{"id":33073,"date":"2019-08-23T03:43:48","date_gmt":"2019-08-23T10:43:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=33073"},"modified":"2019-08-22T16:13:37","modified_gmt":"2019-08-22T23:13:37","slug":"the-art-of-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2019\/08\/23\/the-art-of-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"The art of conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Howard Stern Comes Again<\/em><\/strong> highlights 37 interviews from Howard Stern\u2019s show, and much more. (photo by Adam Bogoch)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Conversation is almost a dead art. Technology, ludicrously divisive politics and sheer laziness have almost entirely killed it. How often do you see true connection happen through dialogue anymore? Most people talk at each other, not to each other. Heck, most of the time they\u2019re more interested in their phone. And I can\u2019t say I\u2019m guiltless in this department. Nor would radio talk-show legend Howard Stern, at least for the first 30 years of his epic career. This is a theme that\u2019s intentionally threaded throughout his masterful new book, Howard Stern Comes Again<\/em> (Simon & Schuster, 2019).<\/p>\n

Not a fan of Howard Stern? Many people see him as a crude entertainer willing to insult and demean others in order to win a laugh. Well, as a die-hard fan of his, I can say that\u2019s an accurate observation \u2013 at least partially. Ever since he moved his extraordinarily successful radio show to satellite in 2006, he\u2019s become so much more than that. His level of insight and tolerance has grown exponentially. He\u2019s learned to see beyond himself. And he attributes this shift to his new platform, meditation and, most importantly, extensive psychotherapy. Because of these changes, he\u2019s regarded as \u201cthe greatest celebrity interviewer of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t believe it? If you\u2019re not willing to purchase a full SiriusXM subscription, a copy of Howard Stern Comes Again<\/em> will suffice as proof. Don\u2019t worry, this book isn\u2019t meant for those who know what \u201cBaba-Booey\u201d means. It\u2019s for anyone and everyone who loves actual communication.<\/p>\n

The New York Times<\/em> bestseller highlights 37 edited transcripts of interviews from Stern\u2019s show. Each features a guest, such as Sir Paul McCartney, Chris Rock, Joan Rivers, Bill Murray, Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Martin, Lady Gaga, Larry David \u2013 and Stern\u2019s mom. They contain fascinating revelations from these individuals, as well as from Stern, who has written an eloquent foreword to each chapter.<\/p>\n

Every topic under the sun is covered. Nothing stays in a \u201csafe space,\u201d unless it\u2019s honest to the individual he\u2019s interviewing. The conversations are revealing, genuine, hilarious, and even pretty upsetting at times. It\u2019s astounding how Stern is able to extract such information from celebrities who often try to maintain a level of secrecy to protect themselves, their families, and sometimes their art. They clearly feel comfortable with him. Maybe because there\u2019s no question he asks that he\u2019s unwilling to answer himself. He injects his own personal experiences, opinions and shtick into his interviews, making them real dialogues. The conversations are intimate and almost seem to be taking place privately \u2013 the opposite of interviews on shows like Late Night,<\/em> 60 Minutes<\/em> or Oprah<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Stern\u2019s approach has influenced countless podcasters and radio hosts. In a May 8 interview with the Hollywood Reporter<\/em> this year, Stern described his style as \u201cthe dinner party approach.\u201d This is an apt description. And, thanks to his new book, it is not only his listeners who get to be flies on the wall.<\/p>\n

Howard Stern Comes Again<\/em> is 130 mini-biographies in less than 600 pages. It\u2019s not just the 37 that are included. The beautifully bound and well-formatted book also features short exchanges between Stern and a variety of other comedians, actors, news anchors, mobsters, filmmakers and musicians. These snippets are compiled in special chapters where the likes of Dave Chappelle, James Taylor, Tina Fey and Vancouver\u2019s own Seth Rogen speak on topics like sex, religion and death.<\/p>\n

Which brings me to Trump.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, I can\u2019t get away without mentioning the current president of the United States. He features heavily in the book thanks to several chapter breaks entitled, \u201cAnd Now a Word from Our President.\u201d They present fragments of Stern\u2019s now-famous interviews with \u201cthe Donald\u201d before he became leader of the Free World. Although Stern has revealed he isn\u2019t a supporter of Trump \u2013 a fact that put Stern in Trump\u2019s bad graces \u2013 not every interaction with him is negative. Stern shows that he\u2019s capable of doing something Trump clearly is not able to do \u2013 having a conversation, even a light-hearted one, with someone of a different opinion. Having said that, there are certainly some cringe-worthy moments here that maybe even Stern regrets. But, honestly, it wouldn\u2019t be a Howard Stern book without them.<\/p>\n

Because of Stern\u2019s approach to conversation, as well as his outrageous comedy, he\u2019s been described as \u201cdivisive.\u201d I actually thought he was a monster before I was turned onto him by another member of the Jewish community who encouraged me to listen. And, guess what? I laughed. I learned to take things less seriously \u2013 especially the darkest aspects of society. Confronting them the way he does makes them more manageable.<\/p>\n

I also became aware of Stern\u2019s enlightened stance on equal rights, the environment, freedom of speech, Israel, and animal rights. Even when I disagree with him, I love him. Because he comes from an authentic place. A place of experience. Of flaws. A place with passion and desire. And never has this been more obvious than in a book focusing on \u2013 gasp \u2013 actual human interaction.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s apparent that Howard Stern Comes Again<\/em> is meant to be considered as Stern\u2019s legacy. Whether you\u2019re an active listener or completely unfamiliar with him, it is something to appreciate and, maybe, just maybe, from which to learn.<\/p>\n

Adam Bogoch<\/strong> is a Vancouver-based screenwriter and content writer.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Howard Stern Comes Again highlights 37 interviews from Howard Stern\u2019s show, and much more. (photo by Adam Bogoch) Conversation is almost a dead art. Technology, ludicrously divisive politics and sheer laziness have almost entirely killed it. How often do you see true connection happen through dialogue anymore? Most people talk at each other, not to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[784],"tags":[1808,9229,3597,5080],"class_list":["post-33073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","tag-dialogue","tag-howard-stern","tag-politics","tag-trump"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}