Len Goldberg Witnessed ‘D-Day’ And Has The Box Office Sign To Prove It!

this is Steve Wier I used to write for the David Letterman show this is Mike Chism who spent entire life dreaming of being on the David Letterman show and will never happen watch this podcast instead welcome once again to the Letterman podcast my name is Mike Chisum I love this show in the sense that we have had a direction from the very beginning as to who the guests on the show are going to be and we have kind of stuck with that over aund you know 100 episodes 110 episodes whatever it is we have stuck with that you know we have folks who worked for the show uh you know we recently had John Beckerman on people who were associated with the show uh in some way shape or form they were on the show featured on the show that kind of a thing that's going to be growing um exponentially this year in 2024 we're going to be definitely filling that category and the third category are people who are part of the community the Letterman Enthusiast Community uh those of us who who um just love the show so much and maybe maybe we were part of a bit maybe we got our letter written on the air maybe we got a chance to see the show and there was something behind that and it just we're still talking about it all these years later we want the Letterman podcast to be a venue for for for some of those people to come on here and and to be a part of the community and to tell their story that's what today's episode is and I just appreciate the fact that Len Goldberg has taken time out of his day to come on the Letterman podcast today and talk a little bit about um d he was there for dumpster day he was there when um you know to all of our horror uh the day after the last Late Show with David Letterman um for call it an oversight call it whatever you want to call it for whatever reason uh the stage hands and the people who were in charge of converting the Ed Sullivan Theater uh to the new incarnation of The Late Show with Stephen coar came in and the orders were let's get rid of everything we're gutting the place and let's gut it and and and it's so funny because I can remember I can put myself back in that day when man it was just so sad uh to see this thing that we love so much and and and 24 hours earlier were feeling so nostalgic about I believe they stuck The Landing it was a perfect 10 out of 10 last Late Show with David Letterman I think a lot of people would agree with that uh never mind the last show the six weeks previous you know readed Scot Ryan's book last days of Letterman the previous six weeks was this unbelievable leadup to that show and then the next day and I mean I gotta say dumpster day as much as it broke my heart you know there's a part of it that is almost when you look at the body of work and the tone of of of of David Letterman's Productions up to that point in in late night isn't it funny how the next day um you know Dave who who mocked Show Business and and what not the next day the sets and all of these things were mercilessly tossed into dumpsters almost thoughtlessly and and and so Len is a guy who actually went down there uh we talk a little bit about his uh where his enthusiasm for Letterman started he had a letter written on the red I should say on the on the show as well but he went down and he got something pretty cool out of the dumpster by the way um this is something I've never shown on the show before I'm going to show something that a staffer sent to me it didn't quite make the dumpster but uh Len has something from the Ed Sullivan Theater box office that that uh that that he ended up with um for me personally this is something that a Stafford had sent me this is one of the signs that was in the back of the edivan theater there were these squares where uh there would be um you know signs for the late show or for Late Show with David Letterman so that's something that that one of the staffers sent to me um I just love episodes like this I I'm a big showand tell guy and I love the community episodes that we have here uh with people come on and they can tell their stories and and it's it's so fun to be um a vessel for these people to come and do that so Len Goldberg is that guy he's also a fellow Canadian uh so you know soft spot in the heart as well so uh the Letterman podcast brought to we have one sponsor one sponsor only that's hellodd deli.com go to hellodd deli.com if you want to get Late Show with David Letterman merchandise like mugs like hats all sorts of stuff packed With Love by Rupert G himself hello- deli.com so with that we would love to present to you edit this a little bit okay all that being said we are proud to present our episode here with Len Goldberg Len I am really excited that you have taken time uh to come on to the Letterman podcast today and tell a little bit of of of your stories of the encounters that you had with the show you um you know I'm wearing the thank you and good night jacket today because you know obviously uh May 20th of 2015 was um you know a very emotional day for everybody the last time that Dave uh produced Dave and company produced a late show his last uh late night television after 32 years production and we were emotional I think we all knew as as as as enthusiasts that we were going to be emotional about that but there was a extra set of emotion that showed up the next day when to our horror we saw the set that we loved uh for for for decades uh being tossed aside into the dumpsters and I've always wanted to talk to some people who who who who took things into their own hands if you uh for lack of a better term and went and did that you have been an Enthusiast of David Letterman for a long long time I want to talk about this I love having folks from the community on the show thank you so much for taking time to be on the Letterman podcast no thank you Mike I'm I'm honored I am honored and I'm excited to be uh included in your podcast here oh my God what a meteoric rise all of a sudden you're best friends with the producers and rert you're being invited to parties at at um what you talking suvan theater the theater you're being invited to parties you're delivering speeches and eulogies and oh my God who are you I don't know man it's it's it's weird uh I don't understand it I I am enjoying it and and it's a lot of it's it's certainly a lot of fun to connect with so many um like-minded people who are completely different like I find that a lot of the folks who uh are are are longtime enthusiasts of of what Dave and Company put out uh seem to all be characters unto themselves and and it's a lot of fun getting to know these people as this process kind of organically just kind of grows and and uh so thank you for saying that I appreciate it do you remember when you became went aware of what Dave was doing were you a fan right from the beginning uh were you someone that came in Midstream how long have you been a an Enthusiast of Dave I was at McGill University uh 1982 uh February I believe and I bad habits I I don't know I was up uh eating uh M McCain super fries till 2: in the morning cramming for exams and whatnot and I remember was up one night this show came out David Letterman I never heard of him before I wasn't aware that he had the daytime show before that I guess 1980 yeah okay I'll check this out and it just caught my attention it just captivated me right away he wasn't uh you know he was so real he was so like Street it was like like you know in minutes into it I knew that this was something it was definitely something it was anything and yeah so I was there from the first moment of the Late Night show just I didn't know about him on the daytime show so not not that iconic not that impressive no no no no see and that's it was the college kids that that that really took off you know you had the onew punch of Johnny Carson uh who who who the previous generation was it was their constant and then suddenly um something you know ex entirely different uh you know as Monty Python says something now now for something entirely different and and uh you're a fellow Canadian as well I love the couple of Canadian references that you threw right in that intro that's fantastic um good day yeah good day okay let's confuse them even more now the good day on there um this is okay so you started watching Dave um you were part of that crowd that that that that helped that meteoric rise is the college kids is where it started uh you loved them for years I know that you got a letter on the show as well like was this early on was this this is the late night run or was this late show Late Show unfortunately not that impressive no uh everything's impressive buddy uh do you remember the bit do you remember the date H and and and uh did you know it did you watch it every day did someone tell you your letter got on there well we're going back uh just uh this isn't live right you can you can edit out the coughs and sure oh yeah well you to be perfectly Frank not that I can't it's it's funny Len you know it's um there is technology where I can edit and there's no problem with it but I have found that the the the real conversations with people obviously if go someone goes into a coughing fit or something like that we can edit that out but the conversation is actually uh like I find that that that the more organic the better and so I do as few edits as I possibly can in these shows also I've had people who have asked me if there's stuff that's cut out and uh and and you know when you get when you get one of these uh you know one of the writers or producers or whatever on you find that people who gravitate towards this show love the Deep dive and they don't like when we cut anything out so I can edit I minimally do it because we want to just make sure the content is uh is complete but yeah we can we can edit for sure okay I'll be on my toes then one second one second no problem at all all right you're good you're good so I'd say okay so approximately 2012 I had been submitting uh letters and the letter I submitted so anyway it made it on air uh no you've been but you submitted multiple times throughout the incarnations of the show did you submit to late night as well no just the Late Show The Late Show I went Bonkers for a couple of weeks I was submitting letters so but I didn't know that David read the letter I got an email from a friend of mine in San Diego and the email read hey uh Goldberg get off of American TV uh and he told me my letter had been read and um but uh I think I had the videotape running every night on on on Letterman um and so I went back and looked at the the tape so we looked at the tape and the letter was um now you remember it used to be um I don't remember the letters I don't remember what they started out as on late night but on Late Show the letters were the CBS mail bag that's right mail bag I don't remember what they were called on late night uh but they were called something a little different yeah viewer mail so viewer mail bingo so the mail bag my letter read and Dave read it out okay so here's uh here's just what happened uh uh Dear Dave when the hell are we gonna meet the CBS mailbag mailman perfect and then a guy comes out uh an actor comes out and he sings the theme to The CBS mailbag a newly conceived theme yep and uh and then basically it's considered a fail and Dave tells him to get get the hell out of the studio and that was the B so anyway that's my 15 seconds of Fame that's it oh that's fantastic that's Fant how did it feel when you uh yeah well first off you get the email and and that's fantastic get off American TV uh you must that must have been delightful for you it must have tickled you it did I felt like maybe there's something here may maybe I've got something you know maybe I've got something uh I need to need to do something different with my life nothing came of it but uh I did wonder about whether I should do something more with my life um it's fun getting together with the with people I've had a whole bunch of people reach out to me and and and uh tell me about their experiences with the show like this and it's just delightful to to to highlight some of these stories now um at that point you had you had gone to New York a couple of times to uh was it to see the show was it just you were in New York so you went by the hello Deli how did that all go uh well by the way I did see the show in 1984 Summer of 1984 all 84 wow do you remember anything about it yeah who's the guy that sang that song about friends Randy something or other um like Friends in Low Places being friend Randy Newman Randy all I remember is that Randy Newman was on the show that's all I remember yeah uh and um yeah so that's the only time that I I was in the audience and then there was uh the letter um and fast forward to last couple of years uh before the hell Deli closed I'm I go on to New York a lot four five6 times a year yep went down one time and um around just slightly before closing and may was there so we spoke to May for a long time May Chin Isner she's the what a friendly person it actually had closed okay because we were actually staying around the corner in a hotel at just closed she came out unlocked the door stood on the sidewalk 20 minutes gave us 20 minutes of her time what a nice person but rert had just departed missed him by minutes okay great but I'm so glad to meet May that was big came back a little while later I think it was February yep uh and then there was a notice on the door I took a photo of that by the way there was a notice on the door saying on vacation back in a certain day or it might have been January and back in February it was like the winter yep and we're gone for a few weeks so then I came back I came back about two months later said okay the note said rert and may will be back on this day came back and and then it was closed closed yep uh and then I found out it had been shut down and it was just it was heartbreaking it was it was heartbreaking and um but now uh I think there might be some opportunity uh through you and some other good folks but I think primarily through through you to to meet rert and um so just depending on you for that mon no I appreciate that you know rert G obviously um you know one of not just the ear an early adopter for the Letterman podcast but but you know our sole sponsor um and and and it was it was sure um I'll tell you the the the the the retirement weekend uh where we went down to where my wife and I went to New York and and and got to um hang out with rubert and Irene and and um just the the the gravity of what was happening you know it's so funny how through a television show people can build an emotional connection to these places and these people and and and it's just it's a wonder to me uh the Echoes of of David Letterman showing up and and and you know okay we're gonna we're gonna re you know retrofit the Ed Sullivan Theater and get it going again and bring it back up to up to Snuff and and we're gonna meet the neighbors and and uh like mujar and Sarah jeul were there and it was just such a it was such a a neat experience um you know seeing these things and and realizing the emotional impact that that they had on people you know we just recently had John Beckerman on who was a headwriter uh you know that episode will be out by the time our episode here that we're doing today comes out great and and and I asked John what it felt like to have a sandwich named after him in Rupert's shop and he said it was everything like he he said he you know he brought his parents there to see to see his his the Beckerman on the board there and he said it was a pretty good sandwich too and and and just the joy that he got out of that and isn't it funny how like um and and rert I mean we all felt the emotional connection his kindness translated through the television screen and and I can certainly see why so many people would make that pilgrimage to go and and and meet him um and have a true you know it was it was a letterman experience and it had nothing to do with Letterman except for the extension that rert was from the show so it's very sweet that that that you feel that way obviously they are still the sponsor of the Letterman podcast go to hellodd deli.com and um and and you can uh you can you can still buy a late show with David Letterman merchandise and it's the only place that you can buy official L show with David Letterman merchandise mugs and hats and all sorts of fun stuff I think there are still rert shirts available on hello dil.com and those are packed by Rupert himself and and so uh I'm I'm really glad that you took this time to to kind of to highlight rert Len that's really really sweet and uh and and we'll make sure yes we will we will we will create an opportunity for some contact there for sure I I I appreciate it a lot Mike you know you people like you and rert are uh are are important you're all in the spirit of that show which was uh real uh it was uh human um it was down to earth it had humility you know um and it was just something that's bygone it's bygone it's not here anymore and so reconnecting with uh with you and rert it's all part of I think trying to uh preserve that and what Dave had going on which was he was real he was a man of the people he related to the so-called common person like you know you and I he was on the street I remember when he would do his uh his early man on the street stuff there's Mr curiosity asking to look in people's shopping bags there was Mr humidity I don't know who remembers Mr humidity I can even sing a little a little bit of uh Paul schaer's theme um from that uh I don't know the exact words is Mr humidity that's you well done well done yeah man the man on the street stuff and and I mean you know and rert you know uh again talking to to John Beckerman the other day John Beckerman was the one who created the fun with rert uh you know concept and itot the remotes yeah and and the whole reason the whole reason why that started was because Dave got so big that he couldn't be the man on the street anymore right interesting they wanted to try and find a a vessel or a way that Dave could be on the street without being on the street and and um you know you can listen to the John Beckerman episode and it talks about the entire Evolution also John Beckerman just did his staff favorite moments on um on the official Letterman Channel go and check that out as well he talks about it there but yeah like the idea that that that we could still have Dave interacting using that razor sharp wit and and and uh and the commonality but also a little bit of a skewness a little bit of strangeness and and he uh um that's rert was the the way that Dave could stay on the street for a long long time um so that yeah very very cool talking about that now I don't want to bury the lead the lead was okay dumpster day uh holy cow um well no wait you know what there is one other thing that I want to talk about before we get to dumpster day um but uh because Mark carsen who's a friend of the show um and and and the author and of late night bumpers you can go to late night bumpers.com and you can you can get these amazing uh you know reproductions of the bumpers the original bumpers he's the one that took the photographs manipulated the photographs he and the team to create a huge part of the mov of Late Night with David Letterman uh Mark Caren um you've got a little bit of a brush with him as well well um so right after the final show May 2015 and everything was put in these dumpsters uh and and um now I I dove into that and we'll get into that a bit later um now the bumpers appeared on eBay a little bit later around June they started appearing on eBay and so many of the bumpers and I don't know if I don't think they came from from the dumpsters I didn't see them in there I think it was someone associated with with with the show y had the bumpers and they just you know they had we didn't know who they were they just had some name on eBay and they started putting them up and the bids were going high on these into the hundreds of dollars each uh fast and I contacted uh somehow I uh figured out how had to get in touch with Mark carsen first of all I found out who's behind them Mark Caren uh photographer artist Creator genius was behind them absolutely somehow yeah somehow I I figured out how to get in touch with Mark Carson and um I had a question for him about the bumpers I think I wanted to authenticate them okay I'm just gonna be honest I actually wanted to to do some bidding on these oh for sure and um so I wanted to authenticate them that's why I contacted Mark carsen and he said said oh my God that's where they are uh they don't have the legal right to sell these uh these are my property thank you so much for letting me know that's where they are and that's what's happening to them I'm going to shut this whole thing down now I looked on eBay like I think hours later gone they were all gone and he retrieved them and he got his bumpers he got his bumpers back now I didn't get any that's the tragedy but much more important is that Mark Caron has his beloved bumpers and he's doing whatever he wants to do with his Creations which were photographic and also collages they'd actually take bits and pieces and put them in there so they were really like you know old school artworks and and Creations so that's the anecdote yeah so we've had mark on the show twice and and and both times um you know he went into um the meticulous nature like like again when those bumpers were being created for Late Night with David Letterman and and and for those who are are unsure what a bumper is I don't think anybody has gone this far into this episode into this show without knowing what a bumper is but we'll we'll we'll we'll say it anyway uh going out to commercial coming back from commercial there would always be this amazing artwork that had to do with New York City somehow and and and usually late into the night and and it had to do with New York City and then Late Night with David Letterman would be put into these pieces of art coming in back and uh going going out to coming back from commercial that's what a bumper is that's what this bumper art is Mark Caren um um you know was kind of the chief principal he and his team of people um you know uh Bob PUK uh Ed Hall and and others Bill Shortridge was there as well and others uh who were part of creating these things we're talking four people four people to create something like that Mike yeah Photoshop didn't exist back then it was a it was an incredible process of how they would take these original pictures and then manipulate them to create these unque pieces of art now I don't know this for a fact but I uh that that that it was necessarily the ones that you had pulled off eBay and he retrieve what I do know though is that he has done um Gallery exhibitions with these with these with these pieces it would be really cool to know if some of the pieces that he has had in these um these exhibitions were actually the some of the ones that you alerted him to and he got back that would be very very interesting to know if that were the case the next time I talk to Mark I'm going to ask ask him about that so uh that was really cool obviously you wanted to bid on them like you know seeing them um it's it brings back a whole a whole bunch of uh nostalgic uh feelings seeing these things it was a part of Late Night with David Letterman there's a there's no question about that um if you watch Mark Carson's episodes uh there's a there's a there's quite a few that we have gone through well not I shouldn't say quite a few he did thousands of them over over over uh you know the Run uh but you can go to lat night bumpers.com and he has reproductions of them that are for sale uh there's even a couple of posters where there's four of them on one presentation that can be framed and put up so uh nice yeah so so it's cool to to hear that connection as well nice job there uh for doing that Len that's that that's fantastic um yeah that's that's super super cool have you gotten the late night bumpers book I do not have the late night bumpers book it's on on that Mark Carson's website together so AB it's on late night late night bumpers.com absolutely well I'm thinking of maybe getting an original I know there's a few originals from time to time that he will put out there so I'm I'm considering that uh I just I like the originals I like the idea of having something in my hand that was in their hands so um contemplating that and we'll see what happens it's like you've done this before it's like you've segue uh into the next topic on a podcast before there Len well done something in your hand now I want to know what what was it that motivated you to go down there um in May of 2015 did you see what was happening online because I I remember because my last time that I saw the show uh that was when that the picture was taken and all of that was April 20 so it was a month beforehand before Dave retired and and I you know I remembered everything about that experience because while while we were down there for five or six days whatever it was I had gone by the theater so many times gone over to ruberts like multiple times you know I went and saw him and and and may we ate there a couple of times and and I mean I knew the geography really really well um it was fresh at my mind and and and and you know watching um the last uh Late Show you know incredible then you're starting to see pictures of the party afterwards people wearing the thank you and good night jackets people wearing the Foo Fighters Jack uh t-shirt um different things happening and the next day you know watching the the the the coverage of of of Dave and Company shutting down shop the next day these pictures started appearing on Facebook and they started appearing on on on the internet and it was and it was these iconic pieces of the set there's one of them right there right behind us here the we got the bridge in here um you know being being thrown away into these dumpsters um when did you become aware of that and what did you do about it uh so I'm from Canada and I was actually in Las Vegas at the time um on a hiking trip and um I uh was a little mad at myself I said you know why didn't I go to New York try to get uh you know standby ticket and try to get into the last show I figured I'd have no no uh no shots so I just hopped on a plane um and was not able to get into the last show was not able to get a standby ticket uh and I was in New York for a few days I was just kind of hovering around seeing what's happening who would I see I didn't think that they're going to be throwing the whole studio into dumpsters um so I'm just I'm I'm just that sort of person a lot of hovering I went back I think it was the the next day uh hold on did you hover around did you hover around the the the for while the last show was happening Were You There When all that excitement was happening on 53rd Street for the last show I just saw that I wasn't GNA I wasn't going to get in I wasn't so okay so you weren't okay because that that was pretty crazy too Jay Thomas was down there and with for his radio show there's a lot of excitement on that last day trailers were out there for all the people in the top 10 list and yeah that was a there was chaos on 53rd Street uh on May 20th yeah yeah I was just I was so preoccupied by being mad with myself that I hadn't gotten down there at a good time to get into the show I do that I got kind of mad so I just kind of got a of there I do that pick myself up a little bit sometimes and then I went back the next day I just didn't know what was going to happen I'm I'm kind of a collector didn't know what was going to happen with the Marquee the sign I wanted to really see if they're going to take down uh the Marquee Y and then uh and then there's these uh dumpsters and there's people in the dumpsters and there's like chairs there's there's seats from the studio in there what the heck s theater seats absolutely what what are they doing what are they doing I didn't understand what was going on and it was pretty competitive was a little aggressive I didn't want much of a part of that um oh W really that's interesting so there were there were people kind of jockeying around and jumping in there and stuff and and it was it was yeah yeah no no no fights broke out but you know it was uh a real uh a Feeding Frenzy because it's like what why why are they throwing this out I mean this should be in the Smithsonian institution actual chairs you know with people sat in for so many years watching Dave and Paul and the Gang I why would they junk that so um I got in there and um people seem to be really focused on on the chairs a lot uh there's some other things being taken and my eye uh caught the the the colors uh the I guess like the golden blue something rectangular I'm into collecting like cardboard post I have like old cereal boxes I'm more into that sort of thing y not the big uh the you know your larger items and I uh I moved some scrap out of the way and I just you want want me to show you now want me to please do yeah show us show us what you got have it in our archival plastic here I have it in archival plastic so this is acidfree plastic uh so that it will never be degraded now you can see so this this was beside the uh the box office so when you go to buy your tickets okay you go up to the box office this was beside the box office yep okay and so for me other than the Marquee which which Dave has and he's he's um auctioning off and a fundraiser for a Habitat for Humanity yeah this might be the last remaining piece of the frontage of the Ed suiv and theater from Dave's era and I just snagged this uh didn't have to fight anybody to get it and I just I just got out of there this this is it man this is like I don't even have words to describe how I feel about this I just to have this in hand I've got like part of like the soul of Dave Letterman here it's just you know I've got items that are maybe worth a little bit more than this you know in terms of you put things up for auction that's I would I wouldn't sell this for anything I would never part with this no amount of money would would uh exceed this the sentimental attachment to this and you can see through all the uh you know the yep how it's roughed up it was pretty red up there in the dumpster like that's it wasn't in this condition in in the in the window it wasn't in this condition but when it was in the dumpster it was compromised you can see and there was some moisture damage there I I noticed it was a little bit wet but but anyway the coloring is there the Integrity is there so uh so that's it that's uh that's my story it's it's super super cool you know and it's funny you talk about the seats uh I've had a lot of staffers uh who who we've had on the show here who have who have a pair of seats in their basement or or or in a few different places a lot of the staffers ended up with seats uh which I I was very delighted to hear about but funny uh Dave actually talked about the seats on a recent episode I believe it was Strike Force 5 when he when he guessed it on uh on on on on uh the boys the current boys coar uh Myers Fallon um Kimmel and John Oliver all did a a podcast together called Strike Force 5 during the writer strike and it was to raise money for their staffs that were all uh out of work at that point and and and Dave appeared on I believe it was episode seven or eight or something like that and he talked about how uh the seats he talked about the how everything was thrown away um and and uh and and while he didn't say you know he he he the if you listen to the uh expression of his voice uh obvious disappointment and and and to say the least but he would talk about how because that happened he gets people that walk up to him every once in a while with a chair with a a chair from the theater and they say to him hey can you please sign this and you know he kind of yes he goes and signs it that happen go to the trouble of they know his whereabouts and they actually actually take the chair yep yep and they transport themselves whatever distance they okay he says it happens from time to time so so I found that uh I found that to be to to to be a little bit charming and a lot heartbreaking uh so so very interesting the idea like and it's funny because we've heard from other people I don't know if this one actually made it to the dumpster I've heard that a lot of things got intercepted on the way to the dumpster uh this is from a former staffer here uh some of the other Bridges some of the other Bridges as well um you know were saved I know that there's a couple of folks who are former staffers that have like in a storage unit the bridge not sure what to do with it uh you know but but many things including like videotapes videotapes made it into that thing and there are folks who got some videotapes out of that dumpster that has like stuff that never made the air like crazy yeah like like of course you know the bridges and things like that some of them famously uh the the the little highways and the little Vehicles some people took the little Vehicles off of the the roads behind Dave and things like that um you know uh uh somebody took a window washer uh there was a a little guy who was a a window washer on one of the buildings behind give anything to get my hands on on more of that stuff if you can connect me with anybody who you know could could part with anything that would mean everything because this you know this does the job but you know more more is better and those tapes with pieces that ended up on The Cutting Room floor oh I mean this is just the stuff of Legend that's the stuff thanks for sharing that with me Mike I didn't know to that extent thanks for sharing with me no absolutely and and that's what that's that's part of why you know we're doing what we're doing here at the Letterman podcast is to kind of collect the community and try and get them all together if we can get everybody kind of together we all compare notes we talk about things uh and it's it's it's it's a lot of fun to do that um and and yeah I it would be great to get some of these things into people's hands who care about them and and I think that that's something that uh you know it's it's it's little keepsakes like that thank goodness Dave is still doing what he's doing are you keeping up with uh with Dave's current projects have you watched my next guest with David Letterman yeah definitely that and I've been following his fundraiser a habitat for uh Humanity y for sure I don't know if you know what's next if you know there's something upcoming that people aren't aware of uh well there's all sorts of stuff you know like he's um so a couple of years ago Netflix did the Netflix's a joke comedy uh uh um Comedy Festival in in h Los Angeles and so there was a show that showed up on Netflix called um uh that's my time with David Letterman and and it was um you know I think it was it was five or six parts or something like that and and and some Comics were new upand cominging comics who are just Rising through the ranks of standup would go up uh Dave would do come out and do a short monologue he would introduce a comic they would come up and do a 10-minute set and he'd be in behind just watching them from his chair uh and then they would go and sit down and do a little bit of panel with Dave very very cool cool little show it's on Netflix called that's my time with David Letterman uh I was actually uh the last night the last show I was down there for that that's when I actually got my uh that's when I I don't know if you know my story or not Len but uh so there's there's me and there's Dave that's a that's about a a month before he retired that's the warm-up audience that's me and the warm-up audience that's him making fun of meow yeah he's he's making fun of me I got another copy of it up there um he was making fun of me to Paul Schaefer the all audience laughing at me and whatnot and the New York Times happened to be there doing a a spread on him before he retired and they took a picture of that moment um so how did you get in there how how did how did you get your foot in the door with that well it was all dumb luck um well I mean and I wrote I I'll I'll send you the story I actually wrote it out it's something called the letter Manifesto that I wrote it it's on the Letterman podcast uh website you can find I wrote 15,000 words basically talking about how that happened and it was just happen stance um but it was a crazy crazy turn of events so I got Dave to sign I got him assigned two copies of the picture one of them says hello Mike nice seat David lman the other one is uh to Mike my best friend David Letterman which is very very funny I I got him to sign those um down at that Netflix is a joke um wow event watching that's my time you know by that time I had already started the Letterman podcast and and and uh well Shey hooked it up for me Rick sheckman hooked it up so so so that could happen um so he's doing that again he's doing that again in uh and tickets tickets are available um in May of this yeah so you can get uh tickets for David Letterman I think it's called David Letterman and the Giants of comedy and I think it's something very similar but it's going to be a little bit different like Dane Cook is g to be on it and and a few other guests uh that he's going to be talking to um in May of 2024 down in Los Angeles you can get tickets online right now for it and uh so that's happening for sure uh new episodes of my next guest have filmed already and there's going to be more that are happening with that as as well so that's up and coming in 2024 uh that's exciting he was just in Chicago doing some taping uh for that and then also um pretty neat to see when one of Dave's bits uh has has had a gets a new life of its own spins off you know um you think about Steve Young and Dave's record collection and and and suddenly bathtubs Over Broadway documentary comes out and it it it's it's literally a spin-off of Dave's record collection and and and watching Steve young uh have a build a career around that is pretty neat well another one's going to happen uh on TBS coming up stupid pet tricks is actually becoming a show it's becoming a show yeah and so it's gonna be hosted by it's gonna be hosted by Sarah Silverman and um both Dave and Merl Marco are are are uh considered producers on the show they and I don't know I don't know what they're you know I don't think I wouldn't imagine they have a ton of day-to-day involvement with it but they're helping with promotion of the show and whatnot and Sarah Silverman obviously a longtime friend of uh of the show of Late Show with David Letterman so so that's happening in 24 and uh I think there's some other stuff happening as well so so it's nice to see Dave as active as he is and he didn't do what you know he didn't do what Johnny Carson did Johnny Carson retired and and kind of went off and that was that was it we haven't had that with Dave we've actually had you know it's different obviously than seeing him every night we've seen some David Letterman activity after that night after uh you know your time there and it's so great to see that those of us who appreciate him so much can still see him yeah exactly it was kind of hard to uh conceive of going from uh da four nights a week to you know van Vanishing from our lives alt together because you know there's no one like him there's no one like there's nothing like that show I'm not going to put down other shows but there's nothing like that there's nothing like him he was the last of his kind he wasn't afraid he wasn't afraid he's the guy he's the guy who back in the day would refer to his bosses as the network weasles in heads and weasel yep you can't get away with that you can't get away with that that that can't happen today you know so um now yeah he he doesn't have that that edge today or you know he's grown he's a different guy in some respects but just he's still Dave and to have him still working and still enabling us to still uh appreciate his skills and his personality and how he's real he's a real human being he's himself he's not what others want someone to be he's him he's him he's not curated he's not cultivated he's him and he's the last of that take it from me okay so yeah thanks for letting letting me and your viewers know there's more to come I'm gonna look up those tickets see if I can meet the big man oh you never know you never know he's worth going to see for sure it was uh I'll tell you this it was surreal we had just started the Letterman podcast at that point I think we only had four or five episodes out and and we were um you know I got to tell you just being in the Auditorium with him and seeing him come out and and and the way that we saw it uh for for for our show he shot three shows so we actually saw three little monologues three interviews with three different comics and and I'll tell you Len when he walked out candy and I it was so cool just to occupy the same space as him and and and again his Charisma um you know and and like you say his his genuiness was palpable um it was it was neat watching watching him screw around with the audience a little bit and I mean like that's the part you know with my little memory my little memory there that I just love so much where you know he would have these little inside jokes with the audience um you know like like if they're screwing around before the cameras turn on or if he had to he has to re-shoot an intro or something like that um you know he brings the audience in on the joke with him and then might reference it you know when the camera goes back on that kind of a thing it just he's so good as a broadcaster but he's also so good as um somebody in front of people who can make them feel included uh as part of the presentation as well and I think that that is a pretty unique set of standards that he can do it for a camera but also do it with a live audience like any Master Master of Ceremonies could do so yeah that's one sec here Mark I'm just going to put this sign out of the Sun sure man there we go I don't want any more damage to that yeah you you know that's very well put I hadn't thought of it in those terms but not only was Dave a consumate professional broadcaster not only Not only was Dave a consumate broadcaster but I like the way you put it that he had uh let me start that again Not only was Dave obviously the consumate broadcaster but I like the way you put it that he included the people he included the audience he included you at home he was he was inclusive and I never thought of it in that way but I guess that's a big part of his appeal you didn't feel that he was detached he was just groomed and curated guy you know who spoke flawlessly he you know he he he he didn't distinguish himself from other people you were uh considered an equal and he wanted you to be a part of it and he respected and appreciate you know the so-called common people I like the way you put it his inclusivity he included everyone very very well put Mike well I appreciate that it's uh uh the thing I it's what I appreciate about him uh the most in seeing him live what I appreciate on on my next guest with what he's doing now is his curiosity I love how curious he is with you know one thing that Carson talked about and he lamented about was that when he was ready to retire there was no big show business anymore and people are like what are you talking about all sorts of these celebrities and things like that but but for Carson it was uh it was his his idols you know it was the Frank and arras of the world or the big the Giants of the world right the Jackie gleon the you know people like that and they were all gone at that point and and so but where Dave has kind of I don't know if it's a if if it's something that he has done intentionally he's seen kind of a a lamentation or a regret maybe of of of some of his predecessors and and so so what he has done is kind of flipped the script and said okay well who's the most popular people in the world right now and and then you combine that with his every man curiosity so he can sit down with Billy ish and he can genuinely be curious about what it is that makes her tick what it is that makes her so big um you know Kevin Durant or or or some of these other people that he has sat down with that are that are kind of at the height of popular culture at the you know the front of popular culture and he takes that um all of these things that you and I just kind of talked about and brings it and brings in a fresh perspective a fresh Light uh I just really appreciate that about about about Dave and I hope that this next year we see a lot more of that um you know what guys like you and me we're we're the ones that uh spread this stuff around and and and it's nice to be able to throw to connect with somebody else and to appreciate these things and uh for lack of a better term pontificate a little bit about it was there anything else that you wanted to know um in this in in this appearance on the Letterman podcast Len are we uh are we are we there final note final note Mike sir um my life's never been the same ever since brother Theodore went off the air I've I've struggled finding reasons to live since brother Theodore uh no longer appeared on Letterman or in the public eye if you have reasons to live if you could sub them to me I shared my email with you earlier as it's a it's a morning struggle I wake up in the morning no brother Theodore nope no Letterman why why get out of bed but anyway there's reasons to go on I'm sure so Mike help me out with that if you can and uh it's a real pleasure talking with you you're you're like um you're you're a prodigy I don't know how you did this you're you're you're meeting these people you're best friends with David Letterman and and the you're showing I know how so you know share share with me your secrets you're you are uh you're something else my friend you uh you make things happen you're very Intrepid you're very Intrepid you remind me of my grandfather MAA who said to me one time when I got fired from working for my cousins at a store in Montreal I was 17 and he didn't get mad at me my grandfather he said to me young man I have one piece of advice for you take initiative take initiative and that's what you do that's what you do very impressive uh I appreciate that very very much by the way that that that conversation with David Letterman uh in the audience is the only conversation I've had with him so I just want to be very very clear about that but yes uh becoming friends with some of the some of the staffers has been a lot of fun and uh more to come for sure I appreciate your words very very much Len thank you for that it go right to the heart and and and uh we' We've touched on something here where there's a lot of people people uh dozens of us in fact who want to connect and do this if you want we have a a Facebook group on the Letterman podcast Facebook group come on in um you know it's it's it's a group where where where Letterman enthusiasts can kind of get together and share stories just like what Len and I did today uh this is why we do the podcast and we're hoping that these things will grow over time and uh this thing this little clubhouse that we were all a part of uh can can the knowledge can be transferred number one and number two the joy that we got from it can continue as well we also want to thank the official Letterman YouTube channel uh for everything that they're doing they're putting out you know every single day they're putting out at least one uh uh you know clip from this show that we love so much and of course we want to thank we want to thank Don Giller for uh his YouTube channel for everything that he's doing uh behind the scenes also the compilations he's put up obviously uh brother Theodore there's an entire brother Theodore compilation you have a reason to live you can go to Don Gill's YouTube channel and you can watch the entire brother Theodore compilation uh and and uh you know we thank Don for everything that he's doing and let's just link arms and let's uh let's do some fun stuff you never know it might even be able to to affect um future projects from David Letterman and Company you never know so thank you Lynn i t I appreciate you taking time uh to tell your story and to come on the Letterman podcast thanks Mike I'm very grateful that you included me in what you've uh created at it here it's enjoyable it's meaningful uh it's impressive I'm honored I'm very grateful and I'm going to continue on in the ways that uh you've advised and uh you know if in the meantime you can hook me up with rert well we'll oh we'll figure that out we'll figure that out buddy make it happen Mike come on the power Zoom uh is gonna help I'm sure that'll help very much Lyn just stick stick there for a moment I'm going to do a quick outro and then I'll come back we could say our goodbye privately okay Mike thank you so much oh man this is uh this is again one of the reasons why we do this show is is we said right from the very beginning right from the very first episode with Darren Cox uh uh you know this show is g to have three types of folks on it it's GNA have folks who worked for Dave and Company it's GNA have people who had a brush with the show were on the show uh featured on the show that kind of a thing and then it's gonna have people who were part of the community many people who were part of the community had a viewer ma uh letter written or a CBS mailbag letter written uh read over the air uh you know the example I love to use Dave would call random payones sometimes people picked up those payones and they're still talking they're telling the story 20 years later and that's why we it's so important to have people like that on this show so I just want to say if you have had an encounter with Letterman uh somehow some way of the Productions of please feel free to reach out for us we've got a couple more coming up soon as well as some staffers um you know I'm excited about our episode uh that we're we're working on to have Darlene Love on to have Sandra burnhard on a few other staffers as well uh we've got our first stupid human tricks participant coming up I just want to say thank you so much for everybody who has supported what we have done right from the get-go here we're stumbling forward we don't know what we're doing we just know that the Letterman podcast is a hell of a lot of fun uh that has been another episode of the Letterman podcast with Mike Chisum coincidentally I am Mike Chisum thank you you and good night overcoat and