Get a word in Edge-wise

Timothy Giles

This is "Thee Edge" according to self-promoted business personality Kevin Roberts. The EdgeFM Drive team, Fletch, Vaughan and Chang, live happily in their own Edgy world. Roberts probably visits there to keep in touch with the young people.

Weekdays 3pm-7pm, the school day-friendly drivetime is radio aimed at young people. Every hour has its own elements, such as the love panel, celeb guests, and an old commercial radio favourite that Edge predecessors MaiFM called "Slam or Jam", Magic 91FM termed "Spin or Bin" and Hauraki started as "Hit or Miss".

Edge listeners call in and vote for one of two tracks. Calling in is a bit hit and miss. You could get a "hi", even a "how are ya?" and a "bye", but it's unlikely. Mostly, you are just moved along, pronto, yet the calls keep coming. Hope lives eternal in the teenage listener's breast. (Ooh, Fletch, I wrote breast in the Herald, that's all the material you need for tonight's show!)

Vaughan and Fletch are trapped in a stereotype of their own making, grunting and snorting through pubescent proclamations on body parts, and "it sounded like you were talking about sex just then" giggles and insight. Chang revels enthusiastically in his role as the butt of most jokes. (Ooh, Vaughan, I wrote Butt!)

Predictable, clumsy, repetitious? Yep, but it's also energetic, exuberant and fun. The show is like an excited puppy. I keep finding myself smiling at it and can't quite figure out why.

The jokes, one-liners and comedic insinuations are rarely funny but so many attempts at humour are made that, while laughs are rare, a smirk is never far away.

The celebrity guests are mostly anyone, preferably female, who has been on TV. A recent example spent an hour enduring bottom jokes, insinuations and attempts to get "a breast of her issues". In that hour she was never introduced, but her admirable affability and comparative maturity revealed the boys' charm. Unabashed does have a winningly uncomplicated appeal.

The show sounds spontaneous, a difficult task four hours a day, five days a week. Sounding spontaneous takes a lot of prep and I congratulate the team on their work.

The show ebbs and flows. Like a tiring puppy the hosts occasionally rest and the show is suddenly easy company, its hosts as gentle as a young crush. But, as with all puppies, a burst of manic energy returns and the show is off again, bouncing about, putting its dirty little paws into everything and, despite getting unnecessarily mucky yet again, I keep listening.

I can't help but like them. They're as infectious as parvo. I hope they never grow up.

* Reviewer Timothy Giles hosts a show on Radio Pacific.

 

Get a word in Edge-wise

 

This is "Thee Edge" according to self-promoted business personality Kevin Roberts. The EdgeFM Drive team, Fletch, Vaughan and Chang, live happily in their own Edgy world. Roberts probably visits there to keep in touch with the young people.

Weekdays 3pm-7pm, the school day-friendly drivetime is radio aimed at young people. Every hour has its own elements, such as the love panel, celeb guests, and an old commercial radio favourite that Edge predecessors MaiFM called "Slam or Jam", Magic 91FM termed "Spin or Bin" and Hauraki started as "Hit or Miss".

Edge listeners call in and vote for one of two tracks. Calling in is a bit hit and miss. You could get a "hi", even a "how are ya?" and a "bye", but it's unlikely. Mostly, you are just moved along, pronto, yet the calls keep coming. Hope lives eternal in the teenage listener's breast. (Ooh, Fletch, I wrote breast in the Herald, that's all the material you need for tonight's show!)

Vaughan and Fletch are trapped in a stereotype of their own making, grunting and snorting through pubescent proclamations on body parts, and "it sounded like you were talking about sex just then" giggles and insight. Chang revels enthusiastically in his role as the butt of most jokes. (Ooh, Vaughan, I wrote Butt!)

Predictable, clumsy, repetitious? Yep, but it's also energetic, exuberant and fun. The show is like an excited puppy. I keep finding myself smiling at it and can't quite figure out why.

The jokes, one-liners and comedic insinuations are rarely funny but so many attempts at humour are made that, while laughs are rare, a smirk is never far away.

The celebrity guests are mostly anyone, preferably female, who has been on TV. A recent example spent an hour enduring bottom jokes, insinuations and attempts to get "a breast of her issues". In that hour she was never introduced, but her admirable affability and comparative maturity revealed the boys' charm. Unabashed does have a winningly uncomplicated appeal.

The show sounds spontaneous, a difficult task four hours a day, five days a week. Sounding spontaneous takes a lot of prep and I congratulate the team on their work.

The show ebbs and flows. Like a tiring puppy the hosts occasionally rest and the show is suddenly easy company, its hosts as gentle as a young crush. But, as with all puppies, a burst of manic energy returns and the show is off again, bouncing about, putting its dirty little paws into everything and, despite getting unnecessarily mucky yet again, I keep listening.

I can't help but like them. They're as infectious as parvo. I hope they never grow up.

* Reviewer Timothy Giles hosts a show on Radio Pacific.