The King And I: The Irreplaceable Howard Stern

Like millions of us, my stepmom is a lifelong Howard Stern fan. She just sent this photo taken off of Howard TV, airing our in-studio interview from earlier this week. I had the honor of being Howard Stern's guest on his Tuesday, 420 show (scroll to 840a).

Response is coming into My Damn Channel via email, phones, video views, comments, new subscribers, tweets, wall postings, and even a live spotting this afternoon in a clothing store (to complete the surreality). The influx of intense energy all flows back to a man undeniably uniquely qualified to hold the heavyweight title: "King of All Media."

Howard endures as one of the most talented and honest souls alive. He embodies the freedom of speech with every breath. For all who've been fired, laid off, downsized, pink slipped, discharged, axed, or job eliminated...it's hard to imagine speaking truth to power on a live microphone the way Howard has done it for decades.

I first followed Howard Stern on a carrier current, college radio station, 64 WTBU at Boston University. (There's a great scene depicting TBU in "Private Parts.")

If you've ever chased a radio dream, then your college years are likely the last time and place you ever experienced the fear and thrill of exercising your freedom of speech over a live mic.

Primordial FM rock radio stations were created in the late 1960's. Early heroes like Harry Shearer and Steven Clean were blowing minds at places like KPPC in Pasadena, California (which eventually became the world famous KROQ).

The combined forces of original radio talents and pre-corporate rock music created stations throughout the 70s powerful enough to infect audiences with a sense of community, purpose, passion, sex and fun that began to hit the wall around 1980.

I was sitting on the front steps of my apartment on Beacon Street in Boston with Steven Clean and my best friend, Mike Isabella the night Ronald Reagan was elected President. I was 20. I was about to drop out of college and take a full-time job as a rock radio jock at WAAF out in Worcester, Mass. One year later, I had the only radio thrill that came closest to being on Howard's show this week. Lightning struck and we convinced the Rolling Stones to do a private show for our station's fans in 1981 to start up the "Tattoo You" tour.

But, back to Mr. Clean. I'd been Steven's intern for a time at WCOZ in Boston. At that point in his career, Clean had been fired by many of the best radio stations in the country. He was a real life inspiration for the Dr. Johnny Fever character in "WKRP in Cincinnati." Steven was incredibly talented, brilliant, a true music expert and fan...and he was rebellious enough to drive the most patient souls to the edge of their sanity.

Considering the nation's new President, Steven held a joint firmly in my face and said, "See this? This is OVER!"
By the time of Reagan's second term, most radio station managers had a "Just Say No" policy for disc jockeys expressing free thoughts on mic, or taking free reign over any music playlist.

A small number of former radio station program directors shaved their beards, cut their hair, bought expensive suits, and armed themselves with halliburton briefcases filled with blow and bullshit designed to convince every fearful radio exec that they had the only secrets to ratings success, fortune and fame.

Conformity soon became the norm. Tighter playlists made stations sound the same from city-to-city. The job of disc jockey was transforming free thinkers into people paid to read positioning slogans, timechecks and weather forecasts.

In the midst of all this unholy homogenization, Howard Stern began to build a radio show free from the constraints put on most of his competitors. His talent grew on the radio and expanded with every carefully planned new project he launched.

Superfans know that Howard pays homage to legends who came before him like Lenny Bruce and George Carlin. I can't think of another entertainer who has more succesfully won battles with corporate brass than Howard. One of the many surprises about the real man to outsiders is how he maintains his position with grace and wisdom.

No one knows what the next chapter will be for the Stern show in 2011. Assume Howard can see the possible moves on the chess board more clearly than most. As a fan, I'll be following as I have since the beginning. As a business owner, My Damn Channel stands ready to serve The King anytime he calls. 

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Best of Spärhusen

In the spirit of Tupac and Elvis - the 70's rock group Spärhusen is releasing an album many years after their presumed and mysterious death. 

The 12-track, limited edition album, Best of Spärhusen is now available on iTunes and includes their classic hit Apples and Fish. 

After Olf Nystrom and Gert Forseberg were feared dead following their tragic plane crash in 1974, the world grieved along with the band's one surviving member, Beirget Kattson. A reincarnation of the "almost great band of Sweden" is rising like....what is the name of that bird?

My Damn Channel has exclusive never-before-seen footage of Spärhusen from 1972 with their manager Bjorn Epstein, and the fiercest producer in all of Sweden at the time, Würst Fierren, quite famous for his "whale of sound."

Visit the iTunes Store today to get this existential masterpiece.

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SATAN CLAUS IS COMING TO MY DAMN CHANNEL!

Inbox Violation #32 Monday, December 21, 2009 SATAN CLAUS IS COMING TO MY DAMN CHANNEL MERRY GRACEMAS, Y'ALL!  Whaaat??  You thought we weren't going to get you anything?!   Get ready for a Loving & Emotional HOLIDAY MESSAGE to YOU from the host of My Damn Channel herself!  HELL'S HOLIDAY JAZZ LOUNGE  Spinal Tap's famous holiday song, CHRISTMAS WITH THE DEVIL, is re-lived by JUDITH OWEN & HARRY SHEARER, in a smooth, jazzy video performance that will HEAT UP your Holiday Spirit! Also available for purchase on Judith's CHRISTMAS IN JULY album. What a neat gift idea! WHAT MAKES A HAPPY CO-WORKER? ATTENTION ALL EMPLOYEES: "Manager Erik" stops by My Damn Channel to give his priceless words of advice on what it takes to be a HAPPY CO-WORKER. Please forward to all co-workers, there will be a test! Please forward to all co-workers All new episodes of EASY TO ASSEMBLE from Illeana Douglas & IKEA premiere JAN 20!   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Dane.. I mean.. Donnie takes us on a journey through PHOTOSHOP LESSONS of the past & present... Send in your works of art & love to: info@mydamnchannel.com   Thanks for every second of watching, commenting, n’ sharing in ’09. We promise to suck even less in ’10.   See ya next year! My Damn Channel - PHONE: 866.424.8864 - EMAIL: info@MyDamnChannel.com   This email was sent to fishstandsup@gmail.com. To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your address book or safe list. manage your preferences | opt out using TrueRemove® Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails. 202 W. 40th St. 16th floor | New York, NY 10018

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The Future is Now

Wednesday & Thursday, Nov. 18-19, TV and digital media honchos will gather in NYC for the Future of Television Forum, hosted by Digital Media Wire, with the Consumer Electronics Association and NYU's Stern School of Business

Over 300 guests are scheduled to speak - including Rob Barnett, Founder/CEO of MyDamnChannel, on the "Future of Online Video" (cue the music!).  The panel will be moderated by Simon Applebaum, Producer/Host of Tomorrow Will Be Televised, and fellow panelizers include: Itzik Cohen (ClipSync), Dina Kaplan (Blip.tv), Erik Hachenburg (Metacafe), Ronald London (Davis Wright Tremaine LLP).

The conference promises live debate on timely cutting-edge business topics surrounding the future of the television industry, such as maximizing digital opportunities through transmedia, online video, VOD, mobile, iTV, metadata, game consoles and more.

Sounds fiesty!  Click HERE for more.  See you there.

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WORK PARTY WORK

Thanks to everyone who made Thursday night's "Terrible Two" Birthday party too much fun.

Special thanks to Rimma Dreyband - our Content & Video Manager - for saving the day.

We're a week or so away from major announcements on how we'll get to our 3rd Birthday Party. Warren Chao is in classic 24/7 mode - signing new deals to bring you more original video fun and more music. New Series, New Megastars, Returning Gods n' Goddess of Damn, New Sponsors.

We aim to please. So please ATTACK with questions, answers, harshest critiques and more. We're not babies anymore - we can take it:

rob@MyDamnChannel.com

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5/7 COUNTDOWN BEGINS

Would you put the awesome power of the brand new look & feel of My Damn Channel into the hands of this man?

We did.

Meet Charlie Singer, General Manager of our band of warriors and General Patton for the re-launch of My Damn Channel.

We never wanted to call the first attempt to PLEASE YOU a "beta." Seemed like an unnecessary apology to us. We're coming outta diapers next Thursday, May 7.

The new look, features, functions & other F words are best responses to your suggestions, attacks, critiques, and F bombs thrown since the start. 

Sir David Wain inspired the date when we planned the premiere of Season 4 of WAINY DAYS for 5/7/9.

We'll also be partying with David & his cast at the first-ever WAINY DAYS LIVE show on the night of 5/7. Oh - yeah - you're invited.

Sleepless til then are: Charlie Singer, Patrick Tran with Maggie Ashla & their team at The Famous Group, Brad O'Farrell, Michael Fisher, Rimma Dreyband, Paul Gallagher, Warren Chao, Grace Helbig, Kathy Karp Cohen, and the names I'm forgetting who'll hate me NOW.  

We've (almost) NEVER spammed our universe of humans - but if you care - then send emails of those you love & hate to spread da word. Send to info@MyDamnChannel.com & we may send them ONE piece o' love to unveil the beast.

A 'new' MY DAMN CHANNEL is about to launch Thursday, 5/7.

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MORE HIRING

My Damn Channel is turning "TWO" this summer - we're continuing to attack the recession by growing this sucker with more humans like YOU.

See blog post below (find the gorilla) - the Content & Video Manager gig is still LIVE.

We're adding another new job right now...the scintillating Job Description is here:

ad sales assoc 309.doc

Send resume & world's best cover letter to:  jobs@MyDamnChannel.com

Amen.

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WE'RE HIRING

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Videoblogger Detained

Lauren Galanter here, Content & Video Manager for My Damn Channel. Today I'm guest blogging something important which I just found out about.

Before joining the My Damn Channel family, I was an editor for Alive in Baghdad. Brian Conley, the creator, has been detained in Beijing. From the statement of Students for a Free Tibet, the group Conley was working with:

"Beijing - Brian Conley, creator of the well-known videoblog, Alive in Baghdad, was detained with his friend, Jeffrey Rae, early Tuesday, August 19th in Beijing. Their detention appears to have taken place at the same time as that of international artist James Powderly, whose detention was reported Tuesday. Three other bloggers and activists, Jeff Goldin, Michael Liss, and Tom Grant, have also been missing since Tuesday morning. Conley, 28, Rae, 28, Goldin, 40, Liss, 35, Grant, 39 are all American citizens."

Our content is different here, but we share the same goal of breaking new ground in online video. Spread the word to help a fellow video pioneer!

The article on Boing Boing

The article on SFT, to be updated with ways to help.

UPDATE: Conley and others given 10 day sentence

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COMING UPs

First, let's clean up a rumor. As far as we know, Keith Richards was (not) at the Was (Not Was) gig last night. His 'people' were there. So was Paul McGuinness, manager of the little four piece rock band, U2.  

If you wuz not at the Blender Theatre in NYC, you missed one of the funkiest, tightest nights of dance grooves in a dog's age. Was (Not Was) is essential live music medicine. SEE THIS TOUR - BUY THIS ALBUM. Here's a clip from Wednesday night in Boston of their BADASS Temptations cover.


Here's what's in the My Damn Channel pipeline.


ANDY MILONAKIS shot a short film for us with JASON MEWES (Clerks & more) - premiering next week with a chance for you to create alternate endings to their oddly artful piece o' cinema.




HARRY SHEARER is about to shoot a new My Damn Channel video and stick another swift boot in the ass of the sitting President of the United States. More on this next week.




DAVID WAIN is about to start filming Season 3 of WAINY DAYS next week!!!  Debuting in June. Rumors that Elizabeth Banks is returning as "Shelly."

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