Over 20 years Mick Molloy has been a recurring theme at Triple M. He was first heard as part of the D-Generation on breakfast in 1990. Then the all-conquering syndicated show Martin/Molloy with Tony Martin from 1995-1998. He had his own show, Tough Love between 2004 and 2006. And now he’s joined Eddie McGuire on The Hot Breakfast in Melbourne. Something irresistible must be drawing him back.
“I think it’s the lure of Copperhead Road by Steve Earle that was playing almost 20 years ago – and they’re still playing it.” jokes Molloy. Then seriously, “It’s a couple of things. First of all, out of all the media, Radio’s my favourite. And secondly, Triple M has always been my natural habitat. It seems to be my crowd, a male dominated, a kind of youngish… or young to middling audience is kind of my heartland.
“And the station’s been very kind to me over the years. We’ve always had this on again off again relationship which we’re both quite happy to pick up from time to time,” says Molloy.
While many radio and media personalities live a lavish lifestyle far removed from their audience, Molloy gives no hint that he is better, or better-off, than his average listener.
“In my mind’s eye they’re a lot like me. I live the lifestyle of the Triple M listener. I’ve been in the business for over 20 years and my closest friends are boys/men my own age who have nothing to do with the industry. We still get together on a Friday afternoon for drinks at the pub. I still go to the football. I go to barbecues. I still spend a lot of my time in places where people do actually listen to Triple M.”
People like Molloy who straddle Radio, TV and Movies tend to fit into one of two camps when it comes to radio, those who are uncomfortable with its immediacy and those who are exhilarated by it. Molloy is firmly among the latter.
“If you do a bad radio show, and thankfully there’s not many, you get the chance to come back the next day and fix it. If you make a film it takes three years of your life and its going to be on a shelf forever. If you’re making a TV show you have to spend months planning and an entire week executing. So there’s much more pressure attached.
“With TV, people can sometimes tell you not to do something before you do it. I like to be told afterwards not to do it again,” says Molloy.
At no time in his previous three stints at the station, or network, did it rate lower than it does now. Yet Molloy denies he feels any pressure and says that he relishes the challenge.
“Everyone likes a good fight. And its great to come in when this station’s got a bit to prove. I think I’ve come to the breakfast show at a good time. They showed significant improvement last year and I think they’ve turned the corner. I kind of look at it as getting on the train as its leaving the station. Hopefully I can help Triple M return to its position of power.”
The last time Molloy teamed up with Eddie McGuire it was as part of the commentary team for the Vancouver Winter Olympics back in February 2010. The gig ended in controversy as the pair was investigated by the NSW Anti-discrimination Board for alleged homophobic remarks they made while describing the men’s figure skating.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of controversies over the years, and probably rightly so. I think there’s been some big scandals in TV and I’ve never been far from a headline. But this was the most disappointing because it was a total beat up, possibly because people were looking for stories to come out of Vancouver and this was one that the press decided was a goer.
“I understand that the the Olympics is a kind of heritage broadcast and as a comedian, I was over there to muck around in the shallow end of the pool and provide some comedy and maybe some of the purists didn’t appreciate it.
“But I was disappointed because anyone who knows me knows that I don’t have a homophobic bone in my body. I just felt that me and Eddie together was a popular target for the press corps,” says Molloy.
His more recent previous stints with Triple M were daytime shifts and Molloy admits that a Breakfast Show which includes interviews with politicians and serious newsmakers is out of his comfort zone.
“There are elements of the show which are out of my range and I opt out. I’m not a constant presence, I’m there when there’s fun to be had. I’m here to ask the dopey questions and to lower the bar a bit. It’s not my show. I’m just a hired gun. It’s all care, no responsibility. It’s fun.”
Finally, Mick Molloy has some advice for young broadcasters who are part of an on-air team. “Remember that it is just that, a team. It’s best that the team wins. Even if someone else gets a joke off and is hitting out of the park, enjoy that. Don’t be in competition with your team.
“Also there’s a book by Howard Stern called Private Parts. It’s everything you need to know about FM Radio before you come on board. It should be handed out young jocks. It tells you where all the bodies are buried. Have a read.”