Mike, in their heyday, these guys WERE quite funny. However, the downfall of shock radio is that you must always outdo yourself. Getting a couple to have anal sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral crosses a line which they can never return. If people want to pay to hear these guys on XM radio, fine. But they never deserve to return to public airwaves.
I'll admit to listening to them at work in the afternoons back in 'ought one. They did have their moments but all the obscene stuff tends to get just plain bo-ring. Some of their guests were pretty good (anything with Jay Mohr) and who was that guy who sang "Altar Boy" and "Full-blown AIDS"? Some other guests they wasted; they had a great rapport with Scotty Crane (Bob Crane's son) when he was promoting his book but they blew it big time when Robert Clary ("Cpl. LeBeau") came by promoting his. They started in on him with a homosexual shtick and really brought a stink down on themselves. Shock jocks never seem to know when to play an interview straight.
That said, I'll never forget the great service they rendered during those terrible days of 9-11. Like other shock jocks operating out of NY at the time (Howard Stern, Don & Mike, etc.) they spontaneously dropped the goofball antics and helped rally morale when the city was reeling. They let people vent, tamped down anti-arab hysteria, played fight songs and relayed information about what the crews at ground zero needed. It would have been nice if Rudy had set aside their feud for one brief moment and given these guys some kind of official recognition.
You're right about the post-9/11 reaction among the FM "shock jock" community. They really did surpass our expectations. In fact, as hard as this may be for you to believe, the first information I received about the terrorists' strike at the Pentagon came from Don & Mike.
God help me, I actually started to listen to Ron & Fez.
Yes there were/are funny
And yes I will probably pay to hear them again.
I never said they would be back on the public airwaves nor would I ever advocate that.
But the show was funny as hell....
And you are right anything with Jay Mohr or anytime Jimmy Norton went off about something....tussle tussle