Goodbye Dave: A Guest Mom mourns in her closet and shares her loss

By Dorothea Wingo

Guest Mom

David Letterman sings his swan song tonight and I will be watching with tissues in hand. Like a lot of people, I couldn’t believe it when Letterman announced his retirement last year from the Late Show that bears his name.

Just like your parents or the sun, for example, you just expect that some things will always be there. Until they are not.

For me, Letterman has always been there and I took for granted that he always would be. Then comes tomorrow, when his wit will be no more for public consumption. Fans of Johnny Carson know how I feel. Letterman is my Carson. For me, Letterman has been the measure by which all things are judged funny. Or not.

As my good friend pointed out, at least Letterman’s not dead, he’s just retiring. While that is positive news, I know Letterman well enough from afar to realize his desire for privacy will trump my desire for his nightly dose of humor. For all of my adult life, I could always count on Letterman to be there, to cheer me up from a thousand miles away.

I have been emotional for days just thinking about tonight. On CBS This Morning last Sunday, Jane Pauley interviewed Letterman about his impending retirement. After the interview, I spent 20 minutes alone in my closet crying. The days since, haven’t been a whole lot better. I am not sure what tonight will bring, but I am sure that it won’t be enough to tide me over until he makes me laugh again.

My appreciation for the gap-toothed funny man can be traced back to my college days. I fell in love with his wacky sense of humor and his hairpiece shaped like the Gulf of Mexico in 1984. 

At that time, he was hosting Late Night with David Letterman on NBC. That’s when I discovered a sense of humor unlike any I had ever known; and I couldn’t get enough of it.

I also developed a deep appreciation for the show’s band members Paul Shaffer, Sid McGinnis (who is from Kentucky) and Will Lee, and bit actors Chris Elliott and Larry “Bud” Melman, whom I once kissed full on the lips; but that is a story for another time.

Over the years, I have loved Letterman for his Top 10 lists, the joy he took in smashing things from 10 stories high, stupid pet tricks, stupid human tricks, his Velcro suit, the monkey cam, and the annual quarterback challenge that involves knocking a pizza off the top of a Christmas tree with a football . . . and so much more.

I even made pilgrimages to New York City to see his show. I was able to score stand-by tickets four times when Dave was at NBC. The last time, thanks to a snowstorm in Connecticut and an NBC employee who took pity on me, I was able to see his show in person. It was magical. I didn’t actually have a seat, so I had to sit on the floor behind the back row; but I didn’t care. I was in the same room with the great David Letterman, breathing the same air and it was glorious

It breaks my heart that I will never again enjoy what has become an annual Christmas tradition at my house: watching Darlene Love   sing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home."

And I long to hear, just one more time, Jay Thomas recount the story of giving Clayton Moore, the Lone Ranger, a ride in his 10-year-old Volvo. Letterman refers to this story as the best one he’s ever heard. I agree. It's comedy gold.

                       

When Pauley asked Letterman what he thinks life holds for him after the show’s run is over, Letterman responded with a wry smile, “You’ll never see me again.” If it is true, and we never hear from him again, I can tell you that my world will be a little bit dimmer.

                                                                                

So tonight, when the lights go out for the last time at The Ed Sullivan Theater in the city so nice they named it twice, the world will be a little less funny than it has been for the last four decades. Through my tears, I will be cheering and saying thanks, Dave, for the memories.

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Dorothea Wingo is an avid celebrity celebrator. She most enjoys the comedy of David Letterman and Jerry Seinfeld and the music of Daryl Hall and John Oates. When she’s not watching reruns of the Late Show with David Letterman or listening to the music of her favorite duo. Did we mention Hall & Oates. She is a guest writer for Menopausal Moms, she hasn’t joined use yet but resistance is futile.

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