Entry: March 3, 2009
I'm getting ready for a fun time to be in the audience of the Late Show with David Letterman on March 4, 2009. I applied for tickets on their website a few weeks ago when I heard that U2 were the musical guest for this whole week. When the Audience Coordinator called to ask me the trivia question about the show so that I could win the tickets, he said the date would be March 4th.
I realized that was the day that I interviewed Bono in 1981 - March 4th. Since my interview with him was the first television appearance of U2 in America back then, I thought that the Letterman show might want to air a clip from U2's appearance on KYW in Philadelphia, on March 4th when the band was on their show. Nobody has seen the clip since including the band. They were so new, I even mispronounced Bono's name on the air. All the more reason I thought Letterman would want to air it. Plus to see Bono at such a young age, it's very funny. He has his mullet hairstyle and looks like he's about 15 years old. He was 20 at the time.
My friend Dan helped me take the VHS tape from 28 years ago and transfer it to a DVD and a Quick Time piece. We put together a snippet that was about a minute long.
Thus began the adventure of trying to get the clip to the Letterman production company. I asked everyone I know in the business if they knew someone who worked there. I came up with nobody. So I emailed Boy Gary from the Howard Stern Show, whom I met years ago and figured he'd remember me. He forwarded my email on to his contact at Worldwide Pants who wrote back and said the segment producers would not be interested in this, and "believe me, if I thought they would, I'd send it to them."
Not wanting to give up, I spoke to Dawn in the writer's department who seemed to get the fact that it is historic and would be good television to show it. I told her I could send her a Quick Time piece of the clip by email so she could view it to decide. She said they don't take unsolicited things but here's the "Show and Tell" guy's email address - send him an email and see if he would like to see the piece.
I sent an email to Tom, the Show and Tell Guy. Apparently, every day when the audience lines up to come into the Ed Sullivan Theatre for the taping at 4:30 pm, Tom, the Show and Tell Guy walks through the line with paper and pencil asking for anything the audience wants to show and tell on the show that day. Getting to him a few days early might help my chances of getting it aired.
I didn't hear back from him after I sent the email so I called him and he read it as I was on the phone. He said things were pretty much planned out for the week with U2 but he'd mention this to the Head writers and see what they thought. I asked him if he wanted to see the clip and I could send it to him by email and he said yes. He has all my contact information in the email, and they would give me a call if they thought they could use it.
So that's where I am right now. Not sure if the clip will make it on the air but I will be in the audience. That's the cake, the airing of the clip would be the icing! Be sure to tune in - The Late Show with David Letterman airs at 11:30 PM EST on CBS-TV.
Entry: March 4, 2009
Well, I'm back from the Letterman taping today in New York. I wasn't able to get them to play the clip of my interview with Bono from this day in 1981 but I had great seats, about 20 feet from U2 when they played. I was in the fourth row, center.
The highlight of the show was when U2 themselves read the Top Ten List - the top ten things U2 have learned. David Letterman was in a great mood and had some pretty good jokes. The guest was Dr. Phil. Paul Schaeffer and the CBS Orchaestra rocked the house.
Before the show, I did catch a special moment. About two hours before taping, I was walking down 53rd street, aka U2 Way, by the side of the Ed Sullivan Theatre where the show is held, and found a small crowd huddled around a barracade in the street. I ran over and there was Bono shaking hands, kissing people and signing autographs. I videotaped it and got some still shots. People were yelling for him and pushing and it was a bit of a mob scene but he was being very nice and signing as many things as he could.
And here is U2 Way, named on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 by the Mayor of NYC
It was great to see the show with my old friend Bill Barrett who lives in New York but is from Philadelphia.
All photos copyright 2008-09 Cyndy Drue