Garrett’s Grumblings -Missing Dusty Rhodes; Goodbye Dave
Most times, I spend this space talking about the good and bad things having to do with film. Today I am going to change things up, as two things have been on my mind as of late that need addressing. First up, the sad passing of a true innovator. Only my best friends -and listeners to Binge Sportscast- know that growing up, I was a huge fan of professional wrestling. Later years would bring boxing parties. But as a child, it was wrestling parties. Sunday nights would be spent inviting friends over and watching wrestling. Professional wrestlers get a bad rap as ‘non athletes’ and people who ‘pretend to fall.’ I have always found all of these non whimsical, non thought-out assumptions to be complete bullshit. If these same people actually watched a few matches, they would see it is made painfully clear that it is impossible to ‘pretend’ to fall. A man who innovated how we as fans see the sport is Virgil Runnels, AKA Dusty Rhodes.
As we said on the Binge SportsCast, Rhodes was not the picture of physical perfection. He was a guy who was out of shape and had a splotch on his belly. What Rhodes DID have in spades, perhaps more than anyone, was charisma. Give the man a microphone, and he would have you rooting for him in a heartbeat. Rhodes had the ability to make an audience look past what he was physically, and cheer him for what he brought with him to each and every arena he was in. Something you cannot teach, he made you take his pride and feel like it was your own.
Another thing Rhodes had was a clear vision. Some of professional wrestling’s most exciting matches, including the violent WarGames and entertaining BattleBowl, were booked and made up by Rhodes. While some bookers who were still wrestling would book themselves as badasses who did not lose, Rhodes recognized that it was all about the chase.
After a violent bit of booking on his part as an F U to Turner Broadcasting’s no blood clause involving a spike being driven into his eye -listen to the Binge SportsCast with me, Luke, and Batch to hear those grisly details- Rhodes was brought into the WWE by Vince McMahon, who proceeded to bury him. To Rhodes’s credit, he did have some entertaining feuds, specifically with Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase. But Rhodes never seemed to gel with the WWE style. He returned to WCW in 1991 and was even a member of the NWO in the mid to late 90s, which is when I lost track of him.
In addition to Rhodes’s innovations in the sport of professional wrestling, his death also brought to light another subject that needs to be addressed. After ‘numerous complications’ arose from a fall at his home, I started taking a look at my own life and realized that no matter what problems arise on a day to day basis, at least I am waking up and breathing every single day. You just never can tell when life can change, so enjoy and take in every precious moment.
Goodbye David Letterman
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I had originally intended to write this piece a couple weeks ago. But following the announcement of a possible Big Trouble in Little China remake, I felt that needed addressing first. But, here we are. A few weeks after the exit of David Letterman from the late night ranks, I am still feeling its effects. Now don’t get me wrong. I had not watched Letterman in close to five years to the night he retired. Yet I feel he was one of -and I am going to use that word again- the true innovators in the world of late night television. People like Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O’Brien openly admit they hold Letterman as an idol of comedy. And I have a hard time arguing with them.
As a young man, Johnny Carson was too old to hold my attention. So I switched to Arsenio Hall. When Hall was over, the Late Night insignia hit the screen, and it was all over. David Letterman had a self deprecating style which meant what you were seeing onscreen is what you got. He was the one who pushed me to watch TV under my covers, as his show came on at 12:30 and I was supposed to be sleeping. Little did I know all the things he was talking about having to do with normally taboo at the time things such as fights with his NBC bosses, were not a put on. Letterman, in the late 80s early 90s in particular, was a grumpy, angry man. But he was genuine. And genuinely funny.
One particular night, it was the middle of the show and Letterman was reading who was appearing on the following night. With each passing name, the audience groaned because they were not going to be attending that show. In other words, the show they were attending that night was a crappy night of guests and humor that did not work. While most hosts would kind of play this off with a line or two, Letterman stood up, looked at his audience and yelled, ‘I’m glad you’re here tonight of all nights! I’m glad this is a lousy show!’ Letterman then proceeded to sit down, put his hand to his mouth in an ‘oops, my bad’ gesture, and went on with the show. It was a genuine moment, which is something late night was sorely lacking, and part of the reason why I identified and laughed with him as often as I did.
In later years, Letterman became more ‘corporate,’ and in turn lost a lot of what made him such a different late night personality to begin with. Even in the cusp of a 2009 scandal involving affairs with female workers, Letterman still had a slickness to him which made him seem unrebellious. Of course, the shows immediately following the said scandal were littered with some more of his self deprecating humor (“Right now I would give anything to be hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I got into the car this morning and the navigation lady wasn’t speaking to me.”). But there was still something to him and his humor which kept me from watching on a regular basis. Maybe I was doing in my life just what he was doing onscreen. Maybe I was growing up.
Letterman’s career is one that shows a bitter but funny self deprecating man proceed to eventually get married, have a child, and become a man. Yet, stories about Letterman staying in his office throwing pencils in the ceiling are what made him stand head and shoulders above anyone else in the late night wars. While working for a San Francisco based contracting company called First Call, I noticed a piece of what looked like Letterman’s set in the back offices. I asked my boss if that was what I thought it was. He proceeded to tell me that First Call was the company which constructed Letterman’s sets when he did his show in San Francisco for a week. I asked him if he got a chance to meet my comedic idol. He said that he did, and Letterman was one of the most socially awkward, grumpy men he has ever done work for. Still, even with all his negativity, I feel this is what made Letterman stand out amongst the crowd. While most people would get turned off to stories such as this, I kind of cracked a smile. These stories are what made Letterman what he was on the air, which I wouldn’t change for a thing. Even if Jay Leno’s Tonight Show was the constant ratings winner, David Letterman will always be the winner in my eyes. Goodbye Dave. Thanks for the memories.
In light of the recent success of Jurassic World, I feel it best to leave you with this 1993 Top Ten list which is just as relevant today. So watch it, laugh, and know that who you think is funny now probably laughed just as hard as you did.