I once got tickets to Letterman (1990) and a friend and I drove cross country, 1100 miles in 18 hours (we got the tickets in the mail just 2 weeks before the show date). I think Mike Wallace and Phil Hartman were guests. Letterman came out to talk to the crowd before the show and he was really quite charming.

Amazing what 20 years can do in making someone a crotchety old guy…