The Half-Dead Scribe Behind ‘When I See Beth Smiling’

Photo: The Howard Stern Show

Howard got Lonnie, the writer of “When I See Beth Smiling,” on the phone and asked him how long it took to write the song. Lonnie said it took a few months, and Robin laughed that this was probably why it was so bad. Howard wondered if Lonnie was bummed out when the show made fun of the song, but Lonnie claimed he was happy just to be alive; he had a heart attack two years ago and is currently on dialysis because he’s waiting for a kidney transplant.