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John Melendez, formerly known as "Stuttering John" (b. October 4, 1965 in New York City), is the announcer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. John was born to a Puerto Rican father and a Danish mother; his father was very strict and at times would fly into fits of rage. John's stuttering and obsessive disorder first started when he witnessed a family argument involving his parents. John also developed a sense of fear about doing things and that those things would turn out wrong. He lived in Massapequa, Long Island, where he was picked on by the neighborhood bullies because of his stuttering. Eventually, he befriended those bullies and got into trouble himself.
In 1988, John attended New York University's film school. He also belonged to a band called "Rock Slide"; his roommate was going to leave his job interning at the Howard Stern radio show and John begged him for a recommendation. Howard's producer, Gary Dell'Abate, spoke with Howard about John and his stuttering problem and Howard decided to hire him on the spot.
For the Stern Show, John would make outrageous street interviews - premised on the idea that celebrities wouldn't want to look bad turning down an interview from someone who stutters. John also provided comic interest with his misadventures, poor grammar, and sloppy pronunciation. For example, the name "Nicholas Cage" becomes "Niggaless Cage" when spoken by Melendez.
More on [ John Melendez ]
RT @Poetry_Society: Erin Belieu, Steven Cordova, Marie Melendez, and John Murillo answer What's American About American Poetry: http://bit.ly/aRwX9P
PWPicnic (PoetsWritersPicnic) Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:19:19 -0000
RT @Poetry_Society: Erin Belieu, Steven Cordova, Marie Melendez, and John Murillo answer What's American About American Poetry: http://bit.ly/aRwX9P
RT @Poetry_Society: Erin Belieu, Steven Cordova, Marie Melendez, and John Murillo answer What's American About American Poetry: http://bit.ly/aRwX9P
seventydys (David Hayden) Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:00:14 -0000
RT @Poetry_Society: Erin Belieu, Steven Cordova, Marie Melendez, and John Murillo answer What's American About American Poetry: http://bit.ly/aRwX9P
Melendez,_John RSS feed
ABC: I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here - Biography of John from when he appeared on this live television show, from February 19 to March 5, 2003.
Stuttering John - Official site of one of the members of Howard Stern's staff. News, information, pictures, appearance schedule, merchandise, and interviews.
Stuttering John Melendez - A detailed profile of John and his life, as well as his work on the Howard Stern Show.
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