“I Think I’m Gonna Throw up... ”: Toward a Cultural Theory of Shock Radio

Focusing on the period 1999–2003, this study examines the cultural content of the Howard Stern Show in order to develop a theory of shock radio. We argue that while Stern’s sexist and anti-feminist agenda framed his treatment of women’s bodies, his broader obsession with bodily excess reflected the particular cultural moment of the late 20th century and the long-term problem of embodiment via the radio medium. We draw on Linda William’s concept of body genres, M. M. Bakhtin’s grotesque body, and recent radio scholarship in order to conceptualize the relationship among the voice, the body, and the medium in shock radio.