What To Watch On TV This Week
'The Voice' Shatters Ratings Records
David Letterman turns 60 today: yet another sign that I'm getting old
Remember back in those heady days of the early- to mid-eighties, when David Letterman was considered to be the young, hip alternative to Johnny Carson? You remember... while Johnny was doing his 4,132nd Carnac sketch and putting on daring musical acts like Paul Anka, Dave was conducting elevator races, tossing watermelons off roofs, showing Jerry Lawler slap Andy Kaufman, and putting on bands like the Talking Heads.Well, hold on to your bongs, Baby Boomers, and grab on to that flannel, Gen Xers: Letterman turns 60 today.
Yikes.
Gotta give ol' Dave credit; despite a bypass, a young kid running around, and an overall grumpy disposition, Letterman looks pretty good for 60. And even at 34, which was how old he was when Late Night with David Letterman debuted in February of 1982, he was never considered young-looking by any stretch. But the vibe around Late Night was certainly one that indicated that, while the format was similar to Johnny's, all of what the viewer was about to see was new.
Even Dave himself was different; he wore a jacket and tie, but with khakis and sneakers. Instead of having a sidekick, he bantered with his band leader, Paul Shaffer. The monologue was short, the music between commercials was rock and roll, and Dave and the writers had no qualms with doing sketches and stunts that had no particular point. If it amused Dave, he figured it would amuse someone else in the audience, too. That's why we got Dave in a Rice Krispies suit, Chris Elliot running all over the place, and the late Calvert DeForest bumbling and yelling his way through skits and remotes as Larry "Bud" Melman.
Dave himself went out in the field from time to time, like when he visited Just Shades and Just Bulbs, and when he tried to welcome his new corporate bosses at General Electric by bringing a fruit basket to their New York headquarters. Oh, did I mention that he called his bosses "pinheads" often, especially after GE bought the network? So, not only was he a hip grouch, he was a hip grouch railing against The Man, too.
Now, of course, age, health scares, stability, and fatherhood have mellowed Dave. He wears custom suits and loafers instead of sneakers (though he still wears floppy grey socks... gotta be comfy); he rarely strays from behind his desk; you can see that even he wishes he didn't have to do a Top Ten list anymore. He can conduct a pretty good interview and do a good job salvaging a bad one, but it's been a long time since his show had the "anything goes" feel Late Night and the early days of The Late Show had.
Can he still be absurdist? Sure; anyone who scratches their head every time Dave plays "Will It Float?" can attest to that. And you have to give him and his talent bookers credit for booking young, up-and-coming musical acts along with older superstars. But knowing that not only is the edge off Dave permanently, but we're probably in the last three years of the Letterman era (can you see him hosting past 2010? I can't) makes me a little sad. After all, at 35 (almost 36), I'm older than Dave was when he started in late night, and I know the last 25 years have gone by pretty quickly for me. It means 60 isn't that far away...
Like I said: Yikes. Wonder how that IRA of mine is doing...
12 Comments