Today is the 30th anniversary of David Letterman’s career in late night television. Letterman is on the Mt. Rushmore of Pop Culture Icons Who Made Will Who He Is (along with Woody Allen, Kurt Cobain and Jack Buck), and even though it’s harder to stay up and watch him now than it was when I fell in love with him in high school (I’m too old to be a night owl now), he’s still the only late night host I ever watch and probably ever will. (Presuming we’re not counting Colbert.) Last summer, my friend Bill Scheft, one of the head writers on the show for more than 20 years, invited my family to come see a taping, and because it was my mother’s 60th birthday, we got to come down to the set. (Here are the Leitch parents, who, much to my delight, adore Dave as much if not more than I do, sitting at Dave’s desk.) It remains one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, in all seriousness. There’s something about sitting at Dave’s desk that feels like attending an inaugural ball, or throwing out the first pitch at a World Series game. Vulture has an absolutely terrific retrospective on Dave, couched, smartly, as a “refresher course” in why Dave was, and is, brilliant. He still is, too; I’d argue his shows, while not as urgent as they were 25 years ago (and how could they be?), are just as strong and assured today. And he’s still the best television interviewer I’ve ever seen. Here’s to 30 more, Dave.

Today is the 30th anniversary of David Letterman’s career in late night television. Letterman is on the Mt. Rushmore of Pop Culture Icons Who Made Will Who He Is (along with Woody Allen, Kurt Cobain and Jack Buck), and even though it’s harder to stay up and watch him now than it was when I fell in love with him in high school (I’m too old to be a night owl now), he’s still the only late night host I ever watch and probably ever will. (Presuming we’re not counting Colbert.)

Last summer, my friend Bill Scheft, one of the head writers on the show for more than 20 years, invited my family to come see a taping, and because it was my mother’s 60th birthday, we got to come down to the set. (Here are the Leitch parents, who, much to my delight, adore Dave as much if not more than I do, sitting at Dave’s desk.) It remains one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, in all seriousness. There’s something about sitting at Dave’s desk that feels like attending an inaugural ball, or throwing out the first pitch at a World Series game.

Vulture has an absolutely terrific retrospective on Dave, couched, smartly, as a “refresher course” in why Dave was, and is, brilliant. He still is, too; I’d argue his shows, while not as urgent as they were 25 years ago (and how could they be?), are just as strong and assured today. And he’s still the best television interviewer I’ve ever seen. Here’s to 30 more, Dave.

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