The last hurrah for the Hello Deli, our tribute to Rupert Jee’s retirement

all right so I keep talking about how the Letterman podcast is brought to you by the hello Deli rert G and the hello Deli rert why in the heck would you sponsor the Letterman podcast well it's about Letterman and um of course you know throughout the 22 years of our relationship with Dave we love him so I would I would sponsor anyone who loves the show oh that's fantastic well we appreciate that very very much now uh for those who don't know who haven't been down to the Ed Sullivan Theater you are actually right inside the Ed Sullivan Theater the doors are literally right behind us here how to get in here for years and years and years you have served delicious food to those who worked for Dave and now folks who worked for Co bear what's been your one of your most popular sandwiches uh well one of the most popular is a Paul Schaefer and that's my favorite what do we got here here it is what do you get on a pul shaver well it's got avocado um lettuce tomato honey mustard and turkey on a wrap and it's on a wrap yes it's not cuz Paul schaer's good at rapping that's not why we chose that right no no no it's just a it's just a healthy sandwich it's just a healthy sandwich all right well there's the Paul schaer and uh lots more there's a CO bear there's a letterman there's a Brian which Brian who's Brian Brian Teta that's from Brian Teta do you know Brian Teta God bless Brian Teta he's gonna come on the show we haven't had him on the show yet oh yeah he's I knew him since he was an intern here and um he's moved on to biger and better things um he's uh the executive currently he's the executive producer of The View isn't that great yeah yeah he's big time now and and you were around when he came here as an intern that's right the entire Letterman run um at at CBS I mean if if if the secrets that you have inside that head of yours you were the counselor you were the friend you were the uh you served them food oh my gosh you are a member of the family uh yeah I was fortunate fortunate enough to be absolutely yeah it's it was a blessing oh this is thank you very much for sponsoring the Letterman podcast we appreciate the heck out of you rer my my pleasure welcome once again to the Letterman podcast my name is Mike Chisum and uh to the Delight of most uh I brought Candace Chisum back hi Candi hi mate welcome back this is your is this number three three number three for you yeah being the uh co-host of the Letterman podcast and and automatically making it so the entire audience wishes you hosted the show that's what happens that's what happens um we have had you on the show every time there has been a New York Excursion every time uh we or I have gone to New York you have been the first guest back so I'm wearing my New York hat today yeah did you just get that New York Hat I did get it New York you sure did that was uh that was quite the trip it was it was a a very very fast whirl windy trip but it was no no no just stay there stay there just put the micone it was uh as always the only thing that I didn't like about it was leaving yeah oh gosh harder and harder to leave every time because at the end of the day we were there we were only there really when you combine it all like three days and um it was uh it was definitely it was hard to leave and and I mean you know the thing that I love about our trips to New York and see it used to be when we would leave New York um like New York has called to us since we were like we love New York it's by far our favorite American city been married oh yeah long time like we both growing up New York has just had that magnet like so many people around the world uh New York just has a magnet to certain people we are definitely those people um and and and uh I can tell you anytime that we've ever gone to New York York we haven't wanted to leave because of the place of New York New York itself has a pulse it's alive but what I love now every time we leave New York the reason that it's so hard to leave is because of the people I just say because we have make more and more friends I think than anything I think that's the experience too is you know where where cities start to feel like home yes and that's you know I ran into people and they're like oh I never I didn't like New York at all and and I never understood that but theni the more and more people that we fall in love with in that City it makes it even that hard that much harder yeah and it was a it was an incredible trip um uh we're going to talk about it now hopefully a lot of the folks here who are watching this show have already watched the uh celebration for Rupert G andin on uh on the the Letterman uh official Channel um because we're going to be talking about that party we're going to be talking about that here we're going to do a deep dive deeper dive cace's perspective is one that I always love throwing out to the masses not just cuz she's you know shinier and much much much easier to listen to or watch than I am but because she comes with a unique perspective of things and the Letterman of it all she has a different perspective with it than I do and uh it's fun to watch you actually coming into the world as well there were a lot of folks there who you met who were really excited to meet you um probably to wonder what kind of person would have the pity the patience and the wherewithal to be married to me um and and but seriously there's a little bit of curiosity there I think a lot of people were curious about about that that you're not just in your mom's basement and only come out once every couple of weeks and totally single you mean that why did you marry me I'm just no person but I think I'm not that person you make it sound like you think other people think you are yeah uh perhaps that might be that might be part of it but anyway um yeah so this started you know we've been talking about how rert uh and may are have sold the deli and um you know I've been saying we' got some answers we got some answers we do have some answers this this episode and we will uh talk about that a little bit now um the first thing I'm gonna say though is hellodd deli.com is not closing so if you are looking for Late Show with David Letterman merchandise as long as Rupert's got the merch he is selling it on hellodd deli.com there might be some changes to the site itself and and what not coming forward but but right now if you want to get any Late Show with David Letterman merchandise and I think there is still might be some rert G merchandise but that night at the party they cleaned out a lot of those shirts and gave them away in the trivia contest um there might be some rert shirts left check out the site see what's available and go to hellodd deli.com and even more important now to have that website because now you don't have the store anymore to go to that's right to get your stuff yeah we saw that we saw the deli clothes like Candace and I uh were helping with the last parts of the setup we were bring some drink literally emptying out the drinks that he had left to serve at the retirement party in the Ed San theater pretty crazy uh we're gonna bring it back here rert and I were talking about a couple of months ago anyway a few months ago and I said oh is there going to be a thing is there gonna be a thing that was done and I I hope I'm not I don't think I am um telling Tales out of school by by revealing this uh but Rupert was just like to me you know I think we're just going to right off into the Sunset I think they're not going to make any real big deal about it last year when when when the city of New York you know um celebrated the hello Deli that was a big deal and and and a bunch of the staff were down there Paul was there for that and he thought you know what we're just GNA ride off into the sunset so I was like oh man I don't know if that's a good idea thank goodness for Walter Kim and uh and the official Letterman Channel um you know he he had found out that rert wasn't really going to the deli anymore and I think think he wanted to do another segment with him and so they started talking and this is something that rert told me uh which touched my heart beyond measure um he said that that that in regards to get togethers for the worldwide pants staff uh the Letterman staff um it was mostly rert said that Walter had said that um they were only happening when something sad was happening like when somebody passed away like you think of our boy shei that was the last time there was sort of a reunion and and and and uh he had said we need an excuse to get together when something good happens we need something good to happen so we have an excuse to get together rather and Rupert said okay well let's do it then and and and Walter uh and his team I'm just say Walter and Nancy and whoever else was a part of put on I would say the perfect event I mean you were there what what what did you think as far as Retirement parties go and and and knowing what you know about the Letterman Community I mean Perfect Right are we jumping ahead to the party well we not not quite but I we'll get to it yeah I just on like we'll go into more detail oh we will AB I thought I think the I think it was exactly the way it needed to be yeah because of who ruper and may are yes you know it was a it was fan fairish but in the sense of still that that home um because they're extremely humble people and so it was a beautiful party that that highlighted the beauty of them yes but at the same time was was a was a reunion and I mean seeing seeing all these people get together and I'll tell you it was surreal seeing some of these people going into the theater for the first time since May 20th of 2015 like it was cathartic for some I'm actually impressed with that because I have to say like I've left employment and I wouldn't be going back in and hugging everybody because I you know it just that you could tell the family aspect is is pretty um it's a it's a very it's a a big awareness within that Community yeah and I don't know that I mean I don't know maybe that is in all TV um I'm not sure but it for somebody like me an outsider looking in I found it to be really beautiful and a little shocking Yeah well yeah you know like just because I you hear things about that industry that can be pretty Cutthroat you know um I think it's a very extremely competitive industry yep and you know I feel I feel that that could have impede what I would have seen maybe and maybe I don't know if I felt like that what might happen but it certainly didn't and it was a it was a nice surprise um that just reminds me of of of one of the the concepts of the Larry Sanders show was the idea of uh it's a group of people who love each other but show business gets in the way and I think that that's a really neat uh you could tell that show business certainly didn't get in the way that night in fact that we even saw like you know bonds that might have been broken re formed and there were some really cool there were some really cool moments and and being there was an extreme honor um the trip came together very very quickly um you know I was looking in you know a month ago we didn't exactly have the date you know or just over a month before I gu I should say we didn't have the date uh solidified and and and with what Walter and and and uh his group put together it was an unbelievable event put together very quickly and uh well I mean hopefully you've all seen the result of uh they did a really good job um you know capturing the uh the essence of the evening uh so you and I decided okay yeah we're gonna make this thing happen we're gonna go three days to New York and uh pack in as much as we possibly can and uh Letterman related obviously but also that balance between us trying to find some non Letterman stuff to do uh success oh yeah a th% and it was it was definitely Letterman heavy oh yeah um but in times past that probably would have I I probably would have been a a little bit more this is what I this is what was interesting to me the times past that probably would have been like oh like but I didn't get to see and I didn't get to do each time we go to New York it feels more and more like I say like home and this time it felt like this was another part of our our home and we were just going there and then we'll be back in a bit like it didn't feel like I had to do all those other things because it just felt like we lived there and was part of a community it's becoming something that becoming a constant yeah our lips our lips to God's ears I hope that I hope that's the case I certainly hope that's the case um because yeah it was it was lovely uh we had a bit of an adventure getting down there our goal always I think we've talked about this in the previous podcast we like when we go to New York we like to take the red eyee uh because the sleeping on planes is so fun we like to hit the hit the ground running um the idea of getting to New York flying all day getting to New York just to go to a hotel room at 9:00 at night um isn't super appealing so normal and we don't do that clearly that's what normal people do I guess so but we like the idea of flying all night and then hitting the ground uh at you know well the plan was 8 AM yeah and then we got a full day in front of us before we have our first night in the hotel um and so that was the plan uh kind of the plan sort of didn't happen can we do you want to quickly talk about really quick what what what happened with the with the travel you know what I'm G to talk about is the fact that normally when we do travel I am I am the travel committee I look after all of our flights I look after our hotels I enjoy it I love looking for deals it's it's cathartic to me but this was such a special event that I we decided to actually go through the call center of the airline of the airline I'm sure it'll come out before the this but let's keep it classy for now let's keep it classy yeah and so because it's like you know I didn't want to screw it up because of course com from a small town in western Canada we don't have a direct flight over we had to Peddle jump yeah and uh so you know I said to Mike like call the call center and get somebody to do this professionally for you um I had to caveat that because because he screwed up plain and simple because he not Mike the professional no not Mike the professional scw up so the the individual who booked it he booked it too close together and uh so we had a bit of a delay but it wasn't like a like a delay delay it was just there was an IT issue in our flight out was about 40 minutes delayed 40 minutes it was about 40 minutes leaving yeah so anyways but it didn't have it delayed on the screen or anything like that it was like Oh no you're going on time it just it just it was supposed to boor and then 20 minutes later we hadn't boarded yet board yet boarding took a long time and boarding took a long time yeah so long story short we missed our connection and well but before that we we landed we still had I believe it was 15 minutes or 20 minutes yeah there was time there was about 15 or 20 minutes however the pilot of our plane said if you are connecting to Toronto which is what we were doing or Edmonton which is some other folks on the plane sorry uh to run to your gate and so we were like o o and we even sort of like got in front of other people excuse us you know did the whole thing and then we like just ripped it over there much to my sugar and even though I've been on a health Journey realized cardio hasn't been a part of it I was dying bringing up a lung and we got to our gate the door was still the gate was still open the door was open there wasn't anybody there Mike starts to go down the the uh Causeway and she's like oh oh oh no no it's the plane door still open open absolutely and we're like we're here we're here we're here and she's like nope close the door yeah um well she didn't even close the door she walked over and said oh let me go see looked at a screen and that's when we realized that they gave our seats away they gave our seat yeah so we you know the problem was is that you know we were tight on time and normally we wouldn't have we were tight with events because this is such an event heavy trip so we went back to their uh guest Center weren't met with a lot of love at first they're like oh yeah we rebooked you you're going to get to New York uh 4 p.m.

the next day after staying in that that airport for yeah another 18 hours another 18 yeah like in the airport yeah with no Hotel because it wasn't their fault and no vouchers no food nothing yeah bigger problems in the world so I'm not trying to complain about that no but and and immediately I'm Crest falling because at four o'clock the next day we were supposed to be in the VIP line to go to see Stephen coar yeah and which was not budge there's no no obviously they're not yeah and and and so um and they were like oh yeah no problem we just rebooked you on this no problem at all and immediately Candi is is on her phone looking for alternate flight from the same airline and finds two or three different ones that get us there one got us there at two one got us there at 11 and um they were like they were not helpful they were like no no we F we solved this problem until next in line we asked for a supervisor and then we asked for a supervisor we asked to elevate it I was devastated because there was some Co bear potential magic there that did end up happening we're going to get to that just now or soon um but that would have been completely gone asked to speak with the supervisor the supervisor didn't really help but a gal came with the supervisor and it turns out she was a lead there she was a supervisor as well but just in a different department and she heard our story she saw that how how devastated I was and she goes well tell me why and I'm like well I said okay it's it's complicated and it turns out she's a huge Co bear fan um and and when like when she found out that there was a an opportunity here um she went to work and she she absolutely oh my god did she ever take an interest in us and she went for her name is Michelle Michelle we love you thank you thank you thank you thank you she went above and beyond um but she she made it right for this airline that that stored my faith in that early 100% 100% we would fly them again because of her um so anyway long story short she figured it out for us we ended up getting to New York at 11:00 a.m.

yep different airport so yeah yeah good thing we checked our didn't check didn't check any bags which is a big deal for Mrs Chism going to CH comes prepared usually well going to New York I mean you know I have like outfits planned I need to look cute all the time and you said we can only take a car well you didn't say we can only take car on you you highly advise we only take a carry on because just the the how fast we needed to be and had we not we would never have seen that because we didn't end up at the same we never seen our airport were supposed to be into JFK we end up changing airplanes eight times and JFK wasn't even we ended up inia yeah so yeah saved us yeah absolutely so I do that again so there's another part of this story is that we have uh we actually had somebody coming with us to this on this trip one day I'm sitting there texting we're we're with our friends uh Mike and Sam Sam is a she's a phenomenal photographer that's in our life we're having fish and chips with them and we do this we try and go for lunch every Friday if we can as as couples we just have a great time when we do that and I happened to be texting back and forth with with Walter from the Letterman Channel and uh you know we were telling them about the trip that was coming up and all that and Sam was like oh do they need a photographer turns out they're from Britain they're from England and and and she was gonna go to England the same time that we were going and she's like oh do they need a photographer I'll come with you to New York it'll be great I'll stay there for a day or two and then I'll just keep keep on going I'll just use it as a like a like a stopover and I'm like are you serious and like Sam is phenomenal and and you're gonna see her photographs uh throughout this I'm gonna overlay them because I can do that now I can overlay photographs uh so if you're not if you're listening to this episode this might be one you want to look at the YouTube or the Spotify video version of it um but anyway I'm like are you serious and she goes yeah I'm like well okay and so I messaged Walter I'm like hey weird question out of the blue do you need a photographer long story short he's like yeah bring her like all right um I highly recommend anytime you go to New York if you could bring a professional photographer as your friend with you go ahead and do it because boy did she takes some amazing shots of candy and I uh holy smokes um we have we have an album worth of of photos and we'll show a smattering of them here but uh my word was it ever great having her there so we get there at 11:00 a.m.

on the Thursday we meet up with Sam uh where's the first place that we went what did we do uh we started walking through Time Square I think it was she was about five minutes away from us she was at the W we were at the time man Hunton um and then yeah we we just started walking through Time Square yeah um we had a couple we had plans of a bunch of things but then because we got way laid by a few hours we decided to sort of yeah we truncated yeah yep truncated that's good thank you because be back for Co bear for four yeah so so we we we mucked around a little bit Sam took a bunch of pictures already it was really good L there we go where did we end up going for lunch Stardust Diner the Stardust Diner if you haven't been to the Stardust Diner and it was cool it was a Serendip it is because um there was not a time we passed the Stardust Diner St okay the Stardust Diner is it's a Broadway Diner it's literally h a diner that has this amazing food I would I would make it akin to the diner in pul fiction um that that that uh that Vincent uh goes to um uh with Mia very very similar except instead of like Buddy Holly and all that all of the waiters and waitresses um are Broadway level singers phenomenal phenomenal and they're singing the entire time and they're singing as they serve you yeah they've got the the microphone tucked under our weight you should do the video If You Can overlay yeah uh our our server she had the microphone tucked under her and was bringing us our drinks and singing into it while she was putting our drinks down Hamilton and grease and and and I mean I forget all the other Little Mermaid Stu yeah like Disney stuff and and all these show tunes while you're eating amazing food and so we went to the Stardust here's the thing we walked right into the Stardust okay the rest of the trip we passed this place I don't know how many times over dozen times always the lineup down the block down the block we just walked in there to the point of where we were like did we butd in front of yeah yeah we didn't but we thought we might have anyway so that was that was fantas take her to that too because it was such a New York like we didn't have any time to go to Broadway yeah which I love um but we just didn't have time for a show so it was such a expediated version an expedited version of that to be able to take her to that so much so in fact expediated a word no it's not okay well it is fored now it is I should take it on TM that yeah there we go um no actually I bet you that would be expediated is a great word expedit for us um so she uh so much so that she was like I would go back there do you want to go back there should we go back there like a few times and it wouldn't could way way way too Crow so we had great food there and then it was off to colar um we had you know when you're in the VIP line you get a very specific instruction thanks to Tom and and and and all of his people uh who worked for Co bear they used to work for Leo now they work for coar thank you very much for for for creating that hookup um everyone who's involved you know who you are and um so we go to the VIP line and we're right up front with Irene with Irene uh Rupert's Irene and um my first time meeting her and with Sam oh yeah you've never met her in the flesh had you no okay so Irene and Candy I mean obviously Irene is amazing we love Irene Hoffman so much fell in love a little more yeah now we had five tickets and I'm I'm not telling Tales out of school here for sure I've used that phrase way too many times in this podcast I will think of another phrase I promise um but we had five tickets uh the fifth one was for rert and here is just the Loyalty of rert g rert g wouldn't come squel bear with us and it's because he's so loyal to the Late Show with David Letterman family it's not a slight against Co bear it's not anything like that no fact he speaks very highly oh he does absolutely and coar has had him on they've had a lot of people who have been on our on our message boards and things on the Facebook group saying oh yeah Rupert's never been on coar coar should have had him on coar has had him on coar has had tried to have him on other times as well where he has said he's hesitated and said no And the main the the reason for that is because Rupert G is one of the most loyal people you will ever ever ever meet and his Late Show with David Letterman family are so important to him that if he was presented or went to coar and it upset even one person in that family it would make him it would hurt his heart and so he said Irene go with them absolutely have a great time I'm gonna abstain I will meet you guys for dinner afterwards um which I again uh this is a rert tribute episode I love rert so much um well we both we all do you and rert bonding over food was one of my favorite times of this entire and you did it often you two bonded over food lot and yeah um so anyway we get there uh we realize we're in the VIP seating the VIP seating doesn't put you on the floor it puts you up in the balcony and they tell us that and I'm like okay that's fine and in my head I'm just like oh I know it's gonna happen again I'm gonna do the Q&A I'm gonna I'm gonna talk to Stephen I'm gonna talk to Stephen about Dave I called it outside right like yeah you actually called it even I think even before you thought we were gonna be in the balcony I you you kept saying something's gonna happen yeah and I I did I I think you you had nervous energy for a couple of days before we even left yes and when I have nervous energy it usually means something's going to happen it's weird to say it like that but like the manifesting happen many times yeah like I get this weird I used to doubt it yeah and then it was like okay after so many times I was like fine I'm good I just I just felt like something was gonna happen not just at the at Robert's event but at colar and um very very cool thing so Stephen if you're watching because he might be we know that holy crap um no there was an extraordinary moment that happened so we went up in the balcony and we went and and and I gotta tell you um there are some things about Late Show with Stephen colar uh that I appreciate that seems to have directly held over from Late Show with David Letterman number one is the band and I'll tell you this we've been to talk shows I'm not going to mention any names um but where you know the band plays out to the commercial and we're out and and then they start playing back in again the one thing that we love so much about Paul Schaefer and the CBS Orchestra is that there was like a concert in there that feeling has certainly translated um with with Late Show with the with the Late Show with Stephen coar um oh and they are good oh are they are they ever good U my friend there on the on the cello she I I could have watched her for hours yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah on on the on the uprate string base or whatever it was yeah absolutely it was um it was really really cool and so we go in there and Irene of course sitting with Irene was phenomenally interesting because she saw Late Show with David Letterman 47 48 times whatever it was and she knows that theater kind of like the back of her head and she's looking around she had never seen the Dome before because because Co be's people opened up the Dome again and and and all of that and they changed it around um but it's still very much the Ed Sullivan Theater like it just if feels right even when I watch Co bear I it still feels like the edsan theater to me um and it that feeling certainly translated um the warm-up guy was really good he he he did very well like the I would say that the audience coordinators uh very good at what they did did not prepare us in the same way was what when we were at Late Show when we were at Late Show they really really uh did they hyped you up they got you really excited um they did a great job getting getting us all in there getting us organized all of that we were in the very front row of the balcony and um but Stephen's warm-up guy and I forget his name right now I I wish I I gota get it and say it out there really really good guy uh really funny really did a great job brought people out of the audience and and and had a lot of fun getting the audience interacting and going back and forth and PR preparing everybody yeah uh did a great job of that and then he's like in there's going to be a Q&A and I I just knew he was going to call on me I just knew it um I I tried very hard to make that happen um Stephen came out he bound it out and and and and and everyone was so happy to see him everyone got up and as everyone you know clapping clapping as everyone was sitting down I just was standing like this and I let everyone sit down around me Stephen looks up he's like okay okay sit down sit down and he goes into some shtick and and some and gets to know the audience a little bit and then he says does anybody have any questions and I'm first up and he La he laughed right he said yeah he's like okay okay gota which I could have gone either way totally you could he could have thought I was a crazy person he still might think I'm a crazy person I don't know I'm not a crazy person just enthusiastic yeah um and knowledgeable and it turns out I'm not the only one who thinks that I I said hi Stephen he goes hi he goes hi I said how you doing and he goes are you really sure you want to waste that question because you only get one you only get one um and people laugh of course I'm like okay I'll amend I'll amend um and I remember this part for sure I remember saying hi Stephen my name is Mike Chisum I am the host of the Letterman podcast and at this point things start to get a little bit hazy because even though I thought something was gonna happen I knew I wanted to ask him a question about Dave and I did uh I didn't expect his answer do you want me to fill this in I thought I was gonna have to catch you uh and and I also if you have ever been to one of these tapings you know there is no cell phon so you can't try to sneak it out because you will get kicked out and I mean there's Pages everywhere that would have caught me I I was like oh man if I could only get my phone out but so Mike said that and his immediate response in that moment was oh I know you I've listened to your podcast to which my husband starts to do this and I'm like pushing him back uh he says I listen to your podcast with Harvey yeah with Harvey Goldberg and he said it was really good you you asked incredible questions I was thoroughly entertained and he said uh and he goes you know he says um I thought I knew a lot about Letterman you are a walking encyclopedia that's before the question was asked yeah and then he's like go ahead what's your question or and Mike's just like oh it was it was such a moment we were a struck we were dumb struck um I think I thought Irene was gonna come on GL yeah it was it was like I don't know if any any of one of us were prepared for it's funny because Harvey had told me that Stephen had had had had he had sent it to Stephen and and and Stephen liked it but I mean you don't know the confirmation yeah and I mean Harvey had a great time and I love the interview with Harvey oh my God Harvey Goldberg's so awesome go back and listen yeah go back and listen to Harvey Goldberg uh you know it's endorsed by Stephen goldar but but you know you just don't know but when he said that I was just like oh and then you guys reminded me I forgot about this I'm like oh well we just did an episode with dick cabbat I know dick Lo dick and Stephen are friends and uh that was a fantastic episode I think we even mentioned stepen a couple times on it and so Steph was like oh that's great yeah he's like oh no way really that's awesome yeah so my question for Stephen so I'm I'm hoping that we can get him on here I mean he's the number one talk show show host in America and he loves talking about Letterman if you haven't listened to Strikeforce 5 uh the please go and listen to them all by the way Strikeforce 5 is fantastic all of the current late night hosts uh raising funds for um for the writers uh while they're on strike you know Fallon Oliver Kimmel uh Co bear and Seth Meers yeah and and it's a fantastic episode and in one of the episodes they have Dave on and like Dave famously hasn't been back to late show or to the late it's called The Late Show now uh with stepen coar he hasn't been to the Ed Sullivan Theater and and so in that Stephen had in that episode Stephen had a bunch of interactions with Dave but two particular that I thought were extremely Brave uh because I know a lot of these guys are intimidated by Dave and and and and rightfully so I think um you know for a certain degree and um and so the first question Dave kind of threw it out there and he said okay yeah you guys have all been on my show were all on my show back in the day and I think I've done all of your shows well no not you John John Oliver doesn't have guests and Dave says uh and then Ste Dave but Dave hasn't been on Late Show with Stephen coar and so Stephen uh this was my question for him were you nervous or were you afraid in asking Dave this question Stephen goes well Dave you haven't been on my show would you come back to the Ed Sullivan Theater and you know is that weird for you and Dave had a great answer for that he said for a while it was but now he's over that and then you know and I don't know if Steve was was sheepish in asking or not if if that took courage to ask that question I know it certainly would have for me um but it was a it was a really in my opinion it was a it was a wow moment and then later on Stephen told the story about how he got late show which he has never told before and he told it to Dave because he wanted Dave's perspective and so I'm just sitting here like a little kid listening like I just love it and so I asked him about that I asked him if he was if he was scared and he said he was right he did yeah and he kind of and then he went in on to tell a little bit about the story the back story a little bit Yeah like what I just did basically yeah uh and he told the audience about it and then he said he was and he goes you just gonna have to listen to his podcast and my podcast our podcast for all of this to make any sense to you yeah and that's when we were like okay that just got endorsed thanks thanks man and it's funny I think that you can say this is this has been endorsed by Stephen KC well hey at least it was to that the 450 people in that night in the edsan theater uh more on that in a second um but anyway yeah and and then one time throughout the episode he actually looked up and and and he did a he did a thing to us he was talking about the Dome and looking up and all that he he gave us a little a little uh shout out um you know coming back from a commercial which was it was a really entertaining show Bob Orden Kirk was on there I mean I mean I love Better Call Saul and of course breaking bad but but Mr Show and I mean he talked a little bit about it him and David Cross and some of the stuff that they were doing and so anyway it was a really I highly recommend if you have the opportunity to go and see late show or the Late Show with Stephen colar go see it it's it's uh it was it was a lot of fun and it was very little edits um yeah and I you know what I loved about it was um you know it gives you an opportunity like Mike said we've been to take take the take Letterman out but you know we've been to other tapings and things like that and one thing that I really loved about coar was you can tell the interaction he has with his staff yes and I was thoroughly impressed because you know he he seemingly to me uh was you know he's very kind to stuff and then later on we actually got that confirmed by some of his stuff that they really like working for him um and yeah and I just thought it was really cool like to watch that because it just endear him to me that much more makes me want to watch that much more to know that he's he treats his his staff well yeah um like his segment producer for the next segment that was after after Bob segment producer sitting on the on the couch or no it was a segment producer for Bob sitting there and they were going back and forth while the commercial was happening and and it was it was it was just just really neat and watching watching him and uh and his producer uh Tom going back and forth that was that was really really it was it was it was it was fun highly recommend it um and and so anyway so that finishes um and our boy Tom uh other other Tom not the producer but other our our guy who used to work with Letterman he uh he gets us up on stage again and how fun was that hey like going up there and we got our picture taken behind the desk again but we got some really cool shots like looking around the uh I think it was cool for Sam too because we had Sam there the photographer and Irene was Irene oh she was so happy everybody got their photos taken and I remember the first time we got we got the our photos taken behind Dave's desk yeah you know that was a really really big deal and not that this wasn't but it was fun to see it through somebody again thought yes definitely yeah because with Sam she didn't have the attachment to Letterman that we have um and so she's just like oh my God looking at you know getting the opportunity to go back back behind the desk and sit on the couch and all that kind of stuff and go on stage and and that was just so so Tom thank you so much for that you really gave us a lot of Joy um and then after that uh it was a matter of and it was funny because that made us late for rert um rert was at a restaurant waiting for us yeah and and and but we had this little uh tail end where we got to go on the on the stage of the edel theater uh but at that point there it's time to eat and we went to uh well we were going to go to an Irish Pub that uh if if you hear anything right now for some reason even though we're late in the afternoon trades people are working on our balcony upstairs and I'm not sure what's going on but anyway timing is the timing is impeccable but if you're hearing something it's not indigestion of any sort it is it is trades people making our place safer or more yeah there there you go next time okay next time it'll be our little stick and if the audience doesn't hear this because the microphones are that directional then hey we just messed up um but anyway if you hear anything that's what's going on um but yeah Rupert was waiting for us at an Irish Pub that he and Irene it's like one of their spots they have these little spots they wanted to take us to one of them well then we got there and it was Thursday night football and it was bedum and there was only two servers and they were even I don't even think they were serving food anymore so we ended up going to saraphina to saraphina uh very famous Italian restaurant in in in in New York we wanted to go to McGee it was funny um Rupert's like oh let's go to McGee I'm like yes let's go to McGee with Rupert G that's great McGee is the bar that all of the Late Show staff would go to after Double taping shows they would go to McGee all the time the bar that Craig and Carter when they made how Met Your Mother uh was the bar they made it after and so Rupert's like oh it's this way it's this way he's just taking us NOS there he's a New Yorker we go there and it's closed and we don't know how long it's been closed for but there's paper on the walls and it was very sad and rert was even like oh no like he was he was he was saddened by that um so good to see rert though and then that's where he said well let's go to just let's go to saraphina okay and um and we got to just relax for a couple of hours it was just rert Irene Candace myself and Sam and um we got to we it had cocktails we had food um and it was it was it was an absolute lovely lovely experience um you can speak to Sarah to saraphina here in a minute but but the one thing that became painfully obvious was how much rert did not want to go to the party the next day he was nervous and was like oh I don't know what I'm gonna I don't know what like even to the point of what should I wear and it was so funny he's maybe I should wear a Late Show with David Le t-shirt yeah you should definitely wear that that'd be great and then aren's like no cargo shorts he's like well no I'm going to wear my cargo shorts like like it was so the watching those two interact with each other is one of the funny Fest things in like it's so funny watching them interact uh I had Ketch a Pepe and um it was amazing yeah saraphina yeah it was I mean it's beautiful and I cannot go to New York without getting some sort of Italian yeah food which is an entirely different experience when you go there but yeah just more on on uh rert like I just you know and again I don't know if I'm telling Tales at a school ah look what you did but uh he is again you gotta think he's so humble yes that in his mind I think he was just thinking like why would anybody come you know he did he did Express surprise as to how many people showed up a couple of times so when we we're talking about the party we can talk about that after but that I think was and I I get that I have that sort of that you know that same type of Personality I'm like well what if nobody shows up what's GNA happen and you know so we had talked to him even that night like well if nobody shows up we just got a lot of food and drink to ourselves like how great is that in the inan theater like we'll just have our own little party because you know we're coming yeah um but yeah so but it was great the the restaurant was great and yeah we bonded over they were making fun of me because of my drink Choice which is a dirty dirty dirty dirty filthy Martini yeah so they he loved that he referenced that about five or six more times a dirty martini is when you put olive juice in it with a lot of Olives right right yeah it's like an olive salad with gin right as the dress yes um lovely lovely time we had a really really good time with them yeah um after uh after dinner um it was Kate can't wait to see you tomorrow um it's gonna be great gonna have such a good time uh we went back did we walk yeah we walked around with Sam we took Sam to Time Square at night at night lots of photos collapsed into our and then yeah then it was a long day lots of travel lots ofs lots of uncertainty and and lots of adrenaline with the with the C Bear experience of course um and then it's yeah we went we crashed but it was so good to see them that night that was like if the day was a hurricane that's that part was certainly the eye that dinner was so lovely um just I I love I I cannot stop talking about how much I love rert if you know one of the things that I've been working on myself because I tend to rush through life is I'm trying to take the moment and stay present inside of them because you know the world is so uncertain and because it's easy to forget where the Joy gets hidden and you know like when knowing for me for my type of Personality which is distinctly type it's like let's go like what's the next thing how do how do we you know what do I hit next where are we going and like I could plan everything out which doesn't which is crazy anyways because that never works out but what I felt in that moment that night at saraphina was I remember taking it in and taking a deep breath and being like this is this is epic yeah you know like these are these are my friends yeah this is my city and I felt so much joy in that moment maybe it was a Martin a littleit I don't know might have had something to do with it but but the but the most of it and I you know I just challenge you when you're going through your days to do to try to do that because that's why it's it's it's a core memory now yeah absolutely that night is a core memory for for for me as well like rert was telling stories like he was telling the story about when he went to bother The Soup Nazi um you know that in in the L show bit when he went and did that he was telling stories about that he told the story about you he told us the story about when he got the knife bow on him you know and Bill the C he did tell yeah people ask him about that story a lot I hope to get him on here where he can actually tell that story now that everything is kind of over and whatnot I I I think that he and Irene will come on here and and and we can go through some of these specific stories so send us if you have questions for rbert send us some questions but there's lots of stories there that haven't ever come out that we've just heard just in passing to shoot in the that you have to put aside like three or four hours oh well yeah I mean yeah I'm down with that as you know between the two of them um yeah uh next day uh again walking around New York with a uh with a a professional photographer really really cool lots of pictures went to a Chelsea Market went to uh we did a a huge walking tour all the way downtown well she had one request because she's never been to New York and that was to see the uh 91 911 memorial one yeah and and I mean yeah I just I still go there and I mean I you you tears were coming down your face almost immediately um if you haven't been to the 911 the N 9911 Memorial down there it's it's uh the footprints of the towers are are now these fountains um in in you know positioned I don't know if it's identical exactly where they were but it seems to be that the two World Trade Center buildings the towers have these unbelievable fountains uh that are in the exact location as to where each building was and um you know the fountains just just just flow downwards and and all of the names of the people um you know uh inscribed around them and it's an extremely powerful place and so uh we went down there and I had never seen the Oculus Oculus is an amazing place that that I think the last time I had been down to was probably like 2008 2009 yeah actually well no because I would have seen I did see the fountain so maybe when we went no we went in 15 but the Oculus for whatever reason we didn't either we didn't come around or or maybe I think it was built in 2016 actually oh well I think about it but it's really beautiful like I I highly suggest that too like the way that it was built it's it's to represent a dove leaving a child's hands is what it looks like uh incredible structure yeah it's it's it's uh powerful Place everything about it is powerful and uh lots of energy yeah um so we had walked all the way from like Times Square all the way downtown through uh like I guess it's the village and then Soho and then the Edge of Chinatown Tribeca and then and then and then there um we had plans to take that little fery around yeah we're to take the fairy back we had to back to Rupert's Party by yeah so we went up to this is the point now where we go to R we went to centry 21 I bought a jacket uh I loved that because the day that I met Dave or I had my interaction with Dave um on the show in the Q&A uh we had bought a jacket that day from Century 21 it became kind of the focal point of the conversation with Dave um that was really cool so I just thought it was it was neat and if we found a jacket I would buy it which we did thank you for helping me pick that out just like you did the first one um and then we went to uh the Ed Sullivan theater the party was supposed to start at 6 we were there for 5 because Sam was the photographer and when we got there uh there was still some things to help be set up it was that was when we went to the deli back and forth um fing stuff in drinks and all that kind of stuff setting up and I mean boy that's when you got assaulted with the thought and care that Walter put into this thing they had a logo excuse me I don't know if you hear that or not but anyway um that was where you saw the logo of uh you know kind of Oscar Meer colors of goodbye hello Deli and then the date uh in there we'll try I'll try and put a picture up and and and show that that's you saw it on the on the screen in the the lobby of the Sullivan Theater was you know tables were set up and it was decorated very very nicely and um saw started to start seeing some people Barbara gains um which was she and I had a nice nice moment um I'm a little less freaked out about her now um and uh that was that that was yeah you you stay you didn't faint or around her or Swoon I didn't yeah you spooned the first time you met um so she noticed it was uh it was cool it was really really cool um and uh as we got set up and and things were going on uh Walter came up to me and he said okay so here's how the speaking is gonna go and he had asked me like I had said to him if months ago or a long time ago three weeks ago whatever if there are speeches uh I'd happy to be happy to put my name in I think it was all I said something like that and he had said to me a few days before hey were you serious about wanting to say something about Rupert and I was like yeah yeah I would I would love to um not knowing really what the event was knowing the venue and and all that but not knowing what the formal program was or anything like that and so he came up to me goes okay so here's how it's G to go uh I'm gonna you know we're gonna do a trivia contest um I'm going to say a couple things I'm GNA just hand it to you and then you're going to bring up Tommy ret and I'm like um okay so I guess this is happening and uh so that kind of put me on edge when I was with Co speaking at Cole be I I wasn't nervous oh I mean when he said that he saw the show or whatever I guess that that that reacted but I wasn't nervous I was terrified to speak at this event um because okay mujar and ser showed up oh that's amazing let's get pictures of mu Muji bar and Sahel but there's Rob brunette yeah a lot of your Heroes yeah that that's the thing the audience like when you talk about quote unquote Outsiders there was like six or seven of us the rest of the group that was there and if you look at the group shot um in the you well we can put up a picture of the group shot too I guess but um if you look at the the group shot it was all Letterman people and so these are all people that I a would aspire to to have on this show so I can tribute them and and be yeah people that I just look up to that I feel completely 100% um in awe of and and and certainly um you know not in the same league as and so that hit hard but I tried to push that away from me because there's Mike Macken team we had never met before and oh my gosh we started and and the connections started happening and I had a few Fe people who had been on the show come up to me and give me hugs and stuff that was great couple people who like the show so all of the Letterman staffers again EXC EXC me um all of the Letterman staffers uh who I haven't met yet uh and I haven't reached out to please understand I want to reach out to every single one of you it just means I don't have the connection to you yet uh I would like to have all of you on the show whether you were an intern for three months a writer for for for 13 weeks all the way to people for the I want to have every single one of you on here to be able to to to document your time and talk about some of the stories you have on the show because it didn't occur to me until a couple of people had come up to me me and they kind of looked at me sort of sheepishly and I'm like hi I'm Mike and and and they introduced themselves and then suddenly we're engrossed in this great conversation yeah I want every single one of you and if I haven't met you yet it's only because of my dness and that I haven't gotten your contact info or whatever I haven't been able to reach out so please reach out back um I'm happy to talk to every single one of you um because that's really what that next hour was I guess and what were you took my phone which is I'm really grateful for there was a part of it where like you said no I'll take some pictures of you and and and take some pictures of the event and all that don't worry about having your phone and it was funny because there were some times when I was talking to somebody I was like oh can I can I take a selfie with you um like Darren Cox Darren Cox got his picture with everybody and I was just like but then uh I think it was right after I met Rob Bernette I was really happy that I didn't have my phone with me because I had to be what you were talking about earlier I had to be present and just in that moment and not thinking about you know taking down someone's contact info or taking down like getting a picture with them I was so grateful to not have my phone for most of the evening uh because again core memories um so that was uh that was the next that was the first part of the party in the next hour and there was there was there was drinks and and food I didn't have a a lick of food I was way too freaked out um and nervous but also just excited to talk to people talking to Anton like Anton and I I can't wait to have him on the show and and and and uh if you haven't watched Anton's uh staff favorite moments on on the Letterman Channel go watch it it's really really good one of the things that he talked about was there's a prop joke uh and go watch it go see what it is it's funny um and and it's funny because uh that prop joke was given to his dad and then his dad left it to him and then he has given it to his son and that prop joke is still in their family and just little things like that uh there were dozens of them with all sorts of different staffers uh ones that the audience uh knows and ones that our audience hopefully will know it was so cool and I had so many there wasn't one negative connection um there were a couple people who said no I'm not going to do your show a couple people had said one one or two that said no I'm not going to do your show but I like your show uh very interesting and then a couple people who are like yeah I'm on the fence and and one and then a whole bunch of people who said yes like we're going to have guests for a long time um so that's my and then the stuff started so yeah it was uh thank you you let me do a lot of talk thank you for that yeah your much to the shagrin of the audience of the Letterman podcast that it's my show I like so my take on it was very different obviously because I was just there as an observer and but it was cool because what was neat for me was there was no pressure on me with anything nobody knew who I was nobody cared really who I was not in a bad way just just you know I kind of got like a hey hey like because I could have been literally anybody like they didn't know if if I was the inter that was there for a week and aged didn't age well I don't know well but you know so I I it was it was um you know I've been in parties before where I don't know anybody and I've always felt maybe like a little bit of pressure I felt no pressure this time which was cool but what I did get to do was just observe and I was very um proud of you in that time because I actually felt that like you know you know from the beginning from the conceptualization of this podcast and how you started it and where you've been with it or whatever um you know I get this I get Snippets here and there and I watch and and whatnot but it was neat to see the validation I think that you got whether you felt it or not like I saw people like you know I don't know if I should but I'll say this if you want to cut this out you can but like I saw Barber gains so the first time you met Barber gains was a year and I don't know these people by like I only know them because I hear the names like I don't know them know them yeah uh was exactly the year before when we had you had run into them at hello at the hello Deli she was at the hello Deli and that's when Mike swoed and there was a joke about it and she was sort of like she kind of kept him at arms length because he could be legitimately crazy oh like at that time that's what and I would the same way somebody kind of came at me because you know yeah it's not like she's a a star and is would be used that necessarily but you rever you you rever her as a as somebody that's a that's as much of a JLo to you as JLo would be I would much rather spend an hour with Barber Gaines than I would with JLo there so absolutely so what was cool for me because I saw that interaction happen 365 days prior and then I saw her come and I saw her actually come to you like come around you she joined the conversations you were in she came near you supposed to the first time where she didn't want to really come near you to me that was that felt very validating for me for you in terms of how I feel about you doing this because I'm so proud of you I got to watch your dreams come true yeah which is it not often that a wife will is able to watch a dream come Tre for a husband I think um was an incredible moment for me and yeah it just it was neat to see you were completely in your element and while you may not have gotten as many selfies as Darren did um you know like and I loved watching Darren and Libby Libby and I sort of hung out together Libby Darren's wife an amazing amazing woman we got kind of hung out together because we were like the only two people that didn't know anybody um but I and I watched Darren so so so happy but it was different right like he he came at it from a different perspective because he's a fan of the show which you are too but then you're also bringing this in and I thought it was awesome because it gave that kind of those two perspectives uh between the two of you and I was just really really proud of you and and how people gravitated towards you not away from you at least that's what I saw uh well I appreciate that very very much thank you for saying that um yeah it was uh it was it was amazing it was awesome um if um Don Giller is gonna get so mad at me because I've used the word awesome so many times in this episode uh I I I've had a lot of moments where if you would explain the scenario to 21-year-old Mike saying at some point in the future this is going to happen dot dot dot and you kind of describe I probably had 20 of those that night um it was a really really but again and I got to meet Don's and you got to meet Don Giller finally finally yes and Steve O'Donnell for that matter yeah but Don like both of them I was wanting to and but both of them didn't disappoint and I loved both of them for different reasons know I love Don I love Don Gill I know me too he's fantastic yeah and yeah um and and yeah it was it was and Steve O'Donald too well yeah yeah and I mean that's the next we'll talk about the next night with that featur Steve a little bit more too I was so happy that Steve O'Donald came um and and it occurred to me oh yeah I guess he would have known rert for sure too as well but also the reunion part of it um yeah that this thing was as well because he he did spend a a couple of years at Late Show you know and then and then it just it became a different thing and and it was time for paths to to to change a little bit but um I was so happy to see him and then of course Steve Young uh Joe Grossman oh my gosh Joe Grossman okay I can't say what he said but no he was funny okay Jo said a few things that were so funny and we're not gonna repeat them here loved him but I mean you talk about you know folks who know Joe Grossman or think they know Joe Grossman and they hope that they would meet him and he would be two things number one dead pan number two hilarious both those both those things um effortlessly just by being him um say Steve Young's the same way like I mean after the party uh you know we're outside the ellan theater me and Darren and and uh Andrew was an editor and and and mckinty and Steve Young just shooting the bull for over an hour after we were all kicked out of the place and and I mean Steve Young effortlessly funny Steve O'Donnell same thing Steve O yeah just um Steve O'Donnell still reminds me of Ellen Al though yeah I know that's what Candi said she said that uh that got an alen Alda vibe to him which which from me I always think of alen Alda as an extremely intelligent person and not Steve O'Donnell definitely fits that bill but then you take the zany and the and and the just thinking around corners clever oh my gosh Steve O'Donnell is just effortlessly funny too and I think that's a that's a oh yeah and uh then we started the program the program started and and most of the program is on the YouTube channel so the YouTube channel starts with an intro from Dave which was not at the party okay so that's a different intro that it goes into like a montage looking around um at everybody congregating and and and and uh talking and whatnot uh really really good shot by Jay Johnson right on Jay Johnson I I hope he's going to come on the show here soon um Jay obviously Walter's partner in crime from back in the day jay and Walter used to uh used to run together and sounds like a fun show oh are you kidding me Jay and Walter that should be a show oh from your lips to God's ears my love yes I would love to have both those guys on here um at the same time would be great um and also Jay Johnson once again um the only person who worked for for the original Late Night with David Letterman and works for Late Night with Seth Meers right now so I I just think that that is very very cool um but anyway Jay was shooting all that footage uh that's the before there's a montage of it on the Letterman uh Channel and then they got into the formal part of the evening and the entire thing is there except for Dave's video that was only for us uh that wasn't there but then he shot the intro so there you go um started with um a very nice presentation from the co bear people uh to to rert and may which was which was fantastic I I thought it was really really neat the little trophies they got them the sandwich Rupert and the cup of coffee for me super cute so cute um and then uh at that point I I think Tommy and Walter said something um then no hold on the trivia contest was next oh right my boy Chris Shai oh I was happy to see him I like we r i I ran up to him and gave him a huge bear hug he and I have such similar energy we had such a good time when he came on this episode and the day before he sends me this message saying hey as long as the airline doesn't mess me over I'm going seeing you tomorrow night yeah and he did the great job with the trivia contest a really really good job he is he is so good um and and uh it was cool I watched him and Paul reunite I watched from across the room and that was awesome because Chris obviously worked for years and years and years with Paul and and seeing them reunite what Paul too like oh oh you know what's so cool about Paul is he came early he associated with everybody he he you know he came and he chatted and he ate and he drank like he was there a long time he wasn't just like show up do his thing and then leave like he was right in there right involved I was so thoroughly impressed with him and the song I mean we're getting to the end here but the the song that he did uh co-written with Matt Roberts Matt Roberts helped with the lyrics and they put it together it's to the tune of Hello Dolly oh Matt was amazing and and I'm gonna get to Matt in a second that Matt was was another one that I was just like oh we had such a good and it's funny all the conversations were not long enough you know we talked for maybe three four minutes and then suddenly he's being Swept Away by others and and all of that and uh but just so good to see them and I I loved his episode so much and a lot of people have complimented that one um and and and it was great to see him and knowing that he and Paul came up with this this song together to the tune of Hello Dolly because the hello Deli right that's the playoff there and so okay let's do this tune to goodbye hello Deli to Hello Dolly um and and the lyrics were really funny um and Paul just did an incredible job and when I got my phone back I looked at the pictures that candy took and there's this big fat beautiful selfie with her and Paul and uh that was really cool to see that that that made my heart smile self I um that made my heart smile though that was that was really really cool um and then uh yeah after the trivia contest oh the hot dog so Pam came out dressed as a hot dog um I have a little bit of information on that but I don't want to okay I'll I'll say this that's her hot dog costume I thought that maybe it was a hot dog costume that was given to her at the end of the show no that's hers that's that's hers and she came out and threw t-shirts and it was awesome and it felt like a late night uh late show or late night moment the dancers with Paul yeah but the hot dog went and as soon as she was done as soon as Pam was done with that um that was my turn and I got to go up and I got to say some words to rert that um I didn't lose it emotionally I think I was too terrified um I think I was pretty coherent for the most part it was uh one of the greatest honors ever what took the fear away was talking about rert and May and how amazing they are um that part made it easy I I I I I I knew I was going to try for a joke I knew it wasn't going to land and so that's where the real kind of exposition of the joke happened and I did get some laughs with that which I was very very very pleased about on camera so you made made a joke about Muji bar and Sarah Jewel that one landed love that um but but really I got to I got to to talk a little bit from my heart um about Rupert and May and what they mean to us and how them sponsoring our show what that meant and one of the things that I didn't say because it was just about the show and I didn't want to the fact that they gave me an opportunity to say hi I'm Mike Chisum I'm the host of the Letterman podcast in front of that group I didn't want to take that for granted um but I will say this now because it's the podcast it's the show we can actually talk about it here um rert gave us credibility in many many regards odonnell even said to us the next night at dinner he even said um you know you know Mike that was the thing Dan kellison told me about you but then I saw that rert sponsored and that's what gave me the confidence to be on the show and I know that that's the case and rert I think knew that was the case when he found out that this show it's a positive show we don't want to talk about gossip rumors we don't want to go into the the the the that stuff yeah no we don't want to go into salacious stuff that's not what it's about this is a celebration of the greatest body of broadcasting work uh in history that of David lman and Company and when Rupert found that out that's when he he kind of offered that like it wasn't me asking it was kind of him offering it well and and Irene brokering well Irene of course they all started with Irene Hoffman I mean I I mean oh and I was so happy with Irene that night Irene had so many good moments she got to see some of the people she loves so much and and you see the picture of her and rert taken by Sam in the in the at at the end of the Montage and it's just beautiful thing um but anyway rert gave us credibility I know that of course I know that and and um I I will forever be grateful um that he put his name and faith in this project this project would not be what it is if it wasn't for Rupert G and um um I I cannot I cannot emphasize that enough how grateful I am to him he's staying at the sponsor yeah well the hello Dash as long as hello Dash Deli is a live selling uh then we better keep it alive but but you know hey worldwide pants maybe we need another sponsor I'm just saying I'm just saying worldwide pants wants to sponsor the Letterman podcast we'd be open to that too as a second one um and anyway so saying the things that I said about rert and and and there was three words that I used about him and I you know he that he and may are so kind um they are so humble and and and that they are so loyal and and I mean um and and and I said that uh that I looked at the audience and I said these people love you and I almost started to cry at that point because I know how much they love them they've told me so many times theyve told you you've heard it too they they talk about it so much they would never do anything to in any way BGE and and some of the opportunities that rert has had to keep at arms length amazing opportunities uh that he has kept at arms length and said no to out of straight up loyalty yeah that was something that I got more of the backstory on and it just endear him to me even more I just love I love him for that he just was he's so clearly it was there was nothing self um propelling through there like he he it was an opportunity that he got which was great and yes like no doubt about it it helps you know Steer and direct his the course of his life and his business but he never ever in what I could deduce through many conversations ever took that for granted for a second no absolutely not he is he he to this day his gratefulness is bigger than his body absolutely and and and his and his like you say his humblest and his loyalty and I mean Tommy R had the best night of the night the the the best line of the night as far as I'm concerned um you know they didn't want to be part of the the the the meet the neighbor segment they were happy the fact that the edsan theater was now doing something and their business boomed because of it and they were happy just to accept that never mind what it would be yeah they were just grateful and Tommy R said they were literally just minding their own business and that was the the line of the night come around too just to to because we had said about how rert was um nervous the night before when we were talking um that was another cool experience for me was watching the people file in because at first you know everybody I mean I don't know New York seems to be the same like everywhere else where you don't show up on time because it's not cool but there but it was also early and they all have jobs and businesses and the writers were back and yeah and a lot of them were working on other shows and so they were started filing in and as I could see this like constant stream and I would look over and I could see rert just in amazement and it was a massively full room there was no room to walk around no and I think like I'm like I don't I mean I don't know anybody well enough to know but like I would suspect that that wouldn't happen all the time maybe not happen all the time like that's how that's how the Testament to them yeah and I mean I've heard from a whole pile of people who oh I wish I could have made it I wish I could have made it I wish I could have made it there's an entire California contingent and other people from around the country too wishing that they could have gone as well because they just love him so much and seeing that confirmation um and and the people hugging him and and and I mean like another person rert like like just the look on his face he was so blessed and we have a little video I actually I think I'm GNA start the episode with it so if you if you started this episode you'll have seen the video that I'm talking about where he just talks about because we saw the next two days too so um that evening ended it was amazing it was fantastic um the next day we went to the mansion in the Upper East Side which we've talked about in a previous podcast because we got to hang out with Stephen Lori Stephen Lori weren't there because obviously when Steve Wier worked for Letterman he was only on year one um and so he didn't know rert but then rert and Irene came over to Steve and Lor's house to their apartment and watching those people connect was unbelievable because Irene talked to Steve about uh his stuff with with with Chuck Jones and and Robert Klein and all the other stuff that was really really cool and then um rert and and and and Steve's wife Lori they kind of grew up right around each other and they had all connections with each other and we had amazing little uh social time there and then we all walked to the mansion where we connected with Darren Cox and his wife and the three Steves Steve Wier was there of course with us uh Steve Young Steve O'Donnell and uh and rert and Irene and you and me and and it was a it was a fantastic uh and Stephen Lori of course a fantastic time at the Mansion great great great evening with all of these Letterman writers I don't know if I've laughed that hard in that like Steve oon and I'm not going to say it yet he told me a joke about pro wrestling that is like I cannot wait to say it like I almost I want to tell Dave Dave you should hear the line that Steve O'Donnell said to me it is one of the funniest things and I asked if his permission I said can I can I use this joke he's like yes I'd be yeah absolutely so I'm very very grateful for that um just a little bit on Stephen Lori I know we're kind of stretch your time but they are the they're they're the people that make New York Home absolutely and we've this is our second time going to their home and they're so inviting and they're so kind and I just love them love them both to the moon like like it's the best time see I don't know which couple I like watching interact more Irene and Rupert or Steve and Lori but they both have this amazing both should have their own shows Steve was he's like are you plotting and I'm like I this needs to be a show on so many levels and I'm not even a show business but I see the like they're yeah they're both they're both incredible in their own way um they both should have their own shows yeah so if anybody's out there watching and they want to do a really cool show they it would be an amazing show oh it's just so funny to watch them and they just the the banter is just magical it's lovely and uh they make us feel very much like family so yeah having some time in their apartment like you know that's what I want to go back and hang out with those guys for a night I feel like we didn't get to see them nearly enough me too yeah me to um okay next week oh next week wouldn't that be great um won't it be great when we go back again and I hope I hope it happens soon well that's it Lor's like okay so you'll be back in the spring I'm like oh that's the hope that's the hope that's the hope is that there's some reason that we are compelled to go back there um that would be great and then uh the next morning uh you me rert Irene just went up for brunch at one of their favorite diners and three diners we did three diners in New York yeah but this is one of their favorite diners to go to you could tell it was only locals in there the flame yeah it was all locals um really really good a really really great time and a great goodbye um I'm glad our goodby was was smaller you know Sam had left already Sam left the next day to go to England after the uh after the event and so um after getting a tattoo in New York she did she got a little tattoo in New York it uh I we love Sam so much um she was fantastic but anyway yeah our our our goodbye with uh with rubert and Irene it was just the four of us um by the way don don Giller was supposed to come out to the mansion the night before and didn't jammed on us but boy did we ever have fun with Don Giller yeah we had so much fun with him I I just wanted to mention him one more time because um didn't get a chance to go to the cave this time but uh but having him at the event was amazing and having how many people pay attention to him and give him attention and give him um you know gratefulness to him that made me really really happy the trivia contest you have to watch that YouTube because it's on there Walter said you know if you're in the trivia contest if your name is in the answer you can't you can't win this t-shirt or if your name is Dawn you can't if your name is the dawns you also can't you're gonna get them all hell just take a shirt he throws him a shirt yeah that was cute it was cute Walter was Fant okay that's the other thing that okay yeah about that night Walter was a phenomenal MC yeah oh was he good charismatic he was funny he was yeah but he was like his planning and all that and we love him because he is such a nice nice nice man him and Nancy both oh can I talk about it real quick moment with Nancy do I have time to do that yeah do I okay um so I know I'm sorry every episode that I can I talk about this moment right so for those who listen to the audio I'm putting up the picture again that I always put up the Q&A with Dave okay so that night one of the greatest nights of my life may uh or April 20th I should say 2015 I have my Q&A with Dave right and the picture and all that stuff people we always talk about that in that that moment though there was a time I say always say was being a brat and that's why Dave was making fun of me to Paul one of the questions I asked before we got into the jackets and the salmon of the thing one of the questions I asked was before the show is over are you gonna have Jay Leno or are you gonna have Brian Williams on and and Dave and it's funny because it made CNN that somebody in the audience asked that question so the way Dave answered that was he said hey um Nancy can you come here for a second and and he brings out Nancy onto stage and he says are we gonna have Jay or are we gonna have Brian Williams and she said something the answer I think was we've reached out to Jay and I'm not sure about Brian I think that was what the answer was now up to this moment the very end of the party everybody's being ushered out and I was about to go hang out on the sidewalk and hang out with those Savages out there talking and laughing um I said Nancy can I bend your ear for one second and she said sure I said okay and I told her that story and I said I am 90% that it was you that Dave called out and that's of course is Walter's wife um and worked for the show for years and and and was behind the podium and and all sorts of stuff I would love to have her on the show I don't know if she's ever going to do it but I would love to I'd love to talk to her about some stuff but anyway I said I showed her the picture and I said is I said that night was it you who came out and she goes Dave only asked me out for the Q&A once maybe twice ever and I said that night would have been she goes yeah that was me and I just thought it so cool and I said oh my gosh take my family out of the equation that is like one of the greatest moments of my entire life and you were part of it and and and I just had this little thank you thank you for being part of that like and and I'm glad that it was like there was a piece of that memory that was sort of fuzzy and she just kind of brushed it off and it now is clear and and and that was that was really neat um that was a kind of a NE little breakthrough moment for me I just loved it so much um and then uh yeah so anyways after after breakfast with rubert and Irene that was it off we went and off we went and the flight home much smoother than the flight there in fact when we got back to the Calgary Airport um as we got off the New York to Calgary very simple flight one flight and then Calgary to Colona um I got a chance to I I asked one of the people hey is there a is there a guest service person named Michelle here and and he said yeah I said awesome uh we'd like to talk to her and he goes okay well what gate are you at and we told him he she's on break right now and I'm like she's probably doing a little bit of you know making sure that I wasn't crazy um but um he said that he would send her over well we go onto the plane and she's not sent over and then suddenly candy and I are getting situated in our seats and we look up and there's Michelle she actually came onto the plane and said hey I hear you guys wanted to talk to me I'm like oh cace and I both hugged her and then I showed her the picture of us behind kar's desk and I just got to say this gal went above and beyond and because of her a Dream came true and we got a chance to tell her that and and uh um that's just kind of the message there if you have the opportunity to tell somebody you're grateful because they caused something to happen they don't know it tell them because it was really really gratifying to see the look on her face when that happened that was really really great yes amazing amazing you need we need to stop now right is that is that what that look is she's not talking and the look has changed oh you have an appointment all right um so any last any last thoughts about our our our trip to New York about rert and Irene about uh I can't wait for more and like I said it's just that's just another home for us now yeah and it's another family it's our family um I am now fully inducted I've been taken to that into New York into the Letterman world oh I'll take that oh that's it i' I've been assimilated right on to all my friends who once knew me before resistance is futile baby okay um thank you very much for taking time to be on this thing and uh maybe I'll show maybe I'll show the video of us at the hello Deli saying goodbye to the hello Deli uh to finish this thing off that has been another episode of the Letterman podcast with Mike Chisum and she is Candace Chisum I am thank you very much for having me thank you and good I don't know if I can do this in one take um a lot of emotion going on right now um candi's got the camera say hi Candy hi Candy there you go we're about to go for brunch with rert and Irene and uh we just had the retirement party for the hello Deli a couple nights ago and it is surreal planning for the party there's my ride's here there's the there it is um planning for that night we went and raided the hello Deli for the beverages for that night hold on my ride's just going to drive by there it goes there it goes here it goes I'll I'll get the next one it's okay I'll get the next one so the other night for the retirement party we uh we raided the hello Deli for snacks and for for for Beverages and all the the remainder of what they had and that's what we used for the for some of the beverages at the retirement party which happened just around the corner of the Ed San theater and um it got real it got real uh that we were unpacking with rert and May and everybody who was planning for this party we were unpacking this sucker for the last time like it is the end of an era looking in that window right there and seeing the shop empty there's a couple T-shirts still hanging there but the the coffers are are empty with everything and um I just want to say how grateful I am for rber and may on behalf of everybody who's in the audience who loved the hello deli's contribution to Late Show with David Letterman and um rert May's contribution to to the world their kindness that so many people tens of thousands of people over the last 30 years have gotten to experience they've come to New York from all over the world and got a chance to have a New York experience people go to Broadway shows they go to Time Square they go to all the different buus they do that but this is a special thing that a lot of people still cherish to this day and um on behalf of the audience I just want to thank rert and may for opening this business I want to thank them for not turning the let's meet the neighbors cameras away when Dave and company started going in there and um I want to say thank you for this era uh it's emotional because it was so good this is the Letterman podcast signing off from the hello Deli for probably the very last time in this era no more to come thank you and good night roer you just had your retirement it's the end of the weekend mhm you're tired you're exhausted very tired a lot of trepidation going into it nervousness not knowing what it was going to be but now that we've had this weekend how are you feeling right now I'm feeling great it it was a wild ride of amazing uh party that we had thank you Walter and Nancy and another golden piece of memory that I'll cherish for the rest of my life well we cherish you uh on behalf of the the the the Letterman Enthusiast Community we love you so much and um and it's not like when there's reunions and stuff like that it's not like you're not going to be a part of them but now you're also having a Union talking about yesterday because your time at the deli is over congratulations on an amazing 3 decade plus run um and we just wish you the best of luck on the next thing that you're going to do thank you thank you thank you and they show forever here we go overcoat and