Recommendations of the Editorial team
Years before The Osbournes landed on MTV as one of the defining reality series of the early noughties, Ozzy (of blessed memory) and Sharon Osbourne and their children Aimee, Kelly and Jack made dozens of now-legendary appearances on The Howard Stern Show.
First on terrestrial radio – then later on SiriusXM – metal’s royal family shared unfiltered anecdotes about everything from Osbourne’s stints in rehab (he wanted to learn to drink “properly”) to adultery (he called it “honest cheating”) to his 19 failed driving tests. Without Stern, who repeatedly prodded and urged the wonderfully chaotic rock star family to get their story on the radio, The Osbournes might never have existed. “Hey, put on a show,” Stern advised. And that’s exactly what they did.
Anyone who listens to Howard Stern – like me since the far too early age of ten – knows that the proverbial “King of All Media” is obsessed with music with his 45-year radio career. Stern loves Cream, Joe Walsh and Led Zeppelin. He adores Lady Gaga, who cried about “the price of fame” on a 2016 episode of his SiriusXM show. In 2020, Stern got Miley Cyrus to talk about her sobriety following her divorce from Liam Hemsworth. In 2014, Stern hosted a star-studded Billy Joel Town Hall at New York club The Cutting Room – including duets (Pink on “She’s Always a Woman”, Idina Menzel on “Honesty”). Bruce Springsteen was a guest twice; Brandi Carlile is almost a regular, as are Dave Grohl, Metallica and Jon Bon Jovi, whom Stern inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
Stern’s passion for music is so great that in June 2024 he announced that he would take guitar lessons – a theme that has become the common thread of many episodes since then. And you have to give him credit: Stern takes the old adage “How do you get into Carnegie Hall?” – practice, practice, practice! – really serious. As far as his skills are concerned, he has developed from a passable guitarist to an actually good one.
Ed Sullivan and the Ahmet Ertegun Award
This year, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced Ed Sullivan as the recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award, named after the late music executive who co-founded Atlantic Records and given to non-stage figures who have had a significant impact on culture. A posthumous tribute to the man who launched the careers of Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Previous winners include label bosses such as Seymour Stein, co-founder of Sire Records, legendary managers such as Irving Azoff and well-known producers such as Jimmy Iovine. (It’s safe to assume that none of those mentioned – Sullivan included – could have written an instant classic like “Smell My Tuchus.”)
But joking aside: The fact that Howard Stern has still not been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is simply absurd. The purpose of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, after all, is not just to celebrate rock icons, but also the people behind the artists – the DJs and radio personalities, the entertainment lawyers, managers and agents who make records and arena tours big. It is the music-obsessed purists who, like Stern, can justifiably claim to have catapulted musicians straight into the rock star Olympus.
Stern was still a toddler when Elvis did his pelvic swing on national television, and he was simply too young to be booked by the Beatles at the time. But Stern has accomplished something professionally that is perhaps even more special. And certainly rarer. Stern has spent his entire career uncovering the emotional stumbling blocks and complex origin stories that shape lyrics, songs and chart successes – the works that propel singers and songwriters into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Whether Paul McCartney, AC/DC or Madonna: Stern’s talent lies not only in asking the right questions – which he undoubtedly does – but in the freedom he gives each guest to show himself or herself as he or she really is. Deep, dark secrets often come to light. This willingness to reveal arises in the safe space that Howard Stern has built and nurtured.
Fans and companions fight for him
For years there has been a push among die-hard fans to induct Stern into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In the show itself, the topic was discussed more than once. So far without success. Earlier this year, Heart guitarist and singer Nancy Wilson made a public appeal via social media to induct Stern, and “Stern Show” producer Gary Dell’Abate personally drummed for his boss’s induction. However, the honor has so far been denied to the king.
Yes, Sullivan certainly deserves his place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But Sullivan never learned an instrument or tried songwriting. Stern, on the other hand, wants to be as close as possible to the musicians he admires. It’s not a fleeting backstage encounter. Stern’s passion for and knowledge of music is deeply rooted in the history of rock & roll, and his commitment to the art form has endured for decades. If that’s not enough reason for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to induct him, what is?
