Name: David Letterman on Larry King Live, June 9, 1995
Uploaded: 2017-07-29T23:51:17.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'David Letterman on Larry King Live, June 9, 1995' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2017-07-29. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'David Letterman on Larry King Live, June 9, 1995' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2017-07-29. Transcript available.

David Letterman on Larry King Live, June 9, 1995

I've been on his show Steve from New Delhi go ahead Steve
tonight he returns the favor one of the top 10 things about celebrating my 10th
anniversary on CNN is getting to interview David Letterman on Larry King
welcome to a special 10th anniversary edition of Larry King live now live from
the Ed Sullivan theater here's Larry King hey ma we made it the Ed Sullivan
theater on Broadway the home of the David Letterman show since it's been redone
only the Letterman show has been in this theater until they permitted us to
bring
our cameras in tonight to spend an hour with David we'll be taking your phone
calls this is part of our 10th anniversary special also we're saluting save the
children week and we're wearing save the children ties all week and David's
going
a little crazy because he has a thing in his ear now you have to understand
Letterman who is totally sick he has this thing in his ear in order to hear
your
phone calls and he doesn't like it in his ear now it's gonna bother you for how
long
I just want to say one thing here Larry I'm 48 years old I've taken phone calls
most of my adult life I've never had a thing in my ear to take phone calls what
usually say well there's some kind of a device on the desk and somebody says
Dave
you have a phone call and it just for all you and you pulled it exactly I don't
have this but but it would look awkward don't you think if we had a phone set
up
a guy like you is worrying about somebody looking awkward come on Larry David
why
did you agree to do this well first people come up to me he's doing an hour
nobody's come up to you yeah but he ever comes up to you why would a person
come up to
you because I like you because I think the world of you because you represent
to
me the heart and soul of what broadcasting is should or not to be and because
of the
prestigious nature of the celebration ten years on the air anywhere did you
like
the fact that all this week with mr. Clinton oh I like that we mentioned you
miss Streisand we mentioned how does president clinton look to you physically
were you in person with him or is this a satellite deal no we were sitting in a
white house really you got over the fence
you think he doesn't look good are you worried I don't know I talked about I
saw
him like two years ago and he was enormous he was a huge man I'll bet you
close to 300 pounds but he's a big guy he's not so he can carry it and I was
just wondering you know how has he dropped any weight or is he still he dropped
with you all right now let's get to the interview David yeah are you happy yeah
sure oh yeah oh why are you do you seem always like worried well you gotta
worry
but you know you you can also worry and still be very very happy but I think if
you're not worried about something you're not hooked up right but are you
continuously worried well there's a lot of stuff to worry about it's a full day
for me when your eyes open in the morning yeah is there a worried beginning oh
sure
you got to have one got to have that eye-opener I'm gonna have some kind of
anxiety to slap you in the head get you out of the house then you can never be
content
no no that's not true that's not true no no it's just a fine really well well I
mean it's I I assume most humans are pretty much the same way
you have things that you worry about and then you act on you don't just let
them
consume you
you're motivated by the worry the anxiety to accomplish some satisfactory
resolution
and then when you put your worries away it's it's like a day at the beach has
success
reduced worry no no no no no no success increases you sure because the
responsibilities are greater
and they have more things to worry about you can't tell me that you're carefree
a
guy like you know you're on top of the world 10 years on the air on the CNN you
right
and its cable right yeah but it's all over the world you know Larry my father
about
cable
no it doesn't bother you know that's right you are on all over the world 220
and it
shouldn't be that way uh what do you think about very bad cable is uh when
there's a big
push to hook everybody up with cable and that the get these guys the cable
installers you know come out to your house when they're looking around your
house where where do you want the cable you know there's a lot of that and then
it is as sometimes you have to punch two and three holes in various parts of
your house because you
you know have more than one set uh what they do well are you moving me along
yeah what they do their case in your house and then later when you're out think
I'm serious they come back and steal you blind that's
the real these are things you worry about so you but not worried about it I've
seen it I know it for a fact
uh you pay twice for cable once the monthly bill and then twice replacing
everything you own
all right
are you now a mogul
are you you're you're you're a company right
worldwide pants yes yes we have a company I wouldn't say that you're producing
other shows
you got Tom Snyder you're also producing what sitcoms well we have a half an
hour situation comedy on the
uh CBS fall lineup
and I'm making fun of cable
they accepted you on CBS in the fall yeah but it's a Bonnie Hunt uh who's just
uh I mean it just doesn't
get anywhere she's such a sweet lovely uh smart fascinating very very are you a
hands-on operator
of the show Larry no I mean are you close to oh uh no the the her producer is a
guy who used to be our head
writer Rob Burnett who is just the best it's a wonderful combination and uh I I
think it turned
out very nicely do you like the business of business I mean do you like being
in a business
rather than being just a performer uh well you make it sound like the other
choice is sitting at home
you know taking babysitting jobs no I mean some people don't I wouldn't I don't
think I'd like to run a
company really yeah well I'm not really running it we have a lot of people who
who know what they're
doing uh who are running but you like the business end of I like how projects I
love nothing more
than a good project because what the active keeps you active I idle hands are
the work of the devil
and and more things to worry about when you have yeah oh man I'm telling you I
want to tell you
something you get into this prime time world and and you're you're dealing with
guys uh you know
who uh usually working in puppet shows or something and then all of a sudden
now and it's just uh
it's crazy it's a whole different what was it like I know there's a successful
book out about it
by Bill Carr a very good book what was that like that whole world of contracts
and Leno and changes
and CBS looking back on it it seemed like endless at the time and it seemed it
caught me by surprise
because nobody ever paid any attention to me uh at all you know we were on at
12 30 we did okay we did
pretty well but 12 30 you know the audience gets uh smaller not only smaller
but shorter and they're way
less uh and nobody paid any attention and then suddenly I guess it was just
this odd dynamic NBC
and myself General Electric and myself Jay Leno and myself and you had like a
an ongoing uh soap opera
and then you throw uh Michael Ovitz into the deal and suddenly whoo you know it's
like a snowball effect
throwing uh yeah but what's it like to be in the middle of the snowball it was
it was uh it was
interesting but I tell you the most interesting thing is when you come through
that like anything else
and you have some perspective and I can't pretend that it was objectivity but
having come through that
and then talking to Carter one night for three or four hours for the book yeah
silly book you didn't like
the book I haven't read the book but by choice I mean by choice I just felt
like I've been through
it I know it and and things that are inaccurate will only anger me so what's
the point uh so anyway
having chatted to debriefing about that whole episode it was fascinating to
think oh my god and then
that happened and then we had the offer from Mexican tv and I came very close
to being going to Mexico
yeah in your heart would you have rather it had been the tonight show with
David not now no not now but
but then you know you I I don't possess great vision uh at the time it seemed
like it was the tonight
show or I was out of business it really seemed like you either because I couldn't
stay at at 12 30.
uh I had been there but you knew they'd all get in line for you didn't you no
no you don't not know
that no no no you just don't know that no I I and and I think they only did
because of uh Michael
Ovitz because he you know you think he engineered this oh yeah yeah he he put
me on the marketplace and
made it seem like oh we can't wait to get what is it Dave yeah let's get that
boy you know I mean
nobody really knew so he I mean it was to him do you think you could then
therefore based on that
manufacturer personality with networks and get them in a no I'm not saying
manufacturer I you know I
have to be good it's not that great but I have my own personality but he I
think that because of this
dynamic because of the uh uh the the politics of it the strategy of it the big
guy the little guy the
you know the one guy didn't get the job the other guy did I think that there
was interest there and
then and then uh Ovitz all of a sudden you so and and and also we had a lot of
meetings we went to
Los Angeles once and had these meetings with these people and I think that what
made the real difference
is they they would bring in uh plates of fresh fruit and it was first rate
produce and I I think
that impressed you not me but I think that impressed every every other bonehead
that came in you know
we'll be right back with David Letterman he's our guest for the full hour
tomorrow night
Clint Eastwood nobody said full hour all right cancel the car don't go away
happy anniversary Larry Larry King well happy 10th anniversary Larry this is Dolly
hanging there
happy anniversary Larry happy 10th anniversary Larry
we're back with David Letterman you like that uh logo very impressive yeah and
also the 10th
anniversary uh that's nothing to be sneezed at by the way I mean to to survive
and prevail and and moreover
to to find your way in as being a cultural fixture that's pretty nice
accomplishment for what about
by the way I thought you stopped smoking oh I'm not smoking this I'm holding it
for a friend remember
those days there's smoke coming out of it and it's going into your mouth and
coming out why why are you
doing this just something to do you know something to do that's all did you
stop for a while I stopped
for six eight months yeah and started again why why not why why do I missed
especially a hypochondriac why
I'm I missed it desperately I missed everything about it I like the feel I like
the smell I like the taste
I like everything so you said one day what the hell yeah and then I one day
what the hell I'll quit again
and then I'll go back to it do you or how did you react to all that money I
mean anyone thinks
of making big money or huge money but you make ultra money oh I do not stop it
oh look like I hurt your
feelings I'm sorry sorry did I hurt your reports are wrong it's your
anniversary forgive me I didn't
I hurt Larry's feelings no you make multi-millions I'll never forgive myself
you make a lot of money
make a lot of money to sign that uh yeah I mean I was I was happy it was nice
but I've never been
motivated by money in my entire life and I came from a background where you
know we didn't have much
money but we you know we didn't want much you know so it was never really a
factor and I'm lucky that I
have a I make a comfortable living and I can do nice things for for my family I
can do nice things for
my friends and I can do nice things for people who don't have that kind of
money and that's the
extent of it it's not like yahoo I got money now it's going to be babes babes
babes you didn't go
running out in the street saying no no no no that's you're a genius no ovates
is a genius 