Yes, I have been a little Letterman obsessed lately. Yes. I did change my profile picture to Letterman. Let me explain why.
When Johnny Carson passed away, I wrote Dave a letter. I searched the hard drive of my ancient desk top and could not find it. It was a great letter. I don’t think I can convey my feelings as eloquently now as I did then, but I will try. (I am trying to rush this post prior to the last show tonight.)
I loved Johnny Carson.
I was a fan at a young age. He
was a master. His greatness was based on
two things: his quick wit and his
ability to listen. Those are the two
most important attributes for a great talk show host. (Prior to the viral video generation
anyway.) My dream was to attend a taping
of The Tonight Show to see Johnny live. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to
California until the year after he retired. I did make it to the show, but
it was not the same, for me. It was fun,
but Jay Leno was not Johnny Carson. Jay may have a quick wit, but he is not a good
listener. During Jay's interviews, he always found a way to bring it back to him. I am not going to go on about Jay here, my
point is, his skills as an interviewer were lacking.
I also loved Dave Letterman.
I am one of the few that watched, and enjoyed, his morning show. That was soon cancelled. Probably the best thing to happen to Dave. After that, he was given Late Night with
David Letterman. A show created for
him. He was to follow the great Carson.
What a great double line up.
Dave had a quick wit and he was a good listener. Sometimes it didn’t seem like he was listening,
but he was. When he showed disdain, he
was listening and observing. Dave
brought something to Late Night that Johnny didn’t (he didn’t need to), he
involved the audience and reached out.
He did bits with store owners, people on the street and people in their
homes. He also added “antics.” He donned
a suit with Alka Seltzer and jumped in a giant glass, he threw items off the
rooftop, and more. He was doing the “repeat
after me” bit way before Ellen. He also broke the fourth wall and engaged his staff during the show. (Johnny did that a little bit with Fred, but not stagehands and cue card guys, etc.)
I connected with Dave. I know he wasn’t everyone’s cup of
tea. Sometimes, I believe some of those people didn't "get" him or understand him.
That may be true, but to some, he just was not funny. That is okay. I think a big reason I connect to
Dave is that he reminds me of my Dad. He always has. Most people did not know how funny my Dad was
because he always had a serious, professional look about him. My dad was funny. He could’ve been on SNL or a host of his own
talk show. He was not overtly funny,
just like Dave is not overtly funny. His
humor was subtle and smart. It is not just their humor they have in common, it is their practical, non-judgmental way of looking at life they share. It is hard to explain unless you "witness" it yourself.
Dave was also at his best when he was not trying to be
funny. When he interviewed Tom Brokaw, or a
former President or a medal of honor recipient, he had questions about real life issues and took
them seriously. It has been well
documented that his first show after his heart surgery and the first show after
911 were very touching and heartfelt. I whole heartedly agree. I
think people forget about that side of Dave sometimes. I see that side of Dave almost every night. If you listen to the guest and listen to the questions
Dave asks, that introspective side is there every night.
Dave also had low tolerance for tom foolery. When Joaquin
Phoenix decided to pull his stunt on the show, Dave was not having it. I truly
think the best off the cuff, one liner in HISTORY was when Dave said, “Joaquin,
I am sorry you couldn’t be here tonight.”
GENIUS!
I think it speaks volumes that Johnny wrote monologue jokes
for Dave and chose Dave’s show as the only post Tonight Show appearance he did. I think it also speaks volumes that so many
celebrities have paid tribute to Dave in the last couple of months. Many were brought to tears or struggled to
hold back the tears. (Worth checking out: Ray Romano, Norm MacDonald, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and more) He touched many
lives. I will miss him. This is sappy but it is like saying goodbye
to my dad again. (I know, that sounds
over the top but I think of my Dad every time I watch Dave.)
I often think of another person when I watch Dave, my friend
Mary. Mary and I met in college. We
bounded over a TV guide. We both loved
Johnny and Letterman. (And I might add
Mike Douglas, but will just stick to the late night guys right now.) Mary watched the morning show too. The first time I saw the Letterman show in
person was with Mary. It was great. (Fun
fact: I saw The Tonight Show with Mary too.)
I have a feeling if we were born 10 years later, we would not be working
at Aetna together, instead, we would be
writing or hosting a talk show. (I say
that because I don’t’ even think we imagined we could try to have such a job
when we left college. I wish we did.)
My kids never had the pleasure of watching Johnny in his
prime (they can watch clips) but I am glad they were able to watch Dave. I am also grateful I had the chance to see
Dave’s show live, especially the week before he retired. It was a treat.
So, back to my letter to Dave. The Letterman show after Johnny’s passing was
another great episode. If you haven’t
seen it, try to find it. It was an hour
about how great Johnny was and what he meant to people. The gist of my letter to Dave was to share
what Dave meant to me and that he himself was just as legendary as Johnny.
I am looking forward to Dave’s last show tonight. I wish it wasn't his last show, but after 33 years, he deserves to retire. I know I will shed a tear, or two.
