Top 10 Reasons
David Letterman Should Return to TV
“The beard is a good reminder to me that that was a different life. I’m hopeful that I will either find something else, or something else will be presented to me.” – David Letterman
A recent New York Times article by David Itzkoff took a look at where David Letterman is at today after his reign as one of America’s leading late night personalities. I think Letterman’s exit from the spotlight is an exceptional example of finding new perspective on life after being single mindedly focused on a career for so many years.
What does a 30-year comedian broadcast veteran do with himself the first day of retirement? If you’re David Letterman you start growing a beard and begin enjoying the everyday things we average people take for granted, like shopping at Target in the middle of the day. Letterman told Itszkoff, “I don’t miss late-night television. And I’m a little embarrassed that, for 33 years, it was the laser focus of my life.”
Letterman’s honesty is refreshing. Much of what seems crushingly important today will one day seem kind of silly, maybe even embarrassing. It’s honorable and ambitious to focus on a career with passion, but Letterman’s hindsight seems to suggest that we could all use a good dose of perspective from time to time.
Letterman’s newly found outlook has a physical manifestation of one awesome ‘Santa-esque’ looking beard. Paul Shaffer, The Late Show’s band leader, thinks that Letterman may choose to go into the sunset of his career peacefully without reentering the public eye. Johnny Carson certainly chose to end his illustrious career this way, but something about Letterman’s tone makes it sound as though he’s not finished yet.
I’m not sure what second act he has in store, but Letterman’s new insight on life seems like he could make us laugh even harder than ever before. With that being said, in Letterman fashion, here are the Top 10 Reasons why I think David Letterman should return to TV.
TOP 10 REASONS DAVID LETTERMAN SHOULD RETURN TO TV
10. So ‘The View’ can have their first male co-host
9. So Paul Shaffer won’t start a boy band
8. To make Justin Bieber cry again
7. To start a show named Mr. Beardly’s Beard Hour
6. To host the first late show that starts at 4:30pm live from Luby’s early-bird buffet
5. To stop holding up the lines at Target by looking for exact change
4. So the Police can end the APB on ‘Creepy Bearded Man Roaming the aisles of Target’
3. To have a legal reason to throw objects off the roof of Ed Sullivan Theater
2. To save money on nursing home costs
1. To bring back the beloved ‘Top 10 List’
To read the full referenced interview by David Itzkoff & Photography by Damon Winter please visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/arts/television/david-letterman-late-show-retirement.html?_r=0
MICHAEL MURPHY
4Change Energy Michael is earning a Master’s Degree in Graphic Design from Savannah College of Art and Design. When he isn’t working on 4Change Energy design projects, Michael can be found jogging the countless biking and running trails around the Dallas area.