protégé of our major media player

never was any good and the very epitome of the person perenially on tv or radio and everyone knows fifty people funnier, smarter and more interesting

evolving_doors

I don't think he's too bad.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

never liked him.

Spent an evening in his company around 2001 (long story)

Bollix then bollix now.

Same here, spent (I won't say an evening) but awhile in his company in the VIP area of some poxy festival, an absolute insufferable gobshite.

**** stain of the highest order.

leitrim4life

I think He had a kid with special needs, probably made him look at life a bit different

Bobblehats

jetsonx wrote: »

The Brendan O'Connor from the "Don't Feed the Gondolas" era was a cool guy. He was irreverent and did not follow the status quo

Used to go around in an old trench coat and a dirty worn baseball cap stalking celebrities I think

jcorr

Well the only thing I can say about BOC is that if he flaps his ears he might just take off.









Oh I am so going to hell. Hahaha

bfa1509

jetsonx wrote: »

Tell us more about this.

Because honestly, he genuinely seems petrified at some comments.

https://www.thejournal.ie/panti-bliss-rte-iona-1289053-Jan2014/

kowloon

branie2 wrote: »

I remember he caused a bit of controversy on an episode of Don't Feed the Gondolas by mentioning Mother Teresa in a joke, a while after she died.

I gather she was no saint...

I'll get my coat.

Your Face

Never liked him because of his 1950s priest haircut and reedy speaking voice.

lbc2019

He grew up.

Beechwoodspark

take everything wrote: »

He was in UCC then wasn't he. He used to work as the night attendant (or whatever they're called) for student apartments by UCC there If I'm not mistaken.

No, back when I met him circa autumn 2001 he was a journalist and on RTÉ. And based in Dublin

the beer revolu

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

No, back when I met him circa autumn 2001 he was a journalist and on RTÉ. And based in Dublin

He would have finished in UCC in the early 90s

branie2

I was in UCC from 2000 to 2003, and if he was there, I would have seen him. But I did see him on the telly

jetsonx

jetsonx wrote: »

So what happened to Brendan?

He married into the Sunday Independent and its ragbag of Stickie inbreds, signing up to their politics. And that was that.

Diceicle

He must have come close to being sued and its really scarred him - as any time anything remotely controversial enters the conversation you can actually hear / see him tense up. Its really off-putting in a presenter.
Also he seems to just stick to the usual liberal opinions - not very 'cutting edge' at all.

facehugger99

jcorr wrote: »

Well the only thing I can say about BOC is that if he flaps his ears he might just take off.









Oh I am so going to hell. Hahaha

Brendan "speculate to accumulate" O'Connor in 2007:

Tell you what, I think I know what I'd be doing if I had money, and if I wasn't already massively over-exposed to the property market by virtue of owning a reasonable home. I'd be buying property. In fact, I might do it anyway. You don't even need money to buy property these days.

He belongs on a remote island with Eddie Hobbit and other charlatans.