posted May 12, 2015 #
This NYT interview with
David Letterman reflecting on 33-years in TV is a great read if you have not encountered it in your browsings. It functions as a nice exit interview of sorts, filled with gems of insight into the late-night business and his authenticity at being a somewhat self-deprecating "cranky" person. His frankness and clarity on the whole span of his career is quite refreshing. Maybe it's a personal relatability but I particularly enjoyed this bit:
How do you feel about your reputation that you simply aren't a warm person?
I understand that. I think it's genetic. I don't want to blame it on my parents and my grandparents. But you don't need to be all that warm when you're born and raised in Linton, Ind., and working in a coal mine. They weren't hiring coal miners on the basis of their personalities. Inside, I feel like everything's firing properly. And then when I look at a videotape, I just think, What the hell is Dave [angry] about? When in fact I'm not [angry]. We used to do that with my mom. We'd say, "Mom, are you all right?" Because she'd sit there looking dour. And she'd say [shouting], "I'm fine!" It's the Golden Rule. I try to be nice to people who are nice to me. I like doing nice things for people. It makes me feel good. But I think it's legitimate.
