Rob Stover was at the final Late Show with David Letterman, and lived to tell about it. Dramatic? Perhaps. True? Darn right its true.

you're watching The Lettermen podcast with Mike Chisholm endorsed by the hello Deli yeah welcome once again to the Lettermen podcast my name is Mike Chisholm I am delighted to be here and talk about all things David Letterman and Company uh at the time of this recording we are in May of 2023 um and it's going to coincide the release of this is going to coincide around the time uh that we Mark the anniversary of Dave's Last show on Late Show with David Letterman um the end of the 33 year run well what many thought was the end of the 33 year run uh thank goodness that was not the case and Dave is still out there doing all sorts of great great things we appreciate him so much all the places that he pops up um and we wish it would be more I mean my gosh the May 20th of 2015 garnered um it was it was it was it was the end of an era and it was an ERA that I think that a lot of us to this day there's a sentiment that I've been hearing a lot over this last year year and a month that we've been doing this show and that a lot of people out there really took for granted the fact that we had Dave every single night and it wasn't just Dave of course it was Dave and Company the production that they they created every single night creating um comedy that years later is showing up on the official Letterman YouTube channel sometimes for the first time and and still knocking people over and and uh it was a different time there's no question that at the end of 2015 uh broadcasting uh comedy um you know change the culture changed at the end of 2015 and and new eras uh came into play it was interesting that Dave never had a show uh a nightly show I should say when when uh you know Trump took over and this isn't a polarization thing at all it's just a thing just like Johnny Carson really never made a ton of jokes about Bill Clinton back in the day it just it it missed them and and it's interesting that the moment that Dave retired a new era uh kind of began after that and um combine that with just how we're feeling about this nostalgia in general there's a lot of throwback stuff that's come into into Vogue uh these days people are are liking you know classic logos of their product they love or Throwbacks to songs a lot of the new pop songs have samples of old songs that were really big back in the day and I think there's a hunger for throwback I think there's Nostalgia that's there and I think right now uh there's in in many ways there's never been a better time to be a David Letterman Enthusiast and those of us who were there years ago uh want to many of us just want to you know continue to relive that thing as our guest today said to me I look forward to geeking out with you I totally feel comfortable and excited about that idea by the way today we're gonna have our third Canadian third Canadian on the show um the Letterman podcast has had three types we have three types of guests on this show we have people who obviously work for Dave and Company people who were on the show were affected by the show and the third type of person that we have on the show here are the community members of the the Letterman Enthusiast Community people who uh just love um Dave and Company and and the Productions and and and immerse themselves in it and uh just go that extra mile as an Enthusiast and have a story to tell and want to get their story out there and then we can get together and geek out about this stuff I think our culture these days uh has a significant uh amount of that you know Walking Dead was great but so was talking dead that happened right after Better Call Saul was awesome so was talking Saul you know where we get together and talk about these things together uh this show certainly wants to encapsulate some of that spirit so our guest today is a guy that I have been communicating with actually since the very beginning of this show uh another Enthusiast another guy from western Canada actually he and I only live like three and a half hours apart from each other he lives in Vancouver British Columbia I live in Kelowna British Columbia we have been talking about doing this for a while we're waiting for the right timing and the timing is down you're gonna see why in this episode by the way Rob's still over here could tell me uh we could have probably five or 6 episodes based on his uh Letterman experience and the times that he has been to the show this is another guy that's been there multiple multiple times we're gonna go through that list at the end of this uh this this show the the things that he has seen we're gonna show a picture of all of the different shows he's been at but um he was at the last show and immersed himself in the the the the feeling that was that last show and there was a lot of magic that week um in May of 2015 in New York Rob Stover thank you so much for taking time to be part of the Letterman podcast today thank you for all the encouragement that you've given me right from the very beginning and uh you've been cheering the show on right from the start so thank you very very much for being a part of this today Rob my pleasure Mike thanks it's exciting to have you here man this is great a long time in the making yeah for sure like you say you're getting Nostalgia ground this time of year every May 20th put it on the thing watch it have a tasty beverage and just bring back those memories I do the same thing before we before we do that uh show us all the T-shirt you got on yeah so it meant to wear the um I bought a late the first time went to New York was 97.

and uh that's not when Hello Deli was selling it I went to rock America right to go see Muji burn cereal mujibu was there not so thrilled that getting his picture taken he probably wasn't as uh hot to trot with that but uh so yeah I couldn't find it uh to do this but back in 95 and this was one of those Great Canadian connections yeah uh Davis he was wanting to do would make a celebrity out of a complete unknown in this case uh uh a disc or a gastraki and Regina Saskatchewan yep not we're not where we are um by the name of Dick ass man yeah which uh yeah not so what unusual name sure so yeah of course Dave played on dick ass man dick ass Mania was a thing for a few weeks and I happened to be working across western Canada that time and and I was going from Alberta to Saskatchewan so the opportunity to go visit him was there so went to the Petro Canada I was like dick ass Mania shirt 2 or 95.

very pretty cool like this is in the this is in the vault for a long time hadn't hadn't taken this out so the audio listeners you're gonna be missing out a little bit today you might want to consume the show on the YouTubes because uh we're gonna show some of Rob's photos he just stood up showed his shirt dick ass Mania on it uh one side on the left a picture of Dave on the phone a picture on the right of of of the legend that is dick ass man uh owner of the Petro Cannon Regina that uh by the way and there are people who have contacted me uh since this show has started people who still live there or there's a lot of folks in Saskatchewan that have a dick ass Man story um and and it's funny the uh the local infamy that was created for dick around uh Letterman and and the show is just awesome I do have um I I do have it on good authority that the ass man Saga is going to be based on the Letterman YouTube channel that's gonna be happening so that that that's good news uh there was a lot of fun with that and that was the fun like when Dave would do that um uh it was just such a cool thing when he would pull somebody uh out of nowhere and and and and they would become sort of Infamous in their area I love that about Dave you you watched Dave ever since you were a kid I think we're both Gen X kids right I'm a 76 yeah yeah 73.

73 okay and uh and and did you always have that uh you know kind of that that cult like fandom for Dave the way that a lot of us have or did you come into it later you know I love it because there's such a commonality between almost everybody has that same story whether it's the TV was left on after Carson and then who was this whack wacko guy right after who's just wow um so again you know we're the age that late night didn't you know wasn't there from the beginning certainly didn't even know about the morning show until much later because you know being at school and everything yep so yeah The Late Show was was I would say was was the one that you know seeing it from the beginning in 93 um to his conclusion that's where you felt felt more ownership of it um I mean obviously the zaniness of of late and I was with something else and you can't uh you can't you know get away from that but uh yeah late show that was kind of like when I moved to CBS it's okay start to finish I'm I'm on board from this and uh yeah that was just fantastic I uh I I appreciate the sentiment of where you're coming from because again um in in in being sort of a of a lightning rod for all of these different opinions uh that that are coming in it's so it's so um interesting to see how many how wide the variety of people's opinion on this thing are that is the body and that's why we call it the body of broadcasting work you know when you think about a body and how how big it is and how diverse it is and how the different parts are are are so unique so too is this body of work that's continuing to this day are you still watching uh the stuff that Dave puts out there yeah I mean who would have thought that was funny because you know watch when we decided to do this thing it was like I watched the show again and I hadn't even clicked me that whole day in the life that they put together day in the life there's one line he says I think I'm gonna devote my life to social media or something and I was like whoa he actually he actually did like he's on he's on the YouTube he's doing the thing you know not tweeting as much as we'd all loved or something but uh but fantastic that you know Barbara Gaines is so kind enough to invite him on her show isn't that nice of her that's it yeah the Barbara Gaines show uh go check it out on the official Letterman YouTube channel uh I I couldn't agree more by the way um my favorite part of that and and that day in the life I mean Walter J and everyone who was involved in that fantastic job that was really good uh really powerful uh piece that that live it still lives in my heart um my favorite you know obviously they knew cameras were there and things were a little bit different or whatever but just you the razor sharp with that Dave has uh you know Dave was asking Barbara I think about about about her kid she said oh how's Harry oh good you know quit his job yeah or quit school going to work at a Dairy Queen I just I love that so much like um so many little little gold moments in that uh in that little dock and and just to hear you know to know that Walter is still um you know working on the YouTube channel and all that stuff now you know Jay works for uh uh for Seth now which is um as well um yeah I I'm so grateful that he's still putting stuff out and and uh the benefit of hindsight you know really in Nostalgia and all of these things you watch the final show again um you were at the final show I want to talk about that you have been a part of all sorts of stuff you were at Dave's was it his last show before 9 11 No I um yeah we could talk about that a little bit later no I I went back to New York and I was there on the one year anniversary that's what it was oh gosh if I had been in that one that was what I what a show his one coming back was but but that was still quite special coming back the year anniversary on 9 11 2002.

there you go and and and just beforehand uh before everything changed you were in New York too like that's some crazy crazy stuff that you've seen uh you know traveling across the country literally across the continent like for us to go to to see Letterman it was a it's a big it was a big deal yeah right I'm from Philadelphia for a couple hours to New York no yeah yeah that's at least an extra camera I'm sure yeah that's right that's right um so I do want to zero in on on the fact that you were there for the last show and how much of it you did take in uh we'll get to the pictures and stuff later Again YouTube uh you know for the for the audio listeners probably want to consume it on the YouTube We got some pictures that we're gonna show but um I wanna you know you did visit the show multiple times uh during multiple phases of late show and um you know going back there the last time how was getting tickets and when did you know that you were going to the last show yeah so this I mean this is great the beauty of the internet I was able to go back into old emails and I didn't realize how truncated some of the timeline was but like like you like everyone else those last few weeks were just spectacular and that's when you're sinking in going oh my he's actually this isn't a joke like Davis Dave is leaving yeah and I remember I mean I mean the the classic episodes are Norm Macdonald obviously uh yeah just Pockets uh Ray Romano I mean yeah and I watched those and I'm like you know not like obviously affected these individuals in their career and everything but just how much Dave has shaped sensibilities to mine in terms of comedy and appreciation of certain things and and I have just a huge love for New York and that's always been part and parcel of my New York experience so I mean I I could talk about that with with other things forever so I mean maybe like three weeks prior you know I'm sitting on my computer I just watch whatever show last night and I'm like uh there's no way there's no way tickets are still they're probably giving away to VIPs and Friends of the show and this and so I go on the CBS website and I you know as you do back in the end the day before uh other ticket brokers came along that's a whole other story about getting tickets now yeah but CBS still has they were showing three days Monday Tuesday Wednesday being the last show like all right I'll apply for these so first I think they did an order of preference I'll have someone with Wednesday then Tuesday then Monday yeah knowing that there's no way I would even be in New York for all those three days um so that was maybe three weeks before didn't hear anything and now we're literally May 13th because I was again look to my internet oh my God yeah so it's like I haven't heard anything but I'm just I want to be there just to feel the vibe even just to walk by the Ed Sullivan Theater one more time and the cool thing there is my wedding anniversary is three days prior so this is a perfect thing I can tell my wife say hey you want to do a nice trip to New York just a short you know couple days you know I've applied for for Letterman tickets I haven't heard anything but you know and it was a again you know the air schedule is a wonky schedule we ended up just buying the tickets hadn't heard anything leaving on a Monday or you know red-eye flight to Newark out there at 2 A.M on Tuesday so could see Tuesday's show if we saw Tuesday and then one night in a hotel Wednesday flew back Thursday we didn't have a hotel Wednesday night we were just gonna fly back Thursday morning so literally Monday to Thursday we put that time one night a hotel uh thank goodness our we have older daughters who were able to watch our younger boys we're so grateful that they were able to do that um but again so okay maybe it's just a cool trip to New York tied in with our anniversary great so okay I want to reiterate I want to reiterate you're taking a trip across the continent for a couple of days just for a couple of days not knowing if you're gonna go down but in your mind like okay so when I do that with my wife hey yeah maybe this will happen maybe this won't happen she immediately rolls her eyes and goes okay like in my case she'd be like okay we're gonna spend whether or not we get tickets we're gonna be spending every moment down at the Ed Sullivan Theater aren't we like that's what my wife went immediately is that is that kind of the case with you as well it's okay well even if we don't get tickets I'm gonna go down I'm gonna be part of it because that magic was already happening it was already Brewing you know these big moments had already happened by that point so yeah you know you knew something was going to happen because such stuff was happening yeah so and this is again and I love hearing your on your stories just Bonkers and and you know that we've talked about that but hearing about other people just I don't care if you went to the show Once or went 10 times or a hundred times I just love hearing that first you know or how you got tickets or the whole story like those are just great stories so I agree that's why we do the show and that's why Community is part of it I love that too it's so fun I'm excited for you right now and this is something that happened eight years ago and I'm excited for you right now knowing that an email is going to come or I want to know the rest of the okay how did this happen right so I'm I'm uh heading into Vancouver I live in the city called New Westminster heading into Vancouver on our Sky Train that's our our Transit and again maybe it's now the Thursday Friday before the week we're going and my phone ring cell phone rings and it's a two one two number so I'm like yeah hello hi is this Rob yeah this is Aaron from Late Show with David Letterman hi Erin how's it going good good so you've applied for tickets I'm like yeah that was chill you know ask them to put them on hold for a second no I'm like I am great um he's like so you apply for tickets are you sure you're going to be in New York because yeah you know what uh we're gonna be there Tuesday and Wednesday hoping he's not going to say tickets for Monday show because I would have crushed and been crushing he said well you know you got to answer a question of course it's always a softball question which which caught which cracked me out you know what is the color of the announcer's hair or where is Paul from yeah so answer that in the millisecond he said well congratulations you got tickets for Tuesday's show I went wow I Erin thank you so much I this just this just means the world to me in the back of my head I'm like Tuesday show yeah the penultimate and everything absolutely but I'm like he's like so you know you got to go pick up your ticket and or come here and uh you're on Aaron's gold list or whatever and come to the lobby I'm like well that's great um can I ask is is it possible because I'm going to be there Wednesday is it possible to get tickets for Wednesday Wednesday's show good for you the final shows yeah it goes well and you could tell hesitation you got to be like a super fan so okay what do you know about the Christmas show yeah it was it was like darling love Jay Thomas throwing the football at the thing and and Paul and Cher and Her Muff and he's like oh yeah yeah okay he's like all right you got a nice job yeah I get on your feet you know just throwing oh yeah it just all came like a wave and he goes you got the tickets for Wednesday's show so I'm not at home I'm not in you know I'm in a public confined SkyTrain I wanted to just just stream out you know just just just absolutely you know called my wife right away yeah we're going to the last show so I mean I was just I still can that's a memory recall I can tap into um because it's like wow this is happening I mean you knew it was going to be something just because of all the leader like yeah you've talked about plenty of times with with your guests or and everything so yeah so that was it uh so we headed to New York and um yeah I'll skip through all the the pre-stuff coming to Wednesday so get up Wednesday morning route I think some in a hotel in Queens we booked something on points because yeah it was such we didn't have the money to get something in Manhattan yep you know I remember going to uh there's like a gas stations and it was a nice warm day it was a beautiful day in May in New York and uh went to the gas station bought like two Gatorades for like five bucks I got a great deal so we get that you don't bring anything else because we knew from past you know you don't want to bring any bags or anything anything that's gonna you know impede getting to the theater so we so we get there and you know they say come at this time like oh we should go an hour early and even my wife Christine's like now let's go even to bed earlier and sure enough it was a huge lineup and not only that it was the media presence absolutely like that's yeah that was like this is something I mean not that I need to be told that but it's like you know this is enough that you know you had there were TV trucks out on Broadway just you know and traffic was kind of uh being diverted around that stretch so you know the drill you get in the lineup and you know there's just a buzz in the crowd everybody's talking you know um and again you know then people were coming to the line with cameras so uh I got interviewed by NBC Nightly News uh they're asking me about you know my you know favorite Dave shows I think I talked about the 911 episode obviously which is such a landmark event and yeah uh and my wife gets interviewed by Swedish Swedish news it's like you know apparently Dave's huge with the swedes um so okay sure so that was it you know and you'd see people talking and then the best part so we haven't gone in yet we haven't checked in yet yeah we see this individual running around and he's he's got like a microphone and stuff and you're like and you know he turns around he's kind of I think he was across Broadway then he came he came into our the group there and it's Jay Thomas what which yeah exactly In Your Wildest Dreams Rob when you like what like what are you doing here yeah so I guess I guess he had he had like a Serious XM radio show or something I never had that so I I had no idea and it's fantastic he's going around he's running up you know he comes up to he comes up to me on my life and it's weird because at that moment my mind goes to not to Dave's show but it goes to Cheers my favorite series Eddie lebach Canadian uh goaltender yep so you know it took me everything to say hey look back you know um so I wish I had asked if he was Arab dubbed because that would have just thought it would have worn my heart but uh missed opportunity in many ways but then he goes and interviews my wife which is hysterical because you know of the two of us I don't know if it's with you and your wife she's probably like oh okay Michael yeah you'll geek out with this I'm I'm okay with it so he's asking you all these questions about what does Dave mean to you and everything and she's like ah he's a Nikon he's this but I'm content to take a picture and like capture this moment and everything um which you know I digress for a second we're talking about Jay Thomas I don't please train a thought whenever you watched and I'm sure you watch multiple the times the Christmas show yes and The Lone Ranger tale what are you doing what are you doing Mike as you watch that like are you watching Jay tell his story or what uh I I I I love the look of sort of satisfaction or Glee that Dave has as Jay is telling that story like you can tell this is one of those stories uh that that that just brings genuine Delight to Dave no matter how many times he hears it and I take pleasure in that whenever I see that so is that is that okay 100 because we all know the story we know where it's going the greatest talk show story in history sometimes yeah exactly but it's it's Dave because I mean I think it's that how every comedian everyone was always trying to get that reaction or something out of Dave and we all kind of look to him which it sounds like the you know the staff to them are certainly the comedy writers and everything so yeah I just I always I love that seeing what made Dave laugh and then you're thinking you're in that same group of okay I think that's funny too or you know you're laughing you're the only person laughing in a few sometimes a certain Jokes which nobody else is getting in I'm like I'm totally cool with that so I'm that guy so many times Rob it's not even funny yeah absolutely because I digress to your family I'm sure yeah um but uh oh yeah I've got this again not for the YouTube people so yeah Jay's like handing out these things yeah he was he was like sitting there he's got a microphone just like rolled up things so that's a picture of him throwing the football oh Rob that is so cool yeah so that was cool I don't know that that's ever come out uh on any I I've never I've never heard that before I I saw the pictures and I knew that was coming I didn't know he was handing out stuff there and it was hysterical it's kind of like amazing participation award or something but um so yeah so it's it's great so that you know then we go in sometimes it's time to go into the lobby now so um and that's again that's that's his own excitement because you're in not only Dave's house but Ed Sullivan or you know yeah people are waiting to go see the Beatles and Elvis and all that and everything you know they got the signs up no photos so of course you take out your phone you take a quick picture oh I know when you sent me your photos I was like oh what are they gonna do it's the last show right but I was like oh man like the fear that I would have had for you just try to get that camera and start taking these pictures where you're not supposed to that's like crazy 100 yeah no you're exactly right that's why it's a crappy photo because I'm like I'm not getting busted for this you know exactly not worth it I've actually taken that photo a few times before at other shows where I was less you know the stakes weren't as high or anything so um so we go in you check in and as I'd learned from before you you you act excited you don't go but you just show that and they might put a little sticker on your ticket or something or a lower numbered sticker because then you're supposed to come back you know and line up in the orders so uh so we felt pretty good we went we went there we left um we didn't go around the site I I regret doing that we didn't go around the side to the stage door to see who was coming in because when we all everybody lined up again yeah I made sure to take a picture of my ticket because that was always a thing you you a rookie mistake before if you don't take a picture then they take it you have no record of it that's right finish the gate finish the Gatorade bottles again you know like because it was a hot day and everything so time comes you know time comes to come back everybody's lining up you're hearing whispers in in the crowd as we're all on like I saw Jim Carrey at the stage door I saw this and this so because of course nobody knew what was supposed to happen yeah and and the big you know the big rumor was it might be Leno you know which you know we never saw it it totally makes sense that it wasn't because it would have just been a different focus and and um I mean gosh you hope that he does a Netflix thing with Leno or something down the line of or something happens with it through them because uh you know those are those are always magic moments on late night jln was probably the best best guest of when was England of the Letterman's I agree uh it's interesting the idea it's funny in starting the show just a little quick aside it's funny to see the Caps uh both within folks who worked for Dave um you know and and and and enthusiasts as well um I almost want to say it's 50 50.

there's a group of people who just want want to see resolution and and and be real and then there's another group who are like screw that guy and screw we don't want any of that it's fascinating to me to see I was actually uh I wasn't quite as prepared as I could have been for that reaction and how that is the case my my show so I was there one month earlier and in the Q a I asked Dave about Jay and and he brought Nancy out well you know and they he even said like it made CNN the next day it was like Letterman said that they have uh extended an invite to Jay and and I I'm glad I'm certainly glad he wasn't on the last show it would have been it would have been fascinating to see him within the last week as part of that magic and whatnot but the last show no I mean I I think I think you're right um the celebration the way they did it I mean if he would have been part of that star-studded top 10 that would have been you know an iconic moment like the like the uh like the Tostitos commercial um but uh uh you know I think probably with the history with the benefit of hindsight I'm glad that he wasn't there 100 yeah yeah yeah but they were in the crowd though there were rumors though right there were rumors for sure yeah and you know and people were saying well who was coming in and again I wasn't there which was great which made the revealing of the top 10 last even more uh top ten uh group even more even more exciting so um so anyways yeah so we go back in the lobby so I mentioned those Gatorades right so I've been drinking Gatorades so I apparently hadn't uh hadn't done a good job of uh of being prepared for the show we're in we're in the lobby we're in the whole snake kind of you know uh stanchions and everything you're there they tell you right off okay you know we're gonna be here for a while and then we're gonna go into the theater and again knowing from having been there a few times before you know the show doesn't start right away you'll see the band come on and a few songs and everything yep but I I gotta go I I you know I'm sitting there I'm sitting there thinking I got to go to the bathroom and they had already said you can't do the bathroom and I take it probably security or something because I never I've never been to that I think I've heard of people maybe older folks that they had to go they had to go but yeah so I'm standing there I'm like okay and I look at my wife said what's wrong I said I really I really have to go but they might let us in and it's like am I gonna go to the bathroom they let you in and that's it and I yeah I'm sure you'd have had the same you know heartbroken I'd be like a dog in the rain looking outside I had dreams like my wife you can ass up on stage with days you know and I'd be like oh guess what happened you weren't there so anyway so I uh I'm like I I gotta do something so I crawl under like the lines people like what is this Yahoo doing and there's I guess there was an intern or something I said excuse me I'm so sorry I really I've got to go to the bathrooms we can't you can't go in here just you know go go to the go to the lobby go to the front and talk to talk to him and see so I don't know if you recall they're all those those like those older guys in the in the in the suits like the dark suits they kind of like like like Sinatra's goons or something like kind of that old New York style you know Mike and Vinnie are two of them and Chief and oh yeah absolutely yeah exactly so yeah go up to one guy and right away he's like what's this guy doing what are you doing sir I'm so sorry I I have to I have to go to the bathroom so badly and I you know is there what you know what can I do and so he kind of points towards the doors and there's another one of his guys standing there he's like okay okay go to the three monkeys and I'm like uh that's your buddy like and like thinking that's his nickname or something the three monkeys and any kind of Chuckles it no no no no no no tiger hold on okay he's like no no go out onto Broadway go up to 54 turn left go down a few there's a restaurant there that has a washroom I said okay thank you so and you're gonna let me in right you you you're going out because that's my worry you know so he goes okay opens the door and there's all these people there because there's still a media looking who's this who's this wacko coming out at this time I ran up the block I turn left I've never ran so hard in my life I can only imagine see the three monkeys run right into the washroom do my thing full disclosure I may not have washed my hands and I I completely caught that run right back right back and thank goodness the guy I saw him that doesn't mean you know and I hadn't let the crowd in but I you know honestly that was just the biggest I could be the worst nightmare I'd have never lived in my whole life so um getting Christine's there we we get in soon after we're led into the theater and that's always fun is it kind of jockey people into what position they're at and everything um Dave or Paul comes on with with the band which is always great and then hearing their music which is that's again the thing of being in a show the thing that as a fan yep and then you Mike you had that moment because you because you had a call you had a moment in the show which we as an audience at home had no idea right those are those moments we live for it's absolutely shoot to some random person in the audience everybody would laugh and we're at home going man I wish I was in that party I wish I was part of the cool kids so immortality I'm an immortal now oh it's it's the sweetest thing man I love it yeah um so yeah get in it's this yeah by that time yeah Eddie Brill is no longer the warm-up guy so it was the the bald when yeah yeah it was Alan was warming warming up the crowd at that point wasn't he did he warm up for you guys that night no they had a video I think the last two times I went it was a video that Alec Baldwin they had used him as like a host about how to laugh or how not to laugh don't do the wolf whistles and all that um Eddie's was always great he did that weird roared noise like don't do that you know um which was always cracking me up um you gotta get him to do that the next day he comes on the show thank you for that he hasn't done that on our show yet next time he comes on we get him to do that yes that's right um and so this is the thing in hindsight I don't recall when Dave's wife and and son and and and and his and his friend came in yes I I have to think that um you know I think there were probably seed fillers for a little bit but then when you see the video which the Letterman Channel released a year ago which I'm so grateful to see the the clips a day because that was all that's been in my memory banks of that moment and I see I see his wife in the eye and so she obviously they obviously got it had a lot in at that time to see you know Daddy up on stage and everything doing before the show went so yeah so Dave comes out um and yeah and if you've seen that video like there was some there's some you know goofy questions the woman asking about turtles like did Dave used to run turtle races and everything so the video that the Letterman Channel put up put a lot of that in but a couple things they missed so here's the little what else happened um I loved yeah the question that the woman asked about leading a the poll what do you do I think that was a good you know what what were you saying he's like none of your business right got a huge laugh yeah um a moment that's not in that video which completely understand is somebody said Dave who do you think's gonna win tonight's game between the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning and you know Dave Dave just takes that second like you know you've been out there all this time you know this is this is what you came up with this is your your question then you went into whole routine about um how hockey should ice hockey should only be played on on Con in countries that have naturally occurring ice like you know yeah um so that's um that's nice long line give me two seconds no no that's okay I I love I love the hockey stuff uh when it comes to Dave Eddie when Eddie came on the show he talked about he and I have talked about that outside of so you and I you know hockey is a religion up here it it flat out is and when I found out uh that they're all actually big hockey fans there um one of my very favorite moments ever on Letterman was him at the desk lamenting about the team Canada 2010 uh Olympic gold medals in Vancouver where he was saying you know what and we got through the it got into the game and it got into overtime and I just I wanted the Canadians to win and when he said that I was like oh because it was such a huge moment for us right it was you know Canada US and the gold medal but anyway so so you got to hear him talk about hockey yeah yeah just and again just at the total because this person just asked a crap question which was which was awesome in itself so um and then I you know I had my I had my question ready which I had like every time never got picked and it's so funny because Scott Ryan's book ended up answering the question that I had absolute fantastic read I've got it on Kindle I've got it uh you know a hard copy of it um so so the question that you were going to ask got answered in that book yes was why was number six in the top ten list always the funniest because that was my I always thought that was the case and I loved how he broke it down I think number two was what they said should it be in the top but number six because that's when the screen shifted over so it kind of stayed on a bit longer but yeah I always thought number six better for better part was the best of all and then number one is just the shortest so Paul could jump in with the music and everything so it was always of your what was it half a dozen to ten appearance at times you went to the show something like that right nine times nine times okay of the nine times that you went there how many times did you have that question waiting to be asked was that like was that one that you had for years or was that one that you just had prepped for that show no that was every time I think I was like I was one of those guys who just you know hands up never got picked so um so it was it was great that I somehow got that answered through another uh through another format years later so um so yeah so Dave I think that was about it yeah then the lady and then um again that that that Letterman Channel thing cuts to him saying okay folks now it's a cold open we don't want you to make any noise because that was the president Saul saying uh our national day of night or national nightmare is over um but between that time he brought on a guest himself and he said ladies and gentlemen I want to bring somebody on and he brings on less moonves so um the CBS president yeah so he was in the house and and and it was cool you know for him to to because he kind of alluded to what he then said later in the show about how you know he kind of had a shirt a Long Leash with with uh less moonves and letting him do what he did and all that um he's been very very patients underlined many times yeah um you know understandably blessed is not in that retrospect because because he's some things happened between 2015 and now sure yeah so but that's another thing that was kind of cool because he was like Wow here's the head of the head of the studio there to see you know the the man retires so he was probably sitting there going this Show's going long you know tell the Affiliates were going long or something yeah it was like 75 minutes or 80 minutes or whatever it was at the end of the day so um yes I mean if you know I could just go through the show because this kind of thing yeah so okay so that was between the cold open and Paul no before the cold I think the lady who asked about leaning against the pole and he said okay well Watson you know I just want to do one more thing brings in in moonves Ben says okay folks we're gonna start the show and yeah cold open don't say anything and then yeah then then you know the whole thing goes the presence and stuff he comes on of course you know that was just the standing ovation that lasted forever and uh you know it it was just being in that however many hundred seat theater and just all the emotions were there and everybody would have stood forever and stuff and Dave's doing his whole opening the jacket Paul's got the music going as he always as he always does and stuff so um yeah I uh you know goes right to The Tonight Show joke which is yeah yeah fantastic like there is no perfect that would it was a perfect show like it was a perfect show period it just was but you talk about a perfect moment of a perfect show there is no better opening joke than that joke it was so per it's just perfect it just ties it right from the beginning to the end yeah and just and we know we're in for that kind of night you know and stuff so um and then of course and the thing that only like total Geeks would know is you know he did it he did all the jokes and stuff and again as you watch it years later it's a joke about Stephen Hawking he's passed on or keeping up with the gabores and I think the last gabores has passed on and uh you know those are always the things seeing it every year it's like you know you know who's left us because I mean Norm Macdonald Barbara Walters Will Smith the um okay thank you very much uh Jeff Ross jokes that I still invite I always love that one well done well done so give credit um but yes we did the monologue there's all those great vignettes with The Simpsons and and The Wheel of Jeopardy and all that um and then gosh what happened no we went Jeopardy hold on hold on the Wheel of Jeopardy The Wheel of Fortune and Jack Pat Sajak the thing I love about that is the how many times did they ever use you know I love to use this phrase Pat Sajak was a comedy speed bag that was used so many times in so many ways and for Sajak to be part of the last show I loved that as well uh those who are who are way too young to understand we were talking about Pat Sajak was originally going to be the savior of CBS to take on Johnny Carson tonight I can't even say it out loud laughing Pat Sajak was going to be the guy to take on Johnny Carson in The Tonight Show and uh and and they love to make to poke fun at uh at Pat and uh and that it was neat to see Pat kind of throw one back and Wheel of Fortune to throw one back at at Dave and company that night that was a really funny I never made that connection I never made that connection you're absolutely right yeah that show and Chevy remember Chevy Chase's show absolutely absolutely yeah not much Dead on Arrival but um but yeah no no then he sits at his desk and the first thing he did again again going back to Jay Leno not giving kudos to Johnny Carson was right away mentioned Stephen Colbert and typical Dave you know completely I wish him the best and everything and uh you know you knew that that was on the list of like things Dave must do in this show like before you know otherwise for better you know for a good reason or not it's going to be analyzed or something so um so I think yeah where'd it go from there went to the went to the kids video um which which was great which um you know quoted so many lines from that one whether it's the whether it's the kid saying accidents happen or uh your your day-to-day pickle you know and just anyway um or that girl says Astrid she drives me nuts I've said that around my kids they don't know what the heck I'm talking about um but uh but then yeah this is where so so that was the first thing before before the top 10 list so again you know I think it said you know when we come back I'll call through here I'm saying when we come back the top 10 list and of course what's gonna happen we know that there's celebrities in the building because we've heard Jim Carrey's in the house and we think we saw Jerry Seinfeld or something come in so it goes to commercial Dave gets up and so you know Paul's playing and again this is every time I go to the show and even before this one you know the band starts playing during commercial break everybody's looking at this awesome music I'm listening to the awesome music I'm looking over at Dave you know because he's talking to absolutely and so I know I'm like sitting there looking over there wherever he's looking over here because you want to see how the sausage is made in those moments that people don't don't see and everything so so Dave walked over and Alec Baldwin kind of Pops his head out so right away I'm like oh okay all right this is this is gonna be this is gonna be this is gonna be cool um so we know that some something's going on that looks is pretty sweet so Dave goes back come at a commercial break they do the top 10 lists which was you know I every time I walk every time I watch the show and did it again I watched this yesterday just to refresh my memory Baldwin comes out everybody cheers and stuff Barbara Walters whose icon comes out she does a little things she didn't stand on her mark is he all call themselves going up to like get her back on track but then it's Steve Martin comes out next and even the audio and I know for me my just my heart just went like and he goes number eight Steve Martin and just the crowd just went and and even Steve kind of acknowledges the crowd because they were just nothing against the other two no they're like oh my God you know we are seeing the Jerry Seinfeld Jim Carrey and you know you know it um and then Julia Louis Dreyfus is you know I didn't need I didn't need the director to cut to Jerry because as soon as she did her joke I'm looking at Jerry and he played it just you know he knew what was going on obviously and perfect perfect reaction perfect moment Jerry fully nailed it it was just oh yeah yeah oh yeah Jerry Foley but uh yeah yeah that's right sometimes I'm trying sometimes I feel like we're this close sometimes it feels like we're this close but I'm trying real hard to get Jerry oh I know yeah I know you're killing it man um so I hope you get them yeah because the story's yeah just being able to manage all those cats or hurt a cats the way they do is just you know things happening so so yeah and then Bill comes Bill Murray comes out and you knew you knew going out number one I had to be Bill Miller we know he's in town because he was there last night anyway so that was just awesome to see that and um you know can't can't say enough about the top 10 list so you know as soon as it goes to commercial though that was done can I throw a couple before you go to commercial can I throw a couple things in well okay no actually no you finish that because you're talking about the top ten still you're talking about them out okay keep talking about that and then I'll I'll throw in a couple little things so he says you know our friends at The Late Show did a custard commercials so they're all standing there and so you know they're all kind of talking to each other instead of a couple I you know a few things that totally just stick on my head Jim Carrey goes over to Paul Schaefer and like I think he might like just shook his hand or gave him a hug or something so you know total you know Canadians unite yep absolutely and he's unite there um and then they all kind of milled off and stuff you know and then Jacob's after it but at one point I just remember this Chris Rock and the way that he just kind of you know he just plants himself on stage you just see him kind of go and he's looking around taking it in taking it in and he's sitting there going this is it you know this is it and I I just zoned in on that man and because that's how everybody was feeling and you know the time's clicking away it's like the show's it's gonna be over you know this is ending and there's Chris Rock standing on the cities the way Ray Romano the way you wanted McDonald all these people who especially commit stand-up comics you know the way they got their spot and everything came from there that was just that was just so special to see that um yeah jump in yeah I can uh I can put myself back in the moment when I sat at the desk afterwards and I mean I've told my story so many times but but when I sit in the desk uh I did take a moment to to do that to take everything in even though the theater was pretty much empty at that point and whatnot I just I took a moment to look around at all those things and I can I and I and I you know sometimes I will actually tell my brain to press record on the memory thing like I'll tell my brain to do that and I did that in that at that moment and then when we stood up like Mike the security guy that helped us do that he's like ah get out of here so they got up and and I went to the same spot I went to the monologue spot and I did the same thing um and and uh it's funny uh a few months ago my wife and I went back to New York and and um some of our a buddy of mine who works for Colbert now he's one of the he's one of the Union guys and so um he brought us in there and I did the same thing and it's it's so crazy even though it has changed so much their there's an energy to it and it feels the exact like it just it that magic just you still feel it and and I love that you saw that through Chris because that's a beautiful um that's a beautiful moment it's a beautiful thing to to to to be grateful and present in that moment and and hit that record button I love that uh of the top 10 there's a couple moments that I loved so much number one let's note this uh there's a guy who was on the very last Larry Sanders show and a guy who was on the very last Late Show with David Letterman that's Jim Carrey uh which I thought was very interesting because he was a guest on Larry Sanders actual last show he was the guest that night um and I just thought it was interesting that that you know if we can mention Gary Shandling anytime we can do that I do that well the other thing too was if you'll remember Bill Murray the night before uh that was cake night right and it was uh all we were saying is more worldwide pants going outside and you know being crazy and then he had gotten himself into uh I don't know if it was it was it was too much drinking and then he appeared on an NBC show or whatever yeah at the end of the top 10 list he walks over to Bill it Whispers in his ear hey TV last night everything okay and Bill's like I'm fine it might have been the great Don Geller who posted yeah he was on a TV show and he sat in the chair and you see him kind of wipe out and see yeah right now yeah so lubricated or something but yeah I love that I love seeing that I mean I love seeing you know Jim Carrey hugs him and says I love you very much like Jim Carrey says that and like that's like you know he probably saw norm and stuff saying these things and it's like guys don't say that to each other you know yep you're not supposed to do that yeah you know and I love actually with Dave you know yeah especially with Dave who's yeah there was no truck for the truck for the sentiment or you know um yeah so that was lovely and all those bits and you know the Peyton Manning he'll you know going crazy over the sports figures which again you know I'm more crazier with The Comedians and the sports figures or something unless it was like I went crazy about like just like with Jay Thomas and watching Dave's reaction when Dave went over to Peyton and said Mr Manning like he yeah like seeing him excited that Peyton was there I'm happy for Dave in that moment like so happy for Dave in that moment so yeah um right on very very very cool okay so after the top 10 is that what was the day in the life no not quite yet this is this is then the moment where I can um we had our special moment as an audience okay so I I kind of like written this down so I can get it right so yeah it goes from the top ten comes out of commercial and it's that clip from the morning show with the dog and then the guy says oh yeah do the square root of 25 and so he barks five times or he barks four times four times like what a great act you know I guess one more one more yeah boy so come back to Dave right and Dave's sitting there and and then Dave says this is what's on the air Dave says uh you know you uh give the dog Two Shots you think you get it right right and the audience went nuts we went nuts because that was a redo okay which which you know you you always hope for a perfect show you know or he does I'm thinking or any of the the staff and stuff but what had happened he did it he did a joke about the dog and then he said you know I just can't express my appreciation for all the top 10 people and their time and their talent um and then and then the next thing and the next thing he says because then he's going to the Taco Bell bit right he goes and now this next bit uh we filmed this June 17 1976.

our friends or our visit to Taco Bell and then you hear that the atmosphere breaks something's wrong right and of course I'm sitting there going you didn't have a show in 76.

right and you hear them you know you know and you hear like somebody go in 96 not 76 right okay take it back take it back so it's the great just you know the TV production aspect coming in so that's why it's fantastic you know it comes back he redoes that and then the the dog makes more sense he goes you know you give them two shots you think you get it right which is fantastic because inside jail just like that that's not a writer that's Dave just coming up with his own ad-lib yeah and then he has to he kind of did another Peyton Manning joke I wish I could remember the first one because the one we've seen on the air is the one about you know when you look at them it's like we're twins we're twins yeah yeah it might have been we're looking in a mirror or something it was something to the effect that he and him were very uh similar uh but then he goes into and our next bet you know here's a little video from June 17 1996.

and he just leans into it and if you hear it now like it's just even better and then the crowd just cracks up even more because Dave's totally acknowledging even though at home you would have had no idea if you just did our next bits from June 1996 cool going to the Taco Bell uh but that's just that was one of those the a you know part of one of those screw-ups that turn into something even better something that was special that uh you know um and of course yeah one of the best remote bits ever arguably uh you know you can't you can't uh I think it's gone already cheap he's not already TV I I say that that's in my uh that's in my role of decks of phrases no no question yeah she's gone already Chief um so uh so then it was yeah then this was a great so then it was a time um then it was getting ready for day in the life but now it's getting ready for Foo Fighters because now the top ten you know we don't need the stage anymore so we're setting up the stage for Foo Fighters and then this was again was a time for Paul and the band to shine because they did Central Park and West would you hear coming out of the commercial and then going back but they did the full thing because it took a long time to set up Foo Fighters set and everything um so again just those are the best those are the Glorious moments to see like what a tight group you know an apologist a musical genius uh yeah and what a great reaction again I'm listening to that mostly but also looking over at Dave who's talking to whoever and stuff but I'd say that was it you know probably upwards of 10 minutes or something and then the camera comes in does the swooping overhead and and then back um then it went yeah then it goes into the day in the life of Dave um yeah Akash I can't remember then if if Foo Fighters came on they probably came on after that I don't there's no reason for them to be on the stage then so yeah I think they would have come out right after that in the next commercial break yeah they were on stage when Dave gave his final remarks they were on stage prepped already at that the whole time what you think I always think about hockey players when they have celebrations for the game and they got to stay warm and they're like Dave and and the guys they were on stage the whole time when Dave said you know before we before we wrap this thing up I've got a few things to say yeah he's sitting there talking about Biff and the band and all the stage crew and and Dave Grohl and Company they're there and they're just cracking out because like they're standing you know you know where they are in relationships yeah and taxes I mean how how beautiful was that you know we're getting we realize that gravity of this because you know Foo Fighters screams tuxedos you know their music um and so that yeah that was just awesome because I'm sitting there watching Dave Grohl as much as Dave Letterman in terms of people all the guys and um well Taylor Hawkins I mean you know there's so many things you you want every year as you watch it's just like ah anyway yep um and then uh yeah going through and again just that emotion in the building especially is now going talking about the you know the staff and the people and the people who don't see the light of day they're you know they're Hermits and stuff you know working day in and out and of course Dave's deflecting everything to you know the writers much funnier than I'll ever be and everything um and then of course you know that's when I realized his wife like I don't think a lot of people at least certainly because I was a center I was like fifth row back Center they were stage left uh so I didn't really have no reason to look at the audience then or anything but you remember that it's like he's he's giving accolades to everybody and then he gets to his family and just everybody just Rises to them you know you know they didn't expect that because they had the whole picture of of Harry smoking the cigarette and stuff um like oh yeah at this point the crowd will lead to their feet in recognition of Dave's wife and child and stuff but I mean one of them you know what a moment that was it was just it was just love it um but um yeah I remember that and uh you know then saying goodbye to Paul and then yeah so then he and then he goes into before he introduces the Foo Fighters This this okay so this is my Rupert pumpkin moment here from uh king of comedy or or Joker right so I I'll claim this absolutely is it was was meant to be is uh is then Dave does you know and I'd like to thank you the viewer you know everything you've given me and all that I think and I thank you again cuts to the crowd and there I am talk ah corner I know Jerry Foley he saw me there he said well we've got it we've got to put Rob on gotta get yeah so we have this thing for putting Canadians on there it's the deep deep inside joke yeah I'm a bit more blurry than you were I'm sure in your moments uh so um but yeah and then and then it just you know the moment that we all remember thank you and good night you know and he goes and I love everything when you think about it in fine series like my last time on television and it was for all intents and purposes because now he's on this Netflix thing that's not TV that's streaming whatever streaming is yeah so and then it goes into Foo Fighters and then and then you're torn because there's then three things and I you know watching Foo Fighters seeing this great band yeah again watching the watching the monitors to see what Barbara Gaines and Company put together which was masterful and I love all this about Ryan's how they had to she was up until the last second editing it and the Farrah Fawcett and you know moment was off and they had to edit and all that stuff yep so I probably didn't watch the Montage as you know as and again watching Dave going you know this is this is it this is It's you know it's winding down and stuff so um that finishes I think it went right into the yeah hold on he said he he said thank you and good night and and and let's the Foo Fighters started playing um Foo Fighters played a bit then yeah they played a few chords so at least we got to as a viewer at home you got to see them play but then you know what yeah but what did Dave do because I I assume the third thing you were looking at was zeroed in at Dave did he watch the entire performance did he okay it was there he watched the performance and then it went into it went into the credits to all the people yeah yeah not just names but pictures and stuff so it was like excellent and yeah Dave was there because then at the end of that you know and then you saw Harry skiing that that clip there's or you know the worldwide pants logo comes on Dave gets up and he come and then he grabs the mic again very quickly just says you know I want to thank you all every you know thank you and good night this has meant uh this is meant a lot great deal to me or something to that effect and I've you know he's gone into the gone into ether right so he did give one last uh one last you know um words to the crowd there so which is unusual if he doesn't that that's not that's not that's not a usual thing that he's yeah yeah yeah that's so special that's special right there yeah and just I always said it meant it and you know who knows what's going through his head because he's so transparent with how he feels and stuff though more so in the last few years which which that evolution of him so I think you're this I well I've heard your podcast so I know you're the same you're a fan of like T Dave our TV friend who just sits down and tells a story like those as much as I love the zinnius of late night again Late Show is where I just I just the guy is just magnetic to listen to and what a a Storyteller and especially on the spot when he when certain uh personal issues are happening like just being able to address it so um so then yeah so then it's the end and everybody gets up and you know it's like it's it's because it's a show it's a business like get the heck out now you're done you're reading yeah you know this was different here because then all these all the staff were coming up on stage they're they're hugging they're they're taking selfies with each other um I'm pulling out my camera then I'm taking shots because what are they gonna do now yeah exactly yeah um so it's like uh and you hear the people yelling no photos no photos which which cracks me up now and and gosh in hindsight man knowing what happened to the set like a day or two later just you know which is so I should have brought a screwdriver I should have been like taking my seat apart during the show I would have rented a U-Haul man I would have rented a U-Haul I had it out there into the dumpster back into the U-Haul and announced they're back into the U-Haul yeah it's it's really and I don't know if you've probably had this conversation with with some of the others like where was worldwide pants in this in terms of you know a lot of this is should have been preserved or something you know in terms of the the scenery or you know wasn't a thought that the smithsonian's gonna come knocking for the guy who's King of late night and all that but anyway another another sir we all start filing out I remember uh you know Dave's wife and child are still there and I always thought it was weird this sticks my memory just some random audience guys like going up to Harry asking to shake his hand and stuff and as a father I'm kind of like dude guys do um but that was fun too because then um Anton I said I'm looking at the band and you know Paul kind of went off and and you probably seen the video Yeah Allentown pulls out his cell phone and he's just you know he's saying he's saying hi to the horns and all this stuff and then he sweeps the crowds well I just win I go bye Anton and you can see me like it's like here's my other Rupert pumpkin moment right there um and but again you know just seeing the emotions because again as much as as a viewer we're like this is the last letter this is the last day of work for so many people and decades you know working with the same people and um yeah I mean you really you felt that you felt that atmosphere and uh you know that every Mills out into onto Broadway there's all these reporters there and they're asking people right away okay what were the things they said yeah what happened what happened yeah yeah what happened what happened so um you know my wife and I we we had bought tickets for a show at eight o'clock and because it went long we just had time to go and eat dinner and stuff um went to the musical then what'd you go see do you remember yeah oh absolutely uh something rotten which is a great like uh new musical about Shakespeare is a very funny um and then from there again we didn't have a we didn't have a hotel we left our bags at the hotel we didn't have a room that night but then we got tickets for the comedy seller uh you know way down lower Manhattan yeah because I've never been there before and I'm like you know we have to kill time so that's like an 11 11 30 start um here's a fun fact too because I kept thinking oh maybe somebody's gonna show up there maybe Chris Rock is in town do a walk or something yeah yeah um but this is crazy this is something that I remember it's like John Mulaney was walking around he was walking around Times Square around the time I think after The Late Late Show finished I'm like hey this John Mulaney could and then and then later he was outside at The Comedy Cellar so John Mulaney was in two places uh during May 20th anywho went to the comedy cell and of course yeah when you get a chance you got to go just comedians there and it's like The Comedy Store in LA or something yeah um I'm trying the only person that I knew going in was David tell he he popped in I I think I'll do a set you know he just walks on and stuff so that that was that was brilliant now it's like 2 A.M so time to head back to our hotel in Queens so we get on like this slowest Subway or at that time and it's gonna be slow get to the hotel my wife said okay I'm done with the Subways we're taking a taxi to Laguardia Airport okay okay so so again three four days away and we only spent one night sleeping and then get to the airport by that time all the newspapers of uh yeah all the newspapers are printed so it's like holding up the New York Post I just picked up everything because Dave's on the cover of uh yep all these newspapers and stuff so um yeah and then flew back Toronto back to Vancouver and the the adventure was over so can we uh can we go through some photos right now oh sure okay come on come on there we go okay I don't know if they're in the right order or not but can you see that yeah for sure yeah Jay with Christine so there there's my wife uh just riffing trying to see what Dave means to her okay well done yeah you're you're like I am you're uh you're you're eight class you're a closer well done indeed there you go she's pretty foggy I'm not surprised Jay went to her instead of me so I completely understand even I know you would have called them Eddie lebeck what the heck just happened there okay hold on I don't know why oh okay hold on let's go back there we go yeah so that's you know whipping out the camera at the end has released and look at all the thank you and good night jackets oh yeah oh that's right that's the ones they all were gifted right at the end or something or yeah I uh I don't I don't have mine here right now but if I did I'd show it to you but that's what that's the thank you and good night jacket and and uh I love I love mine um yeah if you ask me what I'd rather have my pinky finger my thank you goodnight jacket I would say my pinky finger but I would think about it for a second anyway uh but you need a pinky finger for it that's not like the Dr Evil move but that's true and I've got another one yeah you got another one yeah so that's great that's that yeah holding the USA Today kind of like the you know the prison shot or yeah we're definitely this is the day it happened kind of thing so yeah and then the lineup of the Marquee going down Broadway yeah and that's yeah I think that's the pandemonium that's what that is yeah exactly that was at the end and they were just streaming out and still recorders asking what what happened and everything so and then there's that USA Today oh yeah top 10 reasons David Letterman's on the front page today I always love when periodicals would do a top 10 list um because they were always so bad like yeah not quite the same caliber yeah there's the how much like just this Marquee alone how much do you miss this you know and and you know because I've since gone back you know my stretch of going to Dave was when I was to say when I was single and had money in time before I got married and had kids and stuff so that's where I did a lot of my I think it was like five years straight that I got to see Dave once a year and stuff so yeah it was weird the first time I went back and saw Colbert's thing but I always I and I don't know if you've asked this question with like you know the Ed Sullivan Theater it's like yep shouldn't it be the Ed Sullivan or the Sullivan Letterman theater but well you know what we have we have talked about that a little bit and uh the fact that it's um it's a landmark all right and and so you know yeah I mean I would love it to be called The Ed Sullivan David Letterman theater but uh um it's got a lot of storied history to it and I at the end of the day I don't think Dave would even ever entertain the option of that uh you know the reverence that he has for broadcasters of the past Sullivan being one of them so uh but you think you know if Colbert sticks around it'd be like solid solid Sullivan Letterman Colbert yeah or something it'd be like a law firm Law Firm after a while but uh yeah the fact that the the fact that Dave performed in the Ed Sullivan Theater I think is the history in as far as they're concerned but that's uh but I I hear you I totally hear you so look at this being uh being interested yeah Embassy NBC Nightly News guy I just remember that because uh I'm like where is this so he was just saying what what moments and Dave you know appeal to you and all that so it was fun to fun to try to do some good sound bites there yeah not my picture of course that's no one of the the gang iconic top ten uh I just I look at that and you know when you look at this it's like again every year and this is our first year Barbara Walters having passed away yeah it's kind of you know that's the first of the top 10 list for me that you know I look at Chris Rock and I one of the days I saw was Will Smith um he was a guest on one of my Lettermen so as soon as the slap happened there's me going hey I saw those guys in Letterman uh in the flesh but yeah God that was what at that moment was just amazing there's Jay doing his thing doing his thing yeah so did you see him from Far like okay so he said he turned around and you noticed it was him it was a surprise as opposed to well he was a cro yeah he was across the street first I think I don't think I sent you that picture and I'm like oh here's Jay Thomas I think he was across Broadway on the other side looking back at the Marquee maybe he was doing his intro then he came over to to the crowd and then uh worked his way down the line and stopped on uh and me and Christine there she is there she is with him what a happy little bonus that was for you uh yeah especially with him passing away I mean God the best the Christmas episodes is up there with like the last episode is watch that every year especially now and uh absolutely you know uh this picture here we have to note once again remember Rob urinating and did not wash his hands so as he took this picture so you know hopefully gosh can you imagine that I mean to have missed it oh my goodness yeah no photo no photography yeah don't don't drink a big Gatorade before just because you're saving a couple bucks so there's the ticket yeah gotta take a picture because that's confident I wish I could have kept mine I have my ticket still yeah I think I do have mine but just in the front of getting ready for this I just couldn't I couldn't find it so yeah I wish I could have kept the stub though because that's the thing that said that I was on Kevin's gold list and I wanted to keep that part but they tore it off uh you're on the gold list too so how did you get on the gold list was that just your enthusiasm checking yeah so I've I've uh I've told the story before and I'll probably do another version of the letter Manifesto this is a beautiful picture I love that uh the two of you with with Dave there and here's your here's the the shows that you got a chance to see um you know crazy when you look at that Goo Goo Dolls that's fantastic um you know Will Smith Derek Jeter among Derek Jeter at the same time York I love Bjork I've seen her in Vancouver and Seattle um I just love her um and then of course we're not uh Bill Clinton I mean my goodness well that I mean if there's time for that I mean I can quickly kind of dive into that or something but yeah so that yeah so that's September 11 2002.

yeah so yeah the year I'm looking at my list here yeah the year before was the David Schwimmer and Bjork so that was my family and I we had gone to New York um my brother and I saw Letterman so that was number four for me we were then flying to England for my cousin Kate's wedding we flew back on September 10th um well now jump in there the day after the day after lemon I saw Regis and Kelly um and and and they do a thing where like it's a travel trivia and they get somebody on the phone they answer a question and if they get it right or wrong they win the big prize but regardless of them they say now you want a lucky audience member will win a gift certificate to Omaha Steaks so pick a number between this and this and they picked my number and so that's that's my again New York has just had an amazing stuff in New York so there's neon Regis and I'm just my buddy Chris just killing himself laughing uh and so I won my own steak so I had like a big envelope from Regis go to England come back we're flying back to New York because it was a round trip air India New York to London and back and then uh flying back to Vancouver or Seattle rather um but my bags didn't show up and I'm there with my brothers and and my brother my brother my sister said hey guys I don't want to I don't want to leave my bag I don't you know because I was saying mark on my certificates and all that anywho we ended up having to drive I think we were at JFK airport we got rebooked on another flight it was true it was my bag was not going to show up so we wanted to get back anyway we ended up driving through Manhattan past it was a pissy rainy night that's the thing you always see September 11 it was a beautiful day September 10 it was pouring rain driving by I remember seeing the skyline of the towers and everything getting to Newark Airport where our rebooked flight was and then you know talking to the gate agent saying wow what a day for you you know to be so with all these flight delays oh yeah what a what a pain not knowing of course within 24 hours the whole world would change and certainly travel and all that yeah so anyway yeah so we ended up getting home get get back to our place the phone rings the next morning September 11th it's my girlfriend's uh Mom calling saying where is Rob's mom because my mom was uh she spent an extra night in New York she was gonna fly home from LaGuardia on September 11th and yeah so she's like where's mom where is Rob's mom where's my phone why why I turn on the TV and then we turn on CNN yeah and you know thankfully we found out my mom was at LaGuardia Airport she's just checking in and then the airport's evacuated um she ends up shooting chatting with some stranger from like Arkansas or some something and just said well I'm going back to my son who lives in Manhattan or in Queens or something and my mom just said do you want to go with you so my mom is up staying with a stranger uh complete stranger she had met her five minutes before just for a few nights before she could get to Montreal fly back anyway so that that's our that's our 911 story but wow again then coming up to the first year anniversary I thought I I just I felt like you know I'm coming back to New York then and stuff so that yeah I was fortunate to get tickets for uh for days one year anniversary and it was it was checking in that was unlike any other times they said you cannot have anything with you you can't have a camera you can't have an umbrella nothing besides you know and obviously with Secret Service agents and he wasn't the sitting standing prison then we're sitting I didn't want plenty was sitting um but that was that was cool to just be in that and and that was a really solid one but Dave was joking a lot but it wasn't like the one with the first show after 9 11 but yeah which is just that's still a masterful job in many perspects of just what he did but um yeah so that was a that was pretty special yeah a couple years later 2005 I saw Lance Armstrong right after he won his like fifth or whatever it was a fifth or seventh Tour de France so yeah that might even be an Eddie real soon you guys are intrigued we're seeing a real Sports Heroes you know and of course they turn out to be such uh you know anyway well the situation that happened there yeah I mean uh historical moments I mean uh uh the thing about Dave and Company and and the resilience of him as a broadcaster and again I go over this you know the idea of the broadcaster versus the Entertainer versus the comedian broadcaster first and that puts him into a category you mentioned Barbara Walters earlier and some of these other people uh I always say that Dave's my Walter Cronkite um and and and you know these moments these world event moments no offense to Mr Leno but we don't necessarily think of Jay Leno where were you what did Jay have to say during this time right um you know Jon Stewart's a little bit more there but but again when you look at the icon that is David Letterman as a broadcaster um many of us who who would consider us ourselves enthusiasts of him put that lens over we put it over the broadcaster part of it the world history part of it and he's not just an Entertainer yes you know his show in my opinion like again I call him my water Walter Cronkite because I'm a gen xer and gen xers are different than the Baby Boomers you know our idea of Show Business our idea of you know uh of a little bit of cynicism and sarcasm and and and uh rebelliousness and and and and uh you know the the Nirvana go ahead Entertain You Know come on entertain us you know and and Dave is that guy for me and clearly for us and for a generation of people um and and putting the idea of world events through the day of lens is something that that many of us do uh you've had a chance to do that in in a much more personal way not just on TV but you've actually seen some of these historical moments uh in person and that is uh I mean talk a little bit about how grateful you are as a David Letterman fan for some of the things you've got a chance to see because I can hear it I can feel it like I I know we're doing an energy exchange here that that is it's real like I can tell how grateful you are eight years later we're sitting here talking about it like it was yesterday yeah no I you know and I and and you probably sure you've discussed this in the same wavelength but you know he left a year before 2016 and along with Jon Stewart you always wonder what if because you know not to get into a political thing and you and I are too Canucks anyway so um it's our place to comment on that or or what what have you but Trump coming on David Letterman he didn't get away with anything and I don't when was the last time he came on the show like he hadn't announced his candidacy yet but you know Dave would have not been ruffling his hair or doing all that stuff right and of course Jon Stewart would have raked him over the polls too so you go that what if you know and Dave if Alicia was on and the pandemic hit I mean here we are yeah years later living through a pandemic would he have done a remote show like did he have the energy to to do that it's like and every year that goes by every May 20th and you know get tasty beverage sit down and and just watch it's just a flood of emotions just coming back and reflecting and again as we're getting older and you know uh it's just a natural thing and Dave's you know we've seen Dave do that he was this guy who rightly or not was criticized for making fun or maybe being harsh on guests or especially if they're plugging something you have no interest in it and by the end of the show I mean especially those last weeks are just the amount of love that was being thrown his way I I yeah I can't I I can watch The Norm Macdonald I can watch the Ray Romano and Martin Short you know great for greatest uh talk show guest or something or the other guy you know the ones who prepared Steve Martin would prepare like you know and you hear these stories of he would get ready to go on date because it was it wasn't just a sit down and chat and you know these Charles Grodin you know Masters Amy Sedaris it was almost like the flip side like how much was she riffing or something but she was she was something else I mean oh man I would love to have Amy on this show uh We've we just got our badge of honor just got our very first official rejection from Martin Short uh timings timing's not right so congrats on that hopefully we can figure out the time and when the timing is right for him but Amy like you've just mentioned a group of people uh another one and we'll we'll do a shout out to the family uh is another guy who would do that as Bruce Willis you know Bruce Willis whenever he would come on the same same thing like like like uh Mr Martin and some of these other people uh we just talked to Robert Morton actually I think this episode's gonna be in between part one and two of Morty he was talking about Andy Kaufman and Andy Kaufman back in the day would come on the show and how he would be in Morty's office not coming on the show for another week or two but trying to figure out the best thing that he could do to be on the show but yet when he comes out there making it look so effortless and spontaneous and whatnot you you talk about that with Amy um yeah I I love that too I love the chemistry that Dave has with some of these thoughtful people that aren't just plugging something I think that's why my next guest is so powerful watching him connect with Billy eilish and her brother watching them connect us and yet his curiosity um and and his expertise uh never mind the the the you know the the whip smart wit that he has uh you know it continues in my opinion to make him as compelling as he's ever been he's just doing the Tom Snyder thing now as opposed to the Johnny Carson thing and and I I I love that too um Rob I appreciate uh you being patient because I know I knew I wanted to have you on the show I knew I wanted to talk about the last show because you have such a cool uh vantage point from it thank you very very very much for being on here today before we kind of close it off was there anything else you wanted to jump into today on your first appearance here on the Letterman podcast just super grateful for the chance Mike let's just say having these memories and stuff and now it's kind of at least solidified somewhere as soon as I get old and I start to you know think that I was a guest on Letterman because my mind's got the first place at least memorize I tell my kids about these tales and they're kind of interested but uh no thank you so much this this means a great deal to me I really appreciate it the opportunity uh you're you're a brother from another mother and you live just three hours down the road I uh I can't thank you enough for this uh oh hey no before we go we got one sponsor and they're still the sponsor he hasn't sold it yet so until he sells the deli and we gotta figure something else out um The Lettermen podcast says one sponsor one sponsor only that is Rupert G and the hello Deli if you want Late Show with David Letterman merchandise you can still get it officially licensed Letterman uh Late Show with David Letterman merchandise go to hellodashdaily.com get yourself a mug get yourself a shirt get yourself a cap um he's got the deli up for sale he's putting it out there everybody so I'm not sure what's going to happen with all of that stuff once uh that is finished but we just love Rupert good good good friend uh personal friend friend of our show uh go to Hello deli.com uh you didn't go you didn't go to the hello Deli the last time you know what we went but it's funny uh when our boy's teacher found out we were going we were like the day before like oh yeah Rob and Christine are going he like Runs Out gives their money so you got to buy me a late show t-shirt so technically did go on the Tuesday before went to get our t-shirt for for Mr Eckert um yeah I've seen yeah I went to Rupert's years ago I think I had the Paul Shaffer there but I never got a picture with him I don't know why Rupert always was so like so you know you didn't want to bug the guy because yeah you know he's getting bugged a million times but just what a what a sweet gentleman and stuff so I know I'm hoping to go back to New York this year and gosh I hope he's still around and uh we'll definitely try to get that picture so well get that picture if you can if not we'll get them on the zoom here together privately and we'll get a he'll get you a picture with him that way he'll do it that way um Rob I appreciate the heck out of you thank you so much for for for doing this today um that's how fast they go ladies and gentlemen uh I I just love the community of that we are building here here with the Letterman podcast so grateful for everybody who shares the enthusiasm and has actually taken the step to reach out and a lot of you have everybody who has a story I can't wait to somehow some way to get to all of you all of you if we can lots of good stuff coming up here on the Letterman podcast um uh yeah you know what I'm not even gonna start I'm not even gonna start uh trying to promote future episodes because we've just got lots of really really good stuff Happening Here uh we will say this though we're thinking about at the time of this recording the writers are still on strike so what we're going to do is say support it support your comedy writer support your television writer your scriptwriter the support the writer in your life um you know the idea that factory workers have been downsized is something that has been in our in our in our lexicon for a long time as machines have come in and helped things uh along in the automation building process uh the idea now that writers of all people creatives uh could be replaced by computers and things like that this writer strike that's happening right now there's a lot of very creative people who need support and I believe that it's up to us to support them so I think about all the people uh you can follow Bill Shaft or Steve Young uh Craig Thomas um and and many many many other writers were Dave Rogowski and many many other writers I'm not getting to nearly all of them um but uh you can follow them on their social medias and see how the writer strike is going we just want to lend our support to them as well that has been another episode of The Lettermen podcast with Mike Chisholm coincidentally I am Mike Chisholm thank you and good night overcoat and Underpants