Dave, Where Art Thy Comedy?

In the two years since I wrote the original article, quite a few things have happened in the late night talk show universe.  I still haven’t started to watch Letterman again, but within the last two years it has become easier to watch clips of TV programs that everyone is talking about.  Like did you hear that Letterman had sex with female staff members, of which one of the affairs, from what little I do know about it, took place after he said “I do” to his baby mama and second wife?  Alas, the first paragraph of my last article stated that I wanted to someday be the next Mrs. (make that Ms.) Letterman (actually, I wouldn’t have taken his last name because I don’t do that tradition) – now I’m kind of happy he never proposed. 

                In the original article, I wrote about how my friend went to a Letterman taping and Sanjaya was one of the guests.  It was at the height of Sanjaya fever and my friends noted that when he arrived the paparazzi were saying awful things to him in order to get a response and they felt sorry for him.  Besides that point, it was the first time I had watched Letterman in years.  I was a devoted fan back in the day, but the day had changed and the whole squabble about who would inherit ‘The Tonight Show’ sort of put me off the whole late night talk show viewing game.  It wasn’t really a protest against Letterman as much as one against Jay Leno because I never thought he was as funny and self deprecating as Letterman.  He seemed to willing to kiss the behinds of any star no matter how stupid they were while ‘his team’ acted like jackals behind the scenes by making sure certain stars wouldn’t appear on other programs – I have a sense of fair play and really despise that sort of thug inspired competition.  Everything was explained in the book 'Late Shift' (and  HBO movie based on the book). 

                Granted, the night I wrote about could have been an off night for Letterman, but it just felt as if the magic had gone.

                Well two years later and Letterman is doing okay for himself except for the bad publicity generated from Clintonizing aids and getting in hot water with the Palinites who thought one of his top ten lists suggested that one of her under aged daughters (the one that isn’t Bristol or Piper) was getting it on with A Rod.  Apparently, he is on top of the ratings against Conan O’Brien (which I imagine a lot is due to Jay Leno vain quest to never leave television).  I wonder if you can tell that I’m not much of a Leno fan? 

                Overall, I think of this piece as a love letter of sorts to the late night comedian that will always have a place in my heart.  Now I am more likely to watch Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, along with Chelsea Handler, but Letterman, despite all of the recent bad publicity, will always manage to make smile. 

If you want to join the Resurrection Sunday fun, join the group that makes every Sunday good reading.  

To be honest, I don’t remember why I stopped watching ‘The Late Show with David Letterman.’  When I was younger I was a huge fan.  I thought I was the woman who was destined to walk down the aisle with Mr. Letterman (his second time around).  Me in a Valentino gown, he in a Velcro suit.

                   I don’t know what happened, how I feel out of love and laughter with Dave.  All I know was that it happened.  Sure, I could blame Jon Stewart and his wit, his show being a marriage of comedy and politics, but my separation with Dave happened before Jon.  Sometimes relationships just die.

                Monday night one of my best friends and her husband were able to finagle tickets to the Letterman show.  They were placed front row center, probably because the two of them are as cute as buttons.  I was convinced that my friend would be involved in some sort of audience participation, but alas, that wasn’t part of the program.  She would have killed at cuts of meat trivia.

                I watched the show in my humble abode waiting to see if the camera would pan their way and I could shout, “There they are!”  I think I did see them at the beginning, but am not sure.  I continued to watch the show in hopes catching a glimpse at them, but no such luck.  Instead, I watched the program and fought the impulse to change the channel to ‘The Colbert Report.’ 

                My friend called me after the show, which tapes around 4:00 eastern, and gave me the news that ‘American Idol’ reject Sangina read the top ten list.  She said outside the theater the paparazzi went wild for him and I literally gasped.  Something about the paparazzi following Sanjaya around seemed too surreal to be surreal.

                   My friend was proud of her VIP seating, her husband and she being the right combination of adorable and Midwestern.  She said ‘he’ came out and talked to them, which lead to one of those ‘who’s on first’ conversations. 

                 Me, “You talked to Sanjaya?” 

                She, “No, why would we talk to Sanjaya?” 

                Me, “I don’t know.”  To myself I think because you followed Peter Marshall (original host of ‘Hollywood Squares’) around at a wedding shouting “Peter, I’ll take a center square to block.”  Incidentally, the whole episode led to the groom asking my friend not to bother Peter anymore. 

               She, “No, Dave came out to talk to us.  He is very thin and has blondish hair.  He looks better on camera.”  All I can say, to remain kind, is “Huh?”

                In the earlier days, back when Dave was doing ‘Late Night with David Letterman,’ you could always tell when Dave didn’t think the show was going well primarily because he would grumble out comments about how the show wasn’t going well.  In a way, his belly aching actually made the show go better because his complaints were always astute observations.  Plus, he wouldn’t pull any punches.  If a country-western star came on the program with odd hair, dear Dave would ask him, “Why is your hair cut like an end table?”  When Mr. T. looked like he was going to tear Letterman’s arm off, Dave countered back, “I like fishing.”  This led to Mr. T. grimacing to which Dave then said, “You like fishing?”  Classic stuff. 

                  I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard in my life when he was doing a story on a store called ‘Just Bulbs’ that sold only light bulbs.  When Dave kept asking the salesman for something other than bulbs the man kept saying, “No, we just sell bulbs.”  When Dave asked for a lampshade, the man finally gave in and said, “You will probably have to go to a store that sells just shades.”  Viola, the next scene was front of a store called, ‘Just Shades.’

                While looking up the anecdote above (I couldn’t remember the name of the first store) I came upon this blog entry http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/04/12/david-letterman-turns-60-today-yet-another-sign-that-im-gettin/ and I had to pause for a moment when I read Dave just turned 60.  The opinions of the blogster were close to mine, Dave is no longer the innovative entertainer he once was, but also the things that made ‘Late Night with David Letterman’ seem so great weren’t just in my imagination (if you check out the blog, check out the comments as well).  Funny, I began this article with a pop culture observation and now I end it on a bittersweet note - how fleeting life is, but also how the laughs of a by gone era can still make me smile.

© 2007 Westerfield