Fred Norris
Encyclopedia
Eric Fred Norris is an American
radio personality
known for being the longest-tenured staff member of The Howard Stern Show aside from Stern
himself. He first met Stern while working at WCCC-FM
, a radio station in Hartford, Connecticut
.
, Norris is the son of Valija and Henry Nukis who were Latvian immigrants. Fred was raised in Manchester, Connecticut
. By the time Fred, the second of two sons, was born, his parents' marriage was already on the ropes. His biological father left home when Fred was five, but those first few years were turbulent. "There was always tension and rage," Norris remembers. "My father had an alcohol problem. When Dad came home, you hid in the closet because there was always something going on you'd rather not be a part of." Fred spent most of his early childhood alone. When his older brother wasn't using Fred as a human punching bag, the brother wanted nothing to do with him. So Fred would escape by reading books, taking long bicycle rides, or watching lots of afternoon TV reruns (whence came his encyclopedic knowledge of trashy fifties TV). "I'd like to state for the record that every person on this show of Howard's, even Robin
, at least had a father figure to guide them," he says. "Me, I was on my own."
Despite the lack of guidance, Fred managed to navigate his adolescence without major incident. When Fred was 13 his mother married his stepdad, Louis Norris, a cabinetmaker, whom Fred credits with finally making his mom happy. Around this time he began playing guitar. He also began hanging out with a "better class of people." Namely people who could afford instruments-a step up from his neighbors, who, he says, could have stepped right out of Deliverance
.
while working the overnight shifts at WCCC
, an FM and AM radio station in Hartford, Connecticut
in the spring of 1979. When Stern later worked mornings at WWDC DC101 in Washington, D.C.
in 1982, he brought Norris over to help write comedy bits for the show.
A regular bit on the show is "Win Fred's Money" where Fred and another contestant answer rapid-fire trivia
questions. Fred usually wins these contests handily. However, his primary role on the show is playing sound clips
that comically coincide with the current discussion, writing song parodies
and skit
s and contributing joke
s during the course of the show, painting the show with soundbites and timing commercial breaks
.
show that he has a half-sister during a bit where cast members revealed secrets about themselves (his father had an illegitimate child with Norris's godmother
). He has stated that he doesn't want to meet this person due to his strong grudge against his father as well as his godmother. Fred also revealed that his godmother gave him the middle name "Leo", which is why he changed his name. Norris has served as a writer on the Stern Show for many years and has helped write most of the show's bits. Particularly memorable events specifically involving Norris include:
Norris, to his chagrin, is often mocked by Stern during the show for what he perceives as Norris' oddness, remarking that Norris is "from Mars" or noting that he fits the profile of a serial killer because he keeps a shovel in the trunk of his car.
Norris was also regularly mocked on the Stern show roasts for his oddness and on-air silence. Jackie Martling referred to him as an alien and Colin Quinn
told Gary Dell'Abate that he was "uglier than Fred's thoughts" also stating that he looked like "a retarded Gary Oldman
."
When Norris announced on the show in May 2002 that Allison had become pregnant by means other than sexual intercourse, fellow Stern staffer Robin Quivers
stated that she knew if Fred was going to have a child it would "have to be a science project." After a pause, Norris called Robin a "fat, malicious cow." A few months after this incident, possibly as a fence-mending gesture, Robin financed Fred's birthday celebration.
. Regardless, the cast has still referred to him mostly as Fred.
Most recently, Fred was confronted about his name on November 13, 2006. Fred revealed that the last name Norris is that of his kindly stepfather. Nukis was his biological father's name and Fred wished to remove that father from his life with the name change. Fred claimed that his mother wanted to name him Eric at birth, but that his natural father had not allowed it because "Eric" was the name of his mother's former boyfriend. The name Leo was selected by his maternal aunt - the same woman who eventually eloped with his natural father. Fred says he hates both the names Fred and Leo - although everyone including Norris's wife, Allison, calls him Fred.
, which he rides on a regular basis, and likes to box
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio personality
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
known for being the longest-tenured staff member of The Howard Stern Show aside from Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
himself. He first met Stern while working at WCCC-FM
WCCC-FM
WCCC-FM branded as "The Rock 106.9" is a radio station serving central Connecticut that plays hard rock and occasionally classic rock. WCCC markets itself as the only non-corporate operation in Connecticut, with no pre-recorded DJs The station regularly invites listeners to make requests and also...
, a radio station in Hartford, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
Early life
Born in Willimantic, ConnecticutWillimantic, Connecticut
Willimantic is a census-designated place and former city located in the town of Windham in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was estimated at 15,823 at the 2000 census. It is home to Eastern Connecticut State University, as well as the Windham Textile and History Museum....
, Norris is the son of Valija and Henry Nukis who were Latvian immigrants. Fred was raised in Manchester, Connecticut
Manchester, Connecticut
Manchester is a township and city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 58,241.- History :...
. By the time Fred, the second of two sons, was born, his parents' marriage was already on the ropes. His biological father left home when Fred was five, but those first few years were turbulent. "There was always tension and rage," Norris remembers. "My father had an alcohol problem. When Dad came home, you hid in the closet because there was always something going on you'd rather not be a part of." Fred spent most of his early childhood alone. When his older brother wasn't using Fred as a human punching bag, the brother wanted nothing to do with him. So Fred would escape by reading books, taking long bicycle rides, or watching lots of afternoon TV reruns (whence came his encyclopedic knowledge of trashy fifties TV). "I'd like to state for the record that every person on this show of Howard's, even Robin
Robin Quivers
Robin Ophelia Quivers is an American radio personality, most notable for being the long-running news anchor and co-host of The Howard Stern Show. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Quivers graduated from the University of Maryland with a major in nursing. In 1975, she joined the United States Air Force...
, at least had a father figure to guide them," he says. "Me, I was on my own."
Despite the lack of guidance, Fred managed to navigate his adolescence without major incident. When Fred was 13 his mother married his stepdad, Louis Norris, a cabinetmaker, whom Fred credits with finally making his mom happy. Around this time he began playing guitar. He also began hanging out with a "better class of people." Namely people who could afford instruments-a step up from his neighbors, who, he says, could have stepped right out of Deliverance
Deliverance
Deliverance is a 1972 American thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman. Principal cast members include Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty in his film debut. The film is based on a 1970 novel of the same name by American author James Dickey, who has a small role in the...
.
Radio career
A college student at the time, Norris first met Howard SternHoward Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
while working the overnight shifts at WCCC
WCCC-FM
WCCC-FM branded as "The Rock 106.9" is a radio station serving central Connecticut that plays hard rock and occasionally classic rock. WCCC markets itself as the only non-corporate operation in Connecticut, with no pre-recorded DJs The station regularly invites listeners to make requests and also...
, an FM and AM radio station in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
in the spring of 1979. When Stern later worked mornings at WWDC DC101 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1982, he brought Norris over to help write comedy bits for the show.
A regular bit on the show is "Win Fred's Money" where Fred and another contestant answer rapid-fire trivia
Trivia
The trivia are the three lower Artes Liberales, i.e. grammar, rhetoric and logic. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education, of interest only to undergraduates...
questions. Fred usually wins these contests handily. However, his primary role on the show is playing sound clips
Soundbite
In film and broadcasting, a sound bite is a very short piece of a speech taken from a longer speech or an interview in which someone with authority or the average "man on the street" says something which is considered by those who edit the speech or interview to be the most important point...
that comically coincide with the current discussion, writing song parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
and skit
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
s and contributing joke
Joke
A joke is a phrase or a paragraph with a humorous twist. It can be in many different forms, such as a question or short story. To achieve this end, jokes may employ irony, sarcasm, word play and other devices...
s during the course of the show, painting the show with soundbites and timing commercial breaks
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
.
Notable radio show moments
In January 2006, Norris revealed on Stern's Sirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
show that he has a half-sister during a bit where cast members revealed secrets about themselves (his father had an illegitimate child with Norris's godmother
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
). He has stated that he doesn't want to meet this person due to his strong grudge against his father as well as his godmother. Fred also revealed that his godmother gave him the middle name "Leo", which is why he changed his name. Norris has served as a writer on the Stern Show for many years and has helped write most of the show's bits. Particularly memorable events specifically involving Norris include:
- Stern goofing on him for buying a Cookie PussCookie PussCookie Puss is an ice cream cake character created by Carvel in the 1970s as an expansion of its line of freshly made products sold only in its stores, along with Hug-Me Bear and Fudgie the Whale...
cake for his mother on Mother's DayMother's DayMother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May... - Norris drunkenly cuddling with show intern Gay Rich at Scores for his bachelor partyBachelor partyA bachelor party , also known as a stag party, stag night or stag do , a bull's party , or a buck's party or buck's night , is a party held for a man shortly before he enters marriage, to celebrate his "last night of freedom" or merely to spend...
, then falling down stairs and landing on his head - requiring a trip to the emergency room. - The on-air discussion of a fight between Norris and his wife at NBC's Rainbow RoomRainbow RoomThe Rainbow Room was an upscale restaurant and nightclub on the 65th floor of the GE Building in Rockefeller Center, Midtown Manhattan, New York City.-Cuisine:...
which led to Fred quitting the show, only to come back the next day. - Having to be restrained by Stern show staff from physically attacking John MelendezJohn MelendezJohn Edward Melendez , commonly known as "Stuttering John," is an American television writer and former radio personality. Prior to his work on television as a writer and announcer, Melendez was a regular on-air personality on The Howard Stern Show...
after Melendez attempted to act out a love scene from Tony n' Tina's WeddingTony n' Tina's Wedding-Film adaptation:The play was "freely" adapted for film by writer-director Roger Paradiso— "filmed primarily from the point of view of a lisping videographer"—with Joey McIntyre and Mila Kunis playing the title characters...
with his wife, who was acting in the New York City production at the time. - Norris frequently denies model Carol AltCarol AltCarol Ann Alt is an American model and actress.- Early life:Alt was born in Flushing, Queens, New York, the daughter of Muriel, an airline employee and model, and Anthony Alt, a fire chief. She was noticed waiting tables in her hometown of East Williston, New York. When she was 18, she decided to...
a "supermodelSupermodelThe term supermodel refers to a highly-paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in haute couture and commercial modeling. The term became prominent in the popular culture of the 1980s. Supermodels usually work for top fashion designers and labels...
" status, vigorously asserting that she has never attained that rare professional level. He also questions her status as a legitimate actress as she has not had a starring role in any Hollywood productions.
Norris, to his chagrin, is often mocked by Stern during the show for what he perceives as Norris' oddness, remarking that Norris is "from Mars" or noting that he fits the profile of a serial killer because he keeps a shovel in the trunk of his car.
Norris was also regularly mocked on the Stern show roasts for his oddness and on-air silence. Jackie Martling referred to him as an alien and Colin Quinn
Colin Quinn
Colin Edward Quinn is an American stand-up comedian and writer best known for his five years in the cast of Saturday Night Live, as the sidekick/announcer of MTV's late 1980s gameshow Remote Control and as host of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central from 2002–2004.-Early years:Quinn was...
told Gary Dell'Abate that he was "uglier than Fred's thoughts" also stating that he looked like "a retarded Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
."
When Norris announced on the show in May 2002 that Allison had become pregnant by means other than sexual intercourse, fellow Stern staffer Robin Quivers
Robin Quivers
Robin Ophelia Quivers is an American radio personality, most notable for being the long-running news anchor and co-host of The Howard Stern Show. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Quivers graduated from the University of Maryland with a major in nursing. In 1975, she joined the United States Air Force...
stated that she knew if Fred was going to have a child it would "have to be a science project." After a pause, Norris called Robin a "fat, malicious cow." A few months after this incident, possibly as a fence-mending gesture, Robin financed Fred's birthday celebration.
Name change
In 1993, Norris legally changed his name from Fred Leo Nukis to Eric Fred Norris. As is typical of Fred and his oft-mocked personality, he never discussed or even mentioned this fairly major event until a Stern Show staffer happened to notice Norris's new name signed in a log kept to comply with the FCCFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
. Regardless, the cast has still referred to him mostly as Fred.
Most recently, Fred was confronted about his name on November 13, 2006. Fred revealed that the last name Norris is that of his kindly stepfather. Nukis was his biological father's name and Fred wished to remove that father from his life with the name change. Fred claimed that his mother wanted to name him Eric at birth, but that his natural father had not allowed it because "Eric" was the name of his mother's former boyfriend. The name Leo was selected by his maternal aunt - the same woman who eventually eloped with his natural father. Fred says he hates both the names Fred and Leo - although everyone including Norris's wife, Allison, calls him Fred.
Personal life
In 1995, Norris married Allison Furman, a woman he originally met on the "Dial-A-Date" segment of Stern's radio show. The couple have one daughter together, Tess. Norris owns a Triumph motorcycleTriumph Motorcycles Ltd
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd is the largest surviving British motorcycle manufacturer, which was established in 1984 by John Bloor after the original manufacturer Triumph Engineering went into receivership...
, which he rides on a regular basis, and likes to box
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
.
King Norris
King Norris is a band founded by Norris. Norris plugs upcoming shows at the end of each Stern show on Sirius Satellite Radio. The band is made up of:- Fred Norris: Guitar
- Rob Boyd: Bass Guitar
- Frank Fallon: Drums
External links
- King Norris Official website
- Fred Norris' biography on howardstern.com
- Howard Stern Wikia A Howard Stern Wikia Project