July 16, 2008: Andy versus the Listener ChorusWhy are they broadcasting at all? Yeah, who knows. I'm glad they are though, since Seven Second Delay still has the capacity to be surprising. And the capacity to be good. Which can be kind of a surprise in itself.
This week's show was about reversals. Andy played the tragic, put-upon hero, surrounded by antagonists while he tries to do a standard call-in show. Ken, operating from behind the Greek chorus of the studio audience, made the most out of a potentially disastrous conceit by willfully being a jerk and not even pretending to be on Andy's side. Calls come from inside the house. Callers say "thanks for calling." And in Andrea, we have someone actually making money on Seven Second Delay.
The whole studio audience concept has completely reenergized the show, I think. The reason why they're still broadcasting at all is because every couple of years an idea like that comes around.
Still waiting on a grand total for Andy's soaking. 25 people in the studio, how many calls, how many playlist comments? It's offensive if I say it but we need a certain type of person to do that math.
Next week: The Great Crossword-Solving Competition, featuring Andrea's grandmother Phyllis. Phyllis lives on the Upper East Side, which, Seven Second Delay historians will remember, was where a certain young boy was overheard saying something particularly charming.