In this extended transcript of his interview with correspondent Tracy Smith for "Sunday Morning," broadcasting giant Howard Stern opens up about his parents and wife, psychoanalysis, apologizing for his past interviews, the freedom of being on SiriusXM satellite radio, and the art of the interview which, he says, is disappearing. Howard Stern: My mother said to me, I said, "Oh mom, tomorrow I'm talking to 'CBS Sunday Morning.'" She goes, "Why don't you tell me you're on TV?" I go, "No, no, no." I'm trying to explain to her that it's taped in advance. (LAUGHS) Tracy Smith: So, your first two books were best sellers, they set records. Stern: They did. Smith: And now you're saying, "Throw 'em away"? Stern: Yes, yes, that's the message in the new book. First of all, I didn't expect to write a new book. You know, I was done with books, the world of books. They're torture. They take a lotta time and I actually put a lotta thought into these things. But I looked at my last two books as – it's the same way I can't really listen to my old radio shows, it's very difficult. Smith: You don't listen to them? Stern: No, never, I can't. Smith: Why? Stern: Because I feel that was me so long ago. My presentation is different. It's like, can you look at some of the old photographs of yourself? I mean, some of my hairdos, I look at those and I go, "What was I thinking?" Smith: But it's deeper than that. Stern: Yeah, well, it's just very difficult for me. I cringe. I was telling somebody the other day, because now that I'm promoting the book I'm going out and doing late night shows. And I don't like being interviewed, I don't like going on late night shows. For somebody who interviews, I don't like it. And because of the book, and I'm excited about it, I decided to do all of this press. So you know, in looking at my life, all of a sudden it's a big retrospective, it's very difficult and painful. And going back and looking at old shows is difficult. I was looking at an appearance I did on Letterman, and I was cringing. It was just, my presentation was different. It's like a different guy to me. And if I've done anything in my career, I've evolved all along the way. I don't feel I ever stayed the same. So when I go back and look at that, or I look at my old books, it's not that they're horrible. It's just something different that I wouldn't do now. Howard Stern in his studio at SiriusXM satellite radio, with "Sunday Morning" correspondent Tracy Smith. CBS News Smith: What's different? What makes you cringe? Stern: There were things in my old books that I think were hurtful to my personal life, and I don't know, sometimes the honesty … Wasn't there a song, "The honesty's too much"? ["Sometimes When We Touch" by Dan Hill.] It's just not how I would present myself now. But that's what I loved about my career, that all along critics would say, "Well, he's gonna last a year because he does the same thing over and over again. And all he does is shock people." And whatever it is, if you go back and look at these newspaper articles and different things that I've done, they would always say, "Well, he's a flash in the pan." And now it's 40-some-odd years later, and I think what's been great is that I never stayed the same. The show has evolved. This is a completely different show than the show I did even ten years ago. And that became about because of SiriusXM and the move here, which was the smartest thing I ever did, you know, getting away from government interference. And even that's interesting, I mean, I got away from government interference, so people assumed I'd come here and it would be the raunchiest show on the planet. Smith: Right, then you'd go totally X-rated. Stern: Yeah. No, that's boring. I write about this in the book. There's nothing to go against there. What was great about being a wild man on terrestrial radio is that government and religious groups were against me. I loved it, I loved the action, I loved the outrageousness of it. I loved that all the hypocrites who we now see a lot of them, religious leaders who were caught in sex scandals, government people, the hypocrisy of government people who were then caught up in all kinds of outrageousness and graft and this and that, who are so concerned about what's on the radio. And then you find out behind the scenes, they're complete hypocrites. And that turned me on. But when I got here, I had to rethink the whole thing, and I said, "What is it I wanna do?" And don't get me wrong, I still enjoy being Fart-Man and jokes on a second-grade level, there's plenty of that in the show. But this format allowed me an evolution to do what I thought were some thoughtful interviews and some fun things in a whole new way. Smith: I wanna talk about the interviews you include in the book in a second. But first I wanna go back to this metamorphosis idea, and this idea that you don't like to look at the old work that much. You say in the book that one of your biggest regrets is Robin Williams. Stern: Yeah, well there's a lot of regrets. A bunch of things happened in my life. I went into psychotherapy, which I'm a big proponent of. My life was in crisis. I got a divorce. I have three daughters, I was concerned about, what does life look like now? How am I a good parent on my own? I needed to take a good, hard look at myself. I didn't feel like my relationships were meaningful or deep. I thought I was too self-absorbed, I was concerned about my well-being. And so I wanted a fuller life. Someone had suggested to me a guy named Dr. John Sarno who wrote a book on back pain. It's a fabulous book. And I became very friendly with Sarno, I'm a big disciple of his. He's no longer with us, but he said to me, "You need to go into psychotherapy. And you need a male psychotherapist." And I was like, "Well, why? I don't understand." "Trust me on this, you've got daddy issues, you know, and you need to be with a man and you need to learn what it's like to be a man and how to integrate yourself into society, if you're gonna get rid of your back pain, and also if you're gonna get healthy." So, I began that process, so that started happening. And not only did that process become useful to me, not only did it teach me so much, and not only did I feel so much better (and I still am in psychotherapy) the main takeaway, as I described in the book, is that I started to actually for the first time in my life feel what it was like to be heard by another human being. Smith: You didn't feel heard before then? Stern: No, I did not. Even though I was talking to millions of people, I didn't feel heard. I'm talking about when I first sat down, the very first time I sat down with this psychiatrist, and I've been with the same guy all along, I was sitting here, and I go, "Let me tell you about my parents." 'Cause I thought that's what you do in psychotherapy, you talk about your parents. And I started to do routines, and I break into my mother, and I go, "Listen, you've got to behave yourself and you have to have rules in life." And then I'd start doing an impression of my father – and this is the stuff that kills on radio. I do this for a living. And I get a lotta laughs out of it.<doc-sep>Simon & Schuster In "Howard Stern Comes Again" (to be published May 14 by Simon & Schuster, a division of CBS), SiriusXM satellite radio host Howard Stern writes about his broadcasting career, his roster of notable interviews, and his experience with psychotherapy, which he describes as life-changing. In the excerpt below, Stern explains what it took for him to learn to treat his celebrity guests as collaborators in an interview rather than as foils for his on-air antics. Don't miss Tracy Smith's in-depth interview with Howard Stern on "CBS Sunday Morning" May 12! I'm not proud of my first two books. I don't even have them displayed on my bookshelf at home. I think of them, and of the interviews I did with my guests during those first couple decades of my career, and I cringe. I was an absolute maniac. My narcissism was so strong that I was incapable of appreciating what somebody else might be feeling. I have so many regrets about guests from that time. I asked Gilda Radner if Gene Wilder had a big penis. Great question. Drove her right out the door. George Michael's band Wham! Everyone I worked with said, "Whatever you do, don't ask them if they're gay. Do not ask them if they're gay." Within twenty seconds, I asked them if they were gay. Eminem came on the show once then never again. Same with Will Ferrell. Possibly my biggest regret was my interview with Robin Williams. When Robin came on the show in the early nineties, I spent the entire time badgering him about how he had divorced his first wife and remarried his son's former nanny. I was attacking the guy, and he was justifiably furious with me. Years later, I realized I finally needed to apologize. I had already done this with some other people. I called them and tried to make amends. Some were gracious. A radio guy I had been awful to said, "You know what, man? I'm so glad you called. I actually felt bad for you that you were carrying around so much bitterness and ugliness inside, and I'm happy you don't have that anymore." Others were angry. A famous comedian I had bashed said to me, "I appreciate that you called, but I don't know if I could ever forgive you. I had to go through a lot of misery, because your fans were brutal." I didn't know what Robin's reaction would be. He could have hung up on me. He could have cursed me out. I had to do it. It took me twenty years to work up the nerve. I was in the midst of tracking down his phone number, and the next day he died. I'm still filled with sadness over his loss and remorse for my failure to reach out sooner. Telling Carly Simon how hot she was for a half-hour or spewing sex questions to Wilmer Valderrama – this ultimately led to nothing. It wasn't good radio. It was meaningless. It was just me being self-absorbed and compulsive about asking something that would provoke and antagonize. Those weren't really interviews. They were monologues. Instead of a conversation, it was just me blurting out ridiculous things. I had some real issues. Then I started going to a psychotherapist. This was in the late nineties. I had no idea how therapy worked. The only thing I knew about it was what I saw in movies and on television, where people would just sit there and tell stories. So that's what I did. My first session, I sat down in the chair and began telling the therapist anecdotes as if I was on the radio. I hit him with all my favorite routines. I did a thorough and involved set on the Stern family tree, complete with impressions of my family. I put together a few minutes on marriage, then moved into the pressures of the radio business, and closed with the trials and tribulations of raising a family. After I was finished with my stand-up, the therapist instead of applauding said, "There's nothing funny going on here. Quite frankly, some of this stuff sounds pretty sad." My first response was to get defensive. Who was he to say that? I could tell that story and laugh. I had done it many times. Gradually, after a few more sessions, I realized he was right. He was the first person who ever said to me, "I take you seriously." I had always been hungry for someone to confide in like that, but I had pushed away my hunger. That's often what people who are traumatized do. In order to protect themselves, they act like nobody else matters. They tell themselves they don't need anyone. The irony is that I've always had an appreciation for others in my work. Yes, it's called "The Howard Stern Show," but I'm at my best when I have a bunch of people around me, when I can call on them and collaborate. Whether it's my co-host, Robin Quivers, or my producer Gary Dell'Abate or our jack-of-all-trades (sound effects, impressions, and so much more) Fred Norris; the staff of incredible writers and brilliant engineers; my front office, including chief operating officer Marci Turk and senior vice president Jeremy Coleman; my agent, Don Buchwald, and my executive assistant, Laura Federici; my bosses and the sales department at SiriusXM – I consider everyone a part of the team. What we do is like music, in a way. It's like a symphony. That is truly how I've always seen myself: as an orchestra conductor. Yet that generosity of spirit didn't extend to my guests. I should have treated them as talented soloists and welcomed them to join in our performance. I was just too afraid that the audience would be bored when they didn't get their fix of outrageousness – as if some quiet notes would have destroyed the concerto. Everything had to be one loud, crashing crescendo. Initially, I went to therapy twice a week. Then the therapist had me up it to three times. Eventually he recommended I make it four. I thought, "Man, I didn't know I was that screwed up." I was reluctant to make such a big commitment, but I did it. I completely gave myself over to the process. The more I went, the more that translated into how I interviewed my guests. I found myself changing my approach because I had experienced what it was like to have someone genuinely interested in my life. Therapy opened me up and enabled me to appreciate how fulfilling it was to be truly heard. That led me to the thought: "You know, somebody else might actually have something to say. Let's just sit here and listen and not make it all about you." At first, not making it about me was difficult. I had to learn to say no to myself. Stop talking. Start listening. Let someone else shine and have a moment. Trust that the audience will remain there. Excerpt from "Howard Stern Comes Again" by Howard Stern. Copyright © 2019 by One Twelve, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc. For more info:<doc-sep>Radio host Howard Stern, in his upcoming book, 'Howard Stern Comes Again', details an interview he regrets to this day. The radio host who has conducted many interviews over his long career looks back on his interview with Robin Williams with deep regret. According to reports, he writes of the interview with the late actor as his "biggest regret". "Possibly my biggest regret was my interview with Robin Williams," Stern writes. "I was attacking the guy, and he was justifiably furious with me." Not new to controversy erupting from the interviews on his show 'Howard Stern Show', Stern had questioned Williams of his affair with his son’s nanny, Marsha Garces, when he interviewed Williams back in the early 1990s. Williams went on to marry Garces in April 1989. Actor Robin Williams (Source: Getty Images) Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Stern recalled what unfurled during the interview. "I loved Robin Williams, but there I am beating him over the head with like, ‘Hey, I hear you’re f—ing your nanny?" he had said on the interview. "I could have had a great conversation, but I’m playing to the audience. They want to hear outrageousness, and that’s my arrogance thinking that Robin Williams can’t entertain my audience. How stupid am I?" "I wasn’t rude with Robin Williams, but I asked some questions that perhaps went into areas that he had enough of," he said on his show just one day after the actor committed suicide in 2014, expressing regret over his interview with Williams. "I think my whole demeanor and attitude was just s—y. I wasn’t trying to be mean to Robin Williams. I was just trying to be provocative and interesting for the audience, and doing what it is that I thought had to be done. And I was an immature a—hole. And so that always haunted me … and then I kind of filed it away and forgot about it," Stern added. "This was a guy who should have been celebrated," Stern further added. “Years later, I realized I finally needed to apologize,” Stern continues. “It took me twenty years to work up the nerve. I was in the midst of tracking down his phone number, and the next day he died. I’m still filled with sadness over his loss and remorse for my failure to reach out sooner.” The 65-year-old has moved away from his lewd interview patterns and now conducts interviews on his SiriusXM radio show. "You can only interview so many strippers," he told THR. "loved the idea that we’d go on the air and measure our penises or discuss vaginal secretions. Whatever it was, if it freaked you out, I loved it because, to me, it was not a big deal. But now I find it gross. And I’d feel really f—ing sh—y if I hadn’t evolved. I’d be completely out of step with the times." 'Howard Stern Comes Again' will hit bookstores on May 14. Disclaimer : This is based on sources and we have been unable to verify this information independently.<doc-sep>
Products in this story are independently selected and featured editorially. If you make a purchase using these links we may earn commission. "I was attacking the guy, and he was justifiably furious with me," Stern says Radio host Howard Stern is no stranger to controversy and has conducted thousands of interviews over the course of his decades-long career — but there are a few moments he looks back on with regret. In his upcoming book, Howard Stern Comes Again, Stern details the one interview that he regrets to this day. “Possibly my biggest regret was my interview with Robin Williams,” he writes of the late actor. “I was attacking the guy, and he was justifiably furious with me.” “Years later, I realized I finally needed to apologize,” Stern continues. “It took me twenty years to work up the nerve. I was in the midst of tracking down his phone number, and the next day he died. I’m still filled with sadness over his loss and remorse for my failure to reach out sooner.” Robin Williams Howard Stern Credit: Kristin Callahan/REX/Shutterstock; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic Stern interviewed Williams back in the early 1990s, in the heyday of his notoriously lewd Howard Stern Show, and questioned the actor on his affair with his son’s nanny, Marsha Garces, whom he went on to marry. Stern also touched on the interview while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter. “I loved Robin Williams, but there I am beating him over the head with like, ‘Hey, I hear you’re f—ing your nanny?’ ” he recalled. “I could have had a great conversation, but I’m playing to the audience. They want to hear outrageousness, and that’s my arrogance thinking that Robin Williams can’t entertain my audience. How stupid am I?” Stern previously expressed regret over the interview with Williams back in 2014, just one day after the actor died by suicide. RELATED: Aladdin First Look! Will Smith Felt the Pressure of Following Robin Williams as Genie “I wasn’t rude with Robin Williams, but I asked some questions that perhaps went into areas that he had enough of,” he said on The Howard Stern Show at the time. “I think my whole demeanor and attitude was just s—y. I wasn’t trying to be mean to Robin Williams. I was just trying to be provocative and interesting for the audience, and doing what it is that I thought had to be done. And I was an immature a—hole. And so that always haunted me … and then I kind of filed it away and forgot about it.” “This was a guy who should have been celebrated,” he admitted. These days, Stern, 65, is focused on conducting more meaningful interviews on his SiriusXM radio show. “You can only interview so many strippers,” he told THR. “[I] loved the idea that we’d go on the air and measure our penises or discuss vaginal secretions. Whatever it was, if it freaked you out, I loved it because, to me, it was not a big deal. But now I find it gross. And I’d feel really f—ing sh—y if I hadn’t evolved. I’d be completely out of step with the times.”