Last week, I was talking with a friend of mine, a guy I think highly of, a guy I find highly intelligent. I was telling him about my new blog, and mentioned that I was a Howard Stern fan. He was taken aback. "Don't you realize Howard hates women?" he told me.
I don't think Howard hates women. But I certainly have mixed feelings about him, and feel worried, whenever I hear from someone whose opinion I really respect, when I hear that they think Howard's a misogynist, or evil, or whatever. I know many of my friends disapprove of (hate?) Howard for any number of reasons. Do you? Tell me. Please add a comment at the bottom of this post.
I had been thinking about starting this blog for a couple of years, but the thing that finally motivated me to actually do it was my getting a Sirius radio for Christmas, and how I dug all the different stations on it after I got the thing working. But what motivated me to get a Sirius radio in the first place was: Howard. Of whom I am a fan. With mixed feelings. I have a couple of "big stories" I have "in the works" for The NYC Radio Gazette about Howard and his stations and his status, but in the back of my mind I worry: will such coverage turn off my intended audience - whom I have defined as "people in need of intelligent radio"?
What do you think? Tell me. I will post more Howard thoughts in the days ahead. But I'd love to hear what you have to say.
3 comments:
Howard is only occasionally (rarely?) "intelligent" radio, but that's not the point. Howard is living radio, and anyone who cares about radio should be glad he exists, because without him, radio would be as dead as vinyl. Imus can't save radio. Limbaugh and his ilk can't (let's hope not), and Air America? Uh-huh, don't think so. All the FMUs, NYCs and QXRs in the world can't do what Howard does: keep people —ordinary people, not just academics, archivists and partisans — listening to — and talking about — the radio. Like it or not, he's the best we've got.
And just for the record, I stopped listening to Howard on a regular basis shortly after he left NBC. Talk about a golden age.
I can agree with a lot of what Jim Santo said: Howard being real living radio, keeping people listening to and talking about radio, etc. But the fact that so much of his "reality" has to do with women with big boobs taking off their bras, bending over and discussing their sex lives sceeves (sp?) me. You can't convince me that he respects women, or thinks of them as anything other than objects for his degraded amusement. I know I must sound a bit like an old woman (in fact, I'm getting there quickly...), but I would felt the same 20 years ago!
(Which is when my little brother Alec was in his 20's.)
no question, howard is a pig. but he's not drugging these women (perhaps they are drugging themselves) and forcing them to degrade themselves. he's not even paying them (i don't think, correct me if i'm wrong). all he's doing is bringing exhibitionist idiots and voyeuristic idiots (no offense, alec, you are not a typical stern fan) for amusement and profits. i see him as a modern-day p.t.barnum.
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