Due to Youtube regulations, we can only show a 5 second clip of each show before those PINHEADS shut us down. Thankfully, our video team has picked some of the most meaningful 5 second moments in each show's history.

Mark Riddles (ranked it):

The talk show format is almost uninhabitable. The list of people who have failed in it is almost a mile long. Only two people have been able to sustain on it for over 20 years. The legendary John E. Carson and Indiana wisenheimer David Letterman. Letterman's humor has always been right up my alley. It is sometimes rude, sometimes dorky, but always absurd. I'm having a hard time trying to keep this brief without going into certain moments in the show. Oh well!

One of my favorite moments from Letterman is when Dave interrupted a live taping of the Today Show via megaphone from afar. A little known back story is that Letterman hosted a morning show on NBC that was quickly canceled and replaced with The Today Show which NBC highly touted. I really wish I could of saw the Letterman incident from the other end. To have someone interrupt a live taping is almost always funny, but for it to be from colleague is just another level of great. Early Letterman has a ton of these moments and it is all worth searching out.

I haven't watched Letterman as much since his move to CBS. Even he had to adjust to being on an hour early. The show became more memorable for incidents than actual funny bits. I'm sure you all still remember the Michael Richards apology. It was talked amongst my friends as if it was a major event. It was the first thing in a very long time that seemed like must-see TV. As awful as it sounds, it lived up to the hype. The Office could try and try, but it will never make a moment as staggering an cringe-worthy as that. The fact that the audience, who was either oblivious or racist, thought it was a gag just added to the spectacle. It wasn't great television, but it was absolutely unforgettable.

The greatest thing about Letterman though is the talent he surrounded him with. Two of my favorite people of all time have worked on Letterman. First, there is Andy Breckman, who may be known as a bad screenwriter, but has one of the greatest radio shows of all time called Seven Second Delay. The show is based around silly and absurd stunts similar to Letterman. A lot of times they don't work out, but when they don't it is equally amazing. It is probably my favorite radio show of all time. You can check it out here. Breckman has also created the critically acclaimed TOP 50 SHOW HONORABLE MENTION show Monk.

Then there is Chris Elliott who if I had to put someone in the "Hero" section on MySpace it would probably be him. Almost all of Chris Elliott's work on Letterman was influential to me. I'm not going to get into more detail than that. WE WILL SEE CHRIS ELLIOTT AGAIN LATER IN THIS LIST. But if Chris Elliott is a comedy hero to me then David Letterman has to be one too. All the criticism about how he interviews or how he does his show doesn't matter to me. I find him to be a joy to watch. That's what matters, and weekend nights will be miserable when he finally leaves the air.

Jixby Phillips (ranked it 31):

Letterdude is my boy!! There are a lot of funny people I grow to dislike because they become misanthropic cranks, or maybe I don’t realize that that’s what they are. But this guy was always that and I’ve been on board since I was a kid.

I have fond memories watching this with my parents when I couldn’t sleep. Except one time was a disaster because they did a sketch where a little kid plays with a garage door opener, and the mom scolds him, but the kid keeps doing it. Cut to stock footage of a bomber jet’s bomb door opening, dropping a bomb on the car. It cuts back to the car now with two smoking skeletons in the seats. The audience was laughing uproariously, but it scared me to DEATH. Meaning, I died and became a skeleton. Great, I’m now the thing I hate. I guess that’s always the way.

So here is an actual nightmare I had that includes Dave. Michael J. Fox is dying. He in fact, knows the exact date of his death. So the day before he is set to die he hosts a television special. It's basically a talk show, not unlike Letterman's. Now, part of the reality of this dream is that David Letterman and Michael J. Fox have had a celebrity feud for years, and Letterman has used his show to attack Michael J. Fox repeatedly. So it's a big surprise when Dave walks out onto the stage of Michael J. Fox's farewell talk show.

It's clear this was a planned thing. Michael J. Fox interviews Dave, and they have a spirited back-and-forth making fun of each other. Dave is holding his ground: Just because Michael J. Fox is gonna croak soon doesn't mean Letterman is going to forgive and forget. So the segment is wrapping up, and David is in the middle of a thought. Michael stops him to throw to commercial. "I'm not done with my story." "We'll have you on tomorrow." Michael says, making a sly reference to the fact for him there IS no tomorrow. The studio audience goes nuts and gives Fox a standing ovation. Fox is the winner of the celebrity feud. End of dream.

Back to the actual show. I always enjoy Letterman, but I rarely watch. I wish I did. I don’t think I appreciate the fact that he’s still around very much. He’s still funny, goddamnit. Sure, the writing on the show is generally terrible, but he’s hilarious. It doesn’t matter that the jokes suck. I really wish Shout Factory or somebody would step up and tackle a comprehensive collection of Letterman comedy bits, like a big multi-disc set for every year of the show. Wouldn’t it be a joy to have it be your job to watch old broadcast masters of Letterman to find funny to put on DVD?

The show isn’t as special as it used to be. It used to have a really great sense of silliness and absurdity. Just look for the clips on youtube and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Type “Letterman” and “Chris Elliott” into a search and you’ll be in for a real fucking treat. Also try “Chris Elliot” with one t. A lot of people misspell it.

London Arbuckle (ranked it 49)

I never watch this show at all, but Dave's a real creep and I like that. All talk show hosts should be creeps. Oh wait, I guess they kind of all are anyway. Hey, how are my comments going?

COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY

	Buster Simmons: Letterman is still the best in the biz. I hate when he gets political though. When he’s goofin’ on Bush I tend to tune out but every other time he’s a doll. Wait, not a doll... I didn’t mean to call him that! Sorry, I’ve had a few drinks.
	Chad Newmarket: i dont watch old fags on tv sorry.
	Frances Mildred Gertrude “Frandma” Prescott: Oh this show is just too much for me! I saw some gross thing where a man had a dog drink milk out of his open mouth! I can’t watch stuff like that!

SAFE FOR WORK DRAWING:

NOT SAFE FOR WORK DRAWING (click to view)

IMDB TRIVIA (found by Mr. Adventure!)

The Late Show with David Letterman stars David Letterman, a talented young ranch hand from the suburbs of Philadelphia. The show, struggling in its infancy, saw a huge leap in success after Dave's horse, Paul Shaffer, wandered onto the set and began playing the piano. The Late Night with David Letterman producers annually consume over 300 lbs. of carrots and 600 lbs. of peanut butter on an annual basis.

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WHERE TO WATCH LETTERMAN

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