Place: Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen
Lunch: Three blackened (formerly known as "naked") tenders (w/ranch), one spicy thigh, Fanta Lime Rickey (1/4 Fanta Lime, 3/4 Fanta Grape from the Coke Freestyle thingy)
Smiling Counter Guy, a manager, rings up my order on their cash register (which is literally an iPad), and it's quite a bit cheaper than normal. "I gave you the pop," he said. No particular reason. He just did.
"No complaint from me," I said. He laughed.
Didn't make me any less grumpy, and I am grumpy. It's rainy and 50 today. Again. It's like I live in the Pacific Northwest again. I shouldn't have to be grumpy about this kind of weather in the Midwest. I should be grumpy that it's too hot and humid. It's not fair, Mother Nature. Or global warming. Or climate change. Or whatever the hippies are calling it these days.
I'm probably actually grumpy that tonight is Letterman's last show. The last of the great broadcast talk show hosts. End of an era.
It's true that David Letterman hasn't exactly been relevant for years, but I'd still watch him before I'd watch Fallon, Kimmel, Meyers, or the dreadful Corden (any bets on when they just let Reggie Watts take that show over?) . This Fall, Stephen Colbert takes over for Letterman, leaving Jimmy Kimmel of all people the elder of late night broadcast talk.
(Sorry, Conan. I don't have cable.)
So why am I bummed about Dave leaving? I don't know. He does have some great interviews on occasion in between the ones I find so painful that I flip to Perry Mason reruns...those interviews where he comes off as a senile old man berating celebrities for advice on raising his son, and when his show comes off as a blatant political infomercial. Still, I like his laid-back style, and he does have the ability to pull a joke out of the air. He does have some great musical guests. There's been more than one occasion that I've gotten on my computer and ordered music from a guest artist before they've even finished their song on his show. Esperanza Spalding and St Vincent are two such examples.
Maybe it's because he's the last tie to Carson in the business, and I still miss Carson.
Not that many people take the time to watch the full shows anymore anyway. Apparently the kids just stream the highlights on their phones. Five minutes of an hour show and on to the next viral video sensation.
Yay for them, I guess.
But my generation's era of late night talk shows is done.
