They Call Me Baba Booey

As a superfan of the Howard Stern Show, I read every book every staff member writes. I moved to a new city and didn't have a library card, saw this book CHEAP on Amazon and just bought it. It's ok. It hits the highlights of Gary's life and career....tells how he got the job at the HSS, talks about the infamous first pitch, the love tapes and all that stuff that die hard Stern fans will remember. However, it seems to lack any real depth. He jumps from topic to topic, which are not even related to one another...and even skips around with time. You'll be reading a chapter about something that happened at the HSS, and the next chapter he's talking about being back in college....just weird.The part about his brother dying of AIDS was heartfelt and I could feel the pain of losing his brother. I'm sure that wasn't easy to talk about. Also, you come to find out his mother was just kinda "out there" from his early childhood. It's a good peek inside the inner circle of Baba Booey...I just wish it had been better written to flow more smoothly from childhood>>adolescence>>young adult>>adult>>Stern Show.

I never really knew much about "The Man Behind The Booey" but after reading this book I have a greater appreciation for him. Great stories about his childhood, family and love life (some pretty embarrassing) and a great understanding as to how he is able to work with the way that Howard Stern treats him.

You will love his story. There's a lot that you will know if you're a fan of the Howard Stern show, but there's a lot of revealing moments too.

Gary is one of my favorites on the show and now I know why. He has crazy work ethic and loves music and radio as much as I do. His optimism and love of his family is really the secrets to his successful life. I'm so glad I finally read your book. Don't listen to those guys,the lists are great

I didn't read any other reviews of this but I'm guessing they all say the same thing. Please tell more stories about your time on Stern. I'd buy that book if it existed. This was an ok read, but let's be honest, do we all really need to know more about Gary's upbringing? Let the Jackie puppet write your next book.

Obviously I am a huge Stern fan. I think you would have to be @ least a long time follower to enjoy this lighthearted book. However it has moments that could seriously bring a tear to your eye. Yes, he does have silly lists of songs etc. etc......but that's what makes him Baba Booey! It does have moments about his dysfunctional family (And I mean dysfunctional). The one thing you will learn that Gary Dell'Abate is a very fortunate man to have survived his upbringing. I am not ashamed to say that I enjoyed this book because you will laugh your ass off & realize how loyal Howard Stern is to his employees. The front he puts on is misleading. He has been loyal to Gary, Fred, & Robin & knew he had the chemistry he wanted. I have personally spoken to other producers that rave about Gary & his kindness & that he is very good @ his job. Buy a used copy for a penny & give it a read.

I couldn't stop hearing Fred's impression of Gary through out the entire book. The lists are garbage but it's an interesting book for super fans.

Let me put my review in context. I'm a casual Howard Stern fan, having always found him (and the rest of the gang) funny but having also not listened to them in years. Love the movie Private Parts, but not in the diehard fan camp. Maybe that's why I was happy to read this book in its own terms and didn't need it to be more about the show than it was. I feel there was a fair amount of time spent on the show, but this was more a story of his family, growing up, and how he ended up working for Howard.A great deal of the book was about his mother's bouts with mental illness and how it shaped him, as well as losing his brother to AIDS. I think you have to come to this with compassion in order to enjoy it and with an understanding that what happens on the show isn't real life. Anyone who comes to this wanting it to be about the show, will only be sporadically happy, but I found it pretty interesting. The co-writing, Chad Millman, did a nice job making it sound like Gary's voice, or my understanding of his voice over the years. While I wasn't blown away, I felt that the book accomplished what the author(s) set out to do. Gary comes across as a pretty sincere guy.Parents who are degrees of crazy are familiar to a lot of people. Growing up, even in a good home, is necessarily about being at the whims and moods of your elders and their ideas about child-rearing and so I almost always sympathize with stories about growing up. It started with Mommy Dearest and still persists. I also see why he's had a job so long on a show in which mood swings make for good radio when other people would have slipped out the door.The cover is pretty funny, but I almost wonder if it mislead people into thinking it was going to be a different type of book, along with perhaps some preconceptions. I found it to be an entertaining and interesting read. I also thought the note of "be careful what you wish for" concerning perfect parents at the end was well-handled and relatable to a lot of people.4 stars.

This book was one of the best ever. I love Gary on the Howard Stern show and this is a very real and at time moving story of his life. Very well written and even better is the audio book.

A very entertaining read, if you are Stern fan this fills in a lot of the unseen aspects of Gary in doing his job as well as his very interesting upbringing. Definitely recommended reading.

i like this read better than robin quiver's book. i wonder how the dynamic is with the crew of the howard stern show and it is very interesting to get baba booey's perspective.

If you listen to the show, you should read the book

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