now THIS is why I love Letterman:

He famously told Rolling Stone that he's not in this game to attack people:

"I don't want to be perceived as an asshole who just says, 'Line 'em up, bring 'em in and let me make fun of them.' They spend weeks booking people on the show, and then they leave in tears, and I think, 'What the fuck was that all about?' We spend two weeks getting somebody, and in eight minutes they're out of here sobbing. I think, 'Yeah, another job well done.'"

But, clearly, targets of opportunity present themselves.  Every now and then, you can just tell that Letterman gets sick of the vacuous plug-this-plug-that celebrity syncophant game (not that he was ever terribly interested in that at any rate, but plainly the pot boils over occasionally) and he just decides to throw caution to the winds, and this is the kind of TV (good TV, incidentally) that results.

Jon Stewart does something similar:  if you're booked on the Daily Show, you have to be able to hold your own.  Because if you're vapid or uninteresting or can't make conversation, Stewart will cut your head off so fast and with such a sharp blade that you won't realize it until you get up to leave and notice your cranium in your lap.  The big difference between his approach and Letterman's is that Letterman just doesn't care if the victim notices or not. 

And look at that viciously perfect timing -- softball, softball, hi-how're-you-doing, softball, WHAM!

Comments

[czeltic girl]

"Someone you met in prison?"

I love Dave.

[Augusto]

Man, So many of these Letterman interviews are swcreed up. You posted the same thing twice, and called it part 1 and part 2 .are you blind and deaf?

[Nakita]

I agree that A&R holds it's own very nicely. But I diarsgee with comparing A&R with Brothers. To me A&R represents the last album of The Black Keys Phase 1, even with Danger Mouse helping out the post-production is still minimal. Brothers is then the first album of Phase 2, they've perfected the foundation, now it's time to see what they build on top of that.

[Ramsha]

Meb is one of those awesome stoiers of an immigrant making good. He's a great guy, and I couldn't be happier for him. Obviously he has a great sense of humor, too! Congratulations, Meb it's about time someone who grew up *here* got back to winning the NY Marathon!