Did you hear what Howard Stern said today?

For those in the know, what happened with Stern and Leno? I remember they use to get along pretty well, with Stern making some notable appearances on the "Tonight Show" and Leno coming on to Stern's show. I don't know that they were best buddies or anything, but they always seemed friendly to each other.

 

http://www.celebritycheckers.com/go-howard2/

I don't have an original link to the NY Post story

 

I'm not sure if there was any one event or one thing that put an end to their friendship (I never really listened to Stern too much until recently) but I know Stern feels Leno rips him off on a regular basis. Stern says the Jaywalker segments on TTS are a blatant ripoff of a bit he did asking homeless people questions. Of course, Stern is also paranoid that Leno's writers are listening to his show trying to rip off his new ideas, so who knows?

 

Which is ironic since Stern "borrowed" a lot of concepts from Steve Dahl.

 

I'm on Emusic (no, I don't work for them) and they have a feature where their software monitors what you buy and they send suggestions for other artists in the genre you might like. They've actually turned me on to some really great artists I would have never heard of otherwise.

As for Stern, his act is so yesterday. I think we're so desensitized in this culture that it's like the title of Jane's Addiction's best album, "Nothing Shocking." Dick and fart jokes just aren't funny to me and the more he tries to go over the top and outdo himself, the more ridiculous he becomes.

 

What I don't get about Emusic or the gazillion other services who will monitor what I like and then, umm, tell me what I like is how do I keep from getting into a total rut? I want something that will tell me things that are out of my comfort zone but so good that they might change my mind.

 

Don't people get music recommendations from their friends any more?

That was a quaint thing we used to do in the past.

"You haven't heard Atomic Rooster?" Then someone would dub a copy of the album or selected songs onto a thing that was called a "cassette." You could listen and decide if you wanted to hear more or maybe even buy the album yourself. If it was a friend who lived out of town, you could send the "cassette" on the Pony Express.

 

I burned out a dubbed copy of Soul Asylum's "Grave Dancers Union" in the spring and summer of '93.

 

Getting music recommendations from your friends is all well and good, but even then it's a limited window based on their likes and dislikes. Personally, I prefer getting recommendations from my friends, from ITunes, from Sirius and from whatever else is out there. The more new music I discover, that I like that is, the better.

 

http://www.pandora.com/

You're welcome.

 

Part of the mystique of Howard Stern, in my mind, was the fact that he WAS working under FCC guidelines and therefore was bleeped out or had to rein it in a bit. Now that he's "without a net," so to speak, a lot of that mystique is gone.

I used to like Howard Stern, but that was a loooonnnnggg time ago. He's got nothing for me now.

 

The people who chastise us for paying for sattelite radio crack me up. Fine, I get it, you would rather have your Ipod. Now I will excuse you while you go on Itunes and pay a buck for a song. :