show written by a self-described, “Politically correct, Southern California feminist stated…’there were more laughs during the first few hours of the Howard Stern Show than any other morning show on the dial.’”
The reviewer stated she is a “Politically correct, Southern California, feminist,” which counters part of the New York Times headline.
Stern never thought of himself as a “shock jock.” In a Rolling Stone magazine interview (June 14, 1990): “I’m no shock jock,” says Stern. “I’m not some desperate, out-of-control loser trying to outrage people to get ratings…That’s not what my show is all about. What the show’s about is my trying to be funny, trying to tell the truth.” Robin Quivers added: “What Howard does is a real show — and not this sleazy show about sex and drugs people talk about. We’re the Ozzie and Harriet show for the nineties.”
In a cover story titled “I Hate Myself and You Love Me For it,” Esquire magazine (May 1992) wrote: “The raging riffs of Howard Stern are so funny they make us scream. Famous for his willingness to say the wrong thing…His unrelenting penchant for truth-telling serves as a kind of leveler…he is crazily funny…He simply has no competition.”
In October 1990, Radio Only magazine explained: “Howard Stern turns out to be a shrewd manipulator of morning show formatics — not just a foul-mouthed jock.”
The Orange County Register calls it perfectly in a look at the Stern show dated June 28, 1992. “His show is a mixture of celebrity interviews, references to sex and body parts, and discussions of everything from condom use (Stern strongly favors it) and abortion (he’s an abortion-rights supporter) to Rodney King (he was on the side of the cops).” This article points out that he says what people think but can’t say. Great analysis of what the show is and a great opening to the topic of celebrity interviews and Howard’s interviewing skills.
By the early 90s anybody who paid attention knew Howard was more than just an outrageous shock jock. Reviews state he is a comedian, truth teller, says what people think, leveler, charismatic, funny — crazily funny, discusses everything (with opinions grounded in facts). He’s smart. Smart enough to manipulate formatics for ratings. Along the way, we already see that politically correct feminists admit to liking him, and there’s nobody to compare him to. Howard was always more than a shock jock.
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