On Tue, Jan 1, 2013 at 1:04 PM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > > > But I think we know from what Dave has said over the years about Leno that > much of what he refers to in this quote about Leno's insecurity has to do > not with his relationship with his own writers or staff, but his > relationship with his peers. Dave has always implied that Leno was the kind > of guy who would laugh with his peers in the parking lot or the bar after > the comedy club had closed down for the night, but then maneuver behind the > scenes to get himself a better spot and screw the other guys. This was the > sense in which I think Dave meant that the Leno we saw embroiled in the > dance of death with Conan O'Brien was the Leno he knew from back in the > day. And I think he always means that this is surprising to Dave > particularly because Leno was always the funniest and most polished comic > in the room, and so would obviously have been successful even without > the maneuvering. It is this kind of thing that I take to be what Dave meant > when he said Leno was insecure, though perhaps the entire interview will > reveal more. > > I doubt that Dave would deny his own insecurities - though his interview > with Alec Baldwin last year revealed to me a guy who has come to terms with > a lot of those. Interestingly, like Conan O'Brien, Dave seems to be at > peace now doing the kind of show that fits into the kind of life he wants > to lead. Many critics miss the more obsessive, hard-working Dave who would > come in early and on weekends and tape those remote pieces and review every > joke and every bit, but he seems to realize that at this point in his life > the show, while important, is no longer more important that his personal > life. I will be interested in what he says about his relationship with his > wife - I suspect it will be something along the lines that being > blackmailed about his affair forced him to realize that at his age he has > very few degrees of freedom left to make his relationship with his wife and > son work. > > Having been forced though a serious of unfortunate events to sit through > an entire Tonight Show monologue about a month ago, I can say that what > jumped out to me about that quote was Dave continuing to see Leno as funny > - though with the qualification that you have to see his nightclub act, I > am less surprised. As I and others here have noted repeatedly over the > years, when Leno is almost anyplace else besides the Tonight Show stage, he > comes across not just as funny, but as smart and insightful. >
Leno really cares about what other comics say about him. I listen to Jimmy Pardo's Never Not Funny and I recall clearly guests telling Jimmy that they've gotten calls from Jay after they said something negative about him. Dave never does that as far as I've heard. -- +++++++++++++++ Joe Coughlin http://www.twitter.com/inturnaround -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
