'Loveline' comes to The Beach
By Gerry Miriello, On-line Forty-Niner February 23,1998
Pinsky, Carolla juggle callers, work, family In an interview held after "Loveline" on Thursday at Cal State Long Beach, Dr. Drew Pinsky and Adam Carolla shared their perspectives on the show's past and future, and its present demands on their time - and their nerves. "I've been with the show since the beginning, in 1983," Pinsky said. "I was a third-year medical student, and I had some friends who worked at a fledgling radio station named KROQ. They had a show from midnight to 3 a.m. on Sundays that dealt with relationships. "They asked me to come on the show, but they really didn't know what they wanted to do. They said, 'Use big words - it'll be funny!' But I was drawn to helping kids this way, and it evolved to the point where I became a volunteer host for eight years." Pinsky, who is a board-certified internist and addict-ionalogist, has shared time over the years with co-hosts such as the notorious "Poorman" and Riki Rachtman. "Well, there are no movies coming out just yet," Carolla said. "But a 'Loveline' book should be out in the fall." The show's hectic schedule, which sometimes calls for five radio programs, along with seven or eight television episodes, done per week, can limit one's patience. "I sometimes get frazzled," Carolla said. "My fuse gets shorter [during the frenzied taping schedule] and I tend to cut off callers who stumble over their questions." Pinsky, who uses the nickname "Dr. Drew" on "Loveline" so that "I can lead a normal life in the daytime," said he was hesitant to become a television personality. "It's a juggling act, because I'm balancing my family, my practice and the show," he said. "I don't even know how I do it sometimes. I'm scared every time I say 'yes' to something new." Pinsky is married and has triplets, and also used to edit a medical journal. He revealed that he was hired by a company on Thursday to begin speaking about the side effects of anti-depressant medicine. Time is not the only tiring aspect of the show, however. "The last week or so of shows has been particularly frustrating," Pinsky said. "The company wants to have more provocative guests on. I used to think 'Loveline hell' applied to the years when the show was being crafted and shaped to what it is now. I think that term has a new meaning." "You're getting paid to look at a strip show," Carolla said jokingly. "You can work through it." Pinsky was referring to one guest who took her top off during a recent radio program. Among their better guests, Carolla and Pinsky named such celebrities as Tori Amos, Tom Arnold, Fiona Apple, Coolio and Ice-T. Pinsky was unsure why so many people air their dirty laundry in public, which is the main reason "Loveline" is so popular. "People like to share these issues in their life," he said. "I don't believe they do it sometimes. I think we just tapped into something big." "Loveline" airs on KROQ-FM from 10 p.m. to midnight Monday to Thursday, and from 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday. It shows on MTV from midnight to 1 a.m. weeknights.	KROQ's jocks tackle issues of love, drugs The wildly popular MTV and KROQ-FM talk show "Loveline," with its half-"Howard Stern," half-"Dr. Ruth" approach, rumbled through Cal State Long Beach Thursday in front of 640 people in the University Student Union Multipurpose Room. The event, co-hosted by Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew Pinsky, was not broadcast on either radio or television. Despite starting at 6 p.m., one hour later than scheduled, "Loveline" managed to cover three topics in detail for the next 90 minutes: sex, drugs and more sex. "We got bad directions and circled the campus for the last 45 minutes," Pinsky said. After it looked like no one would step to the microphone and ask the evening's first question - a moment when Carolla tried to urge the crowd to "not be outdone by Iowa and Ithaca," referring to other college campuses the pair has visited - one brave gentleman got up and congratulated them for being "f-ing badasses" and invited them to the dorms afterwards to get "f-ed up." Things got rolling from there. A man asked for advice on how to stop his 15-year-old girlfriend from biting people. Pinsky surmised that she was under the influence of some substance and recommended immediate treatment for the girl. Pinsky then told a woman, who inquired about the negative effects of marijuana, that the drug lowers libido and sperm count, and can be addictive for certain people. Carolla intermittently offered crude jokes to entertain the audience. When one female student asked if male genitalia longer than 7 inches can hurt a woman, Pinsky said that it could. tion from her boyfriend, to seek empathy, love and understanding so that he would be more emotionally available to her. Pinsky also tackled larger issues. "One of my biggest crusades," he said, "is against the disempowerment of women in society today. One of the most powerful moments I've witnessed is childbirth. Women have that gift, and they are centered around their emotions. These aspects of femininity shouldn't be tossed aside, they should be respected." Pinsky responded to queries about manic depression and schizophrenia, and outlined resources that could help those suffering from either disorder. Near the evening's end, two audience members were chosen separately to join the hosts on stage. A woman named Jennifer clung to Carolla for her duration in the spotlight, while a young man, Burt, sheepishly answered questions about his sex life. Carolla then speculated that Burt was so quiet because he was "stoned."