What Dave Meant To Me

Last night was the end of an era. After 33 years, David Letterman rode off into the sunset. I will never forget what an impact this man had on me. I first discovered Dave (as many people did) while I was in college. My roommates and I used to stay up at night and watch his show. It was unlike any other late night talk show.

Dave was different. He brought us memorable bits like the infamous Top-10 List, Stupid Pet Tricks, the Velcro and Alka-Seltzer suits, Monkey-Cam and Small Town News (see the Rochester clip above). Who else but Dave would have thought that dropping watermelons off the top of a building would be comedy gold?

After college, I got into radio and my first shift was as the overnight DJ. That meant I had to be at the station around 10:30pm and usually stayed until 6am to finish up my work each day. I was thrilled to be in radio but extremely sad that I wasn't able to watch Letterman each night from 11:35 to 12:35.

My dilemma was solved with perhaps the greatest invention of our modern time: the VCR! I bought my first one in 1984. Keep in mind most people didn't start buying VCR's until a few years later, but I absolutely had to have one so I could tape Dave and watch him each morning when I got home from work. They weren't cheap in those days. I got my first one at Montgomery Wards for $1200! It was money well spent.

My life changed over the next 33 years. Two marriages, three kids. I'm still in radio but with a different job title, more responsibility and normal working hours. I still watched Dave once in a while but not on a regular basis. Being older, sometimes I just go to bed earlier and I don't even own a VCR anymore.

However, last night I stayed up because I knew I would never again have a chance to watch my old pal Dave. It was a nice farewell show. I'm feeling a bit melancholy today knowing that it's over...forever. I don't know if will help or not, but I have this urge to buy a watermelon and toss it off a roof. It always made me smile when Dave did it.