ON THE LETTERMAN SHOW

ALL TOO QUICKLY

The writer on the David Letterman Show September 29, 1980

    The day before Dave Letterman departed Indiana for what has become an historic future, we had a picnic on our wooded property in southern Indiana.

     His pick up truck was loaded and he was a bit apprehensive. He and his then wife Michelle and Lana and I had packed a lunch and were there to give him a send off. Dave was in what Jay Leno would refer to as his Dinty Moore fashion stage. Dave had calculated how long they could survive before he or she got jobs. He was ready to work at a gas station if need be.  

    We had been a big supporter of his move. I was convinced he'd make it, big. Dave was, as he often can be, more doubtful. But the point was, he was giving it a go.  Oh, how things would have been different for all of us if he had not spooled up the courage to give it a shot. It took guts going from Indiana to Hollywood.

     In the last couple of months I have been interviewed by people from the New York Times, magazines, papers and local television stations. I have said repeatedly, as I have since the late 70's, Dave is one of, if not the most, innovative user of television and technology. Way back I told an author writing a book about Dave that he was able to build on the innovative genius of Ernie Kovacs in terms of how to use the medium and technology to entertain. He raised the bar and created a new standard for the format even disposing of what was a kind of artificial formality about television programs.

      I remember sitting one evening in our east side Indianapolis apartment watching our favorite, the master, Johnny Carson.  Johnny was doing his Carnack bit, supplying questions to the answers read by Ed McMahon. Dave was supplying his own lines and they were better than Johnny's.

     In the early days I hosted a morning radio magazine show  broadcast on two stations. I hired Dave to write a kicker "essay" to run two or three days week to close out the hour.  He'd write, call me to run through it, then later we'd record it. Often he was not sure what he had written was funny. I tell you in all honesty it was brilliant. I remember laughing so hard sometimes that I'd almost drop the phone. It was a genesis of his  brand of humor that is now so well known. But being original and cutting edge there were a few in news management who did not appreciate it. There were times when getting the checks to Dave was delayed because the boss had not written a requisition, so there were weeks when I paid him the $25 to $50 out of my pay, which at the time was $150 a week. Neither one of us had much money, but it didn't matter. The important thing was to get his work on the air.

      A couple of years before that Dave took my shift at a little AM radio station in Muncie Indiana. Lana and I were married in April and we were going to honeymoon in Europe until August-that was back in the days of Europe on budget plan. Dave took over my mid-day shift which included doing news casts and then an afternoon drive time shift of playing hit music. I told him he'd need to play it straight doing the news, but could have fun on the DJ shift.  He did both. And as I have said before, "Look where it got him!"  That is facetious of course because what got him there was a rare and unique sense of humor and amusement.

     I'm a bit stunned that my old friend is wrapping up 33 years, an historic television record. I told someone many years ago that I thought Dave would be in the pantheon with names like Carson, Benny, Hope, Kovacs, Allen, and Berle. He's there. He's made us laugh and he's been clarifyingly honest. He's inspired generations of new entertainers. He is indeed one of the greatest.

     I think of all of his bits and shtick what I enjoy most is hearing Dave laugh, when he is genuinely amused. I'd love to again spend some time with him, but what I hope most for him in his retirement is that he'll find a lot of reasons to laugh, genuinely. 

      

       And Dave, next time I'm on your show, make sure the graphics operator knows how the name is spelled.

LANA'S TOP 10 FOR DAVE

   Lana tries her hand at comedy writing as a salute to Dave.

    THE TOP TEN THINGS DAVE WILL PURSUE WHEN HE RETIRES

    10- Open a Pizza Parlor in Muncie

      9-Be a judge in the Westminster Dog Show

      8-Teach Harry how to mow the lawn

      7-Run off to Italy with George Clooney

      6-Be the oldest Rookie at the Indy 500

      5-Open a Hardware Store

      4-Play bocce on Thursday with Jon Stewart

      3-Become a florist like his Dad

      2-Move to California and smoke weed with Ophra

      1-Finally get a real job!

       See you down the trail.

CHIMES, FALLON, WATER

WHAT'S THE AFFECT OF 

CHRONIC CHIME LISTENING?

     Santa's gift to Lana, Sunrise Serenade Grace Note Chimes CDFGAC f/maj 6/9, have become a distinctive element of my daily soundscape.

       They are always appreciated, never distracting and somehow magic or hypnotic. They "score" the study view and are omnipresent.  Wonder how the vibrational harmony works on mind and body? They are made in Mariposa Ca, near Yosemite, some of the planet's most beautiful grandeur. They sound with a beauty and invoke a feeling of grandeur.

       There is a compounding effect as well. Both neighbors up the hill have their own chimes. There are afternoons when the Pacific breeze tickles the chimes here on the hill and we are treated to a rich symphony.  Never a bad note and always a sense of peace and calm, even when the breeze morphs to wind gusts.  Thanks to the person who gave us wind chimes.

  MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A RAIN DROP

    Drought mindful and water appreciative Californians find infinite ways to conserve, especially precious rainwater.  As we plan a larger water catchment system, Lana has ingeniously split rain drops into a portable and convenient sized irrigation system.

   Out of the spout into former kitty litter containers.

   She dutifully attends the containers in a rain and produces

portable reclaimed water for use on the hill. Since our flora is drought tolerant, the water goes a long way.

LIKE JOHNNY DID IT

     Jimmy Fallon is juicing the TONIGHT SHOW and is following the Johnny Carson game plan. 
       Some of you will recall when a young Johnny took over and won fans with his energy, wit and youthful humor, especially the bits he patented over the years. Ditto Fallon.  

       His New York set is reminiscent of Carson's era and the entrance from curtains is very much Johnny. Carson was quick and witty and so is Fallon. The Roots crew band is killer. Johnny visibly enjoyed his NBC band, especially the regular or guest drummers. Jimmy evinces that style of  relationship with Roots and he works them into sketches, much as Johnny did with Doc  Severinsen or Tommy Newsom.  

      He's using quick video inserts and bits in the knit of his monologue and in his work from home base. He's getting into the studio audience as did Johnny. He works his A list guests into bits and great moments at the desk. His enthusiastic manner, deep talent as a singer and impersonator combine well. He's creating his own signature skits. He's a generational shift, but then so too was Carson.

      Another great vibe is New York. 

      The difference at 11:30 from when America seemed to "wait up" to watch Johnny, is that we record and watch whenever. That of course means you don't have to abandon an old friend like Dave Letterman or forgo conversation with Charlie Rose.  

      See you down the trail.

     

THE WEEKENDER-OSCAR TIME

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO...

    Nope.  No predictions here.  There's enough of that from other sources.  I'm pleased to have seen most of the nominated performances and am convinced there is some extraordinary talent working on both sides of the camera in this era.

    There is a longing though.  Johnny Carson's hosting kindles memories of a good era.  And Billy Crystal's work was some of the most inventive and sensational.   

     I still like to fantasize what it must have been like to be in the Hollywood crowd in the 30's and 40's when personality more than corporate seemed to be the power behind the studios and silver screen. It hangs in my mind as a time of icons.  

WEEKEND VIDEO

HERE'S A SWEET SHORT

WORDS MATTER

HOME GROWN VIDEO

It is bottling time at some local wineries

so....here's a late valentine

       Enjoy the Oscar telecast and have a great weekend.

See you down the trail.