HOWARD STERN'S GAY INTERN: GLENN JOHNSON -- InnerView
(Manhunt Magazine, Vol 1, Issue 2, 8/3/94, pp 16-17)

(Sam's note: ManHunt seems to be a free personals magazine in NYC.  In no
way am I advocating their services.  Nor am I advocating Stern's show; I
have never heard it.  I upload this piece for informational purposes only.)

(Photo: Glenn's head tilted to the right looking at the reader with yearning
puppy dog eyes. His hair is short, almost spikey.  Sidebar: Three quotes
from Stern on homsexuality.  See next message.)

   Howard Stern, mention his name to most aay people and they cringe.  Ihey
claim he is hateful.  They claim he's disgusting.  They claim he's
outrageous.  They claim he isn't funny.

   I began listening to Howard as a teenager in High School.  Back then
Howard was on in the afternoon drive time on WNBC here in Manhattan.  Living
on Eastern Long Island, my stereo barely picked up the a.m. signal as it
made its way out in to the collective universe.  But on those days when the
signal was clear I could revel in Howard and his more-than-sidekick Robin
Quivers and their outrageous (yes-he is!) routines.  Who could forget his
sexy interviews, his skits mocking everyone from the mayor to the President. 
One of the best reasons for listening to him then, as it still is today, is
knowing that you never know for sure where he will take you.  Criticism of
him comes from every group, he is by his own admission, an "equal
opportunity offender".  Gays have gotten their backs up over him and his
antics for years now.  Personally I have found him irreverent, fascinating,
disgusting, juvenile and incredibly funny!

   Last week we had the pleasure to stop by his studio to have a chat with
his latest attraction.  Howard has a gay intern, his name is Richard and he
can now be heard From time to time broadcasting coast to coast.

   Richard, or "gay Rich" as Howard calls him, hails from Kean College in
New Jersey and is spending the summer with the Stern show.  Rich's celebrity
began to shine when Howard discovered he was gay.  Frequently bringing him
on the show (which is now videotaped and broadcast on the E! network),
Howard has taken the opportunity to interview him on topics ranging from
sex, "do you pitch or catch," to coming out, "when did you know you were
gay?"  Richard has become friends with Howard off the air as well, and now
seeks him out for conversation companionship the oftice, colleagues call him
Stern's "Gay Pet."  The radio persona is a real person, someone who has a
wide group of friends who is not afraid of a someone's sexuality.  As a 21
year old gay white male, Rich now has the task of representing Gay America
to a largely white, blue-collar, male audience on the hottest daily radio
talk show around.

   An attractive young man, we wondered how he was doing on his own Manhunt,
and whether his new found fame affected his sex life.  "I just broke up with
a boyfriend of a couple of month's," and he's currently looking for love. 
His taste in men varies, but he finds the tall, dark, handsome and hairy
type most "delicious".  When Alec Baldwin was a recent guest, Rich wanted to
"put him on a stick and lick him like a lollipop."  Coming out to his mother
at the age of seventeen, Rich was able to enjoy being "out" in high school
and it has made him very grounded in his sexuality.  While Rich knows his
divorced Father is a big Howard fan, he is sure he's "dying a thousand
death's" over the fact his only son is gay and on the Howard Stern Show; its
a topic they don't concentrate on too much.

   His life hasn't been affected too much by the show, but he says people
have begun to recognize him.  Howard has warned him that there are kooks out
there, and Rich is careful when he's out not to always make himself the
center of attention.  Fan mail and faxes on the show have ranged from naked
photos of men and marriage proposals to a dead pigeon he recently received
>From one irate "fan".  

   When asked his philosophy on life Rich is very positive and out going,
quoting the poet Maya Angelou: "God never gave you anything you couldn't
handle."

   "I think people should be who they are...we should drop our egos and be
more receptive."  Insisting that we should not be afraid to be who we really
are, he says, "no penis is worth compromising  your integrity for!"  One of
his pet peeves is that people are not up front about themselves, explaining
that sometimes in a relationship the sun will shine for three months and
then the day- dream becomes a nightmare when the "real" person feels safe
enough to express himself.  He says, "get out of Dixie Wonderland and come
back to reality!"  He thinks gay men should not be afraid to compliment
someone they're interested in and be able to take more risks in meeting men. 
"We shouldn't be afraid of our own insecurities." 

   We asked him if he had any more advice for Manhunt readers, he thought a
moment, "Remember two things when you go out: the bartender's taken...and
you're not the bouncer's type!"  If you would like to leave Rich a message
he currently has a mailbox on our Manhunt system. Dial 212-540-HUNT, his box
number is: #1954.