Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo: Howard Stern and David Letterman are a little quirky

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo was officially inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022 earlier this week.

With the induction ceremony taking place in Chicago Tuesday night, Russo hosted his Wednesday afternoon SiriusXM Radio show from Audacy’s local studios. And after finishing his own show, Russo joined 670 The Score’s afternoon hosts Danny Parkins and Matt Spiegel for a segment where the newly inducted Hall-of-Famer’s career was justly celebrated.

While Russo has admittedly had a bit of a career renaissance since joining Stephen A. Smith on First Take as a weekly contributor, he’s not new to the national scene, having been a frequent guest on David Letterman and Howard Stern, in addition to launching his own satellite radio channel 14 years ago.

“They’re very similar in a lot of ways,” Russo told The Score’s afternoon show of Letterman and Stern. “Dave’s probably a little quirkier than Howard…but they’re both very, very quirky, Dave’s a little more quirky, but as far as their interviewing technique, it’s fascinating the way they both do it.”

Takes one to know one. Quirky is a fair adjective to describe Russo, although it’s for different reasons than one might label Letterman and Stern as “quirky.” But Russo’s quirkiness, which branches off into his unique energy, mannerisms, rants and affinity for sports history is part of what endeared him to New York’s radio audience decades ago.

Russo’s storied radio career ultimately led him to the Radio Hall of Fame where he was introduced by Stephen A. Smith at the induction ceremony, a job he previously requested Stern to handle.

“I didn’t ask [Stern] after I got in,” Russo told Parkins and Spiegel. “I asked Howard before, a couple different times, and I knew that Howard would never do it.”

Howard would never do it because he’s a little quirky, and as arguably the most influential radio personality in history, he hates the Radio Hall of Fame. Stern, who was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2012, has questioned its credibility for decades, claiming it doesn’t really exist, it might as well be a person in their basement handing out awards. Not wanting that as his introduction, Russo opted for Smith.

Anyone who has watched or listened to Letterman and Stern over the years would agree that they’re quirky. Like Russo, it was part of their entertainment value. Unlike Russo, some of Stern and Letterman’s quirkiness can also be categorized as creepy. But Russo has experienced their quirkiness a lot throughout his career, having joined Letterman’s late night show 37 times and getting interviewed by Stern six times.

[Parkins & Spiegel]