Once upon a time, radio jockeys had to sound a certain way.
A
deep baritone voice was essential and the delivery required the standard
intonations.
During the news, they
feigned seriousness, sounding solemn while announcing a tragedy and upbeat for
the fun news segment.
The radio jockeys
were different creatures altogether, sounding perpetual as if
they were inebriated with caffeine.
The pretense was blatant.
Among the radio
broadcasters who threw a brick into that wall of artifice was Howard Stern
For three hours on
weekdays, the self-proclaimed ‘King of All Media', spoke about
everything including taboo subjects that were never heard on the radio before.
Stern talked about
his bathroom habits, his method of gratification including self-gratification,
his wife's miscarriage, and his marital problems.
He interviewed
everyone from uptight politicians to porn stars,
There was a reality
show aspect to it as well. Stern frequently excoriated his hapless producer
Gary ‘BabaBooey’ Delabate on the air. Stern also discussed office
politics, he often put his staff member on air where they aired their
grievances and even engaged in verbal spats.
Some of the humor was
considered off-color for its time, perhaps scandalous in today's woke
climate
Yes, Stern was
exploitative of everyone, including himself, who was part of the show, but he was honest.
But it was always fun
and games.
Stern was live during
the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and continued to
broadcast. This live reporting was one of the first for those listening across
the country, with callers sharing their harrowing experiences.
Between 1990 and
2004, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined owners of
radio station licensees that carried The Howard Stern Show a
total of $2.5 million for content it considered to be indecent
His risqué content
meant, that despite the show’s popularity, he was never considered worthy of
prestigious awards or glowing reviews and was scorned by the elites.
Stern didn’t appear
to care about it, he frequently relished mocking the phoniness, the vacuousness, and the dual standards of the elites in Hollywood and beyond.
Stern was also seen
as a rebel against the establishment.
The Howard Stern Show moved to satellite radio.
He was unencumbered by FCC Regulations which meant there were no
boundaries in terms of content.
Stern did some very
insightful interviews with some of the finest minds in comedy, film, and music,
such as Larry David, Sting, and Francis Ford Coppola.
But the standards were devolving.
Stern was beginning
to make inroads with the elites. He developed personal friendships with many
Hollywood stars and even politicians, even the vacuous variety he used to mock
previously on his show.
His personal
friendships shouldn’t concern his listeners, but they began to affect the show.
Stern who was famous for calling out hypocrisy now began to restrain himself.
A perfect example was
the Hilaria
Baldwin controversy. Hilaria claimed to be Spanish, even speaking with an
acquired accent — when really she’s from Boston. Stern from the 80s would have exploded
on the air, but now was mum owing to his close personal friendship with
Alec Baldwin.
Stern stooped further
becoming a judge on a lame talent show and fawning over low-grade dating shows
such as “The Bachelor”.
The capitulation was embarrassing
and so was the lack of self-awareness
Stern probably realizes his audience has deserted him. Years ago
Stern summoned a crisis meeting where he discussed plans to revive his show. All
through the presentation, he blamed everyone but himself for its failure.
The presentation was leaked by a disgruntled employee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvL46X6qCso
Stern never acknowledged the existence of this tape on his show.
Stern chose to remain
mostly neutral during the 2016 race. He spoke favorably of Hillary but never
really joined the irrational confederacy of Trump-hating 'comics'.
Stern sank deeper a
few years later.
In 2019, Stern did a fawning interview with Hillary Clinton.
Hillary blamed everyone from Bernie Sanders to Russian interference for her defeat in 2016 and was never challenged. Stern even credited Obama for the Trump economy and baselessly attacked Trump
Hillary's failures or corruption never even received a perfunctory
question.
Stern is known to assiduously prepare for interviews. His hesitation
to ask uncomfortable questions was not for the lack of knowledge but instead because
he wanted to appease the establishment and make his membership permanent by doing
PR for Hillary.
The interview shocked
many who expected honesty from Stern.
But Stern didn't care, he had made his
money, and now he wanted acceptance from the elite, which he always craved.
So what's become of the Stern show now?
There are the
reality show elements and the bathroom humor but it is stale.
The interviews are still
good, but Stern hesitates to probe into zones that make the interviewee
uncomfortable.
He has joined the
ranks of the late-night comics as a vicious and almost unhinged lackey of the
establishment.
He became a fervent
proponent of the COVID-19 vaccine, claiming that unvaccinated should be given
access to hospitals.
Stern has also joined
the ranks of the vicious Trump haters.
Speaking about the
recent Mar-a-Lago raids by the FBI, Stern said the following
“I think he (Trump)
was trying to prove to the Russians, like, ‘I’m really in control here. I’ve
got top-secret papers.’ Meanwhile, he’s showing to them to Russians,”
“Just like, to prove
that he was president in a way he doesn’t even believe it. That’s the safest
explanation.”
Stern hypothesized
that Trump could sell the nuclear secrets of our western allies to the likes of
Russia and Saudi Arabia.
“This is a guy who
badly wants to do business with Russia and Saudi Arabia”
“Imagine if he says
to them ‘look man, give me a couple billion dollars, and I’ll show ya where
France keeps their nuclear weapons, and you guys can see all this sh*t if you
do business with me.”
Stern was once
friendly with Trump and even spoke about how Trump treated Stern and his young
wife very well during a trip to Mar-a-Lago.
But the same Stern is
accusing Trump, of treason, the punishment for which is death.
Stern then targeted
Trump supporters calling them
“morons” last week.
“I mean, my God in
heaven, I feel like I’m in a nation of nincompoops. I’m hoping there are still
some more brilliant, bright, vibrant people who love this country”
These “morons,” Stern
continued, should go and live under “that f–k nut [Vladimir] Putin” for a year
to get a better appreciation of our democratic system, referring to Russia’s
president.
Some users on social
media reminded the virtue-signaling Stern about his past
https://twitter.com/ThePencilPimp/status/1569212019752173568
https://twitter.com/jmasseypoet/status/1567638594730205185
https://twitter.com/RomeCharlieMik1/status/1567656334899793924
https://twitter.com/rjkretser/status/1570059907826876417
Stern proves the
theory that most who claim to be rebels are bitter and jealous of being
rejected by the establishment. They disguise their resentment as rage against
the status quo and the establishment.
But the moment these
rebels are allowed inside the metaphorical building, like new converts of a
cult, they become the most fanatic proponents of the group think, much more
than even previous members.
The advocacy of the
group think doesn’t emanate from honesty, they are just grateful to be allowed
a seat at the table and are willing to do all they can to retain the seat.
Also appears on American Thinker
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