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Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night
Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night | Jason Zinoman
14 posts | 10 read | 3 to read
New York Times comedy critic Jason Zinoman delivers the definitive story of the life and artistic legacy of David Letterman, the greatest television talk show host of all time and the signature comedic voice of a generation.In a career spanning more than thirty years, David Letterman redefined the modern talk show with an ironic comic style that transcended traditional television. While he remains one of the most famous stars in America, he is a remote, even reclusive, figure whose career is widely misunderstood. In Letterman, Jason Zinoman, the first comedy critic in the history of the New York Times, mixes groundbreaking reporting with unprecedented access and probing critical analysis to explain the unique entertainer s titanic legacy. Moving from his early days in Indiana to his retirement, Zinoman goes behind the scenes of Letterman s television career to illuminate the origins of his revolutionary comedy, its overlooked influences, and how his work intersects with and reveals his famously eccentric personality. Zinoman argues that Letterman had three great artistic periods, each distinct and part of his evolution. As he examines key broadcasting moments "Stupid Pet Tricks" and other captivating segments that defined Late Night with David Letterman he illuminates Letterman s relationship to his writers, and in particular, the show s co-creator, Merrill Markoe, with whom Letterman shared a long professional and personal connection.To understand popular culture today, it s necessary to understand David Letterman. With this revealing biography, Zinoman offers a perceptive analysis of the man and the artist whose ironic voice and caustic meta-humor was critical to an entire generation of comedians and viewers and whose singular style ushered in new tropes that have become cliches in comedy today."
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Biohaz74
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Mehso-so

Interesting look into late night tv shows 6/10

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Brenda
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this immensely. I've always been a huge Letterman fan, and this book was just what I needed right now. 😊

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Joshsandaker
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A little over a third of the way through this. A bit light but thus far a very entertaining overview of his life and career.

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Apinlibraryland
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Didn't read too much in September, but I liked what I did read...and that's all that matters, right?

readinginthedark Absolutely! 7y
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Apinlibraryland
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I love Dave. Really enjoying this.

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Reita325
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God, I miss Dave!!

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manifestsanity
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Pickpick

I will argue that David Letterman is one of the the most indispensable artists of the late-20th century. He is a poet in my biography and his contribution to American comedy is without match. Although this has the tendency to be a standard celebrity bio, it is a pretty good primer on the man, the myth, the legend. I was especially excited to read about his romance with Merrill Markoe and her impact on his show as a writer.

kalinichta I loved Markoe's book What the Dogs Have Taught Me. So flipping funny. 8y
manifestsanity Markoe gave Zinoman access to her diaries for this book. Her diaries! @kalinichta 8y
kalinichta @manifestsanity Oh man, what a read that must have been. 8y
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Anton
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Pickpick

David Letterman has always been my favourite late night host and this book does a great job summarizing his career, from the absurdist stunt comedy of his NBC years to the cynical interviewer of The Late Show. But it's not all Velcro suits and Stupid Pet Tricks. It also reveals a deeply unhappy man who struggled with success his entire career. The book is smart, funny, and makes you uncomfortable at times -- much like Letterman himself. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Anton
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Getting some reading in while my wife gets her hair done.

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Anton
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Still early in this one, but so far the biggest surprise is that Dave apparently auditioned for the lead role in Airplane!

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Anton
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Since I'll be putting the Twin Peaks book on hold soon, I've started the new David Letterman biography. Dave was always my favourite late night host, and Zinoman wrote an excellent book a few years back about 1970s horror cinema, so I'm pretty excited about this one.

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manifestsanity
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Anton
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First on the wait list for this one!

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manifestsanity
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Just announced! Coming April, 2017. Written by the New York Times' comedy critic, a biography of the ironic television revolutionary. Letterman is one of my heroes. I cannot wait to read this.

brendanmleonard Love Zinoman! Excited for this! 8y
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