Here's something I wrote to someone praising Opie for the "paralyzed Opie" bit back when I gave way too much of a shit:
I'm not sure how serious you're being, but this clip gets brought up as an Opie defense so often and the thought that it demonstrates his contribution is so fucking backwards it's insane. The only reason "paralyzed opie" is ever brought up here is because it's the one, single segment of the O&A show in all of its years of brutally trashing people where Opie actually allowed people to trash him at all. All Opie did was sit there and allow other people to be funny. He shouldn't be praised because he let it happen once, he should be ridiculed for not allowing it for the entire rest of O&A's existence. I can't even imagine how many funny segments we missed out on because Opie can't handle people talking negatively about him even jokingly. Here's the entire show that this clip is from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zauPo0YJn5M. Take a listen to it. It's a fucking great show overall, and the entire thing is just filled with brutal trashings of the others, and it's hilarious because of that.
But when you listen to Vos trash Kelly, Kelly trash Norton, Norton trash Ant, etc., you don't think "wow, Kelly did a good job of letting Vos trash him!". The person getting trashed didn't give anything to the show. The person doing the trashing is the one being funny, the one making good jokes, and the one making great radio. But you do have to respect the people getting trashed for being willing to take it, laugh about it, and then wait their turn to fire back. But the thing is, you almost never really think about that fact, because the truly funny and talented guests on O&A don't make a big deal of it. Opie is not one of those people. Even in this clip, his fuckin magnum opus of decades of radio, you can hear that he's not completely into it - continually trying to make the dialogue serious, saying things like "so glad I shared that story with everybody...". If anyone else had been in his position, say it was Jim getting trashed, no one would ever try to sell it as a great moment for Jim.
Take for example, this awesome trashing of Kelly. It's titled "Bashing Bob Kelly", but everyone knows Jim Norton (with help from Colin and Ant) are the ones who make this clip what it is. People don't praise the fact that Bob lets them trash him because Bob always lets people trash him. But he deserves praise for allowing that because it makes for some funny fucking radio. Opie doesn't deserve praise for letting it happen once. Fuck Opie for the fact that "his" funniest moment of radio, the one time he let people be funny at his expense, is the exception to the rule.
Nothing wrong with praising Opie here. This was awesome. The worst beating anyone on the show ever took. They shit on every personal shitty detail of Tits shitty life.
His blueberry fagotry, Stern obsession, the shitty way he treated Erock and Club Soda etc. The thing that hurt Tit the most is when everyone made it clear that they wouldn't give a fuck if he was paralyzed.
Ant at the end, that was a long time in the barrel.
This was awesome. The worst beating anyone on the show ever took. They shit on every personal shitty detail of Tits shitty life.
His blueberry fagotry, Stern obsession, the shitty way he treated Erock and Club Soda etc. The thing that hurt Tit the most is when everyone made it clear that they wouldn't give a fuck if he was paralyzed.
Ant at the end, that was a long time in the barrel.
It seems like you're serious, but I actually don't know, because:
The worst beating anyone on the show ever took.
Could not be more wrong. It's a disproportionately harsh beating on Opie because normally everyone tiptoes around his shittiness, but it's mostly a pretty shallow beating that he gets. There are multiple far more brutal trashings of other guests just on the same show that this happened on.
The thing that hurt Tit the most is when everyone made it clear that they wouldn't give a fuck if he was paralyzed.
I don't believe Tits thought that at all. Also, it wasn't every shitty detail, I bet Opie would be hurting a lot more if his made up stories were brought up, or his fucked up teeth and balding head, his little pud. Or how about the stuff Ant talked about in his Greggshell episodes, the fact that everyone around him was uncomfortable by his bitchy mood swings. The way he treated Erock and Club Soda were shitty things he did, but mentioning what's already been displayed on air isn't much of a barrel ride. What he got was so surface level.
That's the only safe way to go after Opie. When the well is running dry and there are almost zero listeners he'll probably open the gates to make fun of him for real but at that point it won't be funny anymore.
Youre better than this, dude, no one else ever needed a hypothetical situation to hide behind to take their bashing. There was a strong sense that making fun of paralysis was just how the show was and it wasnt really personal at all.
I think they were all giving him the fictional trashing they've always wanted to give him about his real self. All of the regulars absolutely trash the living shit out of Opie behind his back on a daily basis. There is no way you can have some sensitive hands-off policy in a room with those killers and not have them completely destroy you the second you leave the room.
20 comments
19 Flamgirlant 2016-03-22
Here's something I wrote to someone praising Opie for the "paralyzed Opie" bit back when I gave way too much of a shit:
2 I_Hate_Knickers 2016-03-22
I love you
2 rottenseed 2016-03-22
You saved that?
2 Flamgirlant 2016-03-22
You mean you don't save your passionate opie hate rants? What's wrong with you?
No this is a comment I made somewhere else in this sub awhile back and I knew how to find it.
2 rottenseed 2016-03-22
It was a good rant
-4 FootThingOnHerFoot 2016-03-22
Nothing wrong with praising Opie here. This was awesome. The worst beating anyone on the show ever took. They shit on every personal shitty detail of Tits shitty life. His blueberry fagotry, Stern obsession, the shitty way he treated Erock and Club Soda etc. The thing that hurt Tit the most is when everyone made it clear that they wouldn't give a fuck if he was paralyzed. Ant at the end, that was a long time in the barrel.
13 FootThingOnHisFoot 2016-03-22
This was awesome. The worst beating anyone on the show ever took. They shit on every personal shitty detail of Tits shitty life.
His blueberry fagotry, Stern obsession, the shitty way he treated Erock and Club Soda etc. The thing that hurt Tit the most is when everyone made it clear that they wouldn't give a fuck if he was paralyzed.
Ant at the end, that was a long time in the barrel.
7 Flamgirlant 2016-03-22
It seems like you're serious, but I actually don't know, because:
Could not be more wrong. It's a disproportionately harsh beating on Opie because normally everyone tiptoes around his shittiness, but it's mostly a pretty shallow beating that he gets. There are multiple far more brutal trashings of other guests just on the same show that this happened on.
6 randomchoices 2016-03-22
I don't believe Tits thought that at all. Also, it wasn't every shitty detail, I bet Opie would be hurting a lot more if his made up stories were brought up, or his fucked up teeth and balding head, his little pud. Or how about the stuff Ant talked about in his Greggshell episodes, the fact that everyone around him was uncomfortable by his bitchy mood swings. The way he treated Erock and Club Soda were shitty things he did, but mentioning what's already been displayed on air isn't much of a barrel ride. What he got was so surface level.
3 TheSweetSniff 2016-03-22
That's the only safe way to go after Opie. When the well is running dry and there are almost zero listeners he'll probably open the gates to make fun of him for real but at that point it won't be funny anymore.
1 sanfrancisco69er 2016-03-22
Youre better than this, dude, no one else ever needed a hypothetical situation to hide behind to take their bashing. There was a strong sense that making fun of paralysis was just how the show was and it wasnt really personal at all.
7 IVORY_LEAGUE_opie 2016-03-22
hardly a "beating"..........it was some "joshing" on a silly, HYPOTHETICAL scenario
"REAL" BEATINGS (O &A context).....are deeply personal.
VOS, Kelly, Jim, Erock trashings: exposed deep shame, frailty , physical/sexual inadequacy , I.Q. deficiencies
--OPIE's received little-to-none of that
6 Dannyprecise 2016-03-22
And of course he has to interrupt to take phone calls.
4 FrunkisOA 2016-03-22
If I remember correctly that was a couple days after the "imagination" line... Bad week for the opester
4 SuaveRico 2016-03-22
15 minutes of pure beating. There was at least 5 times where he goes: "I'm glad I shared this story with you guys" and "alright, enough"
I think Anthony's laugh was a direct hit to Opie's frustration of having direct control of the situation.
4 kevin121312 2016-03-22
He just can't take the fucking hit.
2 OrangeManhehe 2016-03-22
You're right. I have been thinking it for years.
2 nomorecompromise 2016-03-22
I think they were all giving him the fictional trashing they've always wanted to give him about his real self. All of the regulars absolutely trash the living shit out of Opie behind his back on a daily basis. There is no way you can have some sensitive hands-off policy in a room with those killers and not have them completely destroy you the second you leave the room.
2 imcreggschinkell 2016-03-22
The time Opie "almost got paralyzed"... Because that's something you can quantify
2 Battler4321 2016-03-22
Bobby sighing at 1:37 because he knows Opie is about to lie is great.
1 sanfrancisco69er 2016-03-22
They were trashing a hypothetical situation, not actually Opie at all. Go home and shut up.