Open Myq

On a cold, windy, rainy, sort of foggy, a little snowy, a bit drizzly, and damn near hurricaney morning in October, I caught up with comedian Myq Kaplan to discuss his upcoming show at Caroline's and his Comedy Central special.

AU: You spell your name unconventionally, tell us about that?

MK: Right now it’s just useful to google myself. Because Mike is a pretty common name, Kaplan is a pretty common name. There’s a guy who has Mikekaplan.com spelled normally, he’s a wildlife photographer, and that’s not me, but I thought about trying to team up with him at some point and do some funny photos – I didn’t think of that until now. But uh, I was a teenager, and I saw that Prince changed his name to a symbol, and I thought that’s weird, I like that, I was a weird kid, and I decided I was going to change my name to something, and I was like ‘My...k’ and someone’s like ‘why not a Q’ and I was like, even better, and it was just a whim and I started doing it at this arts camp that I was at and then I just told people about it and did it in college and then when I started performing it seems like a useful if not confusing stage name.

AU: How did you get into comedy?

MK: I got into comedy via music actually, I wanted to be a singer/songwriter. I taught myself guitar in high school, my parents were music teachers, I played the violin, I didn’t like it, but I enjoyed the guitar, it was easy to pick up because of the violin learning that I’d done. So I started writing songs and enjoyed playing them, and some of them were funny so I was looking in college to get out and play at like coffee houses or other clubs and bars that would let me in, but none of them would let me in until I was 21, but the one place that did was a comedy club called the comedy studio, so I was like hey can I play some funny songs here and they said ‘we can give you seven minutes’ so I was like that’s not a lot of time, I didn’t realize that was a regular amount of time for comedy, but you know, music, you’re like I’m gonna play for an hour, whatever. Bu I went there, I played a couple songs and then I basically, I’d go back there as often as they’d have me, which was sometimes once a month, sometimes not for several months, and eventually I was kinda like enjoyed doing the non-music portion, just talking to the audience, trying to make people laugh, and I realized, hey I could do this without carrying a guitar around, so I started writing more jokes and then focused on trying to get a set together where I didn’t need a guitar and then I was doing comedy.

AU: How would you describe your comedy?

MK: Uh…with words, that’s my hilarious answer to that. I guess, I don’t think a lot of people like to describe their comedy, I think I’d rather have other people do it, but then other people do it and it’s like ‘eh, that’s not right.’ A lot of it is word related, I got a masters in linguistics and because of my interest in language, and so I think that comes through in my comedy. There is some portion of word play in it, but I try to back it up with substance as well. There’s some politically motivated, but always, also some funny motivated, some pop culture related, I watch a lot of movies, I read things, and I talk about anything that interests me, talking about religion or comic books or movies or my vegetarianism, anything.

AU: Do you have a favorite contemporary comedian?

MK: I have a lot of favorites, I don’t know if that’s helpful. The people that I think of first are Paul F. Tompkins, Louis C.K., Doug Stanhope, Brian Regan, Andy Kindler – another guy that I like a lot. There’s a lot of guys I like for lots of reasons, and those are some of them.

AU: Do you have a favorite all-time comedian?

MK: I’ve always said, Mitch Hedberg, initially, and he’s sort of like frozen in time, because he’s not longer with us. I’d obviously be curious to see what he’s doing today. But yeah, if I had to pick one, he’s usually the one that I pick.

AU: Have you been heckled, do you get heckled, and how do you deal with that?

MK: Hey, I don’t come down to where you work, and no…and ask you if people heckle your paper. Certainly over the past 7 years that I’ve been doing comedy, there are heckles, I mean there’s all kinds heckles, which you learn. At this point, I’m pretty calm about it, I don’t have any expectations about any specific show. If I was taping a tv show and someone yelled something about, that’s just sort of unacceptable. I was actually at some of the Comedy Central presents tapings last year, at Anthony Jeselnik and Doug Benson’s taping. I was sitting way in the back, and right behind us, there were these two girls that were just yelling stuff, and I don’t know if they could hear on the stage, but eventually Anthony from the stage was like ‘shut up.’ It can be, but it’s not really meant to be any part of anybody’s comedy. Nobody is like ‘c’mon in and heckle.’ It would be really weird for that to be… it’s usually just drunk people, I’d say, the majority of heckling is just drunk people or people who don’t know what’s expected or supposed to go on. A lot of clubs will have an announcement beforehand that says ‘hey, if you heckle we’ll ask you to leave.’ Some people get confused when a comedian does talk to the audience, when they’ll say ‘hey, what do you think about this?’ you know, or if he’s just asking a question and they’re like ‘oh, we’re having a conversation, I’ll just keep talking.’ And it’s just a misunderstanding, normally, and so what I’ll do is talk to the person honestly and briefly and be like ‘hey, I’m here to say funny things and you’re not, so I appreciate your interest in talking, but don’t, please’ and you know, try to say something briefly, informatively, humorously, you know, confidently, and then get back to it.

AU: Do you have a favorite comedy festival?

MK: The biggest one that I’ve been to is Montreal, I just went there this year. It was sort of, obviously a goal, it’s one of the bigger one’s industry-wise. I would say, if I could only have done one festival, that would be the one to do, but I’ve also done the Boston Comedy Festival a good number of times since I’ve lived in Boston for most of my comedy career, I do enjoy - I like going back there to do that, and when I was living there it was always a great time, people would come from all over the country and there would be a lot of camaraderie in Boston.

AU: Do you have anything else you’d like to promote?
MK: I would say anywhere the internet has the ability to put in a name, you can probably put in my name and find me. I try to put everything up on my website to say when big things are coming. I have a friend named Mika Sherman and we host shows together sometimes, we do some musical comedy together.

AU: I saw online that you have done work for Pizza Hut and Subway, are you looking forward to a lifetime supply of either product?

MK: I’m not actually, I mean I’d be happy to. I’m a vegan, I do eat Subway’s vegetable sandwiches, like if I’m on the road somewhere, like if I’m on the road in the middle of nowhere and there’s only fast food or like you know, a… like I was in, I drove through Louisiana once and I said ‘hey, can I get spaghettis without meatballs’ and they’re like ‘well, it’s made of meat, the spaghetti also’ I was like uh, oh, and there’s subway all over the country, so I do actually stand by my support for Subway a lot, as far as what they’ve done for me, so I would be happy to eat a lifetime’s supply of vegan subway sandwiches if there was also nothing else available to eat.

AU: As a Jew in New York, do you have any reaction to the Ronan Tynan scandal?

MK: I would say… that’s it’s a stupid thing to say to somebody that you don’t know… I’m not a fan of ignorance for ignorance’s sake in general. You know, I understand if you’re a crazy old Jewish lady, I think the things that are objectionable are being crazy. Like I hate those crazy people, not I hate those Jewish people. He should have said. ‘as long as you’re not crazy’ that’s fine, you don’t seem to be. It certainly seems like a foolish thing to say and as far as how big a deal it is and how blown out of proportion it should be, the more people who know about you, and the more famous you are, then certainly the bigger deal it is to the public that, you know, you think are do certain things, whether it should be that way, but if the paper’s gonna run with something… if I was moving into an apartment and somebody said, ‘as long as you’re not one of those crazy jews’ I’d be like ‘no, no, I’m just one of the normal ones’ I’d probably tell friends about it and I’d twitter it, and it would get around eventually.

Sex Rehab with Dr. Who?

So I was flipping past VH1 the other day and I saw a teaser for a show with people talking about sex. Mind you, this could qualify as any current reality-based show on that network, so I waited a few seconds, and there it was: Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew. First thought: Good Lord! Second Thought: Are You Kidding Me? Third Thought: Of course not, you're VH1.

Here's the deal. A few years back, VH1 hopped onto the reality television craze by adding celebrities to the formula. But not just any celebrities; has-been celebrities. Those who were popular 10 to 20 years ago. Those who were on Baywatch, and pro wrestling shows, and Baldwin movies. Those who, shall we say, have enough free time and lack of current employment to be in a reality show. That's not really the point, though. The point is, VH1 had the Surreal Life, which was a take off of the Real World, but instead of regular annoying people, they brought in the celebrity annoying, and watched as chaos ensued. I actually enjoyed that show. Then they brought in Celebrity Fit Club, which took all those fat, out of shape, washed up celebrities and tried to get them in shape. Oh, but wait, they can't get into shape, because (dramatic pause) they're on drugs! Oh goodness, the suits took two steps back and though 'What do we do now? Here's an idea, let's put the addicts in a house, like the Surreal Life, but we can't use that name, so we'll just be more to the point. They're in Celebrity Rehab, which is similar to rehab but with more famous people and cameras. And we'll bring in Dr. Drew for good measure.'

A side note: I used to think Dr. Drew was a pretty cool guy. He was a younger, cooler doctor who knew about teenage sex problems and was there to help. He was on television late at night with Adam Carolla and various punk musicians no less, but he still knew what he was talking about. So I thought he was cool, and was doing a public service. But after the 18th show about famous people with health issues, I'm sort of beginning to think he's milking the cameras and the attention. I'm just saying.

So back to Celebrity Rehab. This show was an abomination. A horrible sight to see. Apparently they didn't have enough washed up celebrities to put on camera, so they had to bring in fake one's like Rodney King. I'm sorry about what happened to him in 1991, but that doesn't make him a celebrity. So he's there and then various models showed up. I know, models on drugs? What sick, bizarro world is this? Even drugged out Jeff Conaway showed up, and by showed up I mean was pushed out of a moving car by his girlfriend on her way to wherever she goes in the morning. Jeff Conoway, who apparently was in Grease 30 year ago, is in his 50's and moves like he's been hit by a car. Maybe he has, who am I to say. His body is ravaged by drugs and it's very sad, but somehow he and the cameras find their way towards one another time and time again. The point being, this collection of decrepit, screwed-up, non-celebrities is no place for a television camera, unless those cameras belong to VH1. I saw a few episodes of this program, and after watching a few zombies go through withdrawal as the camera rolled, I felt impure and had to change the channel.

This all brings us to Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew, the latest installment in the Dr. Drew/VH1 chronicles. As it turns out, this particular rehab program will be with regular people who suffer from sex addiction, not celebrities, because that would totally distract from the addiction itself. No one wants to see a sex addicted celebrity - and by no one I mean everyone. Unfortunately I don't know a lot about sex addiction, having never experienced it. I figured it's like being an adult film star without the money and the cameras and the three other people.

David Duchovny is famous for being in the X-Files and being an admitted sex addict. He is not part of this program, which is a good thing. It would be a better thing if no one was a part of this show and VH1 stuck with slightly less cringe-inducing programming. I will take the woman now known as 'New York' and Kevin Federline trying to lose weight any day over people using their addictions for fame and fortune.

Monty Python and the Holy Reunion

The British Comedy troupe known as Monty Python turned 40 this year. This makes them a cougar, and by the transitive property allows them a TV show with Courtney Cox on ABC. The Independent Film Channel would have none of this, and stepped up to the plate with it's airing next week of a special documentary: "Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)" to coincide with their reunion in New York and acceptance of a BAFTA Achievement award.

I had the privilege of attending the premiere of the film, and I even planned ahead six months ago and bought Michael Palin's book: "Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years." I've read at least 10 pages of it, enjoyed it, and thought 'can't wait to interview Michael Palin on the red carpet.' This particular event was as packed as your usual big name movie premiere will be. It wasn't quite "The Day The Earth Stood Still" frenzy-like, but it certainly had more energy than Michael Moore's film, which is impressive because it was bloody cold out (add to that wet and rainy). I stood next to my friends from LAist.com and NY Examiner.com, and got ready for the onslaught of celebrities. The tip sheet included such luminaries as Whoopie Goldberg, Steve Coogan, and Graham Chapman. Funny story about Graham Chapman, to quote a Python line: ' he has ceased to be, he is no more.' He passed away in 1988. So one out of 3 ain't bad.

The first pseudo interview was with the guy from Iron Maiden, you know him, that guy. Anyway, I didn't, someone told me who he was, so when he got close enough I stuck out my microphone and listened to what he had to say. His name is Bruce Dickinson, but I didn't ask him anything - call it a senior moment.

Next up was the guy from Mad Men, you know, that guy. Actually I sort of did know who he was even though I don't watch the show. He is Rich Sommer who plays Harry Crane, and this is what he had to say:




After Mr. Sommer and I parted ways, a group of caucasian men walked our way. I didn't know who they were - and then it dawned on me, they were The Whitest Kids U Know:




And then there was a pause, not a long pause, but one of those the-people-we-want-to-talk-to-are-busy-with-real-media-outlets pauses. But then, the lovely Carol Cleveland showed up, and by lovely I mean she looks good for someone in her mid-somethings. Carol is known as the female python, i.e. the sexy blonde bossomy woman who served as the comic foil to the troupe itself. She was in the Arthur Pewty sketch, and the milkman sketch, and a few others. Needless to say she was wearing a very thin skirt, good for us, not so good for her.

Here's a clip with Carol from Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl.




and a short sound bite from Carol in present day.




By this time, the rest of the Pythons not named John Cleese and Eric Idle were lining up nearby. First we had Terry Jones, who played a pivotal role in the famous Spam sketch. My friend Tom at LAist.com stole my question about his favorite tv shows, and he said he didn't watch any tv, so that killed that topic. Here's the rest of what he said.





His friend Terry Gilliam was up next, Terry is best known as the American Python member and chief illustrator of the group. He is the one who came up with the giant foot often used to end Monty Python sketches. He appeared to be cold, chilly if you will, and most of his answers invoked exactly how cold he was.




The Terry's headed inside, and then the Michael showed up nearby. My original plan was to whip out my book and get him to sign it, but due to contractual agreements and my hands being too cold to do anything but hold a mic and a recorder, I didn't leave my position. Tom at LAist.com again began the questioning, and then Jeff at the Examiner jumped in, and I think at one point there were the 3 of us jockeying for a soundbite, and a confused Michael looking a bit like his cousin Sarah when asked what books she's read. We finally got to him, I asked him what his favorite sketch was and if he had any side projects to promote, and here is what he said:




Following Michael Palin, we had Eric Idle and John Cleese rushed by us. It's never very nice to grab the stars of the show and rush them by the little people in the press line, but that is exactly what happened. The event staff said they would return, and they did, sort of. In the interim, Steve Coogan, known for his roles in Tropic Thunder and Night at the Museum, came by the carpet. It was whispered that Mr. Coogan, despite being a rising British comedy star, is not a fan of the press line. Could this be true? Yep, he's not, but fortunately John Cleese was nearby and did a silly walk over to us for a few questions. I had a bunch to ask him, but this is what I came up with:

Ladies and Gentleman, Steve Coogan and John Cleese:



Speaking of Eric Idle, oh no, wait, he went inside.

Legends of the Fall

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the 24th annual Great Sports Legends Dinner, a charity event to support the Buoniconti Fund, a foundation to find a cure for paralysis due to spinal cord injury. The events honorees were sports legends Troy Aikman, Clyde Drexler, Mike Piazza, Ivan Lendl, Rusty Wallace, Brett Hull, Dara Torres, Pat Day, and Chris Waddell.

As a member of a relatively unknown web magazine, I was asked to stand in a relatively unknown section of the red carpet - the very end. This is good and bad - it's good because you are the last interview and there is no one else jockeying for position, and it's bad because there are 15 photographers trying to man handle you as they jockey for a photograph. There were no punches thrown, although I had my Roger Clemens mask handy in the event that I could egg Mike Piazza into a reenactment of the 2000 World Series. For those of you who missed it, 'Roid Face Roger tossed Piazza's broken bat to Mike while he was headed to first base, and trouble ensued.

Fortunately Mr. Piazza was accompanied by the lean, mean, swimming machine Dara Torres, and well, she has a way of pacifying the situation. First up though, was Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer and current broadcasting booth buddy of Joe Buck. I wanted to ask him all things football, like do you ever listen to anything that Joe is saying, or do you zone out like the rest of America? I could have asked him if Jessica Simpson is in fact banned from the new Cowboys stadium, or if she has had trouble fitting through the entrance gate due to her recent weight gain. See how that works? The stadium is f'n HUGE and she still can't get through the door. For more on Troy, take a listen to the interview below:

(Please view www.youtube.com/aullian to hear Troy Aikman, Clyde Drexler, and Buzz Aldrin sound bites - until I get the kinks fixed).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-U1s1v1nyI

Next up, we have Trailblazers and Rockets legend Clyde "The Glide" Drexler. A member of the Original Dream Team, Mr. Drexler has kept a fairly low post-NBA profile, sticking to color commentary of Houston Rockets home games. He has not showed up next to Ernie Johnson on TNT, nor has he showed up at the Basketball Hall of Fame and given a bitter acceptance speech. , just a very good basketball player. Below is a litte chat we had on the red carpet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMP5Xzg6Uqk

After Mr. Drexler, I saw Mike Piazza standing in the distance. He was next to Dara Torres, and I really wanted both of them - and I thought I could do a joint interview, but sadly, the PR people saw otherwise, as did the photographers lunging across the red rope. That's the other thing about this particular red carpet, you had members of the media and then you had 30 fans waiting in a 2 foot area with all types of sports memorabilia. I was waiting for the moment when the blob of fans fell forward onto the carpet, destroying all life its in wake - didn't happen. Anyway, so Mike Piazza came by, and all I could think to say was "So, the Mets still haven't retired your number, whatsupwidat?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2yqPZzuKEU

From a distance I saw the man who invented "the killer crossover," and his name is Tim Hardaway. The best thing about interviewing Tim Hardaway is that he is in my height range, and we had a good eye-to-eye conversation. And he said he could teach me the killer crossover, which was very generous of him, but not very true - not that he couldn't do it, that I couldn't learn it.

An All-Star point guard for the Warriors and the Heat, Tim was part of "Run TMC," the backcourt trio of himself, Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond that reaked havoc on the Western Conference in the early 90's. Tim is best known for his superior ball handling and his " I got skeelz" ad campaign of the early 90's. He's also known for an anti-gay rant he did during a Miami radio station interview in 2007. He later apologized for his remarks, although in contrast, Shaq never apologized for asking Kobe how his ass tasted. Below, Tim Hardaway speaks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvJQkLT_j4Q

The evening's last chat was with the astronaut Buzz Aldrin, yes THAT Buzz Aldrin, and his lovely wife ?uestlove, I'm just kidding, I didn't catch her name. I had the opportunity to speak with Buzz at the red carpet for the Christopher and Dana Reeve foundation, so needless to say, Mr. Aldrin is a very charitable man, and he has that ferocity that only comes with being a serviceman and an astronaut. He is also the star of a youtube video where he is punching a guy in the face - the punchee being a conspiracy theorist who accused him of faking the moonlanding. Some people deserve punches in the face.

More from Buzz Aldrin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ury4XCEPGr0

For more information on the Marc Buoniconti Fund please check out http://www.miamiproject.miami.edu

Mr. Zane and His 'Toberfest

Germany brought us Oktoberfest, and America has now brought us Zanetoberfest. This event, this amalgamation of drinking, eating, singing, dancing, and balcony sex (huh?) is the fine creation of one Zane Lamprey, host of “3 Sheets” and the Fine Living Channel, host of nothing important except for “3 Sheets.” Once upon a time, on a network called MOJO, there was a show called “3 Sheets.” This show, hosted by one Zane Lamprey, an American comedian, consisted of following his Zane-ness from continent to continent, observing as he mixed and mingled with the locals to find the best and most intricate drinking traditions on the planet. Think of “Insomniac with Dave Atell” but with more culture and less fraternity members. The show was intriguing, if not only for alcoholics, but not enough to keep it on the air, or its network for that matter. “3 Sheets” was gone, toast, done, washed up, or was it? Perhaps not, as The Fine Living Network - not just the Living Network, the FINE Living Network, picked up the show and gave it life. Not only that, it also gave us Zanetoberfest.

This festival and party was held this past Saturday, October 3rd, at the M2 Ultra Lounge in New York's Chelsea District. Let me just say that having an nightclub host a beer fest in the middle of the day where they let in everyone who they wouldn't let in at night is a feat unto itself. With lines out the door, Zanetoberfest brought out men, women, and some children to pay homage to their favorite TV host who wasn't copulating with his (female) staff.. I shouldn't say that, maybe he was. The festival brought out the Ya Ya Ya's, complete with drunk accordion playing lead singer. It brought out the costumes, and the drunks, and all 5 living fans of the Fine Living Network. Mr. Zane pleased the crowd with his stand-up set, chronicling how drunk Americans stack up against drunk members of every other country (surprise, surprise, we pail in comparison to the Irish and the Croats). There were complimentary drinking glasses, which get people like me in trouble. Mentally you think you've had 3 glasses of beer, but from a measurement standpoint you've had 8, and when you're in the mens room trying to hook up with the urinal, people tend to stare. The mens room attendant said he'd seen worse, and then he demanded $50 or he was going to the Post. There were complimentary t-shirts, which would have been more complimentary if the 50 people standing in front of the stage hadn't obstructed the trajectory of the t-shirt cannon (i.e. guy throwing t-shirts). There were stickers, and flashy lights, and pendants, basically everything you get at your freshman orientation, but with more alcohol involved. There were, get this, blonde women dressed in - it doesn't matter what they were wearing, they were blonde women, duh! I even met a fellow Boston sports fan, in the center of New York, how zany is that? Pun intended.

Oh, Mr. Letterman.

He's buddy, he's my pal, he's my platonic friend - okay that's not at all true, but he is David Letterman, and he's hogging the spotlight again. It's not that Dave wants to hog the spotlight, as a matter of fact, watching him, you get the idea that he hates the spotlight with all of his being. He is a curmudgeon, he is grumpy, he doesn't seem like a happy guy - and it's widely known in entertainment circles that he, well, isn't a happy guy. So last night on his show, he added to his mystique as a real-life comedian, a guy who goes through some untoward situations that most other late night hosts would not even come close to (we hope) - for no other reason than because he is who he is.

Before we go into last night's show, there have been a few other sobering Late Show moments in recent memory, when Dave had to veer from his desk monologue and be serious with the audience. The first came after his heart surgery in 2000, when he had to take a few months away from his desk and relinquish his show to repeats and guest hosts. When he returned, he came on, and was a little teary-eyed when he thanked the doctors and nurses who save his life. It was a tender moment as he realized he was lucky to be alive, his father having passed away from similar health issues.

The second was the week after September 11, 2001 - when the terrorist attacks were still fresh in the air - literally. Dave just sat there and said they didn't have anything to joke about except Paul's lack of hair. As he memorably remarked ' If we live to be 1000 years old, will this ever make any goddamn sense." No humor, just passion and concern.

After that episode, a reprieve of sorts until early 2005, when a handyman at his house in Montana was arrested for conspiracy to kidnap his then toddler son, Harry, along with the nanny, for $5 million ransom. Dave came on the show, and without getting into any details, took a brief moment to thank the law enforcement agents who had successfully protected his family.

It would appear that everything in Letterman land was all well and good, controversies behind him, until Sarah Palin and daughter reared their ugly head in the summer of this year. Letterman made a somewhat inappropriate joke in his Top Ten list - it really wasn't inappropriate, he said that her daughter who had been knocked up during the campaign had been knocked up during the 7th innning stretch by A-Rod. The daughter is 18, and it was known that she was having irresponsible sex with her then boyfriend, Levi Johnston. But Sarah Palin needed to get her name out there, so she complained about the joke and called Dave a pervert, and he was forced to apologize on-air for the poor taste in humor. If you ask me if was poor taste in wanting attention for sucking as a politician, but I digress.

So Dave got that out of the way, even used it to his own comedic advantage, as would be the case when comedians offend someone. He was riding high, he had kicked Jay Leno to the curb, or at least NBC did, and his ratings were topping those of the Conan-led Tonight Show. And then this, the 'bombshell' or at very least surprising revelation that Mr. Letterman was the victim of extortion because he has had sex with his staffers. So if you're a Dave fan and loyalist like myself, all you can do is laugh, and think, what next? I know he's not the nicest guy, he has a reputation for being a jerk and abrasive, and a lot of his interviews become contentious because he doesn't let people get away with anything. Think Bill O'Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix. And now we have Dave stuck in a scandal that he usually makes fun of other people. He was sleeping with his staffers while dating his current wife, Regina, for 20 years mind you. I think if you're dating someone for 20 years - you should be a little suspicious, there might be reasons for non-commitment.

His on-air apology, while getting a little too common in recent years, was both sobering and entertaining. He explained in not so many words, that he was ashamed of his behavior, all of his behavior- he was filled with midwestern guilt, and just wanted to move on to protect his family and his workers. It's known through and through that he isn't the nicest person, he probably has a very unpleasant side - and we have no idea how he treats his underlings. The fact that his staffer, Stephanie Birkitt, who he used to call up on the phone and bug to do favors for him, is involved in this scandall, is creepy to me. But then again, there are many untowards events and relationships at late night television shows, so I guess it shouldn't be all that suprising.

His apology seemed sincere, and heartfelt, and lord knows the drama he is going to be going through now that this episode has hit the newsstands. As Dave himself might say, "I wouldn't give his troubles to a money on a rock."