The news of Letterman’s retirement next year was the sort of inevitable news that is both a small relief and sad at the same time.
It’s a relief because any big fan of his knows The Late Show has been pretty weak the last few years, coasting on automatic pilot, and nobody wants to watch their hero in decline. It was exactly the same when Carson finally called it quits. It was time to say goodbye. A late night host has to be in touch with the zeitgeist he is commenting on and making fun of every night, and with the two Jimmys (Fallon and Kimmel) doing that so adroitly now, Letterman just felt more and more irrelevant. The bittersweet irony being that both of those younger hosts, along with Conan O’Brien and everyone else under 55, learned their trade from watching Dave in his innovative early days at NBC.
Hell, even that whiny-assed right-wing sellout Jay Leno, whose retirement earlier this year was a moment for true celebration, admitted that Dave was the man who changed the late night game. Carson was Carson and he took his show with him when he retired and then died – nobody will ever replicate the old Tonight Show and what it meant when America had only three major channels. But Dave’s silly snarky post-modern take on the talk show would become the template for a thousand imitators and is still resonating today.
Only people of a certain age now remember how shocking and exhilarating Dave was when he began in the early 80’s. He was deconstructing TV on a nightly basis. There were goofy stunts (the suit made out of velcro being my personal favorite) and edgy, unpredictable interviews that could veer off into real discomfort. The low-tech no-hype honesty of it all was unbelievably refreshing. Dave was not putting on a persona, he was just being his own mercurial self, waving away cigar smoke after every commercial break and reveling in the absurdity of broadcasting. The show seemed aimed at college students like myself who were ready for a more irreverent approach that didn’t play by the rules.
One of my fondest memories is how Letterman became a bridge between me and my father. My Dad was between jobs as a stock brokerage manager at the time and had uncharacteristically grown out his beard and become a bit of a layabout. When I came home from Boston University, he and I would stay up and watch Dave’s show while sharing a joint. I can still remember us both laughing so hard we were crying. It was the first time I had ever had that kind of shared experience with my Dad and it felt wonderful. I loved that he got the same thrill I did from this very hip young show. Any generation gap just melted away. Neither of us was certain what to do next in our life, but by god, we were going to get a little high and laugh our asses off every night.
I think Dave continued to be just as sharp and funny through the first couple years at CBS, but after he hosted the Oscars – and was widely seen as failing – something seemed to change in him. It was like his own low opinion of his talent began to poison his delivery and create a self-fulfilling prophecy. He began indulging in this weird OCD-like repetition of bad punchlines. (“Uma, Oprah” was just the start) His ratings slipped, kicking off a long losing streak to the plastic Leno. He fired a lot of his writers and hired older guys who wrote dated Catskills-type jokes. It was sad to watch. But even as his monlogues and bits suffered, he was still the king of the interview – creating electric and spontaneous moments with his guests. He has always been especially good with women. You can tell he genuinely enjoys sparring with them and they become absolutely radiant under his attention. He is maybe the only host that could ever make kissing a woman’s hand at the end of an interview feel humble and respectful, not cheesy.
And yes, those are all young women, but I could just as easily show a photo of Meryl Streep and you’d see the same undeniable chemistry. The guy really really likes women. The conservative freaks (well aware of Letterman’s political views) tried to turn this into a criminal offense when it came out he had affairs with some women at work, but I’d much rather watch the fireworks that happen when he interviews a cute actress than watch Leno talk to her with all the sexual tension and finesse of a sixth grader. A little libido makes for good interviews.
Anyway, I’m glad he’s wrapping it up on his own terms and leaving his very considerable legacy intact.
It will be fun to watch his final days, as all the celebrities come back to kiss his ring and say goodbye. Unlike with Leno, all the media hoopla will be well-earned.
Truth be told, I’m much sadder that Stephen Colbert will have to abandon his alter-ego and the brilliant satire of The Colbert Report. For my money, it’s simply the funniest show on TV, and great political parody is much harder to come by than yet another talk show.
But that’s another column. Back to Dave…
I would say I’m going to miss him, but the fact is I can see him every night in the best parts of what Fallon, Kimmel, O’Brien, Meyers, or anyone else, does on their shows.
He’s right there, clear as day.
I can’t think of a better compliment.
