Between 1982 and 1994, American radio and media personality Howard Stern hosted a number of pay-per-view specials and released various VHS and audio tapes.
Home videos
Negligeé and Underpants Party
Howard Stern's Negligeé and Underpants Party was Stern's first pay-per-view special and home video release. The event aired live in front of a studio audience and broadcast to mostly East Coast areas at 10 p.m. on February 27, 1988. It cost $19.95 to purchase. It featured Stern, his radio show staff, and the audience wearing underwear or lingerie, and had various segments including live performances and stunts and pre-recorded skits. Various celebrities appeared on the program, including Richard Belzer, Jessica Hahn, Downtown Julie Brown, Judy Tenuta, Emo Philips, Geraldo Rivera, Dweezil Zappa and Moon Zappa. On March 7, the event was released on VHS by Weirdo, Inc. and Infinity Broadcasting Corporation through mail order, with a catalogue number of 1001 and a shortened runtime of 113 minutes.
The event originated after Stern's unsuccessful attempt at securing a late night television show on Fox in 1987. Later that year he entered talks with a pay-per-view production company in producing a one-off special. The format appealed to Stern as the event would be free from broadcast regulations imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), allowing him creative freedom. The show was the first on-camera appearance of former radio show intern Mitch Fatel, who was given $1,000 by Stern after the special had aired. It was also the debut of early Wack Pack member Vinnie Mazzeo, who lights his penis on fire and tries to cook eggs. He did not practice the stunt beforehand.
Following the event, Stern caught the attention of the Drug Enforcement Administration for on-air comments that detailed his and radio producer Gary Dell'Abate's attempt to obtain drugs for a guest at the event, and that drugs were being used backstage. Law enforcement agent Michael Levine wrote a letter to the New York Daily News, without the agency's knowledge, about wanting to arrest Stern and asking witnesses to rat him out. In July 1988, the DEA declared there was no basis for an investigation and chastised Levine for "inappropriate behavior". Levine later claimed that his letter was not only authorized by the DEA and the Department of Justice, but that Stern's media clout had caused the DEA to back down.
The event received mixed and negative reviews. Belzer recalled the show being "wonderfully sleazy". The Courier-Post summarised the event as "rather entertaining" but was "mostly obscured by the bad taste, cruelty and borderline pornography" that made up the bulk of the program. The Town Talk wrote Stern had "single-handedly set back cable pay-per-view a millennium or two" and described the special as "bone-achingly dull and stupefyingly simple-minded." The best known review was by Kay Gardella in the New York Daily News, which was based on other people's opinions and not from watching it herself. Stern attacked Gardella on the air, which resulted in Gardella reviewing the special after watching the cassette. In her subsequent review, Gardella thought it was "mostly just pathetic" and that in the course of the show, Stern "doesn't do one imaginative, talented or intelligent thing."
Running order: Quentin the Stutterer introduces Stern and Quivers and they disrobe Stern introduces Siobhan the Transsexual and a man kisses him Lesbian Dial-a-Date Leslie West performs "Mississippi Queen" Vinny Mazzeo lights his penis on fire and cooks eggs Penn & Teller perform Steve O and Jackie Martling stand-up comedy contest The Gay Untouchables short film by Brad Mays Bum Makeover with Mitch Fatel Guess Who's the Jew with Fred Norris as Kurt Waldheim Jr. Steve Rossi sings "Vehicle"
U.S. Open Sores
Howard Stern's U.S. Open Sores was a live event that took place at the Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, on October 7, 1989, to a sell-out crowd of 16,000 people. It was filmed and subsequently released as Stern's second home video in December 1989 by One Twelve, Inc. The event centered around a tennis match between Stern and his radio show producer Gary Dell'Abate after Stern challenged him on the air. The idea quickly developed into a large scale event where listeners could pay to attend, and participation from various guests from the show. Stern's co-host and newscaster Robin Quivers played a match with a listener, Darren the Foot Licker. Other segments included stand-up comedy from show writer Jackie Martling, special guest appearances from Celestine, Al Lewis, Jessica Hahn, Sam Kinison, and Leslie West, and live music from Pig Vomit.
The event was organised by Live Nation chairman and concert promoter Ron Delsener, after employee Ross Zapin heard Stern challenge Dell'Abate and got in touch with Stern's agent. It sold out in one day. An original idea was to feature topless ball girls during the match and Stern held auditions on his radio show for participants, but Nassau County authorities informed the promoters that topless entertainment was illegal, so the girls wore pasties. Kinison paid for himself and a group of friends to attend the event out of his own expenses, and the crowd stormed the arena floor during his performance of "Wild Thing" with West, which caused a near riot. Radio producer Fred Norris appeared as his on-air character Kurt Waldheim Jr., dressed in a Nazi outfit and emptied an envelope of ashes pretending they were Anne Frank's remains. Stern had planned to have Vinnie D'Amico warm up the crowd with his stunt that involved dipping a living mouse in olive oil before swallowing it whole and vomiting, but marshalls from the ASPCA turned up at the event and threatened to arrest Stern if the stunt went ahead.
The video includes additional footage including Stern and his staff organising and preparing for the event, and backstage action. It was only available through mail order; after the telephone line to order tapes closed, copies were found for sale in local Wiz outlets.
Running order: Jackie Martling pre-event stand-up comedy Celestine plays "The Star-Spangled Banner" with her tongue Fred Norris as Kurt Waldheim Jr. and Quentin the Stutterer Robin Quivers vs Darren the Foot Licker in a best-of-3 tennis match (with Fred the Elephant Boy as umpire) Howard Stern vs Gary Dell'Abate in a best-of-7 tennis match Vinnie Mazzeo lights his head on fire and Dr. Marshall King hypnotises Kimberly Taylor Gina Man and Crazy Jerry Jessica Hahn and Sam Kinison Sam Kinison performs "Wild Thing" with Leslie West Backstage footage and interviews
Personnel: Don Buchwald – executive producer (live event and videotape) "Boy" Gary Dell'Abate – associate producer (live event and videotape) Neil Reiff, Michael Morris – assistant to "Boy" Gary (live event) John Casano, Jude T. Pagano – chief of "release police" (live event) John Melendez – production co-ordinator (live event) Scott Salem – audio consultant (live event) Michael Farkas, Tim Reid, Jeff Sapan, Ernie Back, Cynthia Breakfield, Eric Leeds, Beata Tycho, Jackie Fitzpatrick, Coleen Fitzpatrick – production assistant (live event) Billy West – sports announcer (live event) Richie Namm – producer (videotape) Scott Rader – editor (videotape) Brad Fuss – director (videotape) Ken Hahn – audio post (videotape) Rob Perna – associate producer (videotape) Vincent Ruiz – graphics (videotape)
Butt Bongo Fiesta
Butt Bongo Fiesta was Stern's third home video that was released in October 1992. The main segments of the video are Jungle Man, a short film featuring segments shot in 3D, and Butt Bongo.
The concept developed in 1992 when a newspaper reported plans for Stern's show to be syndicated to a radio station in Maine. The article mentioned a pair of local DJs known for "bongo butt" segments, whereby the hosts play songs and spank their girlfriend's bottoms like a bongo drum. Stern had a pair of listeners try the same thing on his radio show, which led to the idea of producing a new videotape with butt bongo as the main feature. After Stern's late night variety show on WWOR-TV was cancelled in August 1992, he asked listeners to suggest ideas for segments they wanted to see on the video and brought in members of the WWOR-TV show crew to produce it, including producer Dan Forman and writer Mark Cronin. The latter said Stern wanted Butt Bongo Fiesta to be "the perfect Channel 9 show episode" without the time and content restrictions imposed by network television management. Stern hosted the Butt Bongo segment as Howardo Estern, which was inspired by Ricky Ricardo of the sitcom I Love Lucy.
Butt Bongo Fiesta was a commercial success during its limited mail order release, selling around 260,000 copies for an estimated gross of $10 million. Stern looked back at the video and considered it to be his best videotape.
Running order: What Do You Want to See? Jungle Man and the Adventures of Big Naked Sloppy Titty Women in 3D Behind the scenes footage of the 1990 John DeBella Funeral Guess Who's the Jew with Fred Norris as Kurt Waldheim Jr. and Daniel Carver Daniel Carver rates various ethnic groups Tribute to the Vagina with Jessica Hahn Pick Your Partner's Vagina game Robin's Breasts Lesbian Love Connection Howardo Estern's Butt Bongo
The Miss Howard Stern New Year's Eve Pageant
The Miss Howard Stern New Year's Eve Pageant was Stern's second pay-per-view event that aired live on December 31, 1993. It centered around a satirical beauty pageant to crown a Miss Howard Stern, with the winner receiving a $50,000 prize. The pageant featured several celebrity judges, including Janis Ian, Daniel Carver, John Bobbitt, Sherman Hemsley, Mark Hamill, Tiny Tim, and Joe Frazier.
In May 1993, Main Events Television sought potential talent to stage a pay-per-view production that would generate enough subscriptions on-par with boxing matches, then the most popular pay-per-view events at the time. In August, Stern began to discuss the idea of staging another television special on the air and a month later, struck a deal with the company. Stern earned a reported $1 million advance when it was green-lit. It cost $2 million to produce and market the event, which was originally to be held at the Atlantic City Convention Center before the venue was changed to Newark Symphony Hall in Newark, New Jersey.
Over 40 women and one man competed in the pageant, most of whom had won preliminary contests held in cities where Stern's radio show was syndicated to at the time. The 20 finalists competed in live lingerie and talent rounds, after which five were chosen for the final interview round. Elaine Marks won the contest, who claimed she had appeared in Playboy as a result. Other notable contestants were Debbie the Space Alien of the show's Wack Pack and bodybuilder and future professional wrestler Nicole Bass.
The event was a considerable commercial success; around 400,000 households purchased the show for an estimated gross of $16 million, breaking the subscriber record for a non-sports event previously held by a New Kids on the Block concert in 1990. The New York Post called it "the most disgusting two hours in the history of television". In February 1994, the event was released on VHS as Howard Stern's New Year's Rotten Eve 1994 by One Twelve, Inc. and Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, the title being a spin on the television show Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. The video was packaged with a portrait of Stern by artist LeRoy Neiman, and included footage of Stern and his staff discussing the event and scenes from backstage and the post-event party.