i was late jumping on the stern bandwagon, so this book is an interesting way to catch up on the history of how this formerly outcasted, underappreciated, racey radio show host from long island overcame the odds, becomming a millionaire by creating an empire and turning into what some consider a revolutionairy icon by changing the paradigm of talk radio. i don't want to put him on a pedestal, but i find his story worth reading. this book may seem long considering its girth, but the font is big and chapters are short, so don't be fooled. i think people gravitate towards his p.o.v. because he's all about being candid and getting down to the nitty gritty. one of the best parts of the book is when he makes fun of celebrities, rather than worshipping the ground they walk on. there probably isn't anyone who howard hasn't insulted, including myself. but it undoubtedly does take bravery to say whatever one's thinking, even if it is for the ratings and money. but i do think a lot of what comes out of his mouth is what others are thinking but would never say, along with what's interesting, controversial, funny, etc.. he's politically incorrect and uncouth, even before he was a mulit-millionaire. admittitedly, this could be a lil sleazy, and i go back and forth with how i feel about his whole deal. considering his popularity, his content must resonate with america's mentality in some form. i read this book on my train rides to brooklyn, and many times found myself holding back laughter; so if howard can make a femninist like me laugh, there's gotta be something engaging about what he does that can't be denied. sometimes i do wonder and feel like he either dumbs himself down for his audience, or is really actually downright uneducated in regards to unapologetic stereotypical statements he makes about women, race, class, other parts of the country, the list goes on. i don't even know if i'd like him as a person if i knew him, but that's not the issue. also, it can't be forgotten that he underwent fcc censorship battles for years, taking hits for the free speech fight. the book brings to light how much he has done for opening up the public forum for sexual discussion, without being self righteous about it. i feel he broke boundaries by helping expose the taboo of what is deemed to be unspeakable and improper in our society. gotta give him credit for that. admittedly, there is not too much wisdom or life lessons to learn from in between these pages; but for anyone who's a fan of the show looking for a fun book that is pretty effortlessly engaging and entertaining, i say 'go forth and read!'
I did this all out of order. The first time I'd ever heard of Howard Stern was when I saw the film version of Private Parts in 1997 with some friends who were fans. I then read Miss America soon after it was published, again not knowing much about Howard. Fast forward to 2010 -- I'm now a Sirius radio subscriber and daily listener of Howard's show. Because of this, I thought it was about damn time I finally sat down and read Howard's great literary achievement.I liked Miss America a lot better than Private Parts. I enjoyed the first half of the book when Howard talked about his family and breaking into the radio business. I love hearing stories about Howard's parents and reading about them was just as entertaining. I wish he'd incorporated more of his family life (even life with his first wife Alison) into the book. He does do a lot more of this in Miss America though, so that might have been done on purpose so he'd have material for the second book. But I do wish he'd included more stories about his personal life after he got married.The rest of the book suffers from being outdated, which isn't Howard's fault and doesn't reflect on the actual writing at all. Unfortunately, this was clearly meant to be read when it was published almost 20 years ago. Howard's opinion on several of the celebrities he mentions is now completely different. Jay Leno, for instance, is praised in Private Parts as being a nice guy who was set up for failure by Johnny Carson when he took over the Tonight Show. This is a strange opinion coming from Howard, who recently trashed Leno publicly in numerous outlets for how he handled himself when Conan O'Brien took over the Tonight Show. Howard also addresses topical-for-1993 news stories and issues that are hard to comprehend in 2010.What I found most interesting with this book was the fact that I probably wouldn't have been nearly as big a fan of Howard if I'd been a listener when Private Parts was first published. He describes a good amount of juvenile schtick that seems beneath him in 2010. I understand that the schtick is how he built his name and reputation, but I very much prefer the mellower Howard of today. Given the choice between Butt Bongo Fiesta and Win Sal's Money, I'd take Sal in a second.
What do You think about Private Parts (1997)?
At the time of this release, I was very much a Stern listener and was looking forward to reading the book. I was impressed with the book. I thought it was a good biography of Howard's career. And funny. And weird. And titillating.I liked Stern and have always supported his right to do as he pleases. I lost interest in him long ago, as I think most mature adults do. But to each his own . . . For anyone who is interested in the self-heralded King of All Media, this book is essential. Not for the the prudish.
—Robert
I only read (parts of it) because I friend lent it to me and I'm one of those people who slows down to see accidents on the highway. Actually I'm not. But I used to listen to and watch Stern, but have since repented and changed my ways. Over the years he just got more disgusting, sexual, and sensationalistic. He actually used to be funny, now he's just mean and misogynistic. See the movie, it's actually less offensive, that is if you need to. But really, there is no need. My advice? Look away people. Look away. And just keep driving.
—Jeffrey
I'm at odds with some of my fellow reviewers here. One of them rightly criticizes the book for not being insightful enough; others object to it because Stern appears self-absorbed, immature, lascivious, smutty and I don't know what else.This is Howard Stern's biography for God's sake! WTF were you expecting?! Of course the book is shallow, and cruel, and self-absorbed, and immature and smutty. It's also brutally funny and full-frontal irreverent. To those fellow reviewers I alluded in the first paragraph: I'm glad you were offended or disappointed. I wish you'd meet Howie and he'd look down your blouse. Or your hot daughter's.
—Sergio GRANDE films
