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
The Rat Pack was an informal group of entertainers, the second iteration of which ultimately made films and appeared together in Las Vegas casino venues. They originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a group of A-list show business frie ...
or
Brat Pack, Stern biographer Richard Mintzer has labeled them a key part of the show.
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 2016, twenty four living individuals are designated "Wack Packers"
(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.
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.
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.
Official list
On February 24, 2015, Stern and crew voted on an "official" list of Wack Pack members.
Living Wack Packers
The following individuals are official Howard Stern Show Wack Pack members:
*Angry Alice (formerly Crazy Alice)
*Asian Pete
*Ass Napkin Ed
*
Beetlejuice, named "Greatest Wack Packer of All Time" (Lester Green)
*Bigfoot (Mark Shaw, Jr., not to be confused with actor
Matthew McGrory, who previously had the name "Bigfoot" on the show.)
*Fred the Elephant Boy (Fred Schreiber)
*Gary the Conqueror (Gary Loudermilk, previously known as Gary the Retard)
*High Pitch Erik (Erik Bleaman)
*High Register Sean (named in 2019)
*
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
*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 (born June 6, 1979) known professionally as Sour Shoes or Mike from Mahopac, is a radio personality known for his impersonations and song parodies. Sour Shoes gained notoriety for calling into radio programs like ''The Howard Ster ...
(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.
*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 Iron Sheik (Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri)
*The Kielbasa Queen (Denise Miller)
*King of All Blacks (Lawrence Coward)
*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:
*
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...
(Matthew McGrory)
*Blue Iris
*
Celestine
*Cliff Palate (Lynn Zimmermann, also known as Lispy Lynn to North Texas listeners)
*Debbie the Space Alien (Debbie Tay, née Roach)
*Fran the Singing Psychic (Frances Baskerville)
*George "Crackhead Bob" Harvey
*
Eric the Actor
Eric Shaun Lynch (March 11, 1975 – September 20, 2014), once known as Eric the Midget and later Eric the Actor, was a member of '' The Howard Stern Show's'' Wack Pack. Lynch was, at his peak, tall, weighed , and had various health issues, i ...
(formerly Eric the Midget)
*Fruity Nutcake (formerly Rappin' Granny)
*
Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf
Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf (born Henry Joseph Nasiff Jr.; April 20, 1962 – September 4, 2001) was an American entertainer. He appeared numerous times on ''The Howard Stern Show'' and on the televised studio segments which aired on the E! cha ...
(Henry J. Nasiff, Jr.)
*Joe Cancer
*Joey Boots (Joseph Bassolino)
*Kenneth Keith Kallenbach
*Marfan Mike (Mike Diamond)
*
Nicole Bass
*
Riley Martin
*Ted the Janitor (Ted Green)
*
Evil David Letterman (Dave Van Dam, also known as Evil Dave)
References
External links
Wack Pack Profiles on HowardStern.com
{{Howard Stern Show
Howard Stern