Dial up the Love Doctor

Talk shows dispense relationship advice

By Lise Harwin
Daily Music Editor

In the '80s, "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" were words to live by. Now in the '90s, alternative radio has picked up at least two of these terms and applied them to a talk show format. Though "sex and rock 'n' roll" isn't as catchy, it might explain why call-in radio sex therapy shows like "Loveline" and "LovePhones" exist. Whether it's the musician guests of hosts Dr. Drew Pinsky and Adam Carolla of "Loveline," or the mere fact that Dr. Judy Kuriansky's "LovePhones" appears on the music-driven alternative radio format, these two shows align the frontiers of music and sex like never before.

Kuriansky, more affectionately known as "Dr. Judy" to her listeners, is a licensed clinical psychologist and sex therapist. She and her partner in crime, Chris Jagger, host "LovePhones" on Z100 radio in New York and approximately 30 other syndicated stations around the country. Featuring two hours of "frank talk about love, sex and relationships," "LovePhones" can be heard on Detroit and Windsor's CIMX 88.7 FM (89X), Monday through Thursday from 10 p.m. until midnight.

A former rock musician herself, Dr. Judy has her own theories about why her show has been so successful within the alternative radio format.

"It works well because young people need to know what we're talking about," Dr. Judy said in an interview with The Michigan Daily. "Having been in the business for a long time, what I've noticed is that young people still have the same questions that the generations before had. Plus, they have more complications, not only because of diseases, but because of stresses in life. If anything, they have more problems than their parents ever did!"

In Dr. Judy's opinion, the show also plays an important role in filling the void left by insufficient sexual education. "There are problems with regards to sex education in schools, so there are escalating problems with pressures to be sexual. There's that much more of a reason why young people would want to hear a show like "LovePhones." And, the show is funny and it relieves anxiety."

Though the show often talks about sex, with listeners asking questions about topics ranging from penis size to abuse, the most frequently asked questions on "LovePhones" are actually about relationships and where to find them. In answer to these curious listeners, Dr. Judy took matters into her own hands and authored the book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dating," a thorough and humorous handbook for the intimately inept. Covering everything from supermarket pick-ups to calling it quits, Dr. Judy's book leaves no subject untouched, much like the radio show.

As Dr. Judy has said, "We'll address whatever anybody cares about, but we'll always be sensitive."

In relation to the more delicate subject matter, "LovePhones" has tested listeners and found out that talk about sex doesn't necessarily make kids go out and do it. Furthermore, according to Dr. Judy, "Kids hear the horror stories from others on the radio and then we give out a lot of messages not to have sex too young. We do a big service."

Of course, as Dr. Judy would be quick to remind you, the focus of the show is not just sex. "It's really about connecting with people. Opening everybody's heart. The show is not about sex. It's called "LovePhones" and it's really about love. We may talk about sex, but that's the information part of it. If you notice, I talk about love, caring and respecting yourself," Dr. Judy explained.

While Dr. Judy and Jagger may entertain guests from time to time, the focus is always on the audience. In Dr. Judy's words, "The callers are our guests. They're the celebrities." With such an emphasis placed on the callers, it would only be natural to wonder who they are and where they come from. Ranging in age from teens to 20-somethings and from East Coast to West, the nighttime audience is sure to contain a crowd with fairly diverse lives and questions. Or is it?

"I think it's important for people to know that people all over the country, no matter what accents they have or what city they live in or what their situation is, have a lot in common," Dr. Judy said. "The particulars may be different ... day shifts, night shifts. But there's one common denominator: Everybody wants to love and everyone wants to be loved."

Fortunately, for those of you looking for sex talk without the cheesy "love doctor" angle, there's an alternative. "Loveline," hosted by internist, addictionologist and chemical dependency department medical director Dr. Drew Dr. Drew (known as "Dr. Drew") and comedian extraordinaire Adam Carolla consists of live phone-in calls, which range from strange to silly, and sometimes even to serious. Heard on at least 36 network affiliates nationwide but produced on Burbank, Calif.'s KROQ, "Loveline," serves up advice from its hosts as well as a slew of guests including Courtney Love, Julio Iglesias and Keanu Reeves.

The history of "Loveline" itself is rather interesting. Carolla, a morning show host at KROQ, had always heard "Loveline" and enjoyed it, but former MTV VJ Riki Rachtman was already "Dr. Drew's" (as he's called on-air) sidekick. But, when the show went into syndication and Rachtman left, Carolla, for a short time a "Loveline" third wheel, became Robin to Dr. Drew's Batman. Things haven't been the same since. Now "Loveline" can also be heard on 89X, and it is broadcast on MTV. At this point, there are very few things that Carolla would change.

He just wants "more affiliates, more guests and to just keep going," Carolla said in an interview with The Michigan Daily. Wait, strike that. "Oh no, I don't like guests actually," Carolla amended. "I know they add a lot to the show, but for me, everything is a distraction other than saying whatever it is that I happen to be thinking at the time."

While guests may be distracting, any listener would be quick to say that Dr. Drew himself may be Carolla's biggest distraction. But, though Carolla loves a healthy debate, there's not too many topics on which he and Dr. Drew disagree.

"We could debate on drug legalization or birth control. We're not really opposed in too many departments, but we can argue about it anyway," Carolla confessed. "We both want the same outcome though we sometimes disagree on the best method to achieve the desired results. We both like people and we're both concerned about the listeners."

"Loveline" listeners, like those who tune in to "LovePhones," are located all over the country, yet are concerned with many of the same issues. From Carolla's perspective, it seems that "There are a lot of women trying to figure out men. The sexes don't know each other real well, especially when they're 16 or 17, so we usually get one sex calling in and trying to figure out what the other sex is doing." But, what gives this comedian the expertise to handle these questions as well as the more painful ones?

"I've never had any divorces or girlfriends who've killed themselves. I've never been stalked and I've never stalked anybody," Carolla admitted. "But, I've had my share of rocky relationships and I'm quite acquainted with the feelings that go along with those. You will draw upon that, especially when you're talking about someone who's trying to get over their first relationship or something like that."

Dr. Drew, on the other hand, has the experience to make judgments, though he rarely does. "My job is to be the doctor," Dr. Drew said. "That usually requires objectivity beyond personal experience, although Adam tries to dig it out of me. With the TV show, we pull people out of the audience. It's human beings sharing human experiences. You can put celebrities in that seat, listeners in that seat ... you can put anybody in that seat and they'll have something to say. If they're honest, they'll have something to share."

As Dr. Drew mentioned, guests, regardless of Carolla's opinion, offer something valuable and unique to "Loveline." "The best guests are the ones who are going to have the greatest impact on young people when they drop their celebrity veil and reveal their humanness. Someone who young people look up to who, all of a sudden, starts sharing the fact that they've had similar experiences that led them to whatnot," Dr. Drew said.

In the past, these highly effective guests have been everyone from Clive Barker to Bobcat Goldthwaite, though bands like Korn and Goldfinger fit in well with the alternative rock format of the station. Dr. Drew, who particularly liked guest Rod Stewart, has his own theories as to why "Loveline" works so well with fans of the alternative music scene. "I think you can break life down into three main segments," Dr. Drew said. "From 12 to 40, you're thinking about relationships and sex. From 40 to 60, you're trying to secure your financial situation and raise a family, and from 60 to 90, you're thinking about medical problems. If you want to reach a population that's worried about relationships, go to where they gather, which is alternative radio."

Like Dr. Judy, Dr. Drew's and Adam's purpose for reaching these people is to lend a helping hand. "My mission is to improve the human condition. We've got a huge mess on our hands and we're stuck in a quagmire if we don't do something to help out. Talk to them about their reality. My thing is to create relationships, stabilize relationships, so people know how to have a family, so they can raise children successfully, so they can be empathic and we can restore domesticity to this culture," Dr. Drew said.

But, despite the similar goals of both radio shows, Dr. Drew and Adam are disturbed by their competitors' methods. "Every other show I've heard talks about explicit material just for the sake of hearing the dirty words and being titillated," Dr. Drew said. "We are there to drive the culture in the direction of sanity and we only talk about this stuff because we have to."

Though Carolla didn't completely agree with Dr. Drew in this case, he offered his own opinion on other relationship-oriented call-in shows. "There's a lot of impostors that have popped up nationally in the past few years. I don't take any credit for conceptualizing "Loveline," but I don't think there's anybody out there who does what Drew and I do any better than Drew and I. I would welcome any challengers who would try and dethrone us in this particular area of talk radio."

In Dr. Drew's opinion, the reason that the others don't come close is that they miss the essence of the show. "You absolutely have to have a medical doctor or physician on the show. No weird psychologists or psychoanalysts," Dr. Drew complained.

"Yeah," Carolla chorused. "They screw themselves when they get a 'Love Doctor!'"

For now, we can continue to enjoy hearing both the psychoanalytic "LovePhones" and the medically oriented "Loveline" on the radio. "Loveline" can additionally be seen on MTV and may even stop in Detroit as, according to Dr. Drew, the television version of "Loveline" is planning on touring. But, in Dr. Drew's opinion, the audience will probably always be relatively similar, regardless of location. "When we first went to syndication, I was looking forward to hearing the diversity across the land and I was shocked to find out that it's all the same," Dr. Drew said. "TV's a little different. It's more inner city and more rural, while radio seems to be more suburban. The problems, however, are not subsequently different ... they just are more grotesque in inner city and rural populations."

Dr. Judy Kuriansky hosts the radio show "LovePhones," psychoanalyzing her listeners' problems.

Dr. Drew Pinsky and comedian Adam Carolla host radio and TV's "Loveline," a call-in advice/talk show.

Where to find 'LovePhones' and 'Loveline'
LovePhones is heard on CIMX 88.7 FM (89X), Monday through Thursday, 10 p.m. to midnight.	Loveline is heard on 89X also, Monday through Friday from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., as well as seen on MTV weeknights from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

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