Wack Pack

The Wack Pack is the name given to an assortment of personalities heard throughout the history of The Howard Stern Show. As a parody of the Rat Pack or Brat Pack, Stern biographer Richard Mintzer has labeled them a key part of the show.^[1] Members tend to be unusual in some way: being blatantly racist, mentally disabled, having a comical appearance, voice or ability, or some combination thereof. As of 2023, twenty-two living individuals are designated "Wack Packers"^[2] (along with a number of deceased). Not every regular guest on or caller to the show is considered a member, nor are any of the show's staff members; Stern has stated that Wack Packers are not defined by having any disability or peculiarity, but by their inability to understand why they are funny.

Through their appearances on the radio show, some Wack Packers have gained notoriety for personal appearances around the country and occasionally, played roles in films and television programs.^[3]

History

In the 1993 book Private Parts, Howard Stern lists early members of the Wack Pack, including Irene the Leather Weather Lady, who is essentially the first Wack Packer, having met Stern in May 1980 when he was broadcasting from WWWW in Detroit, Michigan.^[4][5] Upon the introduction of Fred the Elephant Boy on the radio show on November 28, 1988, among a collection of others, Stern began calling the group of show personalities the "Wack Pack" on July 6, 1990, as documented in Stern's The History of Howard Stern radio series. Since moving to Sirius XM Radio, Stern has offered some members of the Wack Pack their own shows.^[6]

Official list

On February 24, 2015, Stern and crew voted on an "official" list of Wack Pack members.^[2]

Living Wack Packers

The following individuals are official^[7] Howard Stern Show Wack Pack members:

• Asian Pete
• Ass Napkin Ed
• Beetlejuice, named "Greatest Wack Packer of All Time"^[8] (Lester Green)
• Bigfoot (Mark Shaw, Jr., not to be confused with actor Matthew McGrory, who previously had the name "Bigfoot" on the show.)
• Debbie the Cum Lady^[9]
• Gary the Conqueror (Gary Loudermilk, previously known as Gary the Retard)
• High Pitch Erik (Erik Bleaman)^[10]
• High Register Sean (named in 2019)^[11]
• Jeff the Drunk (Jeff Curro, also known as Jeff the Bore)
• Jeff the Vomit Guy (Jeff Levy)
• John the Stutterer (not to be confused with former staff member and former Tonight Show announcer Stuttering John Melendez)
• Lenny Dykstra^[12]
• Mark the Bagger (Mark Rothenberger)
• Medicated Pete (Pete McHeffey)
• Melrose Larry Green
• Miss Howard Stern (Andrea Ownbey)
• Monotone Matt
• Siobhan the Transsexual
• Sour Shoes (Michael DelCampo)
• Tan Mom (Patricia Krentcil)
• Underdog Lady (Suzanne Muldowney)
• Wendy the Slow Adult (formerly Wendy the Retard)

Former Wack Packers

• Hanzi (Imran Khan) (permanently banned from show, April 2016)

"Not Wack Pack Material"

The following individuals were at one time considered Wack Pack members. However, since 2015, they were excluded by Stern and his staff from the Wack Pack for reasons including their ability to hold a job and function in society, while still having a funny or unusual personality.

• Angry Black
• Big Black
• Bobo (Steve Bowe). Bobo lost his name temporarily and was known as Steve from Florida. In June 2017, Bobo endured a humiliating act to win his name back on the show.^[13]
• Captain Janks (Tom Cipriano)
• Daniel Carver
• Eddie the Produce Guy
• Elegant Elliot Offen (permanently banned from show, 2006)
• Gay Ramón
• Ham Hands Bill
• Hate Man
• Hate Woman
• The Kielbasa Queen (Denise Miller)
• King of All Blacks (Lawrence Coward)^[14]
• Mariann from Brooklyn (Mariann Tepedino), considered the #1 super fan and den mother to the Wack Pack.
• Mick the Nerd (currently considered a candidate)
• Speech Impediment Man
• Vin the Retard
• Wheelchair Steve
• Wood Yi
• Yucko the Clown (Roger Black)

Deceased Wack Packers

The following individuals were determined to be Wack Pack members either by Stern and his staff or by other sources prior to their death:

• Angry Alice (formerly Crazy Alice)^[2]
• Bigfoot (Matthew McGrory)^[2]
• Blue Iris^[2]
• Celestine^[2]
• Cliff Palate (Lynn Zimmermann, also known as Lispy Lynn to North Texas listeners)^[2]
• Debbie the Space Alien (Debbie Tay, née Roach)^[15]
• Fran the Singing Psychic (Frances Baskerville)^[16]
• Fred the Elephant Boy (Fred Schreiber)^[17][18]
• George "Crackhead Bob" Harvey^[2]
• Eric the Actor (formerly Eric the Midget)^[19]
• Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf (Henry J. Nasiff, Jr.)^[2]
• Joey Boots (Joseph Bassolino)^[20]
• Kenneth Keith Kallenbach^[21]
• Marfan Mike (Mike Diamond)^[22]
• Nicole Bass^[23]
• Riley Martin^[24]
• Evil David Letterman (Dave Van Dam, also known as Evil Dave)^[25]
• The Iron Sheik (Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri) ^[26]

References

1. Mintzer, Rich (2010). Howard Stern: A Biography. Greenwood Biographies. p. 86. ISBN 9780313380327. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
2. "Choosing the official Wack Pack". HowardStern.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
3. Mintzer, p. 88
4. Lucaire, Luigi (1997). Howard Stern A To Z. St. Martin's Press (Internet Archive). p. 100. ISBN 0-312-15144-6. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
5. Stern, Howard (1997). Private Parts. Simon and Schuster. pp. 159, 162. ISBN 978-0671009441. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
6. Edgers, Geoff (January 7, 2007). "A year after getting Sirius, Stern's entertaining as ever". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
7. "Official Wack Pack List: Who's In and Who's Out?". Howard Stern. February 24, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
8. "Wednesday, March 18, 2015". HowardStern.com. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
9. "Take the Wack Pack Christmas Wish List Quiz". Howard Stern. December 9, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
10. "Howard Celebrates 20 Years of High Pitch Erik on the Stern Show". Howard Stern. August 22, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
11. "AUDIO: High Register Sean Teaches Howard About 'Dog Men' and the Dangers They Pose". Howard Stern. May 15, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
12. "Take the Wack Pack Christmas Wish List Quiz". Howard Stern. December 9, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
13. "Walk of Shame: Steve From Florida Hits the Streets of NYC Wearing Next to Nothing". Howard Stern. June 28, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
14. "Howard Stern personality 'King Of All Blacks' files discrimination suit against City of Englewood". NJ.com. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
15. "Debbie Tay - Biography - IMDb". IMDb.
16. Zeitlin, Janine (July 3, 2008). "Psychics Choose Obama". Miami New Times. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
17. Persaud, Navi (July 27, 2015). "Wack Packer Fred The Elephant Boy & His Fanny Pack Visit Howard Stern". Empty Lighthouse Magazine. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
18. De Vlieger, Matt (January 4, 2023). "Howard Stern's Elephant Boy is Dead". MSN. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
19. Lindelof, Bill (September 22, 2014). "Sacramento resident and Stern show regular Eric the Actor dies". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
20. Warren, Michael Sol (March 14, 2017). "Joey Boots, part of Stern's 'Wack Pack', died of overdose". NJ.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
21. Rubinkam, Michael. "Howard Stern regular Kenneth Keith Kallenbach dies in prison". Tucson.com. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
22. "Howard Pays Tribute to Marfan Mike". Howard Stern. January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
23. Ryan, Satin (February 17, 2017). "Nicole Bass — Passes Away While Surrounded by Friends and Family After Life Support Was Removed". Pro Wrestling Sheet. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
24. "Howard Stern Show's Alien Expert Riley Martin Dies". tmz.com. December 11, 2018.
25. "Obituary for David J. VanDam  — Skokie, Ill". www.donnellanfuneral.com. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
26. Slotnik, Daniel (June 7, 2023). "The Iron Sheik, Villainous Hall of Fame Wrestler, Is Dead". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 19, 2023.