I fondly recall David Letterman’s aborted 1980 morning show:
While the knowing intro to this segment introduces the host as “a man who is in WAY over his head,” Letterman converses with Muskie politely and gamely, trying to get him to say something interesting instead of indulging his own desire to let the audience know that he, the great David Letterman, can’t believe he is stuck talking to this stuffed shirt, can you?!
Maybe Letterman earned those Emmys for not committing suicide on live TV.
Then again, isn’t that the minimum requirement for the rare and privileged job of TV host: graciously allowing your guests — especially ordinary folks with a crazy talent or hobby — their moment of show biz fame and fun, without smirking behind their backs, or in front of their faces?
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- I sometimes think Chapman was onto something
‘Somewhere in that Sullivan piece, which contains perversities, but fewer than in most of his writings, we find his truest observation’