The Fanning Files

Welsh Megaman

For the next three Tuesday nights at 10pm on RTE Radio One, classic interviews from the archive.

Don’t mention Christy Dignam!

Xander10

Yeah his comments about Christy after he died totally turned me off.

I won't be tuning in.

squonk

What did Dave say about Christy? I know they weren’t a fanning show kind of band back in tge day but loads of tge bands coming through that time weren’t either.

Tork

You must have been living under a rock!

https://www.balls.ie/the-rewind/christy-dignam-dave-fanning-controversy-560084

squonk

Yeah I missed that controversy. I didn’t hear the interview.

I think it was just the wrong time to be as blunt as Dave was and Aslan made it without any real help from Dave but most of the big bands around then did as well off the back of U2s success and tge country being flooded with A&R men looking for another Irish prodigy band.

On balance though I agree with Dave. Aslan of all the bands doing the rounds in the late 80s were the most likely to go international however at that crucial time Christy’s drug taking became problematic and things fell apart. They had to get rid of him but by then the moment was gone and they were half a band without him. Dignam and Gough were ok but Christy kind of made that.

I was a fan of Aslan and had a conversation with a lad I knew back in the 90s who’s dad booked gigs and he was telling me about a time he’d booked Dignam & Gough and how addicted Christy was at that stage.

I wasn’t pushed on Aslan’s stuff after he came back. They’d lost a spark I felt. Crazy Workd was the highlight of that era but I can’t say I really cared for their stuff at that stage. I still loved them for being a down to earth hardworking band and still went to see them. I loved Christy’s autobiography.

I think Dave was right but a bit flippant for the time but in fairness he had as much involvement we itch Aslan as I’d say he did Westlife so probably was a bad choice for a commentator anyway. He called it as he saw it though which is why I’ve always liked Dave.

cute geoge

This clown has really lost the plot ,comparing the pac inquiryin RTE to the Nuremberg trials but then of course he is part of Noel Kelly stable .The sooner this geratric is pensioned off the better

squonk

Have to come back in here after defending Dave on the Christy comments. His PAC tweet did let him down. I’m assuming by mentioning Nuremberg he meant the “I was just following orders” defence but it wasn’t clear. Also his agent was before the committee so if there was one time for someone connected to NK to stay quiet, that was it, especially if you wanted to maintain an air of integrity.

I think Dave has always been a bit flippant and to be honest I’ve enjoyed it when he’s in a room with hot shît rock stars where he takes tge piss a bit and brushes aside the awe factor and asks down to earth questions. It might be though that he’s gotten too comfortable in this role and no longer able to discern the rockstar bullshit from the serious stuff. I’m hoping that’s what it was and not him taking part in a coordinated diversionary tactic by NKM.

elperello

His comments on Christy were less than 24 hours after he died.

He was way out of line and apologised.

Time to move on.

Tork

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120861643#Comment_120861643

Ages ago I watched an interview with him on YouTube and during it, he said that his kids looked after his social media accounts. Dave claimed he knew very little about social media and wasn't too interested in it. Maybe that has changed since then. Still, if it was one of his own kids who posted that Nuremberg comment without clearing it with him, it could make things interesting in the Fanning household.

It's a miracle he hasn't gotten into trouble before because he says a lot of things and isn't afraid to express his opinions. I used to enjoy his weekend show and his "don't give a ****" attitude. For what it's worth, I agree with you about him being too flippant. It also might be that when something gets on his wick, his filter goes out the window. When I heard his Christy Dignam interview, he sounded like a man who needed to get a lot off his chest. That superseded any thoughts that his words would make it back to the Dignams. It isn't that much of what he said wasn't true but that the timing was awful. More recently, he has probably been getting hot under the collar about the Ryan Tubridy/Noel Kelly saga. A wiser man would have kept his counsel, especially when you think about how long he eked out an existence on 2FM.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120861675#Comment_120861675

do you just blindly defend RTE at every opportunity

NIMAN

I see Christys daughter has gone out of her way to be offended and is demanding Fanning is taken off the air..

"I didn't hear the comments, but listened back to them...".

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120863949#Comment_120863949

So you see defence of RTE in a post that criticised one of their top men ?

Good lad.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120864328#Comment_120864328

every related thread to RTE in Current Affairs/After HOurs you're like a white knight for them...sad your gravy train is coming up lad...

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120864472#Comment_120864472

I mostly comment on RTE matters in the Radio and Television forums.

Not so much lately, a lot of blood in the water over RT.

You are not the first to have a go at me but like others you confuse not attacking with defending.

As for the gravy train when the one I was supposed to be on pulled out of the station I was at the bus stop 🙂

johannmall

Fanning should have stepped aside a long time ago , never mind duignam, equating tubridys hearing with nuremburg says it all !

Tork

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120864128#Comment_120864128

Is that really what she said? Her exact words were "I have more important things to worry about and deal with at the moment, so I wouldn’t be giving him or anyone else with negative comments any more airtime. We’re just trying to deal with our personal crap.”

While Fanning has since expressed regret online for making the “ill-timed” remarks, he hasn’t reached out to Kiera or her mum, Kathryn, privately.

The 37-year-old said that she would “need time” to think about whether she will accept his Twitter apology.

NIMAN

I misinterpreted what she said now that I have read it again.

I thought she meant he shouldn't be getting any more airtime I.e. he should be taken off air, whereas what she meant was that she won't be talking about him any more and giving him any more time in the news.

My bad.

Tork

To be fair, the headline is misleading Kiera Dignam says Dave Fanning shouldn’t get ‘any more airtime’ after Christy remarks

Back on topic, has anybody tuned into this? I'm not all that interested in old interviews he did with people years ago and it seems like a regressive step. RTE did it years ago with his movie show too. All it did was remind me of the time when RTE used to make a proper movie show and would send Dave to interview people. Now we were looking at old interviews with actors who were plugging films we'd long forgotten about. Of course, if RTE had spend their money wisely, we could still have nicer things.

NIMAN

That's probably why i took my initial understanding from.