Letterman’s Lesson

Rolling Stone features the first in-depth interview with David Letterman in years, and I have to admire his comments about being #2 to Jay Leno (who is being forced out of the Tonight Show by NBC next May). Letterman’s comments are refreshingly honest: “I wish that we — and when I say ‘we’ I mean ‘me’ — I wish I could have prevailed.”

But Letterman concludes by saying that the reason for the ratings lies not in the local-news lead-ins of the two networks or the promotions of their shows, but in the difference between the two men. “I think he has greater appeal for more people than I do,” he said simply.

“It seems unlikely that now, after years and years of trying under a wide variety of circumstances and advantages and disadvantages, that suddenly I’m going to prevail,” Mr. Letterman said. “You can’t go through life fooling yourself. You have to be honest with the situation. That’s fine.”

I interviewed Dave in 1985 and found him to be as candid as he is here. The question to ask yourself: are you being as candid with yourself about your career as Dave?