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Howard Stern

Started by Marc.Knight, March 17, 2011, 10:47:57 PM

SredniVashtar

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on September 28, 2015, 02:26:19 PM
    People always reference Willie Mays looking pathetic in the outfield in '73 as an example of a legend having lost his skills.

    Stern in 2015 is like Willie Mays. Willie Mays in 2015, that is.

I sometimes have a listen to try and find out what he is up to these days, but those times become less and less now. He's obviously bored with the whole thing, but probably can't afford to retire since he has a 'hot' wife who might get a bit tired of hanging out with an irrelevant retiree in Florida or wherever. Also, nosebags and stabling fees all cost money.

About the only thing he has ever really had going for him, in my opinion, are his skills as an interviewer. He always manages to make the dullest guest somewhat interesting. But as a 'comedian' he has always been pretty awful, and those bits that you can hear on YouTube are really silly and juvenile. I have never gone for the idea that Fred Norris is a comic genius either, because most of the time he's about as funny as a nail bomb in a shopping mall. Still, at least he's not Robin.

The only other things that makes the old stuff worth listening to these days are the people he had around him. I guess he should get some of the credit for stirring them up too, but I am sure that most people's favourite memories of the show involve things other than Stern: whether it's Billy West, or Gary being a douche, or Beetlejuice being insane. I think the only time the new show is worth listening to is when they get George Takei on, and he plays along with it all.

henge0stone

Quote from: bateman on September 23, 2015, 07:53:42 PM
http://radaronline.com/celebrity-news/howard-stern-responds-artie-lange-stuttering-john-melendez/

Listening to Artie's podcast was interesting. Artie was very level headed and didn't bash Howard at all, so not sure how he was hurt by any of those comments. Stuttering John is clearly bitter, still harking on jokes Howard made decades ago.
All Artie said was howard was becoming more pc is is completely true.

Eddie Coyle

Quote from: SredniVashtar on September 29, 2015, 07:14:00 AM
I sometimes have a listen to try and find out what he is up to these days, but those times become less and less now. He's obviously bored with the whole thing, but probably can't afford to retire since he has a 'hot' wife who might get a bit tired of hanging out with an irrelevant retiree in Florida or wherever. Also, nosebags and stabling fees all cost money.

About the only thing he has ever really had going for him, in my opinion, are his skills as an interviewer. He always manages to make the dullest guest somewhat interesting. But as a 'comedian' he has always been pretty awful, and those bits that you can hear on YouTube are really silly and juvenile. I have never gone for the idea that Fred Norris is a comic genius either, because most of the time he's about as funny as a nail bomb in a shopping mall. Still, at least he's not Robin.

The only other things that makes the old stuff worth listening to these days are the people he had around him. I guess he should get some of the credit for stirring them up too, but I am sure that most people's favourite memories of the show involve things other than Stern: whether it's Billy West, or Gary being a douche, or Beetlejuice being insane. I think the only time the new show is worth listening to is when they get George Takei on, and he plays along with it all.

       George Takei being from the long line of "fruity" guests that began with Richard Simmons then when he stopped coming on it became Mark Harris, and when Mark fell out, here comes Elegant Elliott Offen...incidentally, Takei's first appearance in '94 was made brilliant by Billy West impersonating him as "George Takei Jr". Amazingly, Stern didn't grasp that Takei was gay back then.

       I've long thought that Stern's greatest skill was his ability to find others who could provide a seemingly endless stream of material when called upon. Elephant Boy, Crackhead Bob, Beetlejuice, Hank the Angry Dwarf, the "fruity guests, Tiny Tim. Belzer and Gilbert Gottfried sitting in for the news. The Jokeman loved calling he, Stern, Fred and Robin "The Beatles of radio", but I think Stern was the David Bowie of radio. He'd find talented people, get great contributions, then move on from them.

       The WNBC years where Fred and Stern writing most, if not all of the material. It's pretty gruesome Morning Zoo crud and while Stern LOVES to talk of his "innovations", he never actually provides audio proof. A lot of pre 1990 Stern stuff is shockingly bad.

Eddie Coyle

Quote from: henge0stone on September 29, 2015, 01:57:27 PM
Listening to Artie's podcast was interesting. Artie was very level headed and didn't bash Howard at all, so not sure how he was hurt by any of those comments. Stuttering John is clearly bitter, still harking on jokes Howard made decades ago.
All Artie said was howard was becoming more pc is is completely true.

    Artie said what he was probably thinking when still a show member. And indeed was not rough on Stern at all.

    I wouldn't be shocked if Melendez was broke. He's talentless.

SredniVashtar

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on September 29, 2015, 02:13:18 PM
       George Takei being from the long line of "fruity" guests that began with Richard Simmons then when he stopped coming on it became Mark Harris, and when Mark fell out, here comes Elegant Elliott Offen...incidentally, Takei's first appearance in '94 was made brilliant by Billy West impersonating him as "George Takei Jr". Amazingly, Stern didn't grasp that Takei was gay back then.

       I've long thought that Stern's greatest skill was his ability to find others who could provide a seemingly endless stream of material when called upon. Elephant Boy, Crackhead Bob, Beetlejuice, Hank the Angry Dwarf, the "fruity guests, Tiny Tim. Belzer and Gilbert Gottfried sitting in for the news. The Jokeman loved calling he, Stern, Fred and Robin "The Beatles of radio", but I think Stern was the David Bowie of radio. He'd find talented people, get great contributions, then move on from them.

       The WNBC years where Fred and Stern writing most, if not all of the material. It's pretty gruesome Morning Zoo crud and while Stern LOVES to talk of his "innovations", he never actually provides audio proof. A lot of pre 1990 Stern stuff is shockingly bad.

I think the Bowie comparison is spot on. He is very shrewd and ruthless when it comes to people. Well, all except Robin. Ugh, how that woman continues to steal money year after year is one of the world's great mysteries. I never know how much of his personality is radio shtick and how much is genuine, but he does come across as pretty cold and calculating, which is useful when he is manipulating people to make good radio, but not so good if he is trying to make friends. It will be interesting when he eventually does give it up to hear the opinions of people he has worked with, when they are no longer financially dependent on him. I bet Gary probably hates him. That's probably one of the reasons that he still does something he clearly has very little interest in any more - it's too much to give up.

Eddie Coyle

Quote from: SredniVashtar on September 29, 2015, 02:30:39 PM
I think the Bowie comparison is spot on. He is very shrewd and ruthless when it comes to people. Well, all except Robin. Ugh, how that woman continues to steal money year after year is one of the world's great mysteries. I never know how much of his personality is radio shtick and how much is genuine, but he does come across as pretty cold and calculating, which is useful when he is manipulating people to make good radio, but not so good if he is trying to make friends. It will be interesting when he eventually does give it up to hear the opinions of people he has worked with, when they are no longer financially dependent on him. I bet Gary probably hates him. That's probably one of the reasons that he still does something he clearly has very little interest in any more - it's too much to give up.

     Stern is like Bowie in amassing enormous wealth, and being remarkably parsimonious towards even his most vital contributors. The success of Private Parts(the book) is a significant moment in show's history. Financially, Stern rose so much that it almost became a CEO vs worker divide. That's why Jackie and Billy felt they had to leave, they knew how important their contributions were and had to be incensed that Stern had reached decamillionaire status annually, while they had to fight tooth and nail to get 300K from Infinity. That's where the cold and calculating character is definitely legit. Billy West's  November, 1995 departure was never even discussed until Melrose Larry Green yelled "Bring back Billy" at a Miss America book signing 3 weeks later.

       It's facile to point to Robin as nothing but the token black/female, but her contributions essentially confirm it. She's not funny, disturbingly self-centered and gullible beyond words. Baba Booey has to despise him, but realizes(one hopes) that his income/lifestyle are the yield of being Stern's village idiot for 30 years and nothing more.

SredniVashtar

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on September 29, 2015, 03:04:21 PM
     Stern is like Bowie in amassing enormous wealth, and being remarkably parsimonious towards even his most vital contributors. The success of Private Parts(the book) is a significant moment in show's history. Financially, Stern rose so much that it almost became a CEO vs worker divide. That's why Jackie and Billy felt they had to leave, they knew how important their contributions were and had to be incensed that Stern had reached decamillionaire status annually, while they had to fight tooth and nail to get 300K from Infinity. That's where the cold and calculating character is definitely legit. Billy West's  November, 1995 departure was never even discussed until Melrose Larry Green yelled "Bring back Billy" at a Miss America book signing 3 weeks later.

       It's facile to point to Robin as nothing but the token black/female, but her contributions essentially confirm it. She's not funny, disturbingly self-centered and gullible beyond words. Baba Booey has to despise him, but realizes(one hopes) that his income/lifestyle are the yield of being Stern's village idiot for 30 years and nothing more.

I think the show really took a terminal dive when Artie left the scene. I am always in two minds about him, because his stand-up act has always seemed appalling, and just trading on the lovable loser persona. He can barely hit a punchline without cracking himself up into a wheeze at the end. It took me a while to 'get him' on the show but I think it often worked, and it felt as though it was connecting with people in a way that Stern had forgotten a long time ago. He was never particularly witty but he definitely added something to the show. He also had that weird rapport with Takei that was pretty funny. For all his problems, he was actually the less weird of the regular team and I think it shone through. I think we needed some of Artie's attitude to deflate all this AGT nonsense.

Eddie Coyle

Quote from: SredniVashtar on September 29, 2015, 03:16:45 PM
I think the show really took a terminal dive when Artie left the scene. I am always in two minds about him, because his stand-up act has always seemed appalling, and just trading on the lovable loser persona. He can barely hit a punchline without cracking himself up into a wheeze at the end. It took me a while to 'get him' on the show but I think it often worked, and it felt as though it was connecting with people in a way that Stern had forgotten a long time ago. He was never particularly witty but he definitely added something to the show. He also had that weird rapport with Takei that was pretty funny. For all his problems, he was actually the less weird of the regular team and I think it shone through. I think we needed some of Artie's attitude to deflate all this AGT nonsense.

     I feel similarly about Artie, who I always felt was looking for a sitcom where he could be John Belushi knockoff character. The garbageman inexplicably with a hot wife show. Though Beer League was probably a dropkick of reality to his Hollywood dreams. His standup was recycled, often dubious tales. However, he was Stern's most lively-interesting cast member. Artie's final two years saw him growing apart from Stern/staff, maybe from the isolation of drug abuse or maybe feeling he was out of step with the show. The "you're not my bro" argument always comes to mind. That Artie felt like Stern treated him as a high level wackpacker.

     

For me, Stern began the first time Sam Kinison entered the studio and ended when Artie left the show.

Howard was always an insecure sex obsessed nerd but he was a wonderful second banana. I also think Stern had an incredible gift for cutting through the bullshit and expressing the truth of things when he was around his peak. His crusade against OJ Simpson and the race baiting of the time was hilariously anti-PC but also truth that wasn't being said in any other meia. He was amazingly brilliant at producing enthralling radio and surrounding himself with talented people. But that all died once he married Beth and had been in slow decay when he hit his peak around the king of all media period.

Artie Lange was a brilliant comic at one time and he is an intensely talented man. Don't let the fact that he turned into a drug addled parody of himself fool you. If you could make mid five figures a night doing bullshit Stern fans like, you'd do it too. But when Lange was riffing on the show or went into free form stream of consciousness insults, it was some of the funniest radio I've ever heard. I love that big goofy bastard.

I'm not a big fan of Jackie the Jokeman really. He was good on the show but his comedy is some of the worst I've ever heard. Fred Norris is a flipping genius creating the sound environment for the show but I'm pretty meh on him in other aspects.

SredniVashtar

Quote from: VoteQuimby on October 01, 2015, 02:37:41 AM

Artie Lange was a brilliant comic at one time and he is an intensely talented man. Don't let the fact that he turned into a drug addled parody of himself fool you. If you could make mid five figures a night doing bullshit Stern fans like, you'd do it too. But when Lange was riffing on the show or went into free form stream of consciousness insults, it was some of the funniest radio I've ever heard. I love that big goofy bastard.

You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but the stuff I have seen him do on stage has been very average and just relied on tuning in to his audience of drunken morons. His Jack and Coke prop was very important for him because it gave him a chance to connect with his inebriated audience without saying anything funny to deserve it. His appearances at the roasts were also very poor for a guy who is supposed to do this for a living and he was usually outshone by that idiot Sal, who was much meaner with his material, even if he lacked experience with his delivery.

But I agree that he was usually great on the show. He is much more thoughtful than his buffoonery would initially suggest, but he has this incredible dark side that means that he will always screw things up, no matter how promising. Get him to a stage where he is back being incredibly successful again and he will almost certainly fuck it up and probably the finish the job killing himself this time. He was always great going back at Crazy Alice, which was one of my favourite bits, and he gave the show a much-needed blue collar feel to it. His obvious homophobia was often put to very amusing effect. For all the fucked up side of his personality, he was the most normal person there, and without him it lacks any real weight (no pun intended). I find the whole vibe between Howard, Robin, Fred and (to a lesser extent) Gary, really creepy, and it means that the show will just bump along the bottom until it finally comes to an end. I am sure a more normal guy than Howard could have handled Artie's breakdown much more successfully, but he is obviously all at sea with human feelings and doesn't connect with other people all that well. I know a lot of his stuff is for the show but he is definitely an odd person.


henge0stone

I loved Artie on the show and on his new podcasts, but I only heard a few bits of his standup, they were really good but it was like 3 jokes so I can't judge his whole act by that. His movies and show idea were total failures and complete trash, so he aint good at everything.

Stuttering John was literally one of the least funny people alive. I don't think he ever had a funny line. He and Jackie were just assholes obsessed with money and making fun of others and were only funny when people were mocking them. 

Robert

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on September 29, 2015, 02:13:18 PMThe WNBC years where Fred and Stern writing most, if not all of the material. It's pretty gruesome Morning Zoo crud and while Stern LOVES to talk of his "innovations", he never actually provides audio proof. A lot of pre 1990 Stern stuff is shockingly bad.
I liked him on WNBC.  However, his stuff when he was on in Washington, DC in the 1970s must've been awful by my tastes.  A friend played me a record Stern made from that time, which you'd think would be the highlights, and it absolutely sucked...except to my friend.  He, in turn, didn't like Stern's later material that I liked.

Robert

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on September 29, 2015, 03:04:21 PMIt's facile to point to Robin as nothing but the token black/female, but her contributions essentially confirm it. She's not funny, disturbingly self-centered and gullible beyond words.
I never understood how they'd become a package early on.  Most acts like Stern's need someone to play straight, but she wasn't even good at that.  I didn't realize until earlier that their relationship had gone back before WNBC; I just figured she was doing the news there.

I've heard combinations like that develop spontaneously on radio.  Clay Pigeon wound up in a slot immediately following Fabio on WFMU, and one day Clay Pigeon started talking w Fabio in studio, and it became a beautiful thing.  Usually, though, it's more one-sided, as when Lionel abuses the news people at his station.  Stern & Quivers I thought of in the latter mold, and I was amused to learn they'd already been an act & gone from stn. to stn., because it seemed to me Stern could've done similarly with any number of news people who are more or less compelled to play straight.

albrecht

Quote from: Robert on October 03, 2015, 08:33:03 PM
I liked him on WNBC.  However, his stuff when he was on in Washington, DC in the 1970s must've been awful by my tastes.  A friend played me a record Stern made from that time, which you'd think would be the highlights, and it absolutely sucked...except to my friend.  He, in turn, didn't like Stern's later material that I liked.
Man, I never liked Stern. But the Greaseman at DC 101 (and others over the years) the best. Simply the best. Other than Phil Hendrie I think he was the best radio talent in the past decades. (For that genre.) But, unlike Phil, was great with fans and even off the air (like several years ago) sent me an email when I emailed him about a taper from the old days with a new archive he found, digitized, and put online and he endorsed it and THANKED us. Not sued, tried to belittle, etc but said thanks.

Robert

Quote from: VoteQuimby on October 01, 2015, 02:37:41 AMI also think Stern had an incredible gift for cutting through the bullshit and expressing the truth of things
Yes.  I think he did a great service to people who had no way of finding the truth about certain things that could make a difference in their lives.  2 examples come to mind.

1: Adoption.  Of course we want to encourage people to adopt, but Stern was the only one to say what's widely but not universally known, which is that it doesn't produce outcomes for the parents nearly as good as having their own biologic children.  Stern said that people who adopt are doing a great thing, but as a sacrifice.

2: Duty in the pants.  How widespread the phenomenon is of fecal incontinence, anal leakage, or small insensible bowel movements over the course of a day, I don't know, but at least thanks to Stern I know I'm not alone.  My parents just thought I didn't wipe well enough, but eventually as an adult I realized, no, there was nothing there, and then there was something there.

Others don't want to touch these subjects.  The 1st is nearly sacred, the 2nd literally shitty.  I'm sure I've forgotten lots of other subjects he wasn't afraid to present the truth about & can affect people's lives.

Quote from: Robert on October 03, 2015, 08:59:06 PM
Yes.  I think he did a great service to people who had no way of finding the truth about certain things that could make a difference in their lives.  2 examples come to mind.

1: Adoption.  Of course we want to encourage people to adopt, but Stern was the only one to say what's widely but not universally known, which is that it doesn't produce outcomes for the parents nearly as good as having their own biologic children.  Stern said that people who adopt are doing a great thing, but as a sacrifice.

2: Duty in the pants.  How widespread the phenomenon is of fecal incontinence, anal leakage, or small insensible bowel movements over the course of a day, I don't know, but at least thanks to Stern I know I'm not alone.  My parents just thought I didn't wipe well enough, but eventually as an adult I realized, no, there was nothing there, and then there was something there.

Others don't want to touch these subjects.  The 1st is nearly sacred, the 2nd literally shitty.  I'm sure I've forgotten lots of other subjects he wasn't afraid to present the truth about & can affect people's lives.


Quote from: SredniVashtar on October 01, 2015, 07:54:57 AM
You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but the stuff I have seen him do on stage has been very average and just relied on tuning in to his audience of drunken morons. His Jack and Coke prop was very important for him because it gave him a chance to connect with his inebriated audience without saying anything funny to deserve it. His appearances at the roasts were also very poor for a guy who is supposed to do this for a living and he was usually outshone by that idiot Sal, who was much meaner with his material, even if he lacked experience with his delivery.

But I agree that he was usually great on the show. He is much more thoughtful than his buffoonery would initially suggest, but he has this incredible dark side that means that he will always screw things up, no matter how promising. Get him to a stage where he is back being incredibly successful again and he will almost certainly fuck it up and probably the finish the job killing himself this time. He was always great going back at Crazy Alice, which was one of my favourite bits, and he gave the show a much-needed blue collar feel to it. His obvious homophobia was often put to very amusing effect. For all the fucked up side of his personality, he was the most normal person there, and without him it lacks any real weight (no pun intended). I find the whole vibe between Howard, Robin, Fred and (to a lesser extent) Gary, really creepy, and it means that the show will just bump along the bottom until it finally comes to an end. I am sure a more normal guy than Howard could have handled Artie's breakdown much more successfully, but he is obviously all at sea with human feelings and doesn't connect with other people all that well. I know a lot of his stuff is for the show but he is definitely an odd person.

I agree with most of what you're saying. He's a much better voice on Stern than a standup comic and in someways was born to be in that role.

Centurion40

Quote from: henge0stone on September 29, 2015, 01:57:27 PM
Listening to Artie's podcast was interesting. Artie was very level headed and didn't bash Howard at all, so not sure how he was hurt by any of those comments. Stuttering John is clearly bitter, still harking on jokes Howard made decades ago.
All Artie said was howard was becoming more pc is is completely true.

Did anyone hear Stern's interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger a couple of months ago?  It was a total sell-out.  Not once did Howard bring up Arnie fucking the ugly maid.

Eddie Coyle

   "Why does Artie hate me, Robin?" (Actually, fatso still kisses his ass here)
   
     http://youtu.be/WKA5KO6vVIE
   

henge0stone

Quote from: Eddie Coyle on October 26, 2015, 03:27:22 PM
   "Why does Artie hate me, Robin?" (Actually, fatso still kisses his ass here)
   
     http://youtu.be/WKA5KO6vVIE
   

If Howard has to ask that then he clearly was not listening to what Artie said.


Ciardelo

Quote from: henge0stone on November 01, 2015, 01:26:56 PM
Howard goes all Art Bell on his staff.
I quite enjoyed this--thanks! But it sounds like Howard recently saw the movie The Prophecy.

Quote from: henge0stone on November 01, 2015, 01:26:56 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS-jrXsh-mM

Howard goes all Art Bell on his staff.

That was one of my favorite Stern segments of all time. It was so surreal and different from normal Stern. I wish there was a follow up to this story but it was probably Howard killing time riffing into ripping off a scary story.

chefist

I'm pretty sure a lot of the salary Stern drew from XM was directly related to subscriptions. Those have been falling rapidly over the years and he has replaced those revenues with his TV gig success. For that to continue, you would have to sell out to the type of audiences that watch those categories of shows. I'm pretty sure he would have made fun of any DJ that would have done that back in the day.

What's Stern up to these days?

I tried to listen yesterday but could only make it about seven minutes in. Howard is so low energy and the complete opposite of what he was. Robin has become so shrill that her voice is like a katana to the spine.

Talking about Stern in another thread a few days ago triggered me to go on a listening binge. I was listening through the Eric The Midget saga from about '07 to '13. It's amazing when you listen to those calls in linear order, you can clearly hear the progression of Stern going from hilarious vicious in '07 to unbelievably politically correct in '12. It's like listening to the death of comedy and Stern's show.


henge0stone

Quote from: VoteQuimby on October 25, 2016, 09:09:26 AM
What's Stern up to these days?

I tried to listen yesterday but could only make it about seven minutes in. Howard is so low energy and the complete opposite of what he was. Robin has become so shrill that her voice is like a katana to the spine.

Talking about Stern in another thread a few days ago triggered me to go on a listening binge. I was listening through the Eric The Midget saga from about '07 to '13. It's amazing when you listen to those calls in linear order, you can clearly hear the progression of Stern going from hilarious vicious in '07 to unbelievably politically correct in '12. It's like listening to the death of comedy and Stern's show.

He is so terrible. I had a free subscription from sirus on my car and I renewed it mainly listening to sternthology. After only a few months I regretted it and have since let my subscription run out. Had to be put on the do not call list to have sirus stop bugging me.

His shows were just so god awful. Its like 70 % stern complaining about how he's tired, doesn't want to go to work or was watching some gay show like dancing with the stars. Robin just agrees with everything like she usually does. His politics are crap too. He said 'it really is hillary's turn' and that 'she did good as a senator in NY' Really stern? Yeah she was real great when she promised to bring jobs upstate then just gave jobs to her cronies and basically did nothing.

He is so miserable too. Every caller he just bitched at. saying he never felt like the common man and hates everyone. Just quit if your so miserable. The best parts of stern were the wack pack and crazy stuff but now he can't even say retard anymore. Really sad. He just stays in it so his less talented staff can still have jobs. Think he even said this before.

Hog

He still pulls big names, its a good few hours of entertainment.  Why wouldnt he continue on, he works 3 days a weeks with months of holidays a year.  Last weeks Stiller interview where he talked of his Cancer diagnosis was great, and Metallica dropping by the week before was awesome.  People are allowed to evolve.

peace
Hog

cweb

That's too bad. He was always one of the top interviewers, in my book.

Howard's winding down, folks.


henge0stone

Quote from: (((The King of Kings))) on October 26, 2016, 11:07:46 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iguOZUlSjCE

Artie Lange opens up to Opie about Howard Stern

Just threw away another sirus offer from the mail. Wow Howard really being an ass to artie. Fuck off and quit already howard then you can do your gay ellen dance all day.

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