I used to be a total Stern fanboy. In the late 80’s, early 90’s he was just a friggin’ juggernaut of badass envelope-pushing awesomeness. His late night TV show and his morning radio show were just amazing. He would have on guests that others wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole, and his relative obscurity got them minor hasbeen celebrities (“Well, hello there, Man-from-U.N.C.L.E!!!”) booked on the show whose agents had no idea what they signed them up for. The discomfort level just made for some of the absolutely funniest bits ever done. And Stuttering John had balls of steel weaseling his way into press conferences and accosting celebs and asking them the questions that everyone SHOULD ask but no one had the stones to dare try.
With his popularity and notoriety came the death of spontaneity (same thing happened to Sascha Baron Cohen). When everyone knows who you are, you can’t really orchestrate those wonderful “rat caught in a cage” moments that were so integral to the early magic.
In my opinion the death of Stern happened when he switched to satellite radio. When someone’s beauty comes from always messing with lines in the sand (censors, FCC, etc.) and tip-toeing along and over, or sometimes blatantly jumping them and parlaying the subsequent outrage and controversy . . . the removal of said lines and boundaries results in NOTHING.
His show instantly became hours of strippers and f-bombs and whatever else they couldn’t do before and it was super BORING.
Now he’s got the safe gigs playing to middle-America on generic shows like AGT. NBC or CBS or whatever can act like they’re hip because they got someone edgy and unpredictable . . . but they don’t now, and we know it. Stern 1990 and Stern 2013 are entirely different animals. One was a maverick, kicking down walls, spitting in the face of authority and giving the underdogs and revolutionaries hope for something bigger and better. Now he’s just a puppet of The Man, a former visionary warrior who has cashed in completely and is now as much a symbol of safety and predictability as the structures that he supposedly used to defy.
Sorry, Stern. I used to love you, Man. I really did. But that honeymoon is long over. Just do me a favor and drop dead!
I still liked some of the Sirius stuff but it was never the same…I was a HUGE Stern fan…I still have all the out of print vhs stuff he put out…the Channel 9 show was genius…I was a super fan and it is hard to see him shilling for corporate shit shows…ugh…
I used to always get a hankerin’ for Snapple watching the Channel 9 show. My favorite of all time, I think, was when he was Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Muckety Muck of the Supreme Court.
I used to always get a hankerin’ for Snapple watching the Channel 9 show. My favorite of all time, I think, was when he was Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Muckety Muck of the Supreme Court.
Yeah,we would watch that show baked and start jonesing for Snapple…he pushed that stuff big time…they were a sponsor that entire time…Snapple and Brother…I loved the Clarence Thomas one too…so much greatness on that show…the Stuttering John bits,making Baba Booey wear different masks(Bee keepers mask,Scuba head gear,Knight hed gear etc),Fred being is oddball self while Jackie cackled away at his own jokes…and so many cool off beat guests…I love how Richard Simmons used to come in in disguise(fooling nobody)…I have those shows on dvd…all 69 of them…got them before they were readily abailable on the youtubez…
Gunnar-did you ever see the New Years Eve special? That one was so great and so fucked up…like when Stern dressed like Michael Jackson and had Marty the Midget dressed like a little boy while he chained him to a bed and put jumper cables on his nipples…Stern was so fearless and crossed every line that was made in the sand…awesome shit…
Gunnar-did you ever see the New Years Eve special? That one was so great and so fucked up…like when Stern dressed like Michael Jackson and had Marty the Midget dressed like a little boy while he chained him to a bed and put jumper cables on his nipples…Stern was so fearless and crossed every line that was made in the sand…awesome shit…
Yes! I did see it. I was lucky enough to end up at a NYE Party where the dudes at the house had ordered the PPV (it was like $40 or something, as I recall). Anyway, it was a riot. I think that was the same one with Sherman Helmsley and Stern dressed up as Ted Danson and Whoopie. That show was complete bedlam, and yeah . . . I was pretty high at the time too. What made it all so surreal was I was at some strangers’ house, completely loaded, and there was this one guy who was . . . I kid you not . . . a chronic stutterer. But he was like the biggest Stern fan there and he was absolutely awesome. I remember there was a segment where Stuttering John came on and this dude was like, “Ddddddddude, St st st st stuttering Jjjjjjjjohn RULES!!!” I thought my head was gonna explode.
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Gunnar-did you ever see the New Years Eve special? That one was so great and so fucked up…like when Stern dressed like Michael Jackson and had Marty the Midget dressed like a little boy while he chained him to a bed and put jumper cables on his nipples…Stern was so fearless and crossed every line that was made in the sand…awesome shit…
Yes! I did see it. I was lucky enough to end up at a NYE Party where the dudes at the house had ordered the PPV (it was like $40 or something, as I recall). Anyway, it was a riot. I think that was the same one with Sherman Helmsley and Stern dressed up as Ted Danson and Whoopie. That show was complete bedlam, and yeah . . . I was pretty high at the time too. What made it all so surreal was I was at some strangers’ house, completely loaded, and there was this one guy who was . . . I kid you not . . . a chronic stutterer. But he was like the biggest Stern fan there and he was absolutely awesome. I remember there was a segment where Stuttering John came on and this dude was like, “Ddddddddude, St st st st stuttering Jjjjjjjjohn RULES!!!” I thought my head was gonna explode.[/reply]
Yep,that’s the one…the Hemsley bit as Whoopie and Danson was hilarious…all the bits on there were great,as was the actual pageant…I saw it on PPV also and then got one of the limited edition vhs…still need to transfer it…I was high as balls watching it also with a bunch of other wastoids…didn’t have a stutterer present though…that’s pretty funny…
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Heidi Klum is an idiot and her attempts to be cool are just embarrassing. And yeah, what’s up with “What goes on in your house? I wanna meet the parents”? What goes on is their parents are obviously supportive of their kids’ creativity and encourages them to safely explore their imaginations and musical vision. I’m not sure why it is cause for concern that a little girl writes a song about Zombies, but none of the judges would even bat an eye if those same little kids came out hip-hop dancing to R. Kelly’s “Bump and Grind” or something.
Heidi Klum is a talentless fucking clotheshorse, who is she to judge anyone? And what goes on in her house, anyway? An unkind person might say that she has multiple kids by different fathers and is therefore a terrible example for her own kids. Maybe that’s she’s a greedy fuck who’s always trying to snare yet another millionaire into marrying her by getting pregnant. She is in no position to suggest that anyone else’s family is in bad shape. On top of that, she has no talent whatsoever and seems like a loathsome cunt.[/reply]
I’ll jump on this Heidi hate wagon. I’m forced to endure her pompous demeanor on project runway every week since my wife is a big fan of the show. She makes my blood boil with her snippy comments on the work that others create and that she couldn’t even come close to making if she had a month, never mind 2 days.
anyway It’s unfortunate she was born attractive because she doesn’t deserve anything in her favor considering what a shallow twat she is.
I echo the sentiments on Stern completely, BTW
I heard he divorced his wife from the 90’s? is that true? Does he have anything to do with his former life of the 90’s? does he still see his kids or has he turned his back completely?
Also, is robin quivers still his side kick?
Late,
grmpysrf
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Heidi Klum is an idiot and her attempts to be cool are just embarrassing. And yeah, what’s up with “What goes on in your house? I wanna meet the parents”? What goes on is their parents are obviously supportive of their kids’ creativity and encourages them to safely explore their imaginations and musical vision. I’m not sure why it is cause for concern that a little girl writes a song about Zombies, but none of the judges would even bat an eye if those same little kids came out hip-hop dancing to R. Kelly’s “Bump and Grind” or something.
Heidi Klum is a talentless fucking clotheshorse, who is she to judge anyone? And what goes on in her house, anyway? An unkind person might say that she has multiple kids by different fathers and is therefore a terrible example for her own kids. Maybe that’s she’s a greedy fuck who’s always trying to snare yet another millionaire into marrying her by getting pregnant. She is in no position to suggest that anyone else’s family is in bad shape. On top of that, she has no talent whatsoever and seems like a loathsome cunt.[/reply]
I’ll jump on this Heidi hate wagon. I’m forced to endure her pompous demeanor on project runway every week since my wife is a big fan of the show. She makes my blood boil with her snippy comments on the work that others create and that she couldn’t even come close to making if she had a month, never mind 2 days.
anyway It’s unfortunate she was born attractive because she doesn’t deserve anything in her favor considering what a shallow twat she is.
I echo the sentiments on Stern completely, BTW
I heard he divorced his wife from the 90’s? is that true? Does he have anything to do with his former life of the 90’s? does he still see his kids or has he turned his back completely?
Also, is robin quivers still his side kick?
Late,
grmpysrf[/reply]
Yeah,he divorced his wife who he married in the 80s quite a while back and is remarried to a model named Beth Ostrowsky…been married to her for at least 7 years…he is a real good father and has joint custody…and yes Robin is still with him…
Gunnar-50 ways to Rank your Mother is from his early NBC days in DC…it’s a piece of crap that even Howard has disowned…it was just some silly shit thrown together when he was trying to make a name for himself…
Howard’s first and longtime marriage fell apart seemingly following “Private Parts” (which showed them as the loyalest and most committedest of lovey-dovey together-forever couples). He’s been with Beth Ostrosky for about 13-14 years, I think, but finally married about 7 years back. She’s now 40, I think. Howard is coming on 60. And yeah, he still employs, I believe, a fair number of peeps from the old gang, including Robin.
Fred,Robin,Baba Booey,Scott the Engineer are the longest running employees…all still there…
I knew baba booey was still there, but I hadn’t heard either way if robin was (is she still on the air with him or background personell now?)still there and I wasn’t sure because apparently he’s had a line of comedians that he’s fallen out with including Jackie martling.
Late,
grmpysmrf
Howard’s first and longtime marriage fell apart seemingly following “Private Parts” (which showed them as the loyalest and most committedest of lovey-dovey together-forever couples).
Yeah, I knew that marriage was a sham back when I was in high school because howard’s entire interviews of porn stars and models always ran the same course…“you’r so hot, I 'm so ugly, If I wasn’t married I’d fuck you” to which his lovely wife would call up and say “behave yourself.”
I’d always think. “He ain’t into his wife.”
Late,
grmpysmrf
She’s still active in the studio and has talking, interactive roles. I recently watched a great segment with Bam Margera and his degenerate buddy . . . Brandon Novacs or something. Anyway, it was pretty funny, primarily because his guests were on point.
[reply]Fred,Robin,Baba Booey,Scott the Engineer are the longest running employees…all still there…
I knew baba booey was still there, but I hadn’t heard either way if robin was (is she still on the air with him or background personell now?)still there and I wasn’t sure because apparently he’s had a line of comedians that he’s fallen out with including Jackie martling.
Late,
grmpysmrf[/reply]
Yeah,Robin is still his on the air side kick…Jackie Martling left over a contract dispute a long while ago…after that they had a temporary rotating cast of people filling his chair…then they hired Artie Lange for a permanent position…he was there for a good amount of time and then he had a breakdown and was let go and now the seat is empty…
Yeah,Artie did indeed try to take his own life…there were a few on the air incidents leading up to it…Howard hung in there with him but then things went to a very dark place…I was really bummed out about it…I have met Artie on a few occasions and he is a really cool salt of the earth kind of guy…
Wow. I never followed any of that. I like Artie a lot (and I must admit that part of that love was his openness about his trainwreck tendencies). I hope he gets it together and perseveres again.
