Howard Stern is promoting his new book and, for the first time in years, he is out and about doing lots of interviews. (My wife has promised me a new Kindle with this book loaded on it for Father's Day.)
The recurring theme of these interviews, and apparent raison d'etre for his new book, is how the once raunchy and outrageous 1980s & 1990s radio DJ became a major 21st century media icon. It's about how Howard as "evolved" from "bad boy shock jock" to "thought-provoking" interviewer and cultural pulse-taker.
As someone who has listened to Howard for almost 30 years, I can attest first-hand that this change in the man and his show are very real. In some ways they're both better than ever -- Howard seems like a much kinder, much more empathetic guy; the interviews are simply better than anything you'll hear anywhere else. But I also miss the old Howard -- the take-no-prisoners style and the (admittedly dated and "un-woke") craziness of having women come into the studio to have bologna and bread tossed at their smeared-with-mayonnaise posteriors, plus strippers and porn stars coming in to undress, get spanked, and operate various mechanical devices on their Devil bits.
Oh, those were the days!
Back when I started listening to him, Howard loved to do stunts like the Open Sores tennis match in Flushing, his various "funerals" for DJs in other markets that he overtook in the ratings, the massive book signings he had for his first two books, and lots more.
But nothing topped what he did in 1994 when he actually ran for New York State governor against then-Governor Mario Cuomo (the current gub's dad). Howard even secured the nomination of the Libertarian Party and had an agenda -- get highway work to be performed in night so he didn't have to sit in traffic, restore the death penalty (and fill pot holls on the highways with the chary remains of the executed), and then resign so his Lieutenant Governor, a real politician, could take over. Howard rose rapidly in the polls but then bailed on the campaign when the very real possibility that he might win materialized (he claimed that he didn't want to reveal his finances, a rather thin but good excuse to get out).
The "Howard Stern for Governor" stunt was short-lived and ridiculous but, at the time, it accomplished the task of getting him tons of attention. It even got his parodied brilliantly on Saturday Night Live -- 25 years ago this week! -- at a time when the show was otherwise awful. And it spawned a song called "Howard Stern for Governor" that was dopey and heartfelt.
It's hard to believe that this happened more than a quarter of a century ago -- and, as we see, something much more awful and outrageous than Governor Howard Stern is happening now.
The big difference between Howard and other outrageous media personalities is that he understood that his shtick was always an act and not something to be truly acted upon -- unlike other DJs who performed truly dangerous and illegal stunts that got them fired or charged with crimes, or others who actually got elected to office on even more ridiculous and hateful agendas. That's why, after so many decades, Howard is still around and more respected than ever while other media figures of his ilk have either flamed out or became truly hated.
Twenty-five years ago we said Howard Stern for Governor. Today we say Howard Stern Forever!
Oh, those were the days!
Back when I started listening to him, Howard loved to do stunts like the Open Sores tennis match in Flushing, his various "funerals" for DJs in other markets that he overtook in the ratings, the massive book signings he had for his first two books, and lots more.
But nothing topped what he did in 1994 when he actually ran for New York State governor against then-Governor Mario Cuomo (the current gub's dad). Howard even secured the nomination of the Libertarian Party and had an agenda -- get highway work to be performed in night so he didn't have to sit in traffic, restore the death penalty (and fill pot holls on the highways with the chary remains of the executed), and then resign so his Lieutenant Governor, a real politician, could take over. Howard rose rapidly in the polls but then bailed on the campaign when the very real possibility that he might win materialized (he claimed that he didn't want to reveal his finances, a rather thin but good excuse to get out).
The "Howard Stern for Governor" stunt was short-lived and ridiculous but, at the time, it accomplished the task of getting him tons of attention. It even got his parodied brilliantly on Saturday Night Live -- 25 years ago this week! -- at a time when the show was otherwise awful. And it spawned a song called "Howard Stern for Governor" that was dopey and heartfelt.
It's hard to believe that this happened more than a quarter of a century ago -- and, as we see, something much more awful and outrageous than Governor Howard Stern is happening now.
The big difference between Howard and other outrageous media personalities is that he understood that his shtick was always an act and not something to be truly acted upon -- unlike other DJs who performed truly dangerous and illegal stunts that got them fired or charged with crimes, or others who actually got elected to office on even more ridiculous and hateful agendas. That's why, after so many decades, Howard is still around and more respected than ever while other media figures of his ilk have either flamed out or became truly hated.
Twenty-five years ago we said Howard Stern for Governor. Today we say Howard Stern Forever!
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