‘Howard Stern Comes Again’ cements legacy as interviewer

reflections about the person and the conversation – from prominent celebrities typically reduced to grocery store tabloid covers (Madonna, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Lady Gaga); to those with whom he’s established relationships ( Jimmy Kimmel, Billy Joel, Rosie O’Donnell, a former nemesis, and Joan Rivers, shortly before death); to names who have since courted controversy (Harvey Weinstein, Bill O’Reilly).

Stern has always been naturally curious – you don’t spend more than three decades on the air without an interest in people – but what has changed is his ability to listen. And READING these interviews instead of hearing them in their natural habitat elevates the process to a different level of engagement – wanting to guess and hope what Stern will ask next (and this is a guy who isn’t afraid to delve).

Is he going to ask Gwyneth Paltrow about a certain sexual act? Of course, because she was clearly a game participant in the discussion. But he’s also going to gently probe about the loss of her beloved father, and extract a heartbreaking emotional response.

The interspersion of interview snippets with Donald Trump – amusingly titled, “And Now, A Word From Our President,” they include a countdown to Trump’s 2016 election – is both illuminating and unsurprising. Reaching into the archives from 1995 through 2015, Stern explains why Trump was one of his best, most unvarnished guests. Meanwhile, the throwbacks also spotlight how Stern’s beloved radio sidekick, Robin Quivers, was always quick to challenge Trump on his blustery claims of success.

Stern also includes a meaningful chapter on “The Interview That Never Happened,” an unveiling of the failed machinations to get then-presidential-candidate Hillary Clinton on the show.

While there is no reasonable way to parse the 1,500plus interviews Stern said he’s conducted during his time at SiriusXM — plus the thousands of earlier conversations from his terrestrial years — “Howard Stern Comes Again” compiles a laudable overview.

In addition to the fulllength dialogues, snippets of interviews regarding specific themes (“Drugs & Sobriety,” “Religion & Spirituality,” “Gone Too Soon” are some topics) pop up throughout from a heady parade of luminaries including Paul McCartney, Bradley Cooper, Lance Armstrong, Jennifer Hudson, Alec Baldwin, Jada Pinkett Smith and Hugh Hefner.

As Stern edges into the twilight of his career – his SiriusXM contract expires in 2020 and he’s been cagey about retirement – it’s time for his legacy to be about more than Fartman and “Butt Bongo Fiesta.”

But this book is more than a coda. It’s the opportunity for Stern to commit to print his regrets, his revelations and his appreciation for his fans and the celebrities who contributed to his evolution.

Finally, Howard Stern is listening.