Gerry Ryan Documentary RTE1 9:30PM 26/4h

John_Rambo

Facial gurning!

Mad that they're all desperate with money, Gerry Ryan, Gay Byrne, Mike Murphy. All paid a fortune, but got embezzled or lost it somehow.

saabsaab

MayoAreMagic wrote: »

Exactly what I thought when watching it.
Im not really interested in this 'junkie' angle some seem hellbent on pushing. He took cocaine sometimes, like a massive number of other people in the country, that is the reality of that side of it.
What I did notice however, is that his shtick in this day and age, looked very dated, and his general demeanor was tiresome. Without being overly negative about the deceased, he came across as a bit of an a*se. A bit like gay byrne and all his facial gurning in the respect that, if they came along now, I dont believe they would be any way near as popular with people.

He is superior to tubridy, but that only highlights how poor tubridy is. It is kinda depressing when you realise the state of affairs there.

God! Why can't people leave Tubs alone? Any excuse to have a go at him.

whisky_galore

BarryD2 wrote: »

Did they cover the Lambo episode? That was disgraceful carry on.

If that happened today, the Twitter would break, we'd have death threats and packages with noxious substances sent to the G Ryan household.

BPKS

saabsaab wrote: »

God! Why can't people leave Tubs alone? Any excuse to have a go at him.

Because he earns 2.5 times what the Taoiseach of our country earns for a start. And is not very good at what he does (similar to the Taoiseach actually).

MayoAreMagic

MayoAreMagic wrote: »

What I did notice however, is that his shtick in this day and age, looked very dated, and his general demeanor was tiresome. Without being overly negative about the deceased, he came across as a bit of an a*se..

What he did back in the day was “different” for it’s time and was seen as somewhat of a breath of fresh air . I’m curious to know we’re you around back in the 80s early 90s when his shows were at a peek?

Saying that, even back then GR was marmite - and while his listenership was huge, he also had a lot of detractors, so he wasn’t totally hailed by any means- but stay at home mothers in the main, absolutely loved him.

I have to say looking back, it wasn’t done particularly brilliantly- it was full of his personality and as the years progressed, I found him tiresome but the early years were definitely original and had some golden moments of broadcasting.

His TV appearances, except for the interviews he did (obviously Gordon Ramsey excepted) were dreadful. Secrets and Ryantown and whatever other nonsense he put out we’re trying to emulate things like The Late Late Breakfast show Noel Edmunds Saturday night BBC - he didn’t have the ideas, the personality, the skills, the audience or the budget to carry it off- it was pure tripe. Radio was where he was most at home.

In terms of TLLS, I don’t think he would ever have got that gig- people had a concept as to what TLLS was (even though it was way past it’s sell by date) so it went to “a safe pair of hands” - and as we’ve seen, there’s not enough budget or guests for 2 interview shows on RTÉ so even if he had got his own Saturday night talk show, it would have taken away from TLLS and shown it up for the dinosaur that it was and is- just as Brendan O Connor did, and look how he was dumped.

Mad_maxx

geez , he was an awful gob****e of a man , a man child who thought he could live like a multi millionaire , he got awful lucky in life and couldnt even properly manage a 400 k per annum salary

what a fcuking dandy

Snowballing

JL555

I just remember him constantly using the word 'partner' on his radio show instead of boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife. He tried to assert that the word partner was a more 'grown up' way to refer to your nearest and dearest. It was sometime in the early nineties. It was PC gibberish for the masses (yes, believe it or not the word partner was once really out there when it came to PC lingo) It had never really been used here back then. It was like he was trying to be the spearhead of some kind of revolution.

He was good in some ways, helped open up conversations. But I've always refused to be told what to think and how to talk because someone's morals have just had a moment of clarity. I was around 20 at the time, it made me cringe so bad, I never listened to him after that and I hate the use of the word partner in that context ever since.

Galwayguy35

I wonder did he really say he was worth it when they asked him to take a pay cut when the whole thing crashed back in 08

He seemed to have forgotten it was ordinary people who were paying his wages.

MayoAreMagic

[Deleted User] wrote: »

What he did back in the day was “different” for it’s time and was seen as somewhat of a breath of fresh air . I’m curious to know we’re you around back in the 80s early 90s when his shows were at a peek?

I was yes. Why is that relevant?
I would never describe myself as a fan of his but i didnt dislike him either. What i notice about him now are things like how willing he was to blatantly lie to the public to make a name for himself and how his interest began and ended with promoting himself and his own career. He had a myopic selfishness to him that I dont believe would wash so well with people now, but back then it was never really something that people noticed as much.

MayoAreMagic

MayoAreMagic wrote: »

I was yes. Why is that relevant?
I would never describe myself as a fan of his but i didnt dislike him either. What i notice about him now are things like how willing he was to blatantly lie to the public to make a name for himself and how his interest began and ended with promoting himself and his own career. He had a myopic selfishness to him that I dont believe would wash so well with people now, but back then it was never really something that people noticed as much.

You compared what he did then v's how it might look now- it wasn't clear from your post had you been there at the time, which does make a difference.

What lie? Lambgate? Hardly a lie- it was just Gerry being shock-jock Gerry- and the whole thing was dispelled within days.

MayoAreMagic

saabsaab wrote: »

God! Why can't people leave Tubs alone? Any excuse to have a go at him.

Because, in my opinion, he has no business holding the role he does, and if it were left to talent alone, he wouldnt even have been in the running.
And that isnt even mentioning his wages.

MayoAreMagic

[Deleted User] wrote: »

You compared what he did then v's how it might look now- it wasn't clear from your post had you been there at the time, which does make a difference.

What lie? Lambgate? Hardly a lie- it was just Gerry being shock-jock Gerry- and the whole thing was dispelled within days.

Yes you stated that, Im asking why it makes a difference.
It was a deliberate lie to give himself column inches and push his own career. They subsequently had to tell the truth after they got more outrage than they had bargained for. Today that would be viewed far more as the cynical quest for fame that is was.

Millionaire only not

swarlb wrote: »

'Tells it like it is'.... What exactly does that mean, in any context.

Take Trump for example... he tells it like it is.... (Inject or drink disinfectant...)

What exactly did Gerry Ryan tell.... like it was ???

Well who the hell opened Ireland up to sex ,or any other topic they were all afraid to discuss.

Welsh Megaman

Judging by this thread, it seems that Gerry is still dividing opinion

Muahahaha

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

I wonder did he really say he was worth it when they asked him to take a pay cut when the whole thing crashed back in 08

He seemed to have forgotten it was ordinary people who were paying his wages.

I cant remember the exact quote he made about the pay cuts but iirc he went on a rant live on air about how he wasnt taking one. That riled a lot of people as the economy was crashing down all around us. I think he then did interviews with the print media trying to justify himself and dug his hole down even further. On the other hand at that time I remember Miriam jumping up and down wanting to take a pay cut and offering to do her Sunday radio show for free. I think in Ryans case it wasnt just his coke habit that had him broke, from what I've heard he invested a lot in property and it all came crashing down on him in 2008.

Like others I think RTE just wouldnt take the risk on him as presenting the LLS. They were probably right but he would have been a good host and a lot better than Tubs.

Thought the doc last night really fluffed over his cocaine use. It was like they knew that had to mention it but when they did it the piece was about 20 seconds long and they moved on quickly. It was a big part of his demise but watching the doc it was like a footnote.

Brock Turnpike

What was the Lambe incident?

Mad_maxx

Brock Turnpike wrote: »

What was the Lambe incident?

a silly little incident which happened on a survival type show in the eighties which turned out to have been a big hoax , G ryan made the whole thing up to drum up attention

nothing story which the media decided was not only big back then but of interest today

MayoAreMagic

MayoAreMagic wrote: »

Yes you stated that, Im asking why it makes a difference.
It was a deliberate lie to give himself column inches and push his own career. They subsequently had to tell the truth after they got more outrage than they had bargained for. Today that would be viewed far more as the cynical quest for fame that is was.

And people in the media today don’t tell lies?

Seriously, it was a storm in a teacup and anyone under 30 or indeed with
a sense of humour at the time, both laughed and saw it for what it was - they didn’t need to be told it was made up- It was typical Gerry humour even at that stage- you seem to be taking this all too seriously- that’s why I was curious to know whether you were old enough to remember it happening- you must have been be of the ‘outraged” people who wrote in to RTÉ complaining of this outrageous behaviour of our beloved national broadcast station :P

leedsforever

Millionaire only not wrote: »

Say what u like Gerry showed most of them how it’s done . Always liked Gerry told it as it was .

"Told it as it was?" In Roy Keane voice.....Are you havin' a laugh?

California Dreamer

Rose tinted glasses all round!

If only someone had one of his shows from the latter days.

Read the newspapers for the first 20 mins, then do some calls and some soft sex conversation to get the farmers excited!

Gerry dialled it in most mornings and certainly had no innovation

Hamsterchops

Chris Evans had very nice words for him back at the time of Gerry's death. Apparently Chris had gone through a crisis and it was Gerry who gave him the confidence to get back on the airwaves.

GR never was my cup of tea, but he did have mass appeal in Ireland, he used to annoy me with his Status Quo mispronunciation

Shefwedfan

California Dreamer wrote: »

Rose tinted glasses all round!

If only someone had one of his shows from the latter days.

Read the newspapers for the first 20 mins, then do some calls and some soft sex conversation to get the farmers excited!

Gerry dialled it in most mornings and certainly had no innovation

Have you listened to the s**t that is on the radio now?


Even his own daughter is f**king awful.....

California Dreamer

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Have you listened to the s**t that is on the radio now?


Even his own daughter is f**king awful.....

Honestly I am not one for attacking his daughter.

Its the love in for someone who still continues to get some much publicity.

I saw an indo article yesterday about Ryan's former girlfriend dealing with CV. The mind baffles that this is news somehow.

rightmove

He was great in the 10 -12 slot and I used to listen to him as a kid
the morning show was a promotion of sorts and he excelled at it.

High Point for me was when we had a german girl visiting her bf and staying in the gaff (pre internet) saying that she would visit Ireland just to hear someone like gerry ryan on the radio (he was that good!). She said there was no one like that in other countries. TBF he was good on the radio esp when his kids were young and life experience was happening for him.

Low point was when you would swear he was on the bread line when he had to take the pay decrease circa 2007/8. It was awful BS and self entitled rte nauseating detached crap considering what rest of the country was going through. His book was also awful drivel talking a wine waiters and patrick guilbaud.... along way from the 10-12 slot IMO.

his legacy: the kids and family looked after by the taxpayer via rte. Its sickening really. there is no entitlement like rte entitlements.

Brock Turnpike

Brock Turnpike wrote: »

What was the Lambe incident?

It was Lambo. The early G Ryan at his best. He spun a yarn about killing a lamb while taking part in a reality survival programme. Caused outrage with people believing him!

He was great in the early days of his daily show, but was gone past his sell by date at the end. Whether it was drink, drugs or a general unhappiness with his lot. He didn’t seem to care about anything, least of all his girlfriend, Melanie Verwoerd.

Muahahaha

California Dreamer wrote: »

Rose tinted glasses all round!

If only someone had one of his shows from the latter days.

Read the newspapers for the first 20 mins, then do some calls and some soft sex conversation to get the farmers excited!

Gerry dialled it in most mornings and certainly had no innovation

yeah it struck me in the documentary how they said he would just rock up a few minutes before going on air and go straight into it ad lib. They sold it as him being an amazing broadcaster but I was more thinking that for 650k a year you would think he would at least be there a couple of hours before he goes on air and do a bit of research or discuss with the producers what way the show was going to go.

Instead it sounds like Ryan just wanted to do the bare minimum, take the big wedge of cash and get out of there. No doubt towards the end part of his mind was on having the first line of the day

Tork

After watching it, I don't know much more about Gerry Ryan than I did beforehand. The bit about him being a childhood friend of Charlie Haughey's son was new to me. How much hanging around Abbeville or being the son of a Jaguar owning dentist affected his attitudes to living it large later on, is anyone's guess.

I don't think giving him the Late Late Show presenter's job would have worked, even though he was a better broadcaster than Tubridy. Once he got his feet in under the table and felt less scrutinised, I think his peurile nature would've come to the fore. He also seems to have presented his radio show without doing much preparation at all - it was seat of the pants stuff. That worked for his radio show and his listeners loved it. He'd never have managed that with the Late Late Show. Maybe it would've livened up a very stale formula or it could've made for car crash TV. We shall never know.

shaveAbullock

He did the Late Late Show one night to replace Pat Kenny. He was awful at it, so we do know.

Tork

He was on his best behaviour on that LLS. It would've been a different story once the complacent, phoning-it-in persona took over. I wasn't a regular listener to his radio show but by all accounts it was gone quite stale by the end.