It’s hard to believe that already, 5 years have come and gone since 911. I remember it as if it were yesteday. I was chatting online with my former biz partner and had the TV on in the background on mute. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the news bulletin that flashed on the screen and it appeared to be a building on fire. No biggie. I didn’t pay much attention to it, so on with the chat I went. In between typing on the screen, I look over to the TV and noticed that this was more than just a fire. The news bulletin was reporting about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. The TV now had my attention. This was like watching a disaster-movie unfold. At first, I just thought a small cessna aircraft had gone headlong into mayhem, but as this was unravelling before me, it was a lot worse. My online chat with my bud was continuing in-between watching the TV when suddenly… ANOTHER plane was seen smashing into the other tower. “DID YOU SEE THAT!”, was the gist of the online convo. We now all know what happened that day and are living in a world that has been forever changed since the events of that day.
The Howard Stern Radio Show was broadcasting that day as it always had. Stern and the crew were in deep conversation about Stern’s recent flirtations with queen-bimbo Pamela Anderson when reports of “a fire at the World Trade Center” interupted them. The audio of the entire show is a fascinating time-capsule of the happenings on that day and remains one of the most requested Stern tapes. In remembrance of that day, Howard’s TV channel – Howard TV On Demand, have released a two part special which is essential viewing.
The video, made for Stern’s old E! television show, had never been aired, and are an eerie snapshot of what happened on Stern’s show just prior to news of the attack – Stern was talking about Pamela Anderson’s breasts – and then shows the somber aftermath.
Tom Chiusano, the general manager of WXRK-FM, the New York station where Stern worked, walked into the studio to tell the Stern crew about the crash.Not knowing much and supposing it was a small private plane, Stern and others first made light. But after realizing the enormity of the situation, Stern said, “This is another Pearl Harbor” and shortly thereafter, guessed that Ala Qaeda was behind the attacks. The cut-down videos from both days – both about 90 minutes – include time coding so viewers know what Stern and his regulars were saying when. It also includes phone calls from shocked New Yorkers reacting to the news.
