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6
Iconic David Letterman Interviews
Profiles Television
Celebrities
Entertainment
Rolling Stone As
the late-show host announces his retirement, we look back at six of his most memorable
interviews 
He
was a former weatherman and a failed morning-show host who perfected a sort of
snide, irreverent attitude towards showbiz types. After getting noticed by Johnny
Carson and making a fan out of NBC bigwig Fred Silverman, however, David Letterman
found himself taking his goofy antics to a 12:30am time slot — and thus,
a late-night TV legend was born. When Letterman announced during the taping of
his show today that he would definitely
be retiring next year, he signalled the beginning of the end of a three-decade-plus
career of entertaining people in the wee small hours. And while he was definitely
the reigning King of Late-Night Smart-Assery, Letterman could also do wonders
with a celebrity interview —the stranger or more shocking, the better. David
Letterman Announces He's Retiring in 2015 In
honor of The Late Show's host saying he was rounding the track for his last lap,
we remember six of his most iconic interviews. From nearly taking a kick to enduring
performance-art schtick, here's a six-pack of Dave behind the desk, on his toes
and at his best.
Andy Kaufman vs Jerry Lawler (July 29th, 1982)
Only somewhat settled
into their late-night perch, Letterman & co. decided to book an old friend:
meta-stand-up Andy Kaufman, then deep into his pro-wrestler phase. The host had
also invited on Kaufman's nemesis, Jerry "The King" Lawler, who injured
the comedian during a match the previous spring. After a lot of mutual trash-talking,
Lawler stood up and slapped Kaufman right out of his chair. The feud between the
two men was later revealed to be a hoax — but neither Dave nor anyone in
the audience (or folks watching at home) knew it was all a put-on. The sense of
danger and anything-goes chaos was palpable, and the incident made headlines.
Letterman and Late Night had arrived.
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