tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post3634406585876272508..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Judging Howard SternBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73722966644896324032012-08-30T05:55:48.913-07:002012-08-30T05:55:48.913-07:00Howard has developed and grown and improved over t...Howard has developed and grown and improved over time. Shows they repeat from the 90s have a real anger streak in them, which isn't there today. He is simply the greatest broadcaster of all time.dangermandownunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01192130945376734917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46526059878522483952012-08-26T00:30:10.638-07:002012-08-26T00:30:10.638-07:00"And I've seen his fan base, and would be..."And I've seen his fan base, and would be loathe to find myself among them."<br /><br />D. McEwan, you would include Ken in this? A Non-Emusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-92037118608100938532012-08-25T17:01:27.153-07:002012-08-25T17:01:27.153-07:00I understand his humor is not for everybody. But I...I understand his humor is not for everybody. But I just don't like when people make him into a monster. On his show, they ask people on the street "Who is worse, Howard Stern or...?" The blank is filled with people such as the Aurora shooter, Jerry Sandusky, Osama bin Laden, etc. Without fail, at least 2 or 3 people will say Stern is worse. <br /><br />He's been in the public eye for at least 25 years so consider that 1) every single adult that walks into his studio knows what they are getting into. No one is forced to do anything. 2) 25 years... there's something to it. If an entertainer can be that successful for that long simply by being crude, there would be thousands of Sterns. But you look around and see that there aren't. Not one of the so-called "shock jocks" have had the career that he has had. There are plenty who have tried though.<br /><br />A Non-Emusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9480822243507958942012-08-25T00:17:55.435-07:002012-08-25T00:17:55.435-07:00A Non-Emus, thank you for the link. (Let me be c...A Non-Emus, thank you for the link. (Let me be clear, I'm talking about his tv show which I watched twice. I've never listened to him on the radio but find his guest spots on Letterman entertaining because I do think he's smart, quick-witted, and articulate when engaged in adult conversation with someone else who is smart, quick-witted, and articulate.) Emily seems like a thoughtful adult, a credit to her parents. I am a little concerned about the sense that "you wouldn't want to listen; it's not your father", as if he had an illness like Alzheimers that he couldn't control. It appears she was able to separate the bully entertainer from the private individual and allow that "her father has been in the process of integrating all selves." Good for her. You have a right to watch/listen to what appeals to you. I have right not to watch/listen to what doesn't appeal to me. He's not the devil; I just think he sold himself short and, yes, his brand of "comedy" on the tv show was an unfortunate choice and a bad influence on adolescents. Lorimartiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54165320068700984272012-08-24T19:38:18.225-07:002012-08-24T19:38:18.225-07:00Joining this conversation VERY late, a few thought...Joining this conversation VERY late, a few thoughts:<br /><br />I started listening to Howard WAY back in the WNBC days - so early, it was when his intern was 'Boy Lee', not 'Boy Gary', and Jackie was just an occasional visitor for Stump the JokeMan. I was very intrigued, and also wondered what the hell was going on, as he was doing his Mama Lockaboobaday 'traffic reports'. It took quite awhile to realize that Robin was a person of color, but long at al to get hooked! I got the 'joke' almost from day one, so He really has never offended/shocked or even bored me. <br /><br />His latter days at WNBC were amazing in the intensity of the fights with both the real Pig Virus and the Incubus John Hayes (Pig Vomit in the movie being an amalgamation of the two), and wil always remember listening to his last day - which happened ONLY because he and Robin made into work during Hurricane Gloria. I got to listen to the entire run at KROCK, but my luck he went with Sirius about a week after I had invested into - yes - XM equipment and service. After their sort of merger, I got to listen again, and fell right back into it.<br /><br />A point that no one has made is that I found out once that Howard's radio hero is...are you ready...Jack Benny. Surprised? I'm not - in fact, it all fell into place then. Howard understood that Benny was successful because he established that Public Persona as the World's Stingiest Man, surrounded by a cast of characters to compliment that caracter. You can even draw some analogies with his 'cast', and Benny's cast: Robin being his Mary...Bababooey his Dennis Day, and Jackie his Phil Harris. Not everything is perfectly analogous, but you get the idea. <br /><br />And one more thing no one else has mentioned: Howard care about his fans, and will NEVER rip them off. Thats why you will never see Howard Stern lunch boxes, toilet paper, whatever. And that is why he also very sensitive about his costars using the show as a springboard to the same - just ask Jackie! <br /><br />One other thing I have always found interesting - in the NBC days, he used to start the show (after the H-O-W-A-R-D S-T-E-R-n song) with the Tonight Show theme underscoring his show opening...and then inevitably slag Johnny endlessly - especially when Johnny started to cut the TS down in hours and days. Guess what? That is exactly what Howard is doing now. I always thought there was an underlying admiration for Johnny there...LouOCNYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16151395857835632917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91766312550728817122012-08-24T06:44:16.764-07:002012-08-24T06:44:16.764-07:00D. McEwan - I’m not sure you can make the leap tha...D. McEwan - I’m not sure you can make the leap that studios have not offered Stern any other film projects just because he has only appeared in one major motion picture. Prior to PRIVE ATE PARTS, Stern was developing a FARTMAN movie, based on his radio character, with New Line. The deal fell apart over merchandising rights (Stern stated he wasn’t interested in having his face on coffee mugs, etc,) but the script by J F Lawton (Pretty Woman, Under Siege) was one of the funniest unproduced comedy scripts I’ve ever read, a great skewering comic book tropes of the time.<br /><br />After PRIVATE PARTS he was cast in a supporting role of a Melanie Griffith movie titled Jane. Preproduction on the film had gotten as far as wardrobe fittings before a portion of the funding fell through, resulting in a rescheduled shoot that Stern wasn’t available for. When he dropped out of the project, the rest of the funding for the film fell apart and it was never made.<br /><br />In 2006, Barry Levinson had approached Stern to star in MAN OF THE PEOPLE, but he thought the script needed work and as he was in the midst of preparing his move from terrestrial radio to Sirius he didn’t have time to devote to helping develop it. If you’ve seen the resulting film with Robin Williams you may agree with his assessment about the script.<br /><br />A year later Stern was reportedly approached by Woody Allen to appear in a film but Stern passed. He talked about a year later saying “From a creative standpoint, I would love to work with Woody Allen… But from a moral standpoint I got a problem. There’s a million women in the world… [but what Allen did] that’s just creepy and dark… If Woody Allen captured Osama bin Laden, maybe I could forgive him.” Stern was always outspoken about what Allen did as a form of “thank you” for his support Mia Farrow did a cameo in PRIVATE PARTS.<br /><br />I think Stern is more content to focus on his radio career and keep his involvement in film on the production side. He has been developing a ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL and a PORKY’s remake forever now it seems. I think ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL is dead, but the PORKY’s project has hit a legal snag over the remake rights. <br /><br />(Sorry if this is a double post, I think Blogger swallowed up my first attempt...)Rich Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04883386588727303782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67409478434394764112012-08-24T02:06:25.274-07:002012-08-24T02:06:25.274-07:00Lorimartian, here's the interview with Emily S...Lorimartian, here's the interview with Emily Stern. Don't take this personally, but I think I'll believe her take on how her father raised her over yours:<br /><br />http://www.jewishjournal.com/hollywood_jew/article/emily_stern_howard_sterns_daughter_on_stage_and_off_20080928/A Non-Emusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9864855813272259472012-08-24T02:02:41.530-07:002012-08-24T02:02:41.530-07:00Lorimartian, that's amazing how you know exact...Lorimartian, that's amazing how you know exactly what went on in the Stern household so you know that Howard had nothing to do with raising his children and his wife did it all by herself.<br /><br />According to the interview with his daughter, Emily, she watched his show but decided it wasn't her thing. She grew up into fine adult. Maybe you need to grow up into one.<br /><br />D. McEwan: I don't recall Stern ever casting nasty aspersions on people's children except the "God Hates F-ags" family. Care to cite an example? You said you don't really listen to the show so how would you know? <br /><br />Guys, I'm sorry that he made fun of that person you like but don't make things up about him.A Non-Emusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78080306718515375182012-08-23T23:20:27.090-07:002012-08-23T23:20:27.090-07:00cadavra said...
The sadness is that Howard has th...cadavra said... <br />The sadness is that Howard has the smarts and talent to be a high-end comedian, but he chose to go where the money is, which is down in the gutter. It's made him rich and famous, but it also deprived us of what could've been some genuinely great work.<br /><br />I tried to put cadavra's sentiment into words earlier in the day but couldn't. Cadavra went straight to the heart of the matter. I agree. We were deprived of a talent that could have illuminated but instead chose to degrade and demean solely for the purpose of getting attention for attention's sake. Maybe he lacked confidence in his gifts? Only he can answer that question, but it doesn't excuse what he chose to do with them.<br /><br />As for A Non-Emus' comment re Stern's purportedly well-adjusted daughter(s) (credit their mom, as I said before). If they are so well-adjusted, I seriously doubt they want their children watching Stern's nonsense. Are they going to watch a Stern tv marathon and tell their children that this is how a mature person conducts himself? I'm not saying Stern needed to care about the effect on others' children, unless he cared about the human race in general, obviously not, but HE had children and should have considered how his actions might affect them in the short and long term. That's what you do when you have children, A Non-Emus. Hopefully, you finally grow up.Lorimartiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39055239840113424952012-08-23T21:07:35.782-07:002012-08-23T21:07:35.782-07:00I gotta agree with you, Cadav, though if you lie d...I gotta agree with you, Cadav, though if you lie down with apes, you may wake up to a large black monolithic slab humming at you, and the next thing you know, you're bashing folks over the head with the bones of wild boars.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8158469958102725112012-08-23T17:33:10.493-07:002012-08-23T17:33:10.493-07:00The sadness is that Howard has the smarts and tale...The sadness is that Howard has the smarts and talent to be a high-end comedian, but he chose to go where the money is, which is down in the gutter. It's made him rich and famous, but it also deprived us of what could've been some genuinely great work. And he knows it as well: back in his terrestrial days, he'd sometimes complain about the idiots who were his fans. Well, you lie down with apes, you get up with apes.cadavranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74562625719505829722012-08-23T16:34:48.749-07:002012-08-23T16:34:48.749-07:00AND... What is CBS radio now anyway? No more tal...AND... What is CBS radio now anyway? No more talk, just canned crappy ham. The whole CBS Talk Fiefdom on the west coast and the east coast and syndicated in between all turned to dust within 18 mos. <br /><br />Great Post Ken, I agree with every wordDoktor Frank Doehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02513210116049815764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20131184479502618322012-08-23T15:29:35.640-07:002012-08-23T15:29:35.640-07:00"muphasta said...
For those of you who say he...<i>"muphasta said...<br />For those of you who say he wasn't a movie star, nor did he have a TV career, you surely don't know anything about him."</i><br /><br />His <i><b>ONE</b></i> movie was #1 the week it came out. That's not a movie star. A movie star stars in <i><b>multiple</b></i> movies. They have a body of movie work. Howard is <i>NOT</i> a movie star. Studios offer movie stars roles because they believe they can open a movie. Playing yourself in one movie and never getting another movie is not a movie star. It's been 15 years; where's Howard's second movie? He just made the one, and it is utterly forgotten by all but the creatures that love him.<br /><br />One can make an argument that he is a TV star <i><b>now</b></i>, thanks (or "blames) solely to <i>America's<br />Got Talent</i> though that show was a success (for no known reason) long before Howard was brought in. <br /><br />The fact is that Howard is not an actor, and has, to use Dame Edna's words: "A face made for radio."<br /><br /><i>"A Non-Emus said...<br />I think it's tasteless to bring people's children into things."</i><br /><br />Try tellng that to Stern, because he clearly believes that there's no such thing as "off-limits", and frankly, if you call something "tasteless," Stern will say: "I'm there!" Howard doesn't get to protect himself by using the very same rules of decency he himself regularly and intentionally violates. <br /><br />And frankly, where someone as ugly as Howard gets off criticizing other people's looks and bodies is beyond me.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25308196241088248212012-08-23T14:01:11.976-07:002012-08-23T14:01:11.976-07:00I think it's tasteless to bring people's c...I think it's tasteless to bring people's children into things. You make not like Stern's brand of comedy but he's not doing anything illegal. It sickens me when people imply that he treated his little children the same way he treated grown and willing women or that his children are somehow damaged by having this horrible monster as their father. I just read an interview with his daughter Emily and she seems like a very intelligent, well-adjusted young lady. His children are all adults now and all of the nasty predictions that his children would grow up to be this or that have proven untrue.<br /><br />Bob Summers, the Air Florida story is actually a legend that has been twisted over the years. They played the actual audio on the show years ago. He wasn't actually on the phone with anyone when he made the "One way ticket" comment. He started that morning by sarcastically saying "Yeah, Air Florida, is the 14th Street Bridge gonna be a permanent stop?!" and he was saying it out of anger at the airline. He later called Air Florida and yelled at an employee but he didn't make that comment to her. True, yelling at an employee who had nothing to do with it didn't solve anything. But it's somewhat understandable.A Non-Emusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67995152777028432612012-08-23T09:44:36.058-07:002012-08-23T09:44:36.058-07:00For those of you who say he wasn't a movie sta...For those of you who say he wasn't a movie star, nor did he have a TV career, you surely don't know anything about him. His "Channel 9" show was #1 in the markets it was shown in, his movie was #1, the soundtrack to the movie was #1, his books were all "Best Sellers", and he was #1 in most if not all of his markets for radio. He has been #1 in every form of media that exists.muphastanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55807302812529714822012-08-23T06:21:49.504-07:002012-08-23T06:21:49.504-07:00"We’re so far beyond Paddy Chayefsky’s NETWOR..."We’re so far beyond Paddy Chayefsky’s NETWORK that we can no longer even see it in the rearview mirror."<br /><br />Haha! This cracked me up.<br /><br />I'm not sure how I feel about Stern. I guess I'm in the camp who doesn't respect him. I've seen him rip into too many guests. I remember on one of his shows he agreed to let a recently bereaved young woman sing a song she wrote, provided she was naked when she did it. When she came on the show he make derisive comments about her body and her recently deceased husband.<br /><br />I respect intelligence. I respect wit. I don't respect abuse.Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39422096830234545902012-08-23T06:06:29.721-07:002012-08-23T06:06:29.721-07:00When the Howard Stern show started running in the ...When the Howard Stern show started running in the Seattle area, he had a local news conference. <br />One media lightweight, whose name I'll mention off line tried to grill him. Howard made him look like a total jackass.Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82772298751927269022012-08-23T01:38:59.094-07:002012-08-23T01:38:59.094-07:00"Lorimartian said...
I've often wondered ...<i>"Lorimartian said...<br />I've often wondered if, after demeaning every female in his path, did he then go home and treat his wife and daughters with respect? Especially his daughters. What horrible modeling for your children, ESPECIALLY your female children. If it's all an act, it's repugnant."</i><br /><br />I must agree. I don't doubt that Howard has talent, and obviously he's smart, but the word "repugnant" describes him best.<br /><br />And I've seen his fan base, and would be loathe to find myself among them. D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28617621485968131802012-08-22T23:27:23.294-07:002012-08-22T23:27:23.294-07:00Howard Stern got his start by stealing bits from S...Howard Stern got his start by stealing bits from Steve Dahl.Cecil Newsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14938842564473319610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44728857911108681012012-08-22T20:58:56.831-07:002012-08-22T20:58:56.831-07:00Stern has sucked since the 90s, its just nobody ha...Stern has sucked since the 90s, its just nobody has had the balls to tell him hes horrible.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18076540060149366060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78691545320074332372012-08-22T20:52:01.632-07:002012-08-22T20:52:01.632-07:00Bill has an accurate point about PC-ness as it app...Bill has an accurate point about PC-ness as it applies to "Native American". It's been imposed on native people or "American Indians" by us White Liberals.<br />Even worse, it complicates the meaning of the word native, which in the past could have meant "born here". I'm a native American, but not a Native American, and I don't know how to speak in capital letters.<br /><br />When I've heard Indians speak, they use the term "Indian" far more often than "Native American", and the word "tribal" or their tribe's name much more often than either of those.<br /><br />Can't speak in the case of little poeple, but know that this has happened with some groups.Mike Schryverhttp://www.amazon.com/TV-Tidbits-and-Trivia-ebook/dp/B008NZTAFK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345693880&sr=8-1&keywords=mike+schryvernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50125903713372772652012-08-22T20:49:33.460-07:002012-08-22T20:49:33.460-07:00D said, "And really, how hard is it to look a...D said, "And really, how hard is it to look and sound good when you're surrounded by Sharon Osbourne, Howie Mandel and a lot of amateur acts of surpassing awfullness? It's easy to be the smartest person in the room when the room's other occupants are all chimps."<br /><br />I've always felt this way about his career in radio. I agree that he's smart and funny, but his real talent might be that, just like Uncle Milty, he puts himself in situations where he only has to pull out enough to win.JCDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-58291998248599910292012-08-22T18:13:08.263-07:002012-08-22T18:13:08.263-07:00Stern is articulate, smart, and savvy. Sadly, his...Stern is articulate, smart, and savvy. Sadly, his tv show was a train wreck. I've often wondered if, after demeaning every female in his path, did he then go home and treat his wife and daughters with respect? Especially his daughters. What horrible modeling for your children, ESPECIALLY your female children. If it's all an act, it's repugnant. Obviously he found people who were willing to be abused (can only imagine THEIR issues), but did he rationalize it by saying it's okay to mistreat people in the name of "entertainment" and then be kind and nurturing to his family? I hope the kids came out of it okay. I shudder to think what kind of men they're attracted to. If they developed any real feelings of empathy, sympathy, and compassion, we must probably credit their mother. The fact that Robin egged him on made it all the more disturbing. Yuck!Lorimartiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87857293360926125922012-08-22T17:26:46.391-07:002012-08-22T17:26:46.391-07:00Howard is funny, smart...and a real-deal broadcast...Howard is funny, smart...and a real-deal broadcaster. Eddienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25452954489759502152012-08-22T16:11:18.067-07:002012-08-22T16:11:18.067-07:00Everyone to their own opinion, but I think Stern &...Everyone to their own opinion, but I think Stern "jumped the shark" when he made his movie. On his show, he talked about his life. His book put that talk in printed form. Then to enter the film world, he does the same thing. <br /><br />That was the problem with Stern in his last years on free radio. His show was the same thing over and over again. No originality. <br /><br />So when he went to pay radio, I saw no reason to follow him. I could play a recording of his show from fifteen years ago and probably hear everything he was going to say on the current one.DwWashburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03057278992504418291noreply@blogger.com