The following story was submitted by a fan of The Howard Stern Show who wanted to share their ''Brush with Greatness'' with others.

Submitted by: The Herbster - 1/16/03

The story...

ok here is the deal. i have met just about everyone associated with the show and all are such great people. people are shocked when i say that, but i really do think howard has been getting a lot of just-do respect as of late. especially from celebrities that had once thought otherwise.

most of my dealings with them have been arranged, as opposed to a 'brush', with the exception of one time with gary, which was both.

you see...i work with a lot of rock bands. i do photography and have taken pictures of john since way back in the josie sang days.

well, when howard's first book came out, he did a signing at Tower Books on South Street in Philadelphia. A band i work for was there playing. It was Enuff Z'nuff, and at least then we had a great bond with the show.

Nonetheless, there were so many people and it was pandemonium. The crowd was very receptive, Howard was very, well, just, great. That's the word. He is such a great guy. Very professional. As were they all.

A bunch of the wack-pack were there. Tempest was topless. All was good.

But here is where the 'brush' came in.

I took the band's publicist back home to Hudson Street in New York City. We were just about the last to leave Philly, having to coordinate the hotels and flights for the band first.

On our way, we stopped and ate at a restaurant on the Turnpike. So you figure that had to take another, say, 45 minutes or so. Then we were off to New York.

When we got to her place, she played me some new tunes of other artists she was working with, so that was yet another ten or fifteen minutes.

And then she said she had to go food shopping. She is a microbiotic and only shops at this one place that is 3 blocks from her apartment. This all fascinates me, the weird stuff she eats and all, so I asked if I could come.

So off we went. We crossed the street and walked down the first block, crossed the street and walked down the second.

As we were midway crossing the third block, there was Boy Gary and his wife crossing in the opposite direction!

Now that is friggin' f'ed up!!! I mean, say about 3 or 4 hours earlier we had just shaken his hands in Philadelphia and now we are seeing him...same day...same clothes...on a street in Manhattan!!! That is two states away!!! How the hell is that even possible?

We asked if he lived around there, but he said that no, they simply were coming back from a dinner at a restaurant they like.

So that is my 'brush'.

Of course my friend Tara is the one who had bologna slices thrown at her with that which that got spanked with a rubber chicken in order to meet David Duchovny, so that might count as somethin...I am not sure what? And now I just emailed this to Mark, so there is another one!

That's my story