First published 2010
Gary Dell'Abate opens his memoir by recounting the fateful radio moment when a simple mispronunciation created his alter ego "Baba Booey" and changed his life forever. The longtime Howard Stern Show producer traces his journey from a music-obsessed kid on Long Island to the man behind radio's most popular show. Dell'Abate grew up as the youngest of three boys with a clinically depressed mother, learning early how to survive chaos and attacks. He channeled his obsessions into music, religiously following Casey Kasem's Top 40 countdown every Sunday and compulsively collecting 45s while copying lyrics into notebooks. This musical devotion became his anchor amid domestic turmoil. Dell'Abate connects his childhood survival skills to his ability to endure the daily humiliations that come with producing Stern's show. He shares his perspective on legendary show moments, including his disastrous first pitch that nearly killed the Mets mascot and the awkward phone call between his mother and Howard's mother demanding an apology. The book reveals how an obsessive pop music trivia enthusiast evolved into the masked competitor who dominates "Stump the Booey" segments.
Genres: biography, autobiography, memoir, comedy
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, underdog
Setting: Long Island
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
280 pages · Hardcover · Spiegel & Grau
Content warnings: mental-illness