Many years ago, long before anyone on the current Daily Mississippi staff was born, I was a staff writer for the DM. At that same time, a brash young talk show host had just been given a late night slot following the legendary Johnny Carson. The younger guy was the antithesis of Carson and Tom Snyder, irreverently putting his guests on edge and pushing the envelope with his material. Instead of skits he instead would throw watermelons off the roof of the Rockefeller Building and have guests display “stupid pet tricks.”
While this seemed way too unconventional to the older audience that had become used to the likes of Carson, Snyder and Dick Cavett, the younger, college-aged audience loved it. As a sophomore still trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up, I wanted to do more than the “life on campus” types of stories. So I picked up the phone and began calling anyone at NBC who would answer the phone. Keep in mind; back in those days we didn’t have the Internet, so I literally had to take shots in the dark hoping I would eventually find someone with ties to this new sensation on the late night circuit. Finally, after spending the majority of the night on the phone I was patched through to someone who identified himself as a producer for the program. I told him my business and that his star had a significant following at Ole Miss who would love to read his comments first hand. To my surprise, the producer didn’t laugh in my face and hang up the phone. He said he would have to check with the comedian and see if he was agreeable and what his schedule looked like. I responded by assuring the producer I would make myself available whenever he wanted to talk.
I didn’t hear anything for three nights and finally, (I believe it was a Thursday night because I was anxious to finish my work and get to The Gin) I was told there was someone on the phone from NBC who wanted to speak to me. I took the phone expecting the producer when low and behold on the other end was the talk show host himself! It was like I had the breath knocked out of me. I was taken off guard and was completely unprepared. I began stammering and stuttering when the young host stopped me and said, “Danny? It’s Danny, right?” I said, “Yeah, that’s me.” He said, “Look man, calm down. Don’t be nervous. I’m just another Joe trying to hold onto a job.”
Immediately I had my confidence back and it seemed as if the questions were coming to me from divine intervention. We talked about his time as a weatherman in Indiana. He told me that was where he developed his unpredictable on-air behavior, once congratulating a tropical storm for being upgraded to a hurricane. “People were calling the station appalled that I thought hurricanes were good things. I guess they never stopped to realize they’d never see one in a Midwestern state,” he said. We also talked about his failed attempt at a career as a standup comedian in Los Angeles. He laughed and said he found it much easier to make other people funny than to be funny himself.
His fears became much more apparent when we discussed his morning talk show that had been cancelled after only 18 weeks on the air. The show was a critical success, winning two Emmys, but it was a ratings bust and that was what most concerned the young host. “For some reason the brass have decided to give me one more chance whether I deserve it or not,” he confided. “I hope it turns out that I did.” Then, trying to bring the mood back to a lighter state he said, “If I screw this one up, I’ll be back doing traffic reports on AM radio.”
Thirty years later he has far from screwed up. Still pulling in the numbers, he continues to entertain with that same gap-toothed smile and menacing chuckle. Though he’s now considered one of the elder statesmen of late night television, the irreverence never left. Over the years he has broken ground on so many levels. He introduced the world to Howard Stern, R.E.M. and the inimitable Larry “Bud” Melman. Jerry Lawler slapped Andy Kaufman out of his chair on his show. How many times have we recited his “Top 10 List?” Who else would have ever thought to wear a velcro suit and fling himself against a velcro wall? He has influenced many current comedians and talk show hosts, including current competitors Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel.
Last month that young talk show host who was kind enough to humor a sophomore writer for a small student newspaper announced his retirement. His last show will be in 2015. I was greatly affected by this, not only because it is one of my favorite memories, but also because it is one more example of my youth slipping from my reach. From one Joe trying to hold onto a job to another, I’ll miss you David Letterman.