In an editorial published in today's edition of the Scranton Times-Tribune, radio personality Alex Jones is described as a "provocateur". You can find that editorial HERE (warning, paywall). The "provocateur" is in the news over his latest court loss. One of the many related story links posted is below.
As a side note, the Howard Stern Show has made some of the best parodies of the "provocateur". Here's a sample:
Anyway, in case my response to this editorial is removed, I've decided to capture it here. Now in fairness to the Scranton Times-Tribune, I've rarely, if ever, had a story comment taken down. Just in case though, and for the sheer joy of noting again just how horrible of a human being the "provocateur" really is, I've included my editorial comment below.
A "provocateur"? Wow, that's rich. How about this instead: Remember that time when you stepped in gum that was laying on the ground, and hours later, after taking your shoes off, discovered the flattened wad with all matter of detritus stuck to it? That dirty wad of flattened gum has more value than "provocateur" Alex Jones. Yes, by all means, Mr. Gum Wad has a "right" to say what he wants. That includes, as horrid as it sounds, literally tormenting parents who had their LITTLE CHILDREN MURDERED. What he doesn't have though is the "right" to be from the consequences of his words. As a parent, I want this "provocateur" to have no wealth...and no peace...no shelter...until the day when he truly feels, if that's even possible for a wad of dirty gum stuck to the bottom of a shoe, a 10th of the horror experienced by these parents.
In his Tuesday (April 3rd) blog entry, WNEP's Andy Palumbo writes about the retirement of Don Imus (see HERE). He also shares his listing of top 5 radio personalities.
quack quack
It's a topic I can't resist, although I'll preface what I'm about to write by noting that my opinions are completely those of a listener. Put another way, I don't know much about the media business, and at age 53(1), that's not likely to change. So if you want a professional's opinion, find another blog. On to the amateur hour.
moby worm, coming to get ya
My list isn't in any order, other than the first one listed. I'll also note that I've only listed broadcasters that I've actually listened to over the years.
Howard Stern
I've written about Howard Stern before on this blog over the years. I first heard his show during the summer of 1986 while I was living in York, PA. I've been a fan ever since. I don't find everything he does funny; in fact, I find some of his bits to be cringe worthy. However, when all is said and done, Stern will go down in history as someone who basically re-invented radio and who could be wildly entertaining. His sound effects guy, Fred Norris, deserves special recognition for his ability to drop just the right sounds at just the right time.
Rush Limbaugh
I hate what comes out of Rush Limbaugh's mouth, but I admire how it comes out. If that makes sense. He's entertaining and engaging. What I find fascinating about Limbaugh is the fact that, deep-down, I don't think he believes half of what he says, in spite of the fact that his legions of "ditto-heads" take it as gospel. I also admire the fact that he's not above making fun of his "character".
Art Bell
I've read where Bell was notoriously difficult to work with, but man, he could keep an audience mesmerized. I know 98% of the stuff coming out of his mouth was outlandish, unmitigated nonsense, but man, it sounded good (and convincing). He was kind of like an odd uncle that would tell you incredible stories. "From the Kingdom of Nye..."
quack quack
Garrison Keillor
The only person on this list I've ever actually seen in person(2). I was an occasional listener of A Prairie Home Companion. The music for me was so-so, but I always enjoyed Keillor's ability to tell a story. There was always something very comforting about hearing him on the radio.
Michael Feldman
I doubt many have heard of Michael Feldman(3). His show, Whad'Ya Know?, was a companion for me as I made many trips back and forth to college in the mid-1980's. Think of him as being Wisconsin's answer to Garrison Keillor, and his show as being basically "A Dairy Home Companion". Back then it was fun and entertaining for a young man (me) who really had no clue what he was doing and was lonely as he cruised down I81 in a 1974 Chrysler.
(my actual college car)
how's your donkey kong?(4)
Papa Joe Chevalier
The only sports commentator that I ever found even remotely funny or engaging. I loved his show when it was on locally. He had the best theme song ever. He also managed to talk about sports in a way such that you really didn't need to be a sports fanatic to "get it". May he rest in peace.
So, what about Imus?
Don Imus was cranky and mean, be it to his listeners, to his staff, and some of his guests. While many top-tier radio personalities have healthy egos, Imus has one that seems outsized by comparison. Towards the end of his career, he was also unlistenable, mumbling his way through rants. While I've listened to Imus over the years, I never found him to be entertaining. He needed to retire years ago.
(1) Soon to be 54, for the record. (2) Twice, for the record. (3) More about him HERE. (4) The stupid phrases were all things a listener would hear on the Imus in the Morning Show.
Friday morning and I'm typing this while Ms. Rivers is still sound asleep. She firmly believes in the "you can catch up on sleep" myth, mainly because she goes to bed late during the week and gets up early to get some professional work done before the crack of dawn. Me? I mostly just hate sleeping. Anyway, after our long bike trek yesterday, along with plenty of walking, she's entitled.
Thinking about Thursday, one odd thing stuck in my head: We were taking a break from our bike ride, sitting in a nice lake-side park, watching water and people walking/biking by. A rather scruffy young man was biking by, complete with scraggly hair, no shirt, ratty shorts, etc. He was blasting music as he peddled along. What was he playing? Nine Inch Nails (make that "Noine Inch Nails" for all you Howard Stern fans out there)? Rage Against the Machine? Arcade Fire (just kidding...no one really listens to Arcade Fire)? Nope; it was "You're My Best Friend" by Queen. I kid you not.
That's probably the most Vermont thing I've seen/heard so far.
* * * * * *
Saturday morning and it's just about time for packing up and shipping out. I had every intention of finishing this posting last night, but I was simply too tired. Speaking of yesterday, the day was spent at the Ben & Jerry's ice cream plant, wandering around an outdoor mall in Burlington, and a sunset (make that "cloudset" in our case) sailing cruise on Lake Champlain. A splendid time was guaranteed for all, and by and large, it delivered.
Anyway, here are yesterday's Vermont observations:
Solar is a really big deal around these parts, which is interesting, given the fact that Burlington seems to get fewer sunny days than average (reference HERE).
Burlington itself isn't all that large of a town, think Wilkes-Boro in size. Yet the downtown was pretty vibrant, by and large (see below). Then again, as a local explained it, this is a "six months of outdoor activity" kind of town, so maybe it's a year's worth of activity packed into half a year.
I discovered that there are, in fact, at least one or two flavors of Ben & Jerry's ice cream that I will eat. Oh, and by the way, the hippies no longer own the business.
By and large, we saw a lot of younger families. That was interesting in that the economy in Vermont apparently isn't all that great (according to our sailing ship captain, who was a great guy), and traditionally....well ever since they finished clear-cutting the forests back in the 1800...has never been all that great to begin with.
Burlington as a downtown mall (indoor) mall that is struggling. Something of a not-Scranton surprise in that regard, although there are plans afoot, apparently, to remedy the situation. Ms. Rivers and I did enjoy the outdoor shopping area though.
Lastly, if you're in the Burlington area, you should check out the Whistling Man Schooner Company, which was the boat we sailed on Friday evening. Beautiful boat, a nice cruise, and an informative captain. Highly recommended.
The chronicles of my first trip outside the United States, even if it is just to Canada.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ms Rivers and I left the house on or about 3:45pm, which was slightly later than we had anticipated. In fairness to us though, we had a few things to do before leaving, including cleaning and some packing related stuff.
Anyway, our destination is Quebec City, Canada. Heading up the plan is to take interstate 81 to the border crossing, then once we arrive in the Great White North (henceforth GWN for the balance of these postings) following the seaway up to Quebec City. Since we are both too old to want to stand 12 hours of driving, we decided to break the trip up into two parts. The trip up stop would be in Watertown, New York (for where I write this) and the trip back stop would be in Albany, New York.
The actual trip from NE Pennsylvania up to Watertown was uneventful. This is not surprising, given the fact that there really isn't anything between the two points, other than glancing blows at Binghamton and Syracuse. Actually interstate 81, with its lonely stretches in central PA and central NY should get some kind of recognition for "highway with the least to see".
The actual touchdown in Watertown was at something like 7pm, which isn't bad timing. Our vehicle, by the way, is a brand spanking new Chrysler 200, which we rented for this trip. So far I am impressed. It has two bordering-on-must-have options: Sirius satellite radio and a backup camera. By the way, you know it's true love when your partner doesn't mind you listening to Howard Stern.
Dinner yesterday evening was at a Ponderosa steak house. Funny* story: During my first "post-wedding trip"** (many years ago) I ate at a Ponderosa steak house near Washington DC and I am reasonably sure that I got food poisoning. Telling Ms Rivers that story elicited a completely reasonable response of "well maybe we should eat somewhere else", but throwing caution (and good dining sense) to the wind, we plunked down the $30 required for all-you-can-eat and had some typical non-oriental buffet food. So far no food poisoning on my part.
Finishing up the day we stayed at a Hampton Inn. Going up I used by frequent guest points for the room, and coming back Ms Rivers is using her points for that room. I like to think of it as being a reward for all of those long business trips spent to such glamorous locations as Hartford, CT and central New Jersey. No offense to residents of either.
Conversation of note: Is it pronounced...
"Quee-beck"
or
"Ka-bek"
I know it's the latter, but part of my wants to be the quintessential Ugly American, just once, by using the former pronunciation. I know, I know, I actually won't, but it's a nice thought. I have to keep the whole food poisoning thing in mind after all.
Regardless, today it's back on the road to the GWN this morning. I will drive while Ms Rivers learns French. We have a book, by the way, and she's good at language stuff. I am not. But I can drive, so I do feel I am doing my part.
(*) Funny as in ironic, as there is nothing actually funny about projectile vomiting (unless you are watching a Monty Python movie).
(**) I hate the term "honeymoon". It sounds, well, dumb. Like some Appalachian mountains custom enjoyed by people with 4 functioning teeth, a moonshine still in their back yard and Skoal rings in their pants. Hence "wedding trip".
Book Burning...Lots of opinions out there in both the traditional and non-traditional media on the subject of book burning. I love it. I just finished writing a too long winded comment on Justin Vacula's blog about the subject. I think my thoughts are pretty clear: I'm against the burning of any book. The world needs less anti-intellectual sentiments, thank you very much. Thugs and cretins burn books.
Changes...When you stop changing you stop growing; when you stop growing you start dying. I've spent the better part of the last twenty years really not changing all that much. That needs to change. No, I'm not shaving my head and joining a commune, but I am re-evaluating a lot of different things. I am, as they say, on the down-hill side of my life now. Done a lot for some, probably not done enough for others, but definitely haven't done enough for me. Time to take inventory.
Obama's Tax Proposals...are D.O.A. Must people don't realize that to make the changes the President is proposing, you are basically creating a whole new piece of legislation. This isn't a case of simply taking a MS Word document and zeroing out the cuts for rich folks and re-submitting it for a vote. Much more complicated than that, and it's highly unlikely that any Republicans will vote for any tax bill that doesn't cut taxes for high-earners as well. What will happen? The tax cuts will expire and this will be used as a political guided missile by both parties. As usual, all of us will end up losing in the process.
Social Security...I still have a post coming on it, but I've been bogged down my Adobe's Captivate, which I am trying to learn on my own. Not much success. To quote that great philosopher Ralph Kramden, "one of these days...".
Howard Stern News...I am a self-proclaimed Howard Stern fan who has been listening to the show since the late 80's. He has talked quite a bit about how he may not re-sign with Sirius. If that's the case, the company can kiss my subscription good bye. Fortunately, my current subscription runs out at the same time his contract does. Synchronicity in action.
Fontage...I apologize for the larger font, but lately I have been having trouble seeing the screen.
More Howard Stern News...I found this on-line. If you are a fan you will enjoy it.
Strike Two for Lou...Barletta's anti-illegal ordinances lose yet again in court (story link HERE). Not much of a shock there, as anyone with access to a copy of the U.S. Constitution can tell you that it is the federal government that is solely responsible for securing the national borders. Unfortunately that doesn't preclude someone from trying to stoke xenophobic fears for political gain via an ill conceived piece of legislation that would turn landlords into INS agents. The real sad part? Ultimately it will be the taxpayers of Hazelton that will pay for all of this lawyer feeding.
Hiatus...My hiatus is now on hiatus (wow, that almost sounds profound). My intention this past week had been to continue to stay current on events and take the time to jot down a thought or two, but sometimes events have a way of scrambling the best laid plans. In any event, I'm ready to resume more of a routine schedule.
In the "You Could Also Just Get a Job" Department...A Moosic woman who cashed more than $7,000 in bad checks said that she stole because she needed the money to care for her children and pay personal bills. Story link HERE. I'm not unsympathetic to the blight of the poor, but it's time to stop excusing bad behavior. Yes, I know what it's like to need money for kids and to pay bills, but I've never felt compelled to steal.
Stupid Comment...Mark Cour referenced a comment by WILK's Steve Corbett that went something like “What if you’re a blogger sitting in your underwear in your mother’s basement?”. Now on some level I find the comment just stupidly ironic. In fact, I'd compare it to someone who engages in fantasy football calling a bunch of Star Trek fans "nerds". On another level Corbett's comment is almost offensive. Note the word "almost". Is this guy really that threatened by a bunch of local Internet part-timers? How insecure is this guy? Maybe Corbett should stick to what he does best, namely protecting the world from the evil known as the Friendly Sons of St . Patrick.
Justin Bieber...I had occasion to see a video of young Mr Bieber's art (if you want to call it that; "music" seems to be a bit much). Two words come to mind: "Danny Bonaduce". If that doesn't work for you, how about this instead: "Leif Garrett"?
I'm Against the War in Afghanistan...but leaking confidential information that might endanger US troops is just plain wrong. Story link HERE. This just proves my belief that anything with the word "Wiki" in its title is probably a cluster-f&^k.
President Obama appearing on The View...The show is basically unwatchable. How could 5 women who basically all talk simultaneously be considered entertaining or informative? Maybe for his next interview the President will answer questions from Snooki or The Situation.
Autotune...Driving back from Camelbeach yesterday I agreed to let my youngest daughter listen to Sirius Hits 1 on the radio. That meant about an hour of non-stop Autotune. By the time I got home my ears were nearly bleeding. I do, however, recall at least one creative use for Autotune that I've found to be entertaining:
Preface This was originally a just a response to a comment made by JD Curtis on my "Limbaugh: Classless Putz" blog entry. As I started to write more...and more...and more...I thought it made sense to convert this into a post unto itself.
************************ I probably would be interested in reading G. Liddy's biography. I don't agree with all of his politics, but he's a REAL man...as opposed to all the chicken-hawks out there that populate talk radio these days. I've also found him to be very open minded, in his own way. One of his favorite guests from back in the Clinton days was Lanny Davis, who is about as liberal as you can get (Liddy would call him a "Liberal's liberal"). I'd like to see elRushbo engage in a reasoned dialogue with a liberal like Davis.
I agree that Chris Matthews is un-listenable. Truth be told, I don't like most left-leaning commentators. I think Keith Olbermann is technically good as a speaker, but he takes things to an extreme far too often with his content. Speaking of extreme content, I think Art Bell is also technically very, very good...great radio voice, knows how to work callers, etc. His subject matter is not my cup of tea, but he's great to listen to never the less.
My two least favorite media types? Hands down it's Larry King & Don Imus.
Larry King has no discernible talent as far as I can tell. I'll take that one step further: if lung cancer had a voice, it would sound like Larry King. What's more, Larry King is notoriously lazy as a broadcaster, doing virtually no research and routinely asking incredibly stupid questions.
Don Imus is horrible, simply horrible. Half the time I'm not sure what language he is speaking (he mumbles so much), and by all accounts he is simply a bitter, obnoxious, racist prick.
Of course my favorite radio/media person is, hands down, Howard Stern. That choice will not win any popularity awards, but so be it; I happen to think the guy is incredible talented, and I've counted myself as a listener since the late 80's. Sometimes I do have to turn him off when his content gets a bit much, but on balance the guy is a radio genius. I doubt that you would have the likes of Limbaugh, Imus and a few others without Stern. This is the guy who, more than anyone else, was able to ditch the records on mainstream radio in favor of a true talk format. He's also extremely under-rated as an interviewer. I'm not the only one who feels this way, as Stern probably has a paid audience of about 9 million listeners. They key word there is "paid". How many of Limbaugh's 20 million would fork over the shekels to hear his "talent on loan from god"? I'm thinking it would be some number south of 9 million.
...to have over for dinner, who would I choose? Actually this isn't an original idea, as our company magazine has had this feature for years. Idea theft aside, here are my choices & why (note that I've limited my list to people who are actually alive):
Howard Stern - There are few people out there in the world who I consider to be ground-breaking geniuses in their field, but Howard Stern definitely fits the definition. People don't realize that Stern practically invented talk-radio. He was spinning a small number of records per hour and spending the rest of the time talking before Limbaugh ever started his act. He was doing stuff in the early 1990's that still makes me fall off my chair laughing.
Sir Paul McCartney - Another genius. Two hundred years from now people will be listening to "Hey Jude" like people listen to Beethoven now. Consider that, barely into his twenties, the man helped to change popular music as we know it. By the time he was thirty he had conquered the musical world. Talent like this only comes along once or twice a century.
Maureen Dowd - I don't always agree with her, but I confess to devouring her New York Times columns. I love her writing style...it's simple, straight-forward but always bright. She never backs away from a controversial topic, and while I think she sometimes comes down too hard on the Catholic Church, she always backs her comments up with common sense and logic. Her recent comparison of women in the Catholic Church to women in Saudi Arabia was harsh, but she made more than a few good points.
James Gandolfini - Tony Soprano was probably the most complex, most well-written, most expertly portrayed lead male character on TV series ever, bar none. The only one that even comes close in my mind was Daniel J. Travanti's portrayal of Frank Furillo on Hill Street Blues. Gandolfini's Tony Soprano managed to be both ruthless and sympathetic, cruel and kind all at the same time. Pulling that off requires genius-level talent. This was the last TV show that I actually had to watch every week.
Dr Sally K. Ride - Who better than to sit next to Tony Soprano than a Physicist? I always secretly wanted to be an astronaut, but since actually having depth-perception is something of a requirement, I've never been in the running. All the more reason to have one over for dinner, especially someone as passionate about space exploration as Dr Ride. I could sit and talk to her about astronomy for hours.
It was reported first on Facebook (believe it or not) and then in the Scranton Times that local morning radio personality John Webster is leaving his long running "Daniels and Webster" show on WEZX (Rock 107). I think the Facebook thing is rather telling actually. Viva la Internet!
Now I don't know Mr Webster, but actually my cousin Jeanine does and I hear that he is a great guy. To the extent that this change was:
a) of his doing b) gets him to a better place personally or professionally
then I say a resounding "Cool!". I can't say that I've actually listened to Daniels & Webster at any length in years, although I will tell you that a long time ago they put out a cassette called "Tubes & Take Recorders" (or something like that) which was very funny. It was the kind of thing that you should force outsiders to listen to as a sort of cultural primer on Northeastern Pennsylvania. Anyway it sounds like Mr Webster may have future plans already laid out, so to him I wish nothing but the best.
Speaking of local radio, I am off this week and I've yet to turn on WILK. I did try to listen to Sue Henry last week, but it became unbearable with the constant barrage of "ditto" callers. Is it me or do people who disagree with Sue Henry always seem to end up calling right before their next commercial break? I've also heard a few callers try and get Sue to admit when Limbaugh is being nothing more than a hypocritical dolt, but by and large Sue either ignores the question/comment or talks over it ("Yeah that's wacky Rush for ya say how about 'dem Red Soxs?"). By the way, you can't seem to listen to more than about 10 minutes straight without hitting a commercial on WILK; maybe it just appears that way, but boy it seems that about half of their air time is spent selling stuff. Even longer when you consider the locally produced paid programming they deploy on the weekends.
I noted my favorite WILK boner in a previous blog: that was when Sue Henry was carrying on about how Howard Stern and Opie/Anthony don't represent "her profession". Of course the during the next commercial break there was a spot for a "natural male enhancement" product. So much for that striking difference. This same product is advertised regularly on the Howard Stern Show. Yupp, that's some moral high ground for you.
These days I'm not really listening to much radio myself. I do listen to Sirius while I'm in the car, and 95% of that time it's Howard Stern. Howard's contract with Sirius is up at the end of this year, and if he doesn't re-sign I probably will not renew my subscription. I know very bright people who simply can't stand Stern and that's okay as truth be told, there are times when I have to turn it off myself. However most of the time, Stern's show is good to great, and with some regularity you hear stuff that's sheer genius. I personally think that the stuff he did in the early 1990's with Billy West (Marge Schott impersonations, Jackie Puppet, Mayor Dinkins. etc.) were some of the funniest bits ever broadcast on the airwaves.
Papal Letter to Irish Catholics...The letter I posted yesterday is intended to be read during Mass today at each Irish Church. Let's hope parents decide to leave small children home today, as it is mighty, mighty long. It's also written in that remarkable tongue known as "Pope-speak", which I think is what you get when dozens of Bishops, Cardinals and a Pope...each having different native tongues...collectively write a letter. Maybe it flows better in Latin. Regardless, I'm not entirely sure that it will have desired effect. The days of the "Command and Control" Church are over, and this scandal will continue to have legs long into the future. In fact, about the only substantive thing that I think could be done by the Pope to truly have a positive impact would be for Cardinal Brady to be removed. That would signal that accountability runs all the way up the Church hierarchy. Look for that to happen on December 31st...of never.
Senator Mellow Gets Cold Feet...I read earlier this week that Senator Mellow suddenly got ill and was unable to participate in a live town hall meeting to be televised on WVIA (the local PBS affiliate). I don't blame him though: the sight and sound of it all would have been just painful and frustrating. For anyone who thinks that it would have actually made a difference, please email me, as I have a unique Nigeria-based investment for you to consider. All kidding aside, Senator Mellow has already told us that sitting on the boards of organizations he has a hand in regulating isn't a conflict of interest. His representatives have already told us that renting an office (at an inflated rate) from yourself doesn't raise any ethics concerns & certainly writing over a hundred grand in checks to "cash" is something that we all do. Bottom line: it would have been simply more bull from a man who believes that he is entitled to have things like theaters named after him (for spending our money, no less).
I Love Spring...I just want to mention that, for the record. It almost makes it worth waiting through Winter. Unfortunately it will be another month before I can safely start planting flowers outside.
Cars...I continue to ponder what kind of car to buy. In contrast of another member of my family who, on a lark, stopped by a dealership, found something they liked and did the deal, I instead will spend months analyzing models and pondering what I really want and need. Right now I have a list of about 10 different vehicle types that I'm considering; I'm hoping to whittle that down to about three or four before I actually start shopping in May or so. I'm reasonable sure that the car will not be new (you get crushed on depreciation, so I like to buy them about a year old), relatively small, good on gas, have a positive track-record for dependability and will most definitely have a sunroof. I wanted a sunroof last time I bought a car, but I ended up taking one without it. I've regretted that ever since. Not this time.
Counting Down the Minutes...until this phase of the health care debate is over with. If it passes, I suspect that some will claim that the end-times are near. I suspect that similar sentiments were expressed with the Social Security Act was passed, when the Voting Rights Act was passed and when fluoride started to be added to drinking water. As for me, I simply want health care costs to stop increasing at four times the rate of inflation.
Infrastructure Improvement...of a more personal sort should arrive later this week in the form of a far better roof-mounted antenna for my Sirius satellite radio home receiver. Right now I have a standard home antenna that is basically sitting on my front porch, complete with wire fished through a window sill. The new set-up will involve my mounting the equipment on the eave of a roof and then running a line into my basement for internal distribution from there to two separate wall jacks. Now Howard Stern needs to re-sign for another five years and all will be well.
I've had this point to make about WILK tucked in the back of my head for a while now, but for some reason I just didn't feel the need to let it out. However since it's a Saturday morning and, in theory, I am not in my usual rush to do things (this morning will be consumed by maybe hitting the gym and then grocery shopping), I thought I might as well get it out. Oh, and I had this other point to make as well. Rather pointed. Perhaps I had better get to the point. Ever see Harry Nilsson's The Point?
First Point: As was noted by many others (including Circumlocution for Dummies, HERE), the writer of the "WILK Watcher" blog decided to give up on his/her quest. That's too bad because blogs about the media can be pretty interesting. Of course they require the ability to actually watch/listen to the media in question, but that's par for the course. Now I'm not going to take cheap shots at WILK (see Second Point), but I do think they do deserve some watching and/or scrutiny. Sure it's all opinion stuff, but people forget that what they do is ENTERTAINMENT FIRST, NEWS SECOND. Forget what Steve Corbett says about being a "news guy"...it's all about being controversial in order to get rating in order to make money. Viva la free enterprise & good for them, but listeners need to keep this in mind.
Second Point: A month or so ago I was in the gym and for some insane reason I had the Sue Henry Show playing through my mp3 device. I know, she doesn't exactly get your blood flowing, but I wanted to hear something in the background so she got the nod. Anyway, she was making some point about the media in general and radio specifically, which concluded by a statement that went something like "...the Opie & Anthony and Howard Stern types don't represent my profession...". My initial reaction was one of "ah, okay"; that reaction turned into one of those head shaking ironic moments when, during the next commercial break (and I swear this is true...) there was a commercial on WILK for a "male enhancement product". Somehow in the back of my pea-brained mind I am thinking that there isn't a whole hell of a lot of difference between Howard Stern talking about lesbians and a commercial for stiffy pills. Oh, but Sue didn't talk about the product, so I guess she gets to say on her moral high-horse. Check please.
I have been on vacation this week, well starting on Tuesday. I did work on Monday, but that was more or less because I had my annual performance appraisal, and since my Director came in from Hartford, I figured that I should actually some in from the 2 miles I live away from the office. Oh, and I was also in the office three times this week, twice just to hit the gym and once (yesterday) participate in a conference call dealing with a project I am managing. Anyway, every day this week I have been up at about 5-5:30am. This morning was the worst, as I was literally wide-eyed and bushy-tailed at 5am. Why?
I didn't need to get up at 5am. School was canceled, so no one had to get up at any certain time, yet come 5am my mind was as alert as it could be, and there was no way I was going to allow me to even consider going back to sleep. For the record I did go to bed a little earlier than usual last night, say around 10:15pm by the time I cleaned up a bit, brushed my teeth and read some of Artie Lange's "Too Fat To Fish"*. Anyway, I apparently got enough sleep last night to allow me to spend the past two hours shoveling snow.
It all just boils down to the worst relationship I have in my life (no, not that one...), namely the one I have with sleeping. I wish sleeping wasn't a requirement for existence. It seems so wasteful, yet I do acknowledge that sometimes I do get tired and actually enjoy a few hours of sleep. How some people can spend never-ending hours in bed is beyond me. About the latest I've ever slept in is about 10am, maybe two or three times in my life. A normal "sleeping in" for me might be 8am.
No sense complaining (although too late, as I think I already have), as there are worse quirks to have I suppose. Onward to seize the day.
(*) "Too Fat To Fish" isn't a bad book, although you might enjoy it more if you...
...are a rabid NY Yankees fan ...were born in New Jersey
It's definitely an easy read. As for it being really funny, I'll have to defer on that for a while. There have been a few cute stories, but so far nothing that made me bust a gut laughing.
It was brought to my attention that perhaps Johnny Depp really meant that Roman Polanski is not one of these...an alien predator from another planet. Admitted child rapist? Yes. Evil alien predator from another planet? No. And who says that consensus is dead?
I'm sorry, but someone who admits to pumping a 13 year old girl full of Roofies and then repeatedly rapes her IS A PREDATOR. Think about it, if this doesn't constitute being a predator, then what the hell does?
Remember two things here:
...a 13 year old is not capable of consenting to sexual relations ...Polanski admitted to the actions
This whole case makes my blood boil. Why is Johnny Depp defending Roman Polanski? Who the hell knows. My best guess is that it's the whole "cult of celebrity" thing at work. You know, this is the notion that because Polanski is famous the act of raping a 13 year old is somehow diminished is some bizarre way. Note that Johnny Depp (and Roman Polanski) don't deny that a 13 year old was raped.
Polanski belongs in jail for the rest of his miserable life. I don't care how famous he is, who wonderful his marriage is, how beautiful his children are; raping a child makes you a sick, disgusting, predator.
I know that it's a bit on an enigma, but I love Howard Stern. As I've noted before, I've been a fan for over twenty years, back to when I first heard him in Washington DC (when I lived in York PA).
Anyway, if for no other reason than I feel like it, here are 10 reasons why Howard Stern is under-appreciated:
Reason 1: He invented modern talk radio. Before Limbaugh decided to channel the 1950's, before Imus even thought of referring to African-Americans by various derogatory names, Howard Stern abandoned playing records and decided instead to talk for 4+ hours per day to his audience.
Reason 2: He is one of the best interviewers in media today, bar none. I've heard Howard interview politicians, porn-stars, Beatles (all but John) and actors, and in ever instance he always gets his subject to open up about subject that the Katie Couric's of this world could only dream of doing.
Reason 3: He's not perfect, and he is the first to admit that. In an age of other radio personalities who can on one hand shout that "people who abuse drugs should go to jail" and then on the other hand be abusing drugs themselves, Howard stands out as someone who, despite a healthy ego, doesn't take himself very seriously. What he does take seriously though is the obligation he feels to his audience.
Reason 4: He loves his parents. Howard frequently will have his parents on the show and he always ends the conversations by telling them that he loves them. Not quite the monster the media makes him out to be, huh?
Reason 5: He is professionally ignored. There is a 'Hall of Fame' for broadcasters that includes such folks as Don Imus, the late Paul Harvey, Rush Limbaugh and Neal Boortz. Howard has never been inducted, nor do I think he has ever been nominated. Mind you, this is a man who convinced 9+ million listeners to fork over $13/month to listen to him.
Reason 6: He is loyal to his friends. Howard has been working with some of the same people for decades.
Reason 7: His audience pays to listen to him. Howard brought over something like 9+ million listeners to Sirius satellite radio who pay to listen to him. Rush Limbaugh, on the other hand, has about 20 million listeners who don't pay a dime for his show. How many listeners would pay $13/month to listen to Limbaugh? Somehow I'm thinking it's not 20 million...or 9 million for that matter.
Reason 8: He is an equal opportunity offender. Howard doesn't have any sacred cows on his show.
Reason 9: He has been successful in four different medias. Radio, TV (he had the highest rated TV show on the E-Channel), Books (two best sellers) and a hit movie (Private Parts).
Reason 10: His show is simply damn funny. I am especially fond of the 1989 - 1991 period, and while Artie Lange isn't nearly as funny as Jackie Martling, the show still makes my bust a gut laughing from time to time. In a world where everything is so serious, there is something positive to be said for having a good laugh.
I admit it: I am a Howard Stern fan. Well I admit it here; there are some instances where I don't, such as around my mother (and if pressed by the VP in charge of my division at work). But anyway, I do freely confess that I am a fan.
I first heard Howard Stern back in the mid-late 80's, when he had a show out of Washington DC which I was able to pick up from my lowly post-graduation-first-job apartment in York, PA. It was a Sunday I believe, and the station was replaying his show (or segments from his show), and I was immediately interested. His guest on the show was "The Fabulous Thunderbirds", and they did a raunchy version of "Tough Enuff" in the studio. I was immediately struck how by how different the show was in comparison to the "Wacky Zoo" format stuff that was normally played on the radio. Now I didn't regularly listen to the show back then, but it was my first experience.
My experience with Howard slowly grew from there; while living in NJ (1989) I would listen to him while commuting to work and then once I moved back to Pennsylvania (1990) I'd again listen when I had business in NJ. It's then that I got hooked. Even though I couldn't listen all the time, I took every opportunity to tune him in when I could. He was even briefly on the radio in Scranton, but alas, Scranton and Howard Stern go together like Sauerkraut and Chocolate Pie.
Fast forward to now, and with the advent of satellite radio, I was finally able to fully feed my Howard Stern jones on a regular basis, and I've been listening more or less daily now for over two years.
So the question is this: Why Howard Stern? Here's my list:
Honesty - Howard Stern is the most honest guy in the media today, bar none. In an age where everything is pre-packaged and focus-grouped, Howard is a guy that always shoots from the hip without a filter. That isn't always pleasant to listen to, but you have to appreciate the fact that the man is honest with (and very mush respects) his audience.
Interviews - Howard Stern is one the best interviewers in the media today, and probably one of the best of all times. You have to hear him interview someone like Paul McCartney (where he gets Macca to talk more about how he really feels about Yoko Ono that you've ever heard before). For whatever reason, guests seem to be more honest with Howard than they are with anyone else. Why? I suspect it's for the reason I noted above: Howard is honest with them (and his audience).
Format - Howard Stern practically invented the talk radio format. Before you had Limbaugh, Hannity, or even Don Imus doing radio shows that consisted of almost entirely just conversation, you had Howard Stern doing it. Howard's show really consists of him (and his cohorts) talking to their audience for a few hours each morning. Note the words "talking to"...as opposed to "talking at" or "lecturing to"...as you get the distinct impression that Howard has the utmost respect for his audience.
Humor - I don't find everything on the Howard Stern how funny (for example, I don't like "fart" humor & I could care less about spanking porn stars), but what I do find funny is often times utterly hilarious. For me, the "golden age" of the how was back in the early 90's, when the show had Jackie Martling and Billy West on...some of the hold David Dinkins and Rudy Giuliani bits still make me bust a gut laughing.
As I noted above, I don't find the show as funny now as I did years ago. In fact, I think the show took a bit of a turn south when Jackie Martling left years ago and in all honesty, I kind of liked Howard better when he was more of a normal married guy (as opposed to now when he's more of a super-rich dude married to a super-model) with a radio show. But even with what I think are flaws, the core of the show is still great.
