During the early nineteen eighties Imus was best known characters like his Billy Sol Hargus, a send up of a radio evangelists in which Imus promoted the “First Church of the Gooey Death and Discount House of Worship.” Other regular characters included “Geraldo Santana Banana” (played by doo-wop singer Larry Chance), and “Moby Worm”, an enormous gelatinous creature who devoured local schools; a regular feature on Imus’s “Breaking News Updates.” Much of the Howard Stern Show’s magic is the result of interaction between the Stern staff and a revolving cast of phone in characters Stern called the Whack Pack.
The “Howard Stern Night Shtick” poster it’s companion, the “Don Imus Morning Sickness” poster, were both used in the New York subway system to promote the WNBC drivetime radio lineup in ther early 1980’s. Imus and Stern were the original shock-jock radio hosts in America, waging a nonstop war of words in their over the top attempts to offend and entertain everyone.
Here are two very large paintings Jack did for the Imus poster, one vertical and one horizontal format. A third version was published, the other two remained in Jack’s files. There was only one painting done for the Stern poster.
“Don Imus Morning Sickness” ©WNBC 1982
“Howard Stern Night Shtick” ©WNBC 1982