Island fan Letterman bows out after 30 years
After more than 30 years on the air, David Letterman is set to host the Late Show for the final time tonight.
Both he and the man he will be passing the torch to — Emmy-winning comedian Stephen Colbert — have been linked to Bermuda.
Mr Letterman entered the world of late-night television in 1982 with his programme Late Night with David Letterman, which appeared on NBC.
Early in the show’s run, the comedian would routinely talk about the Island after enjoying a stay at Pink Beach Club.
In a regular segment the host would telephone hotelier WA “Toppy” Cowen, who operated the hotel, asking him what was going on in Bermuda. The segment eventually birthed its own song, written and performed by bandleader Paul Shaffer, which described the Island as “a cuckoo kind of place/a nutty, nutty kind of space”.
While the references to the Island dropped off before Mr Letterman jumped to CBS to host the Late Show in 1992, Bermuda would occasionally come up in jokes and interviews with celebrities such as Catherine Zeta Jones.
When future host Mr Colbert first appeared on the programme in 2005, Bermuda floated to the surface, with the pair talking at length about Mr Colbert’s participation in the Charleston to Bermuda race.
Along with laughing about the difficult conditions on board the vessel and his boat’s less than impressive last-place finish, Mr Colbert lamented that he was only able to stay on the Island for a single night.
Mr Colbert returned in the 2011 Charleston to Bermuda Race, eking out a second-place finish on board the Spirit of Juno.
After arriving at Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, he told The Royal Gazette: “It sure did go better than the last one.
“We sailed all the way here, we didn’t have to motor in.
“This time the toilets held, but I was so happy to see a land-based toilet. The facilities here [at RBYC] seem like the bathroom of the Taj Mahal compared to what we’ve been using.”
He also noted that he planned to spend a few days on the Island and was looking forward to visiting the beach with his family.
Mr Letterman’s last broadcast as host will be aired in the US tonight, screening at 12.35am Bermuda time, while Mr Colbert is scheduled to premiere as host of the Late Show on September 8.
In honour of David Letterman’s final show tonight, we at The Royal Gazette have created our own version of his signature Top Ten list.
Here’s our Top Ten reasons why David Letterman should come to Bermuda to retire:
• 10. We’re some of the kindest people in the world. If you say good morning, of course.
• 9. We could really use that additional air arrival right about now.
• 8. We’re now pretty confident the Bermuda Triangle isn’t real.
• 7. Rum.
• 6. If you enjoy Letterman’s Stupid Human Tricks segment, you’ll love the House of Assembly.
• 5. We need another celebrity to claim as our own, and Leno hasn’t returned our calls.
• 4. Thanks to Choy Aming, we are now the #1 destination for dead whale riding.
• 3. Did we mention the rum? It goes with everything.
• 2. Our economy is showing green shoots, albeit not the Colorado kind quite yet.
• 1. Because this is the best Top Ten list we could come up with.
