The Metamorphosis of Howard Stern's Radio Voice

by I. Humphrey

During the recent Sirius summer-break airing of the History of Howard Stern, I was struck by how much Howard's radio voice has metamorphosized over the years. Early on (WNBC days) it sounded to me like Howard was deliberately trying to sound extra geeky, and nerdy. His voice sounded totally fake and abnormally nasal.

I believe Howard made a conscious decision to mold his voice to match his nerdy appearance. You can view Howard's goofy mustache, and ill-fitting clothes during this time span by searching YouTube for his early David Letterman Show guest spots.



Howard clearly made the most of his geek image. During the late 70's and early 80's a radio personality needed an act, and this was Howard's act. It allowed him to get away with more on-air bad-boy behavior. After all, looking the way Howard did and sounding the way he did, clearly made his brand of humor more palatable.

However, the reason I mention all this is not to be pedantic or critical, but to express my amazement, and to give a tribute of sorts that Howard was able to stay in character, and put on this contrived voice for so many years. This is what I call being well-disciplined.

Thinking further on this topic, I find it interesting that Howard doesn't want guests or callers to the show to do shtick "A shtick can refer to an adopted persona, usually for comedy performances, that is maintained consistently (though not necessarily exclusively) across the performer's career. In this usage, the recurring personalities adopted by Laurel and Hardy's through all of their many comedy films (despite the fact that they often played characters with different names and professions) would qualify as their shtick". Howard proclaims to wanting to keep-it-real, but maybe this too is shtick. Of course, very few people can do shtick at Howard's level, and perhaps what Howard clearly doesn't want is not shtick, but bad shtick.

Now, fast forward to Howard's media appearances right after he was fired from WNBC and you will be treated to the made-over, new and improved Howard Stern.



Gone are the nerdy glasses, mustache, and low and behold Howard is featuring a new voice. What a chameleon! It must have been a great relief for Howard to let go of his geeky voice. I bet it was easier on his throat and vocal chords too.

Of course, over the years Howard has continued his visual and vocal metamorphosis. Most notable was Howard's decision to have a nose job and chin implant. All of this is in no way a criticism of Howard Stern -- it's his body and career and he can do as he chooses. But, all this is food for thought, and it might be interesting to briefly hear what Howard sounds like without a specially set up over-modulated microphone.

For my next piece I'm going to delve deeply into the meteoric impact Howard's mother, Rae Stern, has had on the radio industry through her son. Furthermore, I intend to speculate that Howard might really be doing the Rae Stern Lite Show. This piece will feature a Top-Ten List of questions I'd like to ask Rae Stern.

Stay tuned.

For Howard Shrine Spews and Views, this is I. Humphrey saying, "Grab your ankles, beyaaatch!"