Jock’s Flock : It’s Sweet Talk, Not Shock, as Radio’s Racy Howard Stern Greets Fans

He came to town and they came from far and wide to pay homage.

They slept in the streets, braving near-freezing temperatures. Mothers kept their children out of school. Postal workers left overflowing sacks of Christmas mail undelivered. One surgeon abandoned his patients.

No, it wasn’t President Clinton they had come to pay tribute to. Nor was it an early sighting of Santa Claus. It wasn’t even a once-in-a-decade papal visit, although some would argue it was indeed a religious experience.

“Howard Is God,” read a placard with huge, black lettering.

“Impeach Clinton, Howard for President,” said another in Day-Glo green.

The event, which drew an estimated 10,000 people, was an appearance and book signing in Pasadena on Thursday by radio phenomenon--and deity to some--Howard Stern.

Stern, whose wildly popular, ribald morning show is based in New York, was on hand at Vroman’s bookstore from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to autograph his best-selling book, “Private Parts,” and allow his fans to see him.

“This is like a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” said Sarah Tesser, who confessed she had gone AWOL from her supervisory position at United Parcel Service to meet Stern. It is the busiest time of the year for her company, but she had her priorities.

“I don’t care,” she said. “I need Howard.”

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After spending the night on the sidewalk and then snaking slowly through a line seven city blocks long, another woman sobbed hysterically--echoing early Beatlemania--when she saw the towering, long-haired Stern.

Another begged him to sign her left breast. Stern complied, despite bookstore officials’ admonitions to customers that he was there only to sign books.

So rabid was the admiration that several fans sought out autographs from a reporter simply because they had heard Stern mention her name on the air.

This crowd had come to praise Stern, not to bury him, as he insisted city officials in West Hollywood had tried to do earlier this week. Authorities there demanded that the Book Soup bookstore, which originally sponsored the book-signing, post a $25,000 bond.

After Book Soup bowed out, Vroman’s stepped in. Eighty Vroman’s employees and 50 extra security people were on hand to handle the fans. The near-riot and massive traffic tie-ups that West Hollywood had feared never materialized. People waited in a carnival-like, peaceful atmosphere and were ushered quickly through in an organized fashion for a few seconds and a quick scrawl from their idol.

For the man famous for his Lesbian Dial-a-Date bits and on-air naked spankings, things were pretty tame.

“It’s an honor, sir,” intoned one man respectfully.

“I’ve had three dreams about you,” murmured a woman seductively, while her son stood alongside. “I love you absolutely. I want you to leave your wife.”

“Thank you for coming,” Stern repeated to fans. “Sorry about the long wait, but I hope you had fun out there.”

The soft-spoken, unusually low-key Stern signing copies of his book was light-years away from the loud-mouthed raunchy radio persona that has elicited more than $1.2 million in fines from the Federal Communications Commission for indecent broadcasting.

“It’s a great feeling to know that people support the show whether it’s politically correct or not,” he told a reporter. “And it’s really gratifying to sign a book that you work on for so long. Writing this book really was the hardest thing I ever did.”

His fans were equally grateful. The mutual admiration grew cloying at times.

“You’re awesome, dude!” yelled a devotee.

“So are you,” Stern said. “Pleeeease can I kiss you?” a scantily clad woman asked.

“Of course you can,” Stern said, and he gave her a quick smooch.

A very visibly pregnant woman approached him.

Stern asked: “Did that happen on line?”