EP 167: Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night w/ NYT Comedy Critic Jason Zinoman

Jason Zinoman, the comedy critic New York Times, talks about his new book Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night. Jason discusses how Letterman created something totally different that parodied talk shows and rewrote the conventions of comedy and he talks about the many ways that Letterman’s legacy can be seen on every late night show on television today. We’ll get into the legendary “late night wars” between Leno and Letterman, what made Letterman a far superior interviewer to Carson or Jay Leno, his amazing ability to as ad-libber, and his subtle and not so subtle digs at the phoniness of celebrity. Plus, stupid pet tricks, top 10 lists, and Jason’s surprisingly candid interview with David Letterman himself.

Order Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night on Amazon. Read Jason Zinoman's column in the New York Times and follow him on Twitter at @Zinoman.

Today's episode is sponsored by Texture, Casper, and Bosch. Get access to over 200 magazines on your smartphone or tablet with a 14 day free trial at www.texture.com/KICKASS. Get $50 toward any Casper mattress purchase by visiting www.casper.com/KICK and using offer code KICK. Stream season 3 of Bosch on Amazon Prime on April 21st.