A new angle if you’re interested in figuring out what the heck is going on there.
TRUE BELIEVER: “I’m afraid I can’t quite agree with your assessment of Letterman. I fear your image of him is largely dated from who he was in the 80s and perhaps even early 90s. The self-effacing wit and cutting irony are still there. However, his cynicism is much less broadly targeted now than in the past. It might seem at first glance that it is merely a matter of him mellowing with age, but I would argue it is more a development of maturity. You’ll still find it targeted at especially vapid celebrity; watching the show for a while will give you the impression that Letterman would rather skip 90% of the celebrities that fuel the late night talk show furnace and just stick with normal folks off the street.
The flip side to the acerbic critic of such a nature as Letterman is when he is serious, and when he believes in something, it is powerful. Even before 9/11, he would bring units of the military on the show to demonstrate, although not as a spectacle. I wish I had a video capture of his first show back after 9/11. I strongly suspect you have not seen it. If you had, and still written your Leno/Letterman piece I would be surprised.” – more feedback on the Letters Page.
The Dish 