Haters are right

Well a little...




Howard is not as electric as he used to be. Maybe the world changed too, but I'm watching the rerun of the view right before X-Factor. Compare that to the decency debate with Dick Cavette. Howard's clear desperation for approval in his old age clouds his natural irreverence that he used to own completely. Maybe he's more empathic than he was, but it takes away from his zest.

On the other hand, I find the change interesting and hope he continues to be more compassionate. It's kind of like the appeal of House M.D.

I know that most near-60 year olds act the exact same as when they were 30. I mean, i know I'm 30 now and my views are the exact same as they were when I was 10.

Are you trying to instigate DrugDealer and ginaccc? Well buddy, they'll be here shortly!

His natural irreverence led him to fail at his first marriage and to alienate many people. As funny as it was, you can't judge a person for deciding to make a change because he doesn't want to be in that situation anymore. Your entertainment will suffer yes, but if it was my personal life and you told me I can't change because you need to be entertained, I'd tell you to go fuck yourself.

Howard is still funny. Not as much as before, but still funny nonetheless, and interesting to listen to. The haters are bitter assholes who can't accept he changed and they demand that time be turned back, like little babies.

They're guys who romanticize the old days. Maybe it was when they first started gettin their lil pee pee's wet...but they will tell you that in the golden age (varies depending on the idiot speaking, but, anything from 1990 - 2008), there was NEVER a bad show. Jackie was never annoying. Everyone loved billy. Artie never had a bad day and all shows were commercial free and ran 6hours.

Some of the changes Howard has undergone can perhaps be attributed to a "personal growth" of some sort. Many others, however, can not. For instance, personal growth has fuck all to do with shows that are now never more than 3 hours and 1 second long, 2 and 3 day work weeks, commercial breaks every 40 minutes almost to the second, in-show product placement campaigns, live commercial reads during the news segments, the peddling of Giftscriptions/Oh My Dog/Bling Bones/et al., a complete and utter lack of show prep, the patent refusal to spend the money required to hire a replacement for Artie, the total absence of show specials, the wholesale embrace of political correctness as a way to cynically promote a new high society lifestyle out in the Hamptons and/or the self serving subvention of a near scam of an animal shelter.

Personal growth, when it's organic and genuine, is a beautiful thing. But when it's used as a thinly veiled canard for pissing on me and telling me it's raining, then my view will be decidedly less charitable.

You just agreed the principle of personal growth and said its ok....as long as Howard grows the way and in the direction that you want him to.

Yes, a lot of the things you point out have nothing to do with growing per se, but it has to do with the way he thinks now. Shorter shows are because he's tired and almost done with radio, so he wants to do the bare minimum. The Beth thing is because that's how he feels about her, I can't even think why you people would assume he would treat his new wife the same as the old one, as if they were the same person.

I could explain away everything you said, but what's the point? You, and others like you, are convinced that Howard is conspiring against you, for some unkown reason, that he had this planned out all along. That he was going to take away your money (even if you can cut the service at any time you want) and then laugh at you. You sound like Cabbie when he was in the mental hospital and said the people on his photos had changed, and people were after him and all that shit.

As much as you want it to be, its not about you. Sorry dude.

Listen to the show. Or don't listen to the show. No one else cares one way or the other. When someone comes on here specifically to say "Howard Sucks!", believe me, that person has been exposed as a complete loser. A loser who has no audience in his or her real life.

I used to like hockey. Now, I don't. So, I don't watch hockey. I don't go on my computer, find a hockey message board and say stupid shit behind an anonymous name. Because, I have enough of a life to not waste my time with such nonsense.

Accept what he is or move on. Why listen to something you dont like anymore, this doesn't specifically go to the op, but to anybody in general who cant let go.

I think there's room between accepting Howard 100% for who he is now and "hit the road if you don't like it". Howard's career choice is very specific and very unique; the essence of any talk show host is his relationship with fans--whether he likes that concept or not.

'Personal growth' is one thing. Transforming into everything you once stood against is an entirely different issue, and certainly warrants criticism from longtime fans.

Since when did 'evolving' equal opposite? Has Michael Moore 'evolved' since Roger & Me 25 years ago? Is he a Neocon now? Bill Maher is a spiritual guru? Has Rush Limbaugh joined the ACLU?

Right but Howard made a complete turn around in only a few years not 30. Howard is not even the same person he was 5 years ago. To change that much in such a short amount of time (especially at the age he is now) isn't normal.

Howard was never that funny or entertaining on his own, but he used to have the good sense to surround himself with those that were. He has bought into his own bullshit now and thinks he doesn't need a team to entertain, he's "better than ever" on his own. It's a failure of his own narcissism. He can be comical and ridiculous, but it's unintentional. But that's OK.

i just change the channel when i dont like what i hear - god bless america for that right!! howie is evolving and all may not agree but howie doesnt care what we think. like i said-- change the channel and move on...that's what i do and will continue to do unless i like what i hear.... pretty simple

Where did I say that? At the same, you seem to be insinuating that there's no possible way Howard could address any of his personal growth needs while still putting on a quality radio program - as if the two are mutually exclusive. I disagree.

So on this we can agree. And that is the majority of my point - Howard's "personal growth", however you may choose to characterize it, is not the reason the show has deteriorated to the degree that it has.

We don't give two fucks how Howard treats Beth. We just don't want to be a part of the courtship. And we certainly don't want to be subjected to him railing against Bill O'Reilly for spending 15 seconds at the end of his show to sell welcome mats when he devotes entire segments to her projects.

No, you could make excuses for, and apologize for, every point I made. But I agree that the effort would be pointless. And again, where have you ever heard me peddle conspiracy theories? Becoming lazy as fuck and putting more effort into your social climbing than in maintaining the quality of your product requires no great master plan. Just the lack of a work ethic.

It's not about any individual. It should be about the fans collectively. If Howard wants to only work 35 weeks a year, then he should work 5 days a week when he is on. Maybe if more of us voiced our displeasure instead of sucking his ass, things could change.

I love the show. I love to analyze Howard's personality. I even think he's changed for the better. It's definitley a good thing for someone to feel more compassion and ampathy in their lives. But this change has affected Howard's sense of humor in a negative way. Don't get me wrong he's still hilarious especially when he's on the radio and feeling good. But on AGT he really is stymied, the chemistry between him and the rest of the judges is not relaxed, and he comes off as a bit arrogant and desperate for everyone to be in love with him. I'll still be watching every episode though, and I'll still get up at 6 to listen for as long as he's on.

I find opinions like this kind of amazing, I mean Stern is not really a great intellect or wit, what is so interesting about his personality? He's just a narcissist. His wife has even said this ("it's all about him"), what is there to analyze? His real talent is/was that of being the ringmaster and championing the underdog. His ability to talk to, humanize and "make stars" out of handicapped people, street crazies and nutjobs (and somehow make it real and charming) is something he can truly claim as his. But he is not a brilliant mind or artistic genius.

Again, here's the part that I don't get. I can understand a long time fan complaining how the show changed and its not what it used to be, but not the need to post it every single day all the time over and over and over. I exxagerate I know, but you get the point: people cannot seem to stop repeating themselves over and over and over how the show has changed and its not what it used to be. We get it. We heard you the first thousand times. Some agree others don't. Fine. What is the need to keep blurting the same shit over and over? When you express your opinion in a message board, that's all you're doing. When you constantly repeat yourself, what the fuck are you trying to do? Convince others that you're right? What the fuck for?

There's just something appealing to me about watching a narcissist become more compassionate. It's just interesting to hear the difference in his voice from 1984 to 1996 to 2008. I like trying to figure out why Howard forgets names easily as if he's doing it on purpose, and why he's anti-social. I like wondering how meditation affected his ability to be extemporaneous and creative on the air. The list goes on and on...

There's plenty of narciscists I guess but there's not that many who are the best radio person that ever existed.

Was this post intended to be ironic?

It became a Faustian pact in the end. Would you wish Howard even one day of true, internal peace or give that up for 35 years of great radio? It's an equation from hell. I would wish him the day of happiness, because I loved to be entertained, but I don't need it, at least not any more. There are more important things. I am glad he has actually found his way out of the woods.

The Howard Stern Show today is like when All in the Family became Archie Bunkers Place. Archies character had evolved and when I say evolved I mean became more boring.

That's a pretty good analogy for us old timers who can remember Archie Bunker's place. Archie became all soft because he had a granddaughter and he got older. I watched it because it had glimpses of the old Archie. Just as I still listen to Howard because every once in a while you get a glimpse of the old Howard.

Perhaps. But, it has been, to me, a gradual change. You can even hear it start at k-rock. Being mad at gilbert and Artie for using the N word. Not liking ppl to say fag.

Bottom line is the show isn't the powerhouse it was in any of the "golden eras" but, it's still funny, still the best thing on radio and i'll continue to listen. I have no interest in twitter rankings, AGT ratings, or any other outside bullshit that seems to consume some of the grazny brachnies.

And honestly, when I listen to old shows/shuffles of howard in the earlyyyyy days, it's kinda embarrassing to hear him put on that fake voice and fake outrage bit. That and the fuckin clapping drove me bazoomny.

I think you are a crazy person. Seek help.