Letterman

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Yesterday was his last show.

Have not been a big fan. Can't say he's made me laugh many times. The top ten list was childish and often time waste. I didn't like how almost every guest would be one of his favorite actors/acresses. Lots of times if a guest had prepared something funny he would say "that was very funny" in a dry sort of way which came across automatic and not genuine.

Yet, I'd sit there night after night (for a couple of years we would get the show here in Sweden two weeks delayed). And he does seem a humble bloke. Especially after watching his last goodbye.

[Ray de Galles]

Letterman

Anyone got a link to the last show? It's disappeared off the schedules over here in recent years.

It should be needless to say, he's a broadcasting genius and has been the backdrop for all my adult life visiting the States. Has picked a good time to get out though.

.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Letterman

Three things stick out when I think back

One top ten list entry:
Top Ten MTV Music Award Categories Michael Jackson is Nominated In
from David Letterman July 26, 1995
10. Best editing of facial features
9. Outstanding performance in ongoing police investigation
8. Weirdest male artist
7. Weirdest female artist
6. Best performance in a black and white video by artist who isn't really either
5. New video by guy with a brother named Tito
4. Best singer who talks just like Mike Tyson
3. Least life-like nose
2. Best acting in a marriage
1. Best new face

The time he got pissed off at a fellow in the audience and he wouldn't let it go. Letterman had been out there chatting with some in the crowd, one bloke said something not too weird but it pissed Letterman off and he would be grumpy for the rest of the show, adressing that bloke several times from the chair.

Bill Murray and Letterman. Murray was on the last show. You could tell they had a very close bond.

[Ray de Galles]

Letterman

Murray was on the penultimate show, no? Or did he come back last night too?

.

[Hugh Fatbastard]

Letterman

Dave's Final Top Ten List

[Lucia Lanigan]

Letterman

Watching old Letterman clips is one of the few things that temporarily makes me wish I was American. Bill Murray's appearances especially - good times all round.

This is a good read: Letterman writers' favourite dropped bits. The Chaplin one made me LOL on the bus.

[WOM]

Letterman

PVR'd it and watched some this morning. Great stuff all around. But, even having not watched it for years, I'm still a fan. His wit is totally my style. Leno could get run over by his Stanley Steamer for all I cared, but Letterman was the best.

[Ray de Galles]

Letterman

Hugh Fatbastard wrote: Dave's Final Top Ten List

That link's dead now so here's the official one.

JLD and Fey rule it, the number one is the traditional anti-climax.

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[Incandenza]

Letterman

I got up early to start watching it this morning, the montage of his moments interviewing kids had one clip of a girl who did some science experiment with pickles, saying "so here we have a day-to-day pickle," meaning normal. He picked up on that and just repeated "a day-to-day pickle" and I couldn't stop laughing.

With Letterman, the interviews with the guests were almost besides the point. The great stuff were things like him at a Taco Bell drive-through ("she's gone already, chief"), turning people like Rupert, Biff, and Larry Bud Melman into stars, and bringing Chris Elliot into our lives.

The humor wasn't for everyone, but he was incredibly influential. American comedy would be completely different now if it wasn't for him.

[WOM]

Letterman

The kids bits and the Taco Bell bit were my favourites, by far.

"What's your favourite food?"

"Salt."

Quick-cut to him pouring her a teaspoon full of salt.

[Jah Womble]

Letterman

I didn't like how almost every guest would be one of his favorite actors/acresses.

Well, it's worked for virtually every other talk show host...

[jason voorhees]

Letterman

It's my first and last time to be able to talk about David Letterman,.

He was great. I was never an acolyte, but he was a ton of fun. I enjoyed his intellect and midwest vision. He wasn't American, he wasn't a New Yorker, he was Mid-Western. That was decades of cornpone.

He had rappers on before anyone else. I remember when Tribe Called Quest performed "Check the Rime." Before they performed, he informed Q-Tip and Fife that he was "King of the Rappers." They both cracked up.

It was the first place I saw Nick Cave, as he performed "I Had A Dream, Joe."

That was Letterman to me. Cool bands, funny corny jokes.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Letterman

jason does what jason does best.

I fuckin' miss you on here, man. I do.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Letterman

I believe it was Inca who informed me about the special relationship between Bill Murray and Letterman.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Letterman

Incandenza wrote: I got up early to start watching it this morning, the montage of his moments interviewing kids had one clip of a girl who did some science experiment with pickles, saying "so here we have a day-to-day pickle," meaning normal. He picked up on that and just repeated "a day-to-day pickle" and I couldn't stop laughing.

With Letterman, the interviews with the guests were almost besides the point. The great stuff were things like him at a Taco Bell drive-through ("she's gone already, chief"), turning people like Rupert, Biff, and Larry Bud Melman into stars, and bringing Chris Elliot into our lives.

The humor wasn't for everyone, but he was incredibly influential. American comedy would be completely different now if it wasn't for him.

He did some good shit, and then did some shit.
Having Biff Henderson out on the roof with someone random out the audience drop water melons from the roof top. Childish. Bullshit. Waste of my time.

Then he had his magic moments. Not least with politicians who he confronted, maybe not in the CBS 60 minutes kind of way, but still asked some relevant questions.

I bow to Letterman. I might not have been a huge fan, but he's.... the word for him is institution. Icon, even.
In Sweden, if you ask people to list ten people alive which are America in their mind, I'm sure Letterman would be among them in many lists.

I'm blessed to have seen his show. No doubt. He seems a down to earth bloke, a truly nice person. One of the best to promote USA in that good way.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Letterman

Harry Truscott wrote:

Dave's Final Top Ten List

That link's dead now so here's the official one.

JLD and Fey rule it, the number one is the traditional anti-climax.

.

I was born Catholic and ran as fast as I could away from it once my parents allowed. I think I found my new religion. Bill M. He is a God.

[danielmak]

Letterman

I saw that Taco Bell bit when it first aired and was in tears then and again last night. That bit was so funny.

I watched him fairly regularly when he did the Late Late Show and then when he first moved to CBS but rarely watch any of those shows now unless there's a music guest on that I want to see. I generally like Fallon but his show (as with the others) doesn't really interest me much. I'd rather watch football, MLB highlights, or a movie.

[Incandenza]

Letterman

I don't know anyone who stays up to watch a late night talk show in its entirety now. Or anyone who DVRs them regularly. But there must be people who do, otherwise they wouldn't be able to sell the ad space.

[WOM]

Letterman

Go root around in old shoe boxes and you'll find pictures of yourself looking younger and childless. People like that watch Letterman. Them and retirees.

[Renart]

Letterman

The show hasn't been anything special for many years, in my opinion, but it was quite innovative and often hilarious during its initial run on NBC in the eighties.

I used to tape it when I was in high school and watch it when I came home. Many memorable and funny moments.

[Renart]

Letterman

Also, Late Night/the Late Show went off the rails more often than the other late-night talk shows, so it was always fun to watch in expectation of something like Harvey Pekar getting political, Madonna and Sandra Bernhard doing crazy aerobics, Crispin Glover's karate kicks, etc.

[matt j]

Letterman

I can probably count the number of Letterman shows I've seen 'live' (at the actual broadcast time, on TV) on one hand. (This: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K37BLd0GS8 , would have been one of them.)

The total number of late night talk shows (excluding Daily Show & Space Ghost Coast to Coast) probably wouldn't be much higher. I'd hear of particularly funny top tens, but that was about it.

And in the internet age, I've seen more clips of Letterman (and more still of the current crop) than I ever saw before about 2000. Mostly music, some comedy sets. Few interviews.

But Letterman was likeable, and always seemed to be the underdog/strange/hip one. So it seems like the end of an era for him to be gone.

[Incandenza]

Letterman

Renart wrote: Also, Late Night/the Late Show went off the rails more often than the other late-night talk shows, so it was always fun to watch in expectation of something like Harvey Pekar getting political, Madonna and Sandra Bernhard doing crazy aerobics, Crispin Glover's karate kicks, etc.

I had forgotten about the Joaquin Phoenix interview, which ends with one of the great lines.

[Renart]

Letterman

Ha ha, yes!