John Melendez
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| John Melendez | |
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| Born | October 4, 1965 New York City, New York |
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| Occupation | Announcer |
| Spouse | Suzanna Keller |
John Edward Melendez (born October 4, 1965), commonly known as "Stuttering John" and "Hero of the Stupid",[1] is an American television/radio personality. Before his present job as announcer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Melendez was a regular on-air personality on The Howard Stern Show.
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[edit] Early years
Melendez was born in Massapequa, Long Island and attended Plainedge High School.[2][3][1] Melendez began to stutter when he was in the second grade. According to Melendez, his problem came about because of the psychological mistreatment from his alcoholic father who also stutters. Both he and his father suffer from some form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. During his youth he was often picked on by other children for being Puerto Rican and was called "Stutterface," "Skip" and "M-C Stammer" (even though MC Hammer was not even around at the time of John's youth).[4]
In 1988, Melendez attended New York University's film school, and belonged to a band called "Rock Slide". His college roommate was on the verge of quitting his internship with The Howard Stern Show, when Melendez asked him for a recommendation for an internship there. The show's producer, Gary Dell'Abate, mentioned Melendez's stuttering to Howard Stern who, without seeing him and even before he was interviewed, told the producer to hire him. [5]
[edit] The Howard Stern Show
On Stern's show, Melendez conducted outrageous street interviews, premised on the idea that celebrities would not want to look bad by refusing an interview from a stutterer. He sported long hair and metal t-shirts and would often confront celebrities with puerile questions about their private lives. His interviews were characterized by punchline-free "joke" questions, such as asking Melanie Griffith "how her father, Andy, was."
The absurdity of the questions Melendez asked were often amplified by the fact that Melendez himself lacked common pop-culture knowledge and often did not even know who the subjects of his interview were or what they were famous for. Melendez notably interviewed Gennifer Flowers, Ringo Starr, and the Dalai Lama. He asked the Dalai Lama, if anyone ever greeted him with "Hello Dolly!", in a joking reference to the play and movie; the Dalai Lama's translator whispered the translation to the Dalai Lama and a delayed chuckle came from the Dalai Lama. It seemed like he got the joke. He also provided comic interest with his misadventures, poor grammar and sloppy pronunciation.[6]
According to the New York Post, Melendez says Stern didn't pay him fairly and "resented me doing any outside work"; Stern replied saying that Melendez is a "no-talent ingrate" and he should stick to holding up the mug on "The Tonight Show".[7]
[edit] National exposure
Melendez received national exposure when Stern's show began airing on national television. During his 15-year run as Stern's sidekick/whipping boy, Melendez also starred in the Off-Broadway show Tony n' Tina's Wedding where he met his wife, Suzanna. Melendez had bit parts in the movies Airheads, Meet Wally Sparks, Dude, Where's My Car?, and Howard Stern's movie Private Parts. He has also appeared on television on episodes of Wings, Baywatch Nights, and the U.S. version of the reality series I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.[3]
[edit] The Tonight Show
Melendez worked with a speech coach to overcome his stuttering and was offered the position of announcer for The Tonight Show. He accepted the offer, debuting The Tonight Show on March 29, 2004.[8] On this show, he is identified as "John Melendez" (as opposed to "Stuttering John Melendez," a name he avoids).
On November 30, 2007 NBC announced The Tonight Show crew including Melendez were being laid off as a result of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike and that when the strike ended NBC could not guarantee that Melendez and other staffers would be rehired.[9]
Melendez plays guitar and sings. He has released at least two hard rock CDs with humorous lyrics, one on Atlantic Records and one on Razor & Tie Records. In 2004, Melendez provided the voice of Bob the computer on Tripping the Rift.[10] He currently lives in the city of Calabasas, California with his wife, Suzanna Keller, and three children.[citation needed]
| Preceded by Edd Hall 1992–2004 |
The Tonight Show announcer 2004–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Stuttering John Biography. AOL Music. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
- ^ Controversial personalities who stutter. Minnesota State University, 1998-10-12. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
- ^ a b John Melendez. National Stuttering Association. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
- ^ Aug 9, '05: John Melendez: Chicago Conference Keynote Speaker, Retrieved March 3, 2005
- ^ [http://www.marksfriggin.com/news08/4-14.htm#mon Stern Spotlight: Stuttering John - Day 1. 04/14/08. 6:00am}
- ^ Just Asking: H-H-H-HERE'S JOHNNY! Entertainment Weekly Issue 179 1993-07-16. Retrieved on 2008-03-02
- ^ Stern stuttering mad at John. New York Post, 2008-03-03. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
- ^ The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: John Melendez as Announcer. NBC.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
- ^ Bond, Paul. Flayed Jay will kick in week's pay. The Hollywood Reporter, 2007-12-01. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
- ^ John Melendez. Voice Chasers. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
[edit] External links
- John Melendez's Official Site
- 'Stuttering' John Melendez at the Internet Movie Database
- 'Stuttering' John to announce 'Tonight Show'. USA Today, 2004-02-19. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
- Grammy Out of Control. Rolling Stone Magazine 1997-01-07. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
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