One Good Move has video of George Saunders’s September 6 appearance on Letterman. I thought he was very entertaining. (The commenters at One Good Move seem a bit crabby, though.) You can assure yourself of precisely that manner of tomfoolery if you attend one of the many Saunders events in the coming weeks.
I love David Letterman, but I would never accuse him of being in the least highbrow. Perhaps Saunders will spark a trend! I’m sensing a good opportunity for a little reader participation.
Question: Steve Martin aside (he’s always the big outlier in such matters), can anyone think of other “serious” writers appearing on the show? I’m pondering who the least likely literary guest Letterman ever had might have been. (My brain just concocted a fleeting image of Beckett grimacing at Paul Shaffer.) Is there a good resource for checking past Letterman guests? If not, I’m sure our readers have plenty of mind-blowing anecdotal evidence to share.
As far as I’m concerned, we can consider the NBC show as part of this too. (Hat tip: The Millions and Paper Cuts.) —Martin Schneider