It feels unfair to call this the end of an era because, good gosh, David Letterman's time in our collective consciousness spans a heck of a lot longer than just one era.
Can't tell you the last time I watched Letterman live. It's been years.
At some point, the guy's act became regarded as stale and old-fashioned and that's certainly said. Because his legacy, undoubtedly, is the opposite.
Snark is the most popular tone in today's world of communication that features a platform and a voice for everyone. Letterman was doing snark before snark was cool.
There was a great article on him at Grantland, as someone posted yesterday on the board. Just fantastic background and excellent insight into the behind-the-scenes brilliance that made it happen.
Another excellent tribute in The Washington Post.
Stupid Human Tricks, Stupid Pet Tricks. Shouting from the windows of 30 Rock to passersby below, just because. Throwing things off a high rooftop just to see what would happen when they hit the pavement in the alley below. “How about a beach ball filled with guacamole?” suggests a passing citizen, reading from a cue card. (And sure enough, SPLAT. It seemed like the funniest thing imaginable, because at the time it probably was the funniest thing imaginable.)
Lettermanese was by the mid-1980s a language most of us spoke fluently. Long before Internet access and well before the limitless choices of pop-culture niches, “Late Night” was one of the few shared signifiers or litmus tests of Gen X youth culture. The show would have on bands that we liked, that most of the world had not heard of yet. If you didn’t pick up an understanding and appreciation of “Late Night” in college, then of what possible use were you to us? Why have a boyfriend or girlfriend who didn’t like Letterman? Why share a bed with anyone who didn’t want to watch it in bed?
And this:
From “Late Night” to “Late Show,” things stayed the same in some essential ways. Paul Shaffer and the band are off to Letterman’s right, shattering all records of employee loyalty; the theme song they play each night is the same. The Top 10 lists, the dog tricks, the zany characters who come and go, the occasional street stunts. So much of it has not changed, but when you watch it now, after such a deep dive into the “Late Night” and “Late Show” archives, you realize that he’s the one who changed.
Now he’s more of the Old Softy. Maybe it was the heart surgery. Maybe it was the near-miss with career immolation after the news of his office affair, the handling and outcome of which should be its own chapter in a textbook for damage-control experts. Maybe it was marriage and fatherhood. Maybe it was his obligation to keep spirits aloft in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Actresses stopped claiming to be afraid of Letterman. They learned long ago that the key was to flirt shamelessly with him and make him blush.
Here, Bill Murray gets baked and jumps out of a cake for Letterman ... to a cover from The Band, no less.
A few Wednesday links:
-- Donovan McNabb says Syracuse's decision to pull No. 44 out of retirement is disrespectful.
Donovan McNabb said it's "disrespectful" for Syracuse to un-retire the No. 44.
The decision to restore 44 was announced by the school Tuesday afternoon. The decision was applauded by most, including former No. 44 Floyd Little and current football coach Scott Shafer.
But McNabb, one of the most decorated players in school history and a member of Syracuse's Board of Trustees, took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to talk about why the decision bothered him.
-- Quarterback transfers have been a hot topic in college football, but Mike London's problems with them have sort of flown under the radar. David Teel examines this unsettling trend in Charlottesville.
All that said, the loss of six quarterbacks in three-plus years speaks to Virginia coach Mike London’s missteps in recruiting and managing the position, missteps that have damaged the program and imperiled his job.
Reserve quarterback Corwin Cutler’s return to the Cavaliers on Tuesday — he said last week that he was transferring to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas — adds intrigue and lends a Ringling Bros. element but absolves London of nothing.
This remains an epidemic, and the problems remain systemic.
Two quarterbacks — Cutler would have made it three — have left the Cavaliers since season’s end: David Watford and 2014 starter Greyson Lambert. Announced last week, Lambert’s decision assures that Sept. 5 at UCLA, Virginia will have its 10th opening-day starter in 11 seasons. That’s instability that few, if any, programs can rival, or could withstand.
By comparison, presuming incumbent Michael Brewer retains his job, Virginia Tech will have started five quarterbacks over the same period: Marcus Vick, Sean Glennon, Tyrod Taylor and Logan Thomas the others.
The Hokies are 96-38 since 2005. The Cavaliers are 52-70.
-- Here's a look at the revitalization of an Athens jewel.
The Georgia Theatre has been a YMCA, movie house, Masonic Temple, Sears and a church during its lifetime since 1889.
All those past iterations were erased for good in 2009.
For some, it may feel like yesterday when the venue burned. For those new to town, the Georgia Theatre was gutted by a fire and forced to implement an enormous amount of renovations, fundraising and re-planning to be the venue it is now.
The fire’s effect rippled through inside and outside the community, as support for the Theatre came from far and near with $300,000 raised through the venue’s created non-profit arm. From 2009-2011 shows were concentrated at other venues as the 40 Watt and New Earth (now Live Wire) helped keep bands coming through Athens that would normally be hosted by the Theatre.
After wrestling through city codes, large loans and a loss of revenue, the venue reemerged in 2011. In 2015, the Theatre is a robust and highly professional venue catering to a large catalog of acts.
-- And what in the heck is going on at the University of Illinois?
-- And here's a gem from a Ryan Adams appearance on Letterman:
LW
