I have so very much enjoyed these last few weeks of Dave, and am looking forward to the last three nights. But then, I have always been all in with Dave.
The end of Dave's run of course has particular significance for this group, which first came together in large part around him. The second item I entered into an internet search when I got my first home connection (AOL, of course) was "David Letterman", and the most interesting hit was AB's mailing list, which I subscribed to not even knowing what such a thing was. Through the ups and the downs, my house has always been, as Tommy Hanks once famously said, a Dave House. These last few weeks have really been special for me, and I am not ashamed to admit to getting a little sentimental on occasion. I grew up with Carson, and sat in his live audience more than a few times. I love Colbert, and look forward to what he will bring. But no single person on television has had nearly as much influence on my adult years as David Letterman. His Late Night started my first year in grad school, and friends and I would gather around my little portable TV after (and often during pauses) in late night study sessions because somehow he was broadcasting the persona we were trying to pull off. He was funny, smart, lightening quick (which I think is really the difference between old Dave and new Dave), irreverent, but underneath seemed like a good guy. My wife and I got through midnight feedings for three kids with Dave talking us through it. My teenage kids believed (for at least a little while longer than they otherwise would) that I was a little bit cool because of Dave. I had at least some contact with the music my college aged children listened to because of Dave. He obviously got us through some tough times as a nation, and watching him deal with the tough times in his own life (deaths and illness and shame), straightforwardly, with a minimum of drama, but with honesty and courage, has been a model worth being informed by. It makes sense for him to leave now, but unlike when Carson retired, which for me really was mostly a kind of "what took you so long" moment, I find I am really going to miss Dave. This goes beyond whether or not he is still funny, or still edgy, or just phoning things in. My parents both died many years ago, as have my wife's. For as long as I have thought of myself as an adult I regularly heard Dave's voice at the end of the day (more recently it was just as often at the start of the next day, or even over the weekend), providing me with a certain kind of continuity and reality check. I have not always agreed with him - but I almost always found him comforting. Thanks Dave. -- -- 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 --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
