The Marquee Has Been Delivered and Helen Halford And Her Uncle Preston Haven’t Been This Happy Since Seeing The Beatles in 1965!

yeah hi I'm Paul schaer I'm will Lee and you are watching the Letterman podcast welcome once again to the Letterman podcast my name is Mike Chisum uh here we are we got the two-year anniversary show and let's uh let's throw it out there last year for our anniversary we had Paul Schaefer as our guest and so for the last few months I've had a whole bunch of people saying Mike who's going to be the anniversary year two anniversary guest and and and we threw some things out there we had we actually had somebody who was um it doesn't matter who it was they they they they it would have been a really really cool get and um last week uh when I was out of town I got an email saying we're sorry this person is is is too busy can't make it work with the schedule and uh and hopefully another time we'll make that happen and so I'm going to kind of keep it uh keep it under my hat for now but I love Serendipity this is episode about SED Dippity it really is because um when this person uh exited um I wasn't sure what we were going to do I thought maybe maybe I'll just do an episode where it's just me and then I realized that that would be an anniversary present to no one that would be terrible if I did that and and and suddenly um Serendipity kind of struck and says hey you know what the Marquee the Letterman Marquee we've talked about it on here the Ed Sullivan Theater Marquee which uh Dave put up for raffle uh as a benefit to Habitat for Humanity $100,000 was raised uh and and and and as part of the the winning of that prize Dave and Company delivered the Marquee to the winner that happened this week and if you go to the Letterman channel the official Letterman YouTube channel you will see the video of the whole thing so watch that because it's way better uh than watching me that being said the gal who won it um Helen hulford won this thing and she is our guest today now as you will find out once you watch the on the official Channel um you'll see that she gave uh the keeping of that sign the responsibilities of being the keeper for this gigantic you know 8 foot by 20 foot sign uh to her uncle her uncle Preston uh Preston Beal is his name now they are both our guests today here on the Letterman podcast on the two-y year anniversary of the Letterman podcast they are our guest they got a chance to hang out with Dave this week Dave just turned 77 happy birthday to you Dave and and and and Helen and Preston were absolutely a struck uh by by the uh the energy and the magic and the experience of having David Letterman show up at their plays Dr off by 20 sign and there's a lot of very cool magic to this Preston uh has a link to the Ed Sullivan Theater he was there on that fateful night when the B when the Beatles performed and if you if you watch on the Letterman uh YouTube channel if you watch the video of that they they they go into that a little bit it's very cool to have Helen and Preston on here to kind of have an extended dialogue about uh winning the Marquee but also the experience of having Dave come and deliver it um obviously everybody is just filled with delight about this uh myself as well and and and really at the end of the day why are we doing the Letterman podcast well the Letterman podcast is a celebration of the greatest body of broadcast work and history that of David Letterman and Company and today's episode our two-year anniversary we've got a couple people and we're all just celebrating we're doing exactly what the tagline says we're we're we're we're taking our enthusiasm and and comparing it and and and talking about some of these things that resonate with us uh in this human experience as we connect to some of the things that we appreciate so much and um I just want to say that I appreciate everybody who has put up with me uh for this last two years I appreciate the fact that we are growing a community that was right from the very beginning that's something that we wanted to do we wanted to get folks um in the community who who are enthusiasts of this thing uh together and and in a in in a different way and focus on that and and um it's been an amazing two years it really has um more UPS than Downs the Downs are are are are are big um losing Rick I can't believe I'm two years into this thing and Rick's you know I can now say that I've been doing the show longer um without Rick in my corner um than than than when I had him and I I miss him every day and he's always going to be a part of this thing um and uh I just want to say everybody who has jumped on board from from from the folks who are the staffers uh to um people who have worked with the show tangentially uh don Giller my goodness I gotta say thank you so much to Don Giller for for for keeping this flame alive forever but also for the times that he has assisted us with this show I I cannot express um how flabbergasted I am that that uh feel with da like like it's a bit of a Dennis the Menace Mr Wilson kind of relationship I believe I'm Dennis uh and and and and uh I have annoyed uh the living snot out of him but I I I can't tell you how much I appreciate him just like Dennis I'm I'm certain would say uh were he a real a real um creature uh how much he does appreciate Mr Wilson and um everybody who has uh supported and and and given time advice uh no matter where that advice was coming from some of it heavy-handed some of it um some of it with love uh but uh everybody who has supported this show and understood what we're trying to do here um as we're stumbling forward thank you very very much it's been a really fun two years and uh I've got a couple things up the sleeve that hopefully will uh will expand um this thing that we're doing that is the Letterman podcast so that being said happy 2-year anniversary to the Letterman podcast to everybody here please like share subscribe all that crap uh in the meantime I hope you enjoy the today's episode of the Letterman podcast featuring Marquee Ed svan theater Marquee winners Helen hulford and Preston Beal okay Helen I gotta tell you Preston we'll get to you in a second and we delightfully will get to you in a second because uh I'll tell you this Helen um when when when the video came out and barber gains uh mentioned who uh won the the uh the The Late Show Marquee righteous jealousy and Furious uh Envy uh entered the minds of a lot of people and uh this week the good news about that is because pants uh released the video of the delivery and showed you and Preston and the story behind everything oh my gosh is it ever cool when life gives you one of those things where there are no coincidences and um and and and and some very very neat little uh Trails happened um that were were unintended and and the rest of the world gets to have a really cool story that has certainly happened here you won The Late Show Mar when letter when Letterman uh raised $100,000 for Habitat for Humanity congratulations thank you yeah it was pretty pretty awesome you know still um you know I said I'm still reeling still kind of can't believe you know all this happened um but you know I'm excited it's it was it's been a lot of fun you're still reeling from it now you found out a couple months ago that you won this sucker right yes I did yeah found out from the prize company at first um you know what they sent me an email and of course I was like is this for real like you know because like I said I really didn't think I was going to win but then I was thinking well who else would know that I actually entered this contest like I didn't tell anybody you know so I'm like well I think at my feet yeah I said I think it probably is and so you know of course I texted my family and I texted pretty pretty quickly there's one of the dogs um and I him pretty quickly and I'm like I think I just won the Marquee from the from the with David Letterman they're like oh wow that's you know that's amazing um and then I you know then and then when um Walter um you know dve David Letterman executive producer called me Y and then a few minutes later David Letterman called me and I didn't answer the phone because I didn't know the numbers yeah I didn't recognize the numbers and then I heard the messages I'm like yeah it's real it's real now it was a lot of fun pretty excit I'm glad I didn't answer the phone because now I have the message I I will put her outside hold on a second you gonna put the dog outside okay don't worry about this this is this is this is so fun having you two and and real life happening uh dogs uh and and all of that stuff just show the the richness of of the Delight that everybody's feeling uh for you and and this is just such a good good it's a good feel-good story um and and uh we're gonna get to Preston in a second here how the connection was but at the end of the day uh Preston you didn't know that Helen entered this contest no I did not okay and Helen you obviously knew that your uncle Preston had this history with the Ed Sullivan Theater right yes I did yeah yeah and that so that was you know certainly part of the reason I'm like oh that would be fun you know because of that I was like oh you know I mean of course I love David Letterman um but yeah but the history with the with the you know edivan theater and the Beatles I was like that'd be pretty cool to win you know I think I think the first I think I heard about the contest from my brother and he was like I don't he's like I don't remember telling about that but I I think that he did y so it's kind of funny that you know that that's how it all happened but yeah I was like okay I can I was like yeah it's a great it's a great cause it would be really awesome if for some if somehow I did win it you know but uh and so that's why like I said he was one of the first people that I let know about it because you know I knew that he would just be all over it you know so this is really great and and and they're going to be be doing more I have it on pretty good authority that they're going to be doing more of these Raffles uh soon and and it it's so cool how the fan base can kind of get together and talk about this and um and people come from different places in different Corners to find it so your brother let you know about the contest did you enter just the once or did you enter multiple times throughout the uh throughout the uh the window the this contest yes just just one time one time and it was early on think it was yeah I think it was pretty much because I think um that started in November right like late nov yeah I think I pretty much entered as soon as I heard about you know as soon as it as it began so um yeah and I guess I didn't really think about it again until I got well I guess I no I guess probably on Instagram I saw a couple more videos you know and things like that that they kind of were promoting it a little bit more and I was like oh yeah that's you know that's still happening and um and so I was just like oh yeah you know that's great so um yeah so it was uh something that I just thought that' be fun that'd be cool in the original video uh uh one of the things that Dave said when he was talking about it he said now it's big and he influenced the he he emphasized the word big it's big and this sucker is huge it's gigantic at the moment of Entry did you did it go through your mind the logistics of what will happen if I actually win this thing no you know I knew I I guess I saw the measurements and I just didn't really really really really think about it you know I actually went I'm like oh wow like where with that you know so um I you know I thought about a little lot of different things you know um in my house definitely not um in my backyard I was like you maybe but I you know again I have a couple dogs I'm like you know I mean I know it's you know I mean it was outside for how many years 20 years I think um so I I think you know it can withstand elements um but I just didn't think you know my yard with a couple dogs running around it was you know the best place for it either so um so yeah so I was like well you know and I excuse me if I'm getting ahead of your no one's a free spirit she's unencumbered by Logistics and Earthly facts yeah so so that's why I was like I was like I really I thought I don't know what I'm going to do with this so I texted Preston I said I don't know what I'm gonna do with this where I'm gonna put it do you want it and then I'll let him tell you what he did yeah um okay so yeah let's let's do that and then let's let's unfold the history because when I watch this video well first off you see Helen um and and I mean you you light up a room it's it's uh you know how How can any of us who wanted this thing so badly whether we knew what we were going to going to do with it or not how could we ever be mad at someone like you winning this thing I mean my goodness um we'll get to Preston in a second I want to I want to ask about uh give us your level of enthusiasm for David Letterman going through the years did you ever did you watch the show very much um so yes I did um you know when um I guess you know when I was in college and then you know after college um yeah I would stay up late and watch him um you know I think once I had kids I couldn't stay up that late you know very often anymore so um not able to watch it as frequently but certainly would you know follow him you know however I you know like follow like you know in you know on on TV as much as I could uh but yeah I mean yeah I just loved the show was always I mean just thought it was so well done so funny um love his sense of humor um you great guests always um and and just and the things that were like more um silly were were very creative and and and fun you know to watch I think as well so you have a you have a a good basis for who the man on TV is I mean um many people himself our best friend on TV that's how we refer to Dave all the time um and then you got a chance to actually meet the man uh was there an apt comparison was it the guy who was on TV was it different what was the uh uh what would you say that were you surprised by anything or was it like no this is this is the guy that I watched all that time yeah I think it was the guy that I watch all that time he was very um you know again he made me laugh um he was uh he was friendly um and um just yeah just great to to talk to and to you know hang out with for a little while um and you know was and it was also you know just just it's it's funny because it's kind of it's still kind of a blur because I mean when something like that happens to you it's I guess it's hard to be in the moment so it's nice to be able to go to watch it you know be like like I remembered things about it but then I was like oh like what did I say here like things like that know um so yeah so it you know in my memory it's kind of a but you know so like was always ready with a funny line yeah the razor instinctively yeah the first thing he did he comes in the kitchen he said who doesn't want to be here and he went like this and course he was kidding because he was only supposed to be there for 15 minutes and he stayed almost an hour and a half poking around asking questions going into different rooms he he seemed to have it have some fun oh that's fantastic I I I love hearing that um so I want to know because I want to bring presson into it now because you know you find out you win the sucker and what a Keepsake that is the video of you finding out that you win you've got the the message from on your on your voicemail that's fantastic immediately Logistics set in and you give Preston a call um I want to know with his connection to the edel theater which we're going to get to in a second here did you go into any of that when you were talking with people did you let them know the history there or was that a surprise to them when they showed up well so um I don't think that I did I'm trying to remember back I I like because I had conversations on the phone with Walter yeah um but asked me maybe the day before we or maybe two days before um before we did the the taping um he said what are the names of the you know of of the people like he knew it was going to my uncle's house but he didn't have his name um he you know so I he was like oh what what's you know what's his name and I told him his name and um so then like the next day he sent me a text saying oh is it true that your uncle was at the Beatles uh because he found an article I guess he was doing some research you know on that were going to be there he's like is it true that that your uncle was at you know there when the Beatles were there I'm like yeah it's true I said that was him and um so yeah so they thought you know they thought that was fascinating and made that a really nice um tie in as well so yeah so they had no idea so this is where we're going to get to Preston now and and and uh I as a viewer watching it unfold again it starts seeing how bright you are and how great it is and who could be mad at you even though we wanted this thing so badly all of us fans um you got it nice job Helen and then suddenly this little sub story starts to unfold okay well it's going to my uncle's house CU he has all this room and and and whatnot but then it's beyond that and Preston I am I am I'm really curious about your uh the reaction to when you found out that she won uh the idea that it was going to come to your place and and and your place in history you have been at one of the most iconic moments in all of entertainment you were there for it in the building you now have the Marquee from it let's talk a little bit about that what was H your reaction when you found out that Helen won and um let's go into yeah that night that you were at the edsan the well I was skeptical for you know about a day because I thought well anything could be going on here and I think she was also but then it got quickly confirmed and I thought well that is astounding because I've of course lived in New York and saw the sign and I sat in the audience for the show three times because you can get tickets and I love Dave so I went do you remember who the guests were when you went excuse me no I don't the guests were when you went okay yeah no but I think I told an usher one time you know I was right down there when the Beatles were here and of course I fully expected to be swept onto the stage for an interview and they would you know they would bump uh kef for southernland or something and put me on and they were like oh yeah that's really nice they see you later so it was never acknowledged nor did I really expect it to be but I did mention it once but it was um it was a little headyy for me to walk back in to that room and remember the day and they endeavored to keep quite a bit of the studio the same they renovated the whole building for many millions of dollars but they kept certain uh marks the walls and the ceilings and everything as they were so I could feel it for those who haven't been in the edsan theater the ornate uh exactly it's just it's so beautiful and and and it's funny I was back I was there um in o oober for rert G's retirement and and uh they did the party for him at worldwide pants put it on for rert and they did it in the um uh in the lobby of the Ed Sullivan Theater right and so you had all these people who walked in they hadn't been there for a long time and of course Co bear has changed it again completely but the lobby is almost identical to when they were there you know some some coats of paint things like that but they've kept it very similar uh to how it was I love hearing the fact fact that you were there to see The Beatles and there were some of these Echoes that remained that is a very cool uh little little little had reverence for the building and they they updated where they had to but they tried to keep some of the authentic and you spotted it it was the filigree and designs and things that were on the wall that they decide we're not we're not touching that yeah that is um oh that's that's fantastic I got goosebumps right now thinking about it just that that that is that is so neat um let's go back can we talk about that day when you were like do you still remember it like it was yesterday I mean you did you did a good job they did a good job recounting and they showed a picture of you in the audience uh in the in the in the video on the official Letterman channel that was great um have you talked about this non-stop since that day like is there a lot of time where you up every once in a while there are a lot of Clips on TV uh that sometimes they come on once month and the kids will go oh Dad you're on TV again you know so the 50th Anniversary there was a big special on network TV for two or three hours and there was that so uh right now is the 60th anniversary just a couple of months ago yep so there have been some times but uh no I don't talk about it have you heard the new track that they released so a lot of people who know me it's come up once in a while and they'll mention mention it to me but yeah the Beatles is one of those things like I mean people you know people don't always want to hear about your good fortune every single day oh you're you're preaching to the choir um you're preaching to the choir I I get called I have I have a lot of enthusiasm and so I'll throw things out there for things that I'm enthusiastic about and and and folks will go oh stop bragging it's like no no no I'm not bragging I just want to share the Enthusiast I want to share this stuff and that's really why we do this why we do this is exactly yeah was um very tumultuous there was a big a big long line around the block yep and um I didn't get put in the front of the line or anything but they filled the theater and I was kind of left behind and then they this one man walked me in and he said you're here and there was one seat left with a piece of uh two feet of masking tape on it with my name on it and they plunk me right down there in the fifth row so they had saved me a seat but they didn't put me in early and it was uh very tense and loud and and and delayed long delays and finally as I mentioned Ed Sullivan popped out from behind the curtain in a beetle wig and the place went insane they it was so fast they couldn't tell right away that it wasn't a beetle they just saw the mop and that was it oh that is fantastic and there are pictures of that online you can you can see it he was not funny guy but he was in great mood that day he knew that he was the news of the planet and he was he was milking it right absolutely um could you hear the I've always wondered this uh when I've seen um you know the hysteria and and and the screams the high the high pitched screams and all of that stuff all in the upper registry you know dogs everywhere gone just out of here we you know can't can't do it anymore I always wondered could you hear the music oh absolutely because it wasn't sha stadium was a very small theater less than probably 600 people yep and and everybody was close to the stage we heard every every bit of it that is great that's absolutely so cool that you got to be a part of that moment Preston I'm glad we get to talk about that here um very rarely do you meet somebody who has seen something so I ionic and and and just just culturally from an artistic well they're not many of us alive anymore there you go there you go now my Preston is the of five and um so my mother was the oldest um and um so he has he had three older sisters and he's he is the one that got to go the three older sisters didn't get to go so so I can imagine they were all pretty jealous they were they were they were away they were all away yeah I know I know gr away at school and I was it was actually my mother said to my dad you know he's listening to this Beatles music all the time and I'm reading about them in the paper and you know Ed do you think you could make a phone call and and get him in there and my dad said oh boy I don't know if I want to do that but he did it and they took care of him but that's why I went instead of the girls yeah it's uh it's it's it's ironic and it's fun and it it's a story that kind of writes itself it's almost like you can't write this stuff that's so great and I think about two of the uh you know our show the tagline of our show it's a celebration of the greatest body of broadcast work in history that of David Letterman and company and we spend most of our time in this show talking about the company we talked to the writers we talked to the producers we talked to people who put it all together because Dave uh and and his Brain Trust assembled some of the best people um in every Department of every facet of entertainment that you could have so so we don't always talk about the broadcasters themselves but Dave himself one of the greatest broadcasters our our world has ever seen Ed Sullivan uh an argument can be made pretty topnotch as well when it comes to this stuff you actually have had an encounter with both of these broadcasters Preston and that is uh that is a pretty rare thing as well yeah I have a fabulous old picture of my dad and mom in a tuxedo with Ed Sullivan at dinner one night I pulled it out and showed it to Dave and he liked that but yeah he was good friends with Ed if um if you're open to it I would love if you could even just take a photo of that photo and send it to us and we can pop it up into the into the episode that would be fantastic that is what a beautiful little thing that is I can imagine Dave would be fascinated by that Dave is one of the things that I think is so um powerful about him and makes him so relatable is how curious he is and and and that Curiosity spills out when he's curious about something people get observant about it and and it becomes extremely interesting um I got the feeling from the video and you both can comment on this that he was pretty curious that day that he was he was present uh you know right there I'm going to be here for 15 minutes he ends up being there an hour and a half that that right there shows it um it seems like he was pretty curious about all of you some of your stories uh when he found out about the Beatles part and did he go down that rabbit hole and get excited about it he's very outer directed he's outer directed I think you know that's part of why he was so great as a an interviewer yeah he did definitely want you know well it was you know as you saw in the video he he wanted to confirm by asking all of us if it was true and we're oh yeah it's true but of course Preston's own daughter said oh I've never seen it I don't she's seen it a few times right oh that is uh that is absolutely delightful I um let's talk about the marquee itself so uh you know they found they found pictures online yes of course of course um let's talk a little bit about the marquee itself so so you find out this is happening uh you call up Preston and say hey I don't know what to do with this thing Preston was it an automatic like a you know in poker we call it an insta call was it an automatic yes um I'm taking this thing and I know what we're going to do with it and and and and and it brought you Delight immediately or did you have to uh pry your arm a little bit I had a good place for it and I am uh interested in television I was in the advertising business and as was my father so it has paid for my whole life television has and I considered it a immediate yes a tremendous honor and it's one of the nicest things anybody's ever done for me for Helen to share it you're absolutely breaking my heart you were in television advertising for your whole career yes and now you've got this piece of you know iconic advertising um that is that you get to look at all the time well I'm hell if I would have known that story if I would have want it I would have given it to you that's unbelievable that is so cool oh by the way um I don't know if this will let's let's see if we can make this work one of uh one of our uh uh folks who who is constantly contributing and part of the uh the Letterman podcast Community uh sent us this so I don't know if you want to do a trade of any sort but we can uh we can trade you our armar key if you like that's great I don't know we'll find a place for both of them maybe the second one needs to be a little smaller yeah perhaps perhaps um okay so so let's talk just a a little bit more about about uh uh Dave being there oh by the way and you got the jacket too by the way I I just so you know I I don't know if you both were aware of these crew jackets or not but for people who are uh enthusiasts of the show um you know they didn't sell those crew jackets those crew jackets were were only for the staff a limited number were were set I've been lucky enough to have some some of the the staffers send me some of theirs so I've got a few of them um did you did you uh did you know that that was happening and uh Helen Preston got it is that how it worked and and you're happy to say yeah this is delightful to you or did uh was there a little bit of fangling happening there as well no well so we we didn't know that they were GNA give that to him um what happened was while we were there um they actually sent someone back over to um Letterman's house to get it and bring it back um to give to him so that was a complete and total priz to everyone and I I think it's awesome that they did that I think it it's you know it like like they said it fits him perfectly it's a it's a perfect fit for him I did tell him I want to borrow it sometimes though but we're gonna we're gonna share it so yeah they're comfortable this is Helen's deal and I'm the Caboose but it's been a lot of fun it is yes it it it absolutely um it's if I ever go to Antarctica I'm takeing that jacket they're warm they're really warm yeah I uh I I got some friends who live in California like I'm Canadian right so uh you know I wear mine all the time I I constantly because they're they're perfect they're perfect uh late fall winter jackets like they're really really warm and uh I got friends in California who have some of them and they can't wear them anywhere because of how how warm they are so it's cool that you're in the Northeast and you can actually take advantage of yep yeah a good it's good I'm 45 years so I don't want any girls uh I don't want girls ping at me it but I'll wear it sometimes I you know what I love when my wife wears uh one of my Letterman Jack I love it it's just it's like you say it's like high school like it's so there's such a yeah yeah say that again Helen it's like a letter jacket like a like a letter jacket yep absolutely absolutely I mean it speaks to what you said before that he he he relaxed and had a good time because he didn't have the the jacket and after he was here a little while he he thought I think there's just enough time to run and get one it just sounds like it was just a a get together and it was it was very casual and easy uh did you feed them did you have any food there no I wish we had I tried to get him to go around the corner to my favorite Pub but they did they were very excited to go into a town to a pizza place they heard about they mentioned it four or five times and they went there yes well uh I don't want to necessarily reveal can we reveal the state that you're in which one I'm in Conneticut hel you're in Connecticut okay yeah so so I I I'm a huge every time I go to New York I mean of course being from the West uh from western Canada every time I go to New York it's the pizza is just you know I mean it's one of the highlights pizza and bagels and whatnot but I keep hearing this about Connecticut Pizza I keep hearing that uh that that that there's a not just a rivalry but there's a a there's a lot of folks who swear by it that Connecticut Pizza is is is is good if not better than New York they're three places they it has all emanated from Italian immigrants in New Haven and it's coal fired and there're two of them are across the street from each other and it's like if you know Philadelphia There's a Goos and whatever the other cheese steak is yep and they're right across the street from each other yep you know it's almost like church and state so they have that here that's uh that's fantastic and it's delightful that could be a part of the uh of the experience for them coming out to see you of course Dave no stranger to Connecticut of course um yeah this is just great I I uh you know I appreciate you taking time now just so you know you don't you don't realize this but this is actually uh this episode of the Letterman podcast this is the two-year anniversary of ofast w on Dave's birthday on well and we're recording it on Dave's birthday so happy 77th to the big guy um we just appreciate him and everything that he has done you know we again we talk a lot about the company in this show this one here we're talking about Dave so happy birthday to him and it's really neat I'll tell you uh these these little um I'm I'm a true in the mail what's that thank you very much I appreciate that um you you know there are no coincidences I I'm a True Believer in that that there are no coincidences we had somebody who was lined up uh to be the guest last year our Oney year anniversary guest was Paul schaer that was our that was our Oney year anniversary guest so so we had somebody lined up for for for this year's incarnation of the anniversary show and um last week I was out of town and I got an email saying Mike we're so sorry this person and this person is extremely busy like they are just extremely busy um and you know we can't make it work schedule wise and I was like okay I wasn't sure what we were going to do for the two-year anniversary show and the moment Helen that this connection happened I was like oh this is absolutely perfect it's absolutely perfect because it's this is one of those unique things that that happens in life only once it's serendipitous it's uh and again there are no coincidences did you kind of feel like have you kind of felt that little those pins and needles of serendipity throughout this whole process absolutely yes absolutely well Preston a lot of people compare him to um Forest gum he has a lot of stories which um you know you you can get into another time unless you want to today it's fine whatever but um yeah but absolutely it was you know I it was again miraculous just kind of um one of those things does too her father was in entertainment and he booked the Rolling Stones into the cotton ball yes that's right well he worked he worked for the cotton bow so um yeah I mean he I I that wasn't his he had a lot of different like that was one of his many jobs he was in PR um so that was one of his many jobs yeah did you go to the show oh of course yeah because it was when I was in high school so absolutely yeah did you get an experience to meet the like okay Dad booked it and all that sort of stuff did you kind of say hey Dad can I uh can I have some sort of a meet and greet not the stones there were some others that I got to meet um at different times um not as big as the stones though but um well I mean but yeah yeah some others that were you know were pretty exciting to meet so that this is the kind of stuff this is reason one of the reasons we do the show this is the kind of stuff that makes life uh it turns it from black and white into color and and and and when you can interact with the things that we're passionate about like music like uh the different art that that that we love so much it just this is one of those things that makes life uh so vibrant and I love hearing that I I've been accused of the same Forest gum type type thing I've met a lot of uh my very favorite people in the world and many of them sound yeah well happen right now you know like like like with this show having so many of of Dave's writers and producers and some of these people that I've looked up to for so many years um I can sense that you're both extremely grateful people is that is that is that is that safe to say I think so absolutely I have to be right I mean you know uh they say you have you know whatever even if even if you have even if you get lemons you make lemonade so you know and sometimes you actually get lemonade this is lemon Preston I call shaeer a letter and said you know this sign is coming I said this sign is coming and uh you know Paul McCartney saying on top of this sign and maybe you'd like to be here for the for this and uh he's on the road I think I didn't hear back from him he doesn't live far away he lives in Bedford or he did I think he's selling his house yeah but I thought maybe he'd like to show up here but that did not happen we should have had you call him well I don't know about that right I don't know about I don't know if he'll take my call although uh okay that's the one we're going to use I've got a few different bumpers that I use uh at the beginning at the beginning of the show you're watching the Letterman podcast with Mike J Paul is one of them so we'll we'll use that one for this episode for sure um oh great I'm just so I'm I'm so L that you both could uh make time so quickly for me here today as we kind of close things off is there any part of this experience that I missed is there anything that you kind of want to talk about here um any messages that you want to send to uh to Dave or his enthusiasts I just want to say that that we loved it and we're still having a lot of fun uh with it um I one of the interesting things was you know when um Dave first arrived he drove up in the exact same car that my uncle has too so speaking of serend diony that was another coincidence was like oh my God yeah you know it was just it was just you know made it even more fun and interesting and just sort of like unbelievable right absolutely Preston how about you he has a big car collection with 10 Ferraris and a an airplane hanger in Danbury you probably know about that yep he's got Porsches he's got Honda motorcycles and uh and so I thought I wonder if he's going to show up in a Ferrari because he has seen in Connecticut in various Ferraris and one of them got stolen out of his garage by when back when he was having that woman visit his house all the time yep till he moved and got much more security so he pulls in the driveway in my exact blue uh Tesla S and so the first thing he got out of the car he went over to you want to see my car and then I have a 1964 Cadillac which is the same year that the Beetles appeared right and he went over and sat in it and he was asking me about all the features and he said he said I have a 1970 but I like this one more I'm going to take this one back in the moving van that is a very sweet moment and I'm glad that you left that till now that is a really really moment and there's a little bit of footage of the got good pictures of him in my car I'm never going to sell it I'll probably one up on the wall um Preston are you're on the computer right now you can't walk outside and show us the Marquee right I could well if hey if you could do it is the weather okay is that all right weather's fine I'm not sure how far the connection will go let's take give it a try oh yeah let's stretch let's stretch the boundaries of technology and see if uh oh it looks like we might have stretched it all the way already it can cut it out if it doesn't work oh there he is I know he's back yeah you know one of the things that Dave kept saying throughout the whole video and factitiously but not factiously um hey there's the Tesla um he keep saying we love making dreams come true look at that oh my gosh oh my gosh what a thing it's real it's real it's right there what a thing um one of the things he yeah that's fantastic one of the things that de Dave kept saying in the video um was we love making dreams come true and and and and he said it in his typical Letterman delivery which you don't know if it's if it's if it's dripping with sarcasm or if it's just partially sarcastic or if it's if it's just real and cheesy um this is where the statement is I both it was just a it was a little bit of everything right he was making fun of it because it's it's not like he was feeding the poor or something it wasn't a soup kitchen he likes making dreams come true but you know he I Barbara his producer said uh yeah he really he really does he likes to spread it I mean when you have that kind of good fortune yep I heard him say last week and something I saw he said uh well you know they're only a few of these shows and I got one of them that's how he feels he knows that yeah he didn't get the the tonight's show and all that which he joked about a lot but he made it even better he did by not getting it so and then he became the longest running host he outlasted Johnny Carson by quite a few years so we talk about that a lot on on this program here and and and uh uh the consensus seems to be we all as as enthusiasts of Dave and Company we're all really grateful he didn't get the Tonight Show because he got to go make his own Mark that's right you know right he's not second to anybody that is exactly exactly how we feel um you two are I feel the same way about you two this is great let's please please stay in touch and uh any pictures or anything that you want to send me that I can kind of insert into the episode that would be fantastic this has been an absolute treat for me I'm so happy for you and uh perhaps one day Preston uh you know when I make it out east again for for some reason I might take the drive out there for the pizza and maybe to come take a picture with it maybe it'll be on Christmas time you decorate it up with lights or something like that come out you know as long as you get permission from Helen you can put your hand on it touch it it's yeah yeah Dave Dave did uh you know again it was raining the day that he was there so he tried to sign it um but because it was so wet uh you he wasn't able to sign it so um so yeah maybe he'll show up again one day and sign it he said he would come back and sign it I'm not expecting this to happen but right you never know because he doesn't live that far away and he drives through here uh that Delights me as well because I I like the idea of maybe one day you just never know he's passing by and he just drives by to see if it's still leaning up against the house or not and gets that little Cheshire Cat grin like that that's that's Whimsical to me he would do it he would do something like that yeah yep you know I think if somebody in Los Angeles or Hawaii or something won this I mean I think was prepared to go there and fly the sign they they did not uh and somebody said oh this sounds like it was rigged you know it was close to his house they didn't know that it was going to end up here you know significant trip further than this and that's where they were going to go and they to move everybody there and do whatever it took whoever the drawing was was for so yeah the deal for them kind of got better and better and better like you know you find out oh it's you know you think because people all over the world uh you know and you talk about making dreams come true habitat for de Humanity uh I know somebody locally who has been the benefit of Habitat for Humanity and it is an absolute uh fantastic organization talking about making dreams come true but it's funny I remember watching um you know the announcement and and realizing it was someone from the tri-state area and and and I immediately thought oh they locked out there and the deal actually got better for them every single time well actually we're going to put in Connecticut instead the deal got better for them and then he said he said I'm not going to say which tri-state area we're in so funny like I had to guess but you know Helen went to the uh Called Bear show while she was here and then I went yeah after that so that's continuing too he's a completely different vibe Co bear and and that's he's great too but uh but we love Dave Yeah well yeah I mean that the coar was so a lot of fun you know great I I uh I I was saying it was it's a lot of work you have to like be really loud so um but that was you know it was again the whole experience and the coar thing we did on our own you know we're like oh while we're in New York let's do that and um because my brother came out as you saw in the video they um he was flown out um to experience this as well um so it you know it was great to have you know family with like you know a few of the family members there um which I had you know again that that was not part of the of the prize you know so it was it was neat the way that they allowed that uh to happen you know instead of you know instead of us all meeting in New York in a studio or whatever um you know that they actually delivered it to the house and he came to the house and things like that so um only only other two things Dave did make a big deal about that he has uh participated in building habitat houses and he's very high on this he is also as everybody knows a huge donor absolutely he gave a million dollars to Ball State he's given a million dollars to a lot of things very generous and then he said while he was standing by the sign and we were all out there he said you know what I love about this I see this family together you guys are having a good time you love each other you did this as a Unity said I don't have that I wish that I did wow yeah yeah you bring up a point where as you can imagine like our show is our show is entirely positive we don't talk about uh we don't go down uh Gossip and Scandal can go live somewhere else that's kind of how I my little tagline to people um it's funny because um you know people always talk about how private and and some of these things about Dave um and and and one of the things that I have been cautioned on and I'll just I'm going to leave it I'm going to say a little statement here and I'll leave it at that as I've learned things throughout this two years uh Dave's generosity comes up you you would understand it because you actually saw the band and felt the energy and felt that through this experience Dave generosity um has come up so many times and yet people have said you know what but he does it he does it for the right reason he doesn't do it to make accolades from it he doesn't bring a film crew and things like this here is you know something funny but you know but for the things that you're talking about the ways that he does give back uh he does it for the right reasons he does it because it's the right thing to do he wants to make the world a better place um you know I think about the the the world food programs and and and habitat like this and and some of the things that he has put forward are all organizations that are making a difference in this world he himself is that type of person and uh Dave's generosity he's quiet about it exactly he is but he is an extremely generous guy's one of the reasons why he's he's uh um you know such an important part of so many people so many people look up to him and um and that translates through and it was nice you know that um that many of the people that were with him when he had the show are still with him you Barbara uh Walter Nancy Mary they were all there um and that they've you know that they've been together you know that they're still you know together after all these years was just really nice like you know that um he must have been a great person to work for um which is you know something to say in this day and age right absolutely um and you talk about Barbara I mean I I Adore Barbara I've met her a couple of times and I just appreciate her so so much she was there at the morning show she was back all the way back to the beginning and you think about the Testament of that how at the at at the morning show you know starting out they didn't know what they were doing and through that entire run ended up becoming the executive producer the gal behind the podium uh for the last late show and all the way up to the very last late show and and uh you know something to be said for that um I just appreciate you marking that as well it's so cool that we can all he said they kept promoting me and then they'd say well you know you need to push a little harder in this and she well I'm shy you knew who you she said that was one she was showrunner right yep Mike you KN you heard that too yep I just as far as I'm concerned I made two new friends today uh please please please let's let's keep in touch and and again I'm gonna come by and uh and see yeah and you'll have to bring you'll have to wear your jacket so we can get pictures of the two of you and your matching jackets oh there we go this is the type of stuff that I love I'm a fanboy at heart and that's I love I love that stuff that's Whimsical to me what's for breakfast yeah well bring no I'm bringing pizza are you kidding me you just got to tell me which one to bring even better even better um this has been a lot of fun thank you guys so so much for giving of your time today and uh it's coming out on the anniversary for so April 20th is our anniversary so it's coming out on Friday next week um and uh we'll take it from there so thank you guys so so much this has been an absolute treat and it worked out perfectly this is the perfect two-year anniversary episode thank you both so much thank you you thank for the amazing ride what were you saying Helen I was just saying that's great to know that it's that it's the anniversary of your of your podcast so that's you know makes it even more special I I couldn't agree more and you're right president a fantastic ride thank you both so much and uh I hope you have a wonderful wonderful day I'll be in touch thank you sounds take care peace and love kids see you later peace and love bye oh how cool was that I just uh I could feel the energy through the uh through the ones and zeros as we like to say uh that was just I I just it was so delightful I'm so glad they won I'm so glad they won that Marquee uh yes we had plans for it we did have plans for it I was going to put I had a spot in the garage now that I've seen it up against the house I'm not sure that spot in the garage would have been big enough and I was going to shoot intros to the to the show and all that kind of stuff yeah no forget that forget that it is so so lovely uh that that that Helen got this thing and and and and and she has a special connection with her uncle and um what a what a cool story that was uh again this has been um a pleasure for me over the last two years to do this uh and we just all witnessed real time one of the reasons why a lot of fun connecting with folks um with with this common uh love that we have this common enthusiasm uh the Letterman podcast has one sponsor sponsor so far one sponsor only and that is hellodd deli.com go to hellodd deli.com and you can get yourself official Late Show with David Letterman merchandise maybe not the Marquee that's a oneof one but they got mugs they got shirts they got hats they got all sorts of other stuff uh for sale at hellodd deli.com of course curated and owned by rert G himself former owner of the hello Deli he may not have the deli anymore but he has hellodd deli.com uh this has been another episode two years two years thank you everyone I appreciate every one of you that have given me a chance and uh for those of you who love the subject but don't love the host thank you for putting up with this thing for those of you who still hang in there um it's one of the most fun things I do in my entire life this has been another episode of the Letterman podcast with Mike Chisum coincidentally I am Mike Chisum thank you and good night everybody here feels good about this very good because now this is like immortality overcoat and Underpants