Tom Ruprecht (Late Show with David Letterman writer 1998 - 2010)

Tom Ruprecht joined me to talk about Woody Allen and David Letterman as his comedy influences; getting an internship during the writers' "golden era"; 1990 writer exodus; working at the Tony Awards; being segment coordinator for "human interest guests"; the Farrah Fawcett episode; moving on to researcher; finding a clip of a Jackson 5 special with Dave that he wouldn't let on; selling comedy pieces to other venues and that getting him on staff; his first joke - Monica Lewinsky and cigar; Nashville episode; Dave's heart attack: guest hosts and emotional return; how a sleeping kid during a Pres. Bush speech turned into "Great Moments in Presidential Speeches"; being on the road taping a remote with Biff on 9/11; John McCain bails on Dave in 2008; Dave uses Johnny Carson's faxed in jokes for his monologue in 2005; Sarah Palin gets "riled up" after joke; meeting Paul Westerburg and U2; pitching Ben Bradlee as a guest; the Courtney Love incident; Paul Shaffer tells a story about hanging out with James Brown and Siegfried and Roy; writing oral histories for George W. Bush and J.D. Salinger; Elaine Joyce; Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando on a road trip after 9/11; Biff enjoys gas station Vienna sausages as 3 am in North Dakota; writing for How I Met Your Mother; how not knowing a TV execs birthday cost The Goodwin Games; Alpha House; becoming head writer of The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore; leaving to join a Jon Stewart animated news parody that was too ahead for its time; staying on Letterman because Steve Martin was the guest and working with him on a piece; "The Whitely Show" segment of The Nightly Show and Jay Leno's bewilderment; writing The People's Mayor pilot for Tom Segura; being hired to bring "the late-night sensibility" to Good Morning America; writing a short story for a website; creating a series How to Steal an Election for AMC. Link for Tom Ruprecht and Tom Segura's The People's Mayor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhrhbnbkI6A