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Howard Stern's Hank the Dwarf Dies
Yahoo News ^
| September 5, 2001
Posted on 09/05/2001 3:16:33 PM PDT by The Other Harry
Wednesday September 05 04:54 PM EDT
Howard Stern's Hank the Dwarf Dies
Hank the Angry, Drunken Dwarf is dead.
The 4-foot-1 Howard Stern sidekick, known for being, well, drunk and angry, died Tuesday at the age of 39. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
As a tribute to his fallen buddy, Stern sang his own rendition of "Candle in the Wind" during his radio show Wednesday.
Born Henry Nasiff, the diminutive performer got his break in 1996, when he and a friend from Boston dinner theater (yes, Hank was in dinner theater) drove to New York City and decided to try to get on the Stern show. Hank's vigil at New York's K-Rock studios began at about 5:30 a.m., and the Stern crew quickly took notice.
As Doug Z. Goodstein, Hank's manager and the producer of Stern's E! TV show, once recounted to E! Online, "There was just a compelling feature of a drunk, belligerent midget." (As Hank was fond of yelling, "I'm not a midget, I'm a dwarf, you a--hole.)"
He soon become a recurring member of Stern's so-called "Wack Pack," joining the likes of Crackhead Bob and the Elephant Boy in Howard's pantheon of oddballs.
Hank appeared more than two dozen times on the Stern show, most notably outfitted in a pink bunny suit and always sounding off in his inimitable way.
He parlayed his fame into a Website, www.hankthedwarf.com (where fans could snap up official "Hank Says: Don't Drive & Drink" key chains), and a side career entertaining at parties (for a fee, he'd karaoke, lapdance, bartend or hurl insults at guests).
Hank hit his pop-culture high point in 1998, when, thanks to a grassroots campaign by Stern faithful, he was named the Most Beautiful Person in the World per a 1998 People online poll.
TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
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To: The Other Harry
To: The Other Harry
Wow- wonderful. Another low in the sad pathetic career of Stern. At best was provocative for some of the anti liberal stances he took on occassion. But that is more than eclipsed by his disgusting triviliazation of all deviants and his subsequent toadying to democrats and liberals under Clinton. His humor could at least be tolerated when he was married with children. It was almost as if he was mocking the deviants on his show. Now- that he actually can go after the tarts and sluts that appear on his show he ain't very funny more anymore.
Hank was clearly an alcoholic in need of help. Stern exploited this pathetic dwarf for the amusement of his audience. He served him vodka before his broadcasts even. Stern is one sick dude. I wonder if he has a conscious at all.
3
posted on
09/05/2001 3:28:01 PM PDT
by
Burkeman1
To: The Other Harry
To: Burkeman1, all
I agree with you about Stern since he has split with his family. It used to be a great show and satire because he was apart from what he was ridiculing... it reminded me of Alice Cooper in that there was the show and real life... and now he has basically said screw that I'm going to be part of it all! I haven't paid any attention to his show in years.
To: The Other Harry
BettleJuice Says R.I.P. HANK!
6
posted on
09/05/2001 3:45:35 PM PDT
by
cmsgop
To: The Other Harry
...he was named the Most Beautiful Person in the World per a 1998 People online poll. I'm proud to say I gave Hank a vote in that poll.
7
posted on
09/05/2001 3:57:59 PM PDT
by
randog
To: nightowl_jg
Yup. I used to listen to him off and on for some years. He was great during the OJ trial. But then he got reaaly weird. His performance under the Clinton scandals was pathetic. I used to think he was mocking popular culture- he was not. He is part of it. His show is also so repetitive as to be boring. How many staged arguments with his staff can we stand? How many stripper and porn whore interviews can we hear? And I just can't stand his abuse of people. He is a very mean man. His entire outlook on life is disgusting.
If I was mean I would pick him for my dead list- to put a gun to his mouth and blow his brains out. He is not a well man. It is sad to listen to him now. I actually listen to NPR in the mornings now.
8
posted on
09/05/2001 4:09:52 PM PDT
by
Burkeman1
To: Burkeman1
If I was mean I would pick him for my dead list... I'm not sure there's anyone who would rank ahead of him on mine. What started as a satirist has since turned into the devil incarnate.
Comment #10 Removed by Moderator
To: Burkeman1
"Wow- wonderful. Another low in the sad pathetic career of Stern. At best was provocative for some of the anti liberal stances he took on occassion. But that is more than eclipsed by his disgusting triviliazation of all deviants and his subsequent toadying to democrats and liberals under Clinton."
Your jealous aren't you? If Stern had been more anti-Clinton YOU would not have written this.
"Stern exploited this pathetic dwarf for the amusement of his audience. He served him vodka before his broadcasts even"
Can you back this with evidence? All video clips from the Stern show, of Hank, showed him arriving with his own bottle of Sprite/Vodka.
To: libertarian_usa
Libertarian = (everything under the sun is okay). Why am I not surprised that a Libertarian is defending Stern? I have no huge gripe against him, but his show is not what anyone would term "healthy." It's just a freak show; plus Stern exploits and belittles his guests (no need tell me I don't know what I'm talking about, because I have watched it, okay? At least enough to know what I have stated above is true). I'm getting to the point where I actually like Dems more than Libs; the Libs (Boortz, the anti-Christian as their king) are so totally bizarre, just like this post. Completely ridiculous.....
12
posted on
09/05/2001 5:35:27 PM PDT
by
Malcolm
To: Burkeman1
Hank was clearly an alcoholic in need of help. So anyone who chooses a lifestyle you don't approve of needs help? So much for individuality.
To: Malcolm
"It's just a freak show; plus Stern exploits and belittles his guests"
So, why do you have to say bad things about Howard Stern? What did he ever do to you, accept annoy you?
I don't like Rush Limbaugh, but I didn't go around bad mouthing him when the news on his contract came out.
I merely continued to NOT listen to his show.
To: randog
I voted for John Linnell.
15
posted on
09/06/2001 4:57:01 AM PDT
by
Physicist
(sterner@sterner.hep.upenn.edu)
To: libertarian_usa
You must be one of his lacky listeners. Jealous? I amnot even close to his field. And further I would kill myself like a man rather than profit off the misery and stupidity of others. He is a tall, long haired ugly man. He is just another piece of white trash, middle age, clown no talent- who lucked into his job at just the right time when America in general lost any sense of decency, propriety, sense of shame, or ethics. He does fart jokes, talks about strippers, belittles his staff in staged "arguments", and his act moldy. The few times I do listen to him about the only thing I find funny are the interviews he conducts through one of his staff of celebrities. So no- I am not "jealous" of Stern. I actually pity the poor bastard. He has seen his brightest days. The days are ahead are dark indeed.
To: southern rock
Needless to say - you don't follow simple logic at all do you? How you reached that conclusion is beyond me. Everyone is free to be a drunk. I am free to offer them help. I doubt the Stern show ever did.
To: southern rock
"..who chooses a lifestyle"
Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't alcoholism an addiction? How can one choose an addiction?
To: Burkeman1
Boy you seem to be a lot of fun...and RIP to Hank...
19
posted on
09/07/2001 8:41:47 PM PDT
by
garbanzo
To: Burkeman1
"You must be one of his lacky listeners. Jealous?"
Nope, I listen about 2 times a year and find it quite funny.
Anyone that spends time thinking about how Howard Stern gets them into a jealous rage every time they listen, and than comments on it, is obviously obsessed/jealous.
You only commented because you qualify fully, that is obvious as well.
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