Farewell and godspeed, David Letterman

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 12:22am

As Dave begins his final six weeks of Late Shows, guests are finally getting a chance to reminisce and comment on what an important part of American cultural life Dave became over the last three decades.

Last night, Sarah Jessica Parker said she was a surrogate for all Americans wanting to tell him how much he meant to them.  Tonight, Billy Crystal did a repurposed "Sunrise, Sunset" with our own Mr. Marc Shaiman on the piano (making Marc a sort of Forrest Gump of farewells to important late night hosts.  But, you know, a much smarter and more talented Forrest Gump.)

Personally, I'm really going to miss Dave and plan to savor these remaining shows.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 12:51am

Yeah, although I only watch highlights online, I'm going to miss him as well.  A Letterman interview with a big star often felt like an event - not least of all because of how much he is (was?) willing to push people's buttons.  You definitely can't say that about any of his current competitors or successors.  

ETA:

Editing this post on April 18 just to test out messageboard editing functionality.  This has nothing to do with the subject matter of the thread.  

Updated On: 4/18/15 at 12:51 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 12:59am

Letterman was the game changer.

I watched the last episode of Tom Snyder's Tomorrow show (whose slot Dave's NBC Late Night show was replacing) with guest Chevy Chase.  Like guests on all cancelled shows, Chase was sucking up to Snyder and telling him what a HUGE mistake NBC was making and that Letterman was all wrong, "he's a daytime guy." That was the moment I realized that any shred of cool that Chase might have had during season 1 of SNL was either long-gone or had never existed in the first place.

Years later, Chase had a competing late night talk show of his own, with bus ads that showed him grinning with a fake space between his two front teeth.  "Filling the Late Night Gap" it said.  As if.  I don't think the show lasted six weeks.  Proving Chase was not a day time guy, a night time guy, or even a funny guy.

Dave's longevity speaks for itself.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 2:26am

Funny--I just looked that up and guess who else he talks about https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKTzQ0epySE  (Did Chevy actually think Letterman was good in a 9am slot??)

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 6:56am

I'll never, ever, forget his opening monologue the night of his first show back after 9/11. Perfectly captured the way I think everyone felt. 

 

For all the hilarious bits and segments (like Will it Float or Know Your Cuts of Meat), he was an astute, sharp, interviewer, easily able to see through a lot of the BS celebrities and politicians tried to feed him. His interviews, unlike Leno's and Fallon's both of whom kiss up to their guests, were outstanding. 

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 8:55am

He's also a homophobic womanizer and drug addict. Just in case you were curious. 

[SNAFU]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 10:07am

And you are a really annoying pain in the a$s and thread destroyer in case you were interested.

 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 10:52am

David Letterman hit in a time when there were very few people who weren't homophobic, least of all unsophisticated straight guys from Indiana.  He grew up and matured and became more sophisticated and clearly evolved in his thinking and getting over his fear of the unknown.  Which is a best case scenario for straight white male Americans.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 10:53am

Fair enough, Namo. Yes... he did evolve. But I would still consider him a bigot in some ways. 

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 10:54am

And here is a very recent example of how Letterman has evolved.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 11:04am

Yes, but see, when you're an injustice collector like the 'bland, what you said 30 years ago is more important.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 11:37am

I conceded you that point, Namo. But there is something to be said of past actions and statements. Bigotry rarely washes away completely in a person's lifetime. Unless you're a politician, who can miraculously "evolve" on human rights issues or flip flop on other major social issues. 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 11:47am

You are a terrible bigot so it is difficult to watch you play sanctimonious about bigotry.

Meanwhile, despite your best efforts to make another thread about you, this is a David Letterman winding down thread.

Updated On: 4/15/15 at 11:47 AM

[Tag]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 12:13pm

It's interesting how some sex scandals can destroy careers (and/or degrade public perception) but his just seems to have been disregarded.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 12:21pm

It depends on what the person says and does.  Letterman (like Hugh Grant before him) got ahead of the story and talked as bluntly as he's spoken about anything and was motivated by his refusal to capitulate to a blackmailer.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 2:11pm

Like most everybody else, I'll miss him too. Only six weeks left? The end has come so quickly!

A classic moment:

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 2:24pm

"It depends on what the person says and does.  Letterman (like Hugh Grant before him) got ahead of the story and talked as bluntly as he's spoken about anything and was motivated by his refusal to capitulate to a blackmailer."

 Exactly.  All things considered, he handled it in a very classy manner, I thought.  And while he did abuse his position of power, it didn't seem (to me, anyway) as reprehensible as other men in the public sphere have done and gotten excused for.

I almost hate to ask, but where did these charges of homophobia come from?  Obviously he's come around since then, but, while I remember staying up late in JR High to watch the Late Late Show, I don't remember ever getting that vibe from him.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 3:19pm

That, my friend, is because much of his 1970's standup was not video recorded. I can assure you, however, that he was extremely bigoted in those routines. For more recent suggestions of bigotry, please refer to the following reading:

http://aksarbent.blogspot.com/2011/08/david-letterman-interview-regis-philbin.html

http://www.queerty.com/why-did-david-letterman-refuse-to-shake-hands-with-john-cameron-mitchell-20140524

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/rosie-odonnell-why-shes-battling-trump-and-letterman

http://www.examiner.com/article/david-letterman-debacle-late-show-host-takes-heat-for-transphobic-amanda-simpson-skit

http://queersunited.blogspot.com/2008/11/david-letterman-makes-mockery-out-of.html

 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 3:20pm

The early days of his career coincided with the earliest days of the AIDS epidemic when it was important for men to make it very clear that they stayed away from gay men.  Elton John got married!  So did Calvin Klein.

Letterman was not like, say, a Gallagher, who said gay men deserved what they got.  He was just a dumb midwestern "isn't this weird" kind of homophobe.  He was nothing compared to more enlightened New Yorkers like the Beastie Boys, who used to go on and on with the fags and the AIDS stuff.

Best case scenario is usually that you hope they grow up and learn to keep their mouths shut.  But the even better case scenario is what happened with Letterman and the Beasties, they became vocal advocates and allies.

This is not enough for an injustice collector, though.  

Updated On: 4/15/15 at 03:20 PM

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 3:34pm

 

Hey, knock, knock.

Who's there?

What's the difference between David Letterman and South Florida?

What's the difference between David Letterman and South Florida who?

 

 

 

NO ONE IS FORGIVEN FIRE FIRE FIRE

 

 

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 4:33pm

 

Bigotry rarely washes away completely in a person's lifetime.

 

That is one of the stupidest things anyone has ever posted on BroadwayWorld.

It is both patently false and obviously true--simultaneously. 

Like much you say here, you say it not to engage in an intellectual discussion but merely to "score points" and prove another person wrong.

That is what makes people despise you: that you are so invested in proving other people wrong.

 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 4:52pm

And nevvvvvvvvvvvvvverrrrrrrr acknowledging you're wrong.  You just stop responding when you're proven wrong and pop up somewhere else as if you're just going to blend in and be a normal person but you're waiting to pounce again.

 

Perhaps the abscessory can start its own thread called Good riddance homophobic Letterman, although we all know it's more interested in derailing existing threads.

Updated On: 4/15/15 at 04:52 PM

[SNAFU]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 4:59pm

It's all about the sick need to be noticed. Any attention is good attention.

 

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 5:22pm

And you're more interested in derailing our country with your support of homophobic bigots, deniers of the AIDS epidemic, and corrupt "master puppeteer" cronies in D.C. 

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 4/15/15 at 6:04pm