Classic Dave - show opening + top ten, 1/15/88

[GWhiz99]

Public directories show a listing for AAri B. LudvigSEN at 105 13th Street, New York, NY 10011. The 105 street address could evoke yesteryear P.O. Box 105. First name AAri begins AA, like AAron. However, aaRI has RI, like the postal abbreviation for RHODE Island, which isn't RHODEs Scholar. NFL linebacker AARON Curry was born April 6, 1986. His brother, East Carolina Univ. QB Patrick Pinkney (b. 1986) shares an APRIL 15 birthday with David Letterman's father, HARRY JOSEPH Letterman (309-14-1643)

[GWhiz99]

I really got a kick out of watching this. It's amazing how seeing and hearing old audio & video immediately takes us back to the period. You remember what was going on in our life at the time. I was a high school junior on Jan. 15, 1988 (Flunky the Late Night Clown?) and had been watching "Late Night" for a couple of years. If you think the Twin Towers opening is prescient (prescient, a word I learned watching David Letterman), how about Branford Marsalis being introduced directly before Paul

[Jolymoth]

I love the true (non-applause sign studio) audience reactions. Even funnier. The hidden bird - gold.

[charliebubblesoar]

he's never looked lovelier

[djbattman]

This opening is pretty kool and creative

[ozmang]

also pretty scarry

[djbattman]

Yea those towers are pretty creepy now.. not then.....

[GWhiz99]

Surely, djbattman, you must recognize that as far as the Twin Towers in the opening goes, there is no difference between THEN & NOW. Surely, you know there is no such thing as coincidence. Surely, you know NBC & David Letterman told you of the 9/11 attacks 13 years in advance. He also told you of the coming late night wars since Branford Marsalis was introduced with a pregnant pause before Paul. Letterman foretold Marsalis being the first band leader on "Tonight Show with Jay Leno"

[GWhiz99]

While I'm not arrogant enough to label this tidbit, "prescient", I couldn't help but notice the YELLOW theme in the band section. Bassist Sid McGinnis, I think, is noted for his YELLOW guitars. Since he was born in PITTSBURGH (10-06-49), he may well be paying tribute to the NFL Steelers, a team inspiring intense loyalty. Paul Allen Wood Shaffer's YELLOW foam microphone wind screen may be open to other interpretation since he was born in Canada (Nov. 28, 1949) where hockey, not football, is king.

[GWhiz99]

WNBC anchorwoman Susan "Sue" Simmons (b. May 27, 1943) turned 49 two days after "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" premiered on May 25, 1992. Of course, New Orleans had its national tragedy after levees designed to protect the city from Lake PONTcharTRAIN "failed" during 2005's KATrina. Mayor CLARENCE "RAY" (beam attack) NAGin famously showered on Air Force One when George Walker Bush came to town to survey damage. Bush's mother, Barbara: formerly BARBARA PIERce--a surname beginning PIER (like PEER)

[GWhiz99]

Whether the 1980s "Twin Towers" opening for "Late Night with David Letterman" foretells the supposed terrorist attacks of 2001, New Orleans mayor RAY NAGin made headlines with this quote in an interview with Byron Pitts on CBS's "60 Minutes":

"Thats all right. You guys in New York cant get a hole in the ground fixed and its five years later. So lets be fair."

The line of questioning centered on the perception that the Nagin-led recovery from Hurricane KATrina was excruciatingly slow

[GWhiz99]

While djbattman seems to scoff at the idea of the 1980s "Twin Towers" opening for "Late Night" being deliberate foreshadowing, what do you think of this? If memory serves, this opening was only used on FRIDAYS--and not every Friday. This clip is from the FRIDAY, Jan. 15, 1988 episode. The terrorist truck bomb at the World Trade Center occurred on FRIDAY, Feb. 26, 1993 or 1,869 days after 1/15/88. Sep. 11, 2001 was 4,988 days after 1/15/88, but the 88 end of 4,988 is unrelated to the year 1988

[GWhiz99]

Perhaps "Late Night" had retired the "Twin Towers" Friday opening by the time of the Friday, Feb. 26, 1993 truck bomb attack at the World Trade Center. But I don't think so.

In any event, WNBC anchorwoman Sue Simmons (b. 5/27/49) has almost certainly never been to tiny Enfield, NC. That aside, WARNie Bishop, a former mayor of Enfield, worked on the 37th floor in one of the twin towers at the time of the 1993 truck bomb attack. Bishop reflected for WRAL-TV in Raleigh, NC after the 2001 attack

[GWhiz99]

Youtube ID djbattman could evoke Bob KANE's "Batman". It's unrelated to RAY NAGin causing a stir by comparing recovery in PONTcharTRAIN flooded New Orleans to recovery at terrorist struck Ground Zero at the World Trade Center site. Also unrelated: watch?v=2iA_OXhrq4k or thunderstorm-flooded streets seen while driving through tiny Enfield, NC in 1995, after screening "Batman Forever" (opened on June 16th). NAGin's father was a mechanic at BORDEN's Dairy. It's unrelated to the T.S. Bricks school

[GWhiz99]

"Batman Forever" starred VAL Kilmer as Bruce WAYNE. Who could forget the memorable Letterman appearance in which Kilmer was kind of "spacey". Letterman later quipped that the show had been going fine, "then VAL Kilmer came out". "Forever" also starred TOMmy LEE Jones (as Harvey Dent), Jim Carrey (edWARD nygMA), Nicole Kidman (Dr. Chase Meridian; think credit card debt), Chris O'dONNELL (Dick Grayson) edWARD BEGley Jr. as Fred STICKley, edWARD NYGma's ill-tempered supervisor at Wayne Enterprises

[GWhiz99]

While edWARD JAMES BLAKEly (b. 1937) was Executive Director of Recovery Management for the City of New Orleans (RAY NAGin's Recovery Czar) in the wake of Hurricane KATrina. He shouldn't be confused with actor edWARD JAMES BEGley Jr., who was edWARD NYGma in "Batman Forever". The film's star, VAL Kilmer, was Krewe of BACCHUS King for Mardi Gras 2009. Adult film director edWARD JAMES sometimes works for BACCHUS and appears to foretell 9/11 in 1996's "Chocolate Dessert":

watch?v=hmo3foy5_os