Pierre & Harry

By: Peter Madden

Within 24 hours, the Philadelphia area and the national media landscape at large lost two prominent voices.

Pierre Robert, lifelong DJ, personality, and one-of-a-kind spirit – and Harry Donahue, a sports media icon, most recently serving as the host, producer, programmer, and more for Inside Golf on Comcast Sportsnet.

I’ve only been around Pierre on a few occasions but talk about aura! He made everyone feel special. Outrageous outfits, a larger-than-life presence, a gregarious laugh, and of course an encyclopedic knowledge of music. He was revered by every music fan in the Philly area and counted many rockstars as friends. In fact, he gave an Irish foursome one heck of a break when he started playing their songs on 93.3 FM / WMMR, where he reigned supreme for decades. He even gave them a place to crash. Without him, who knows if the world would have ever experienced their countless, passionate songs?

That band was U2.

And whereas Harry – on the surface – may seem like a 180-degree opposite from the wild man that was Pierre – perhaps not. A couple of Summers ago, we were set to play a round of golf together, and as Mother Nature dictates when you play, a tropical storm came sweeping through the South Jersey shore, which left me and Harry taking cover at an outdoor bar (thankfully with a large awning!) that looked over the beautiful course. There was no relief in sight from the rain, but neither of us moved. Instead, for at least two hours, we talked about life, golf, the art of the interview, and more golf. Like Pierre, he had a great, baritone-esque, reverberating voice that made your ears pay special attention. He was self-deprecating, funny, inquisitive, and like most great interviewers, a tremendous listener. Plenty of drenched golfers made it a point to stop by and say a kind word to him, and naturally, he had a story or a few tidbits for them.

I’m not sure if Pierre golfed or if Harry was into rock n’ roll, but to me, they were kindred spirits. Out of the many people I’ve come across in the business, they had the rare gift of being incredibly comfortable in their own clothes. And that, Good Citizens, is a talent.