Before a certain busty brunette from Beverly Hills came along, he may have been the most famous intern in America. For six years, Steve Grillo was the first face Howard Stern saw every morning when he showed up to do his show.
Grillo's duties included letting his boss into the show's midtown Manhattan building at 5 a.m. every day, tracking down Howard's hard-to-get meal requests and submitting to on-air comments about his thinning hair and bad spelling.
Despite his fierce loyalty, earlier this year, the 25-year-old Brooklyn native left his $6 an hour position to pursue a career in the movies. For the record, we decided to grill Grillo on the particulars of his employment with the King of All Media.
* Why did you leave?
Working in radio wasn't what I wanted to do. I really want to act, produce and direct. So, I'm getting involved in some independent movies that are in the process of getting money. One's called Keep the Change. A friend wrote it, and she's gonna direct it. We're just waiting for the financing.
* Are you going out on a lot of auditions?
I don't have an agent right now. I'm tryin', though. Put that in your interview--maybe somebody will call me.
* Did you feel you were adequately compensated?
I was paid six bucks an hour. That was sort of one of the reasons I wanted out.
* How often did you work?
It started out at three, four days a week. Eventually, I didn't care. I'd get there at 5 a.m. and leave at noon--five days a week.
* For a measly $6 an hour?
No. The first five years, I didn't get paid anything.
* But the perks musta been sweet.
Oh, yeah. Movie screenings, premieres, free stuff they'd send to the station. The biggest perk was to say "I'm with the Stern crew." People would be, like, "Oh...that's a different story. Come in."
* Did you ever go to Scores with Howard and the guys?
Yeah, whenever they had parties--Christmas parties, bachelor parties, Super Bowl parties. Whatever fucking excuse they could come up with.
* Have you ever dated a girl from Scores?
Ummm...not dated.
* Then it's fair to say you've scored as a result of working for Howard?
How could you not? But it wasn't like an influx of females jumping down my pants. I wasn't always shown in the most positive light on the show. I'd hear, "You're that dude from the Stern show who they make fun of all the time." Or I'd get hot girls coming up to me and saying, "Aren't you that guy who's on Howard Stern?" And I'd be, like, "Yeah." And they'd be, like, "My boyfriend's such a big fan."
* So, you never had to worry about groupies?
I would get some fan mail and stuff every now and again. It was kinda bizarre. At one point, I had some chick sending me flowers all the time.
* Did you ever meet her?
Yeah. She tried to kiss me and stuff. It was kinda disturbing, considering it was minus 20 out and her upper lip was still sweating. Sweet girl, though.
* Do you have a girlfriend now?
Yeah. We've been dating almost two years. She was in Private Parts, as Howard's newsperson in Detroit--the chick who sat across from him with the cowboy hat on. That's my girl.
* How many bare breasts did you see while working at the show?
Too many to count. It was almost like working at a doctor's office.
* Did Howard bring you in when there were naked women in the studio?
Sometimes I had to go in and hold the microphone. Or I could run into the E! room and watch on the camera. Before E!, Jackie would put his tea in the microwave and run back into the studio. It was very cool to bring Jackie his tea when there was a naked chick in there. We used to fight over who got to do that.
* What was your best experience?
The Private Parts premiere. I was a production assistant on the movie. That's where I sort of got the movie bug. Or maybe when Howard dedicated Miss America to me. I had no idea he was gonna do that.
* How 'bout your worst experience?
Probably when I got my head shaved on the air.
* Who was the most difficult celebrity?
Geraldo--no doubt. I tried to get a release form to him. He said, "I'll sign it--go get my fucking coffee." Dennis Miller was kind of a dick, too.
* Who was your favorite guest?
Pat Cooper was always a character. Richard Simmons was great. I love Richard. It was really cool when a celebrity came in and knew who I was--that blew me away. Kevin Bacon was always good like that. So was Norm Macdonald. Even John Tesh. Kevin Bacon was always like [in an ultra-slacker voice], "Heeeey, what's up Grill-o?"
* So, why don't you parlay these relationships into a movie career?
I'm working on it, bro. But one thing about Hollywood: People just don't throw people nuts. I'd rather work for it than have somebody throw me a nut. At least that way I'll know I got it myself. But I'm not worried.
* Did you have the resources to do your job well?
Most of my job was getting Howard's food. So, it was my own resourcefulness that made the job easy.
* Did you ever spit in Howard's food?
Never, ever.
* Did Howard let you keep the change when you went out to get him lunch?
For the most part. I never, ever spent his money any way other than using it for his food and maybe occasionally buying myself a sandwich.
* Before Monica Lewinsky, you were maybe the most famous intern in America.
Probably, yeah. I never thought about that. I didn't have to suck dick, though.
* Were the other interns jealous of you?
I think some maybe were. They all left, and I stayed, so maybe in that respect they might've been jealous.
* Would you recommend the job to others?
Are you kidding? It's the most amazing experience you could ever get in the entertainment business. No one includes you as an intern more than Howard Stern.
Copyright © 1998 E! Online. All rights reserved.
================================================
Source: E! Online - E! On Air - Exit Grillo
http://www.eonline.com/On/Howard/Grillo/index.html
================================================
Updated: 13-July-1998
Return to the Bio2 Page.
This page © 1998 by The Complete Howard Stern Links!