Mutt

i'm the biggest Stern fan around, i can make a good case for him being the most influential entertertainer of the past 25 years but I am listening far less these days, only caught a couple hours last week - i still love it but it's not the same show these days. One reason the show seems less fresh than 10 years ago is that what Howard does is done everywhere now, on radio and TV - so the freshness factor is gone, he pushed the envelope as far as it could go and inspired a generation of knuckleheads to do his act. His descent into middle age and his divorce changed him and the show. Losing Jackie the Jokeman hurt - not because Jackie was such a great comedy writer but because 5 main on air personalities were like a family and Jackie was the lightning rod.

For all Howard's fame for creating 'shock radio' his greatest gift is his ability to do an unscripted monologue - that's the way the show started every morning at 6, an hour of Howard riffing on his life and family. For many Stern fans the show was more about identifying with a regular frustrated married guy who was much like themselves, but had a microphone to air out his thoughts and frustrations. Now that Howard is rich, divorced and dating a hot bimbo many fans are disillusioned.

Check out alt.fan.howard-stern , it's downright nasty in there, still one of the busiest newsgroups on USENET but it's 90% Stern fans who have turned on him.

He says the contract he last signed would be his last, so that gives him 2 more years and he's gone. Despite decent success for his bio movie, Hollywood isnt interested him anymore. He has two movies being shot, both remakes, Rock n Roll High School and Porky's plus a new animated show based on his tortured adolescence. If the movies don't do big business, he won't be leaving radio, no way will he just walk away from 20 million a year.

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