Retired TV host talks Montana in local scoop
<p>David Letterman sports a long white beard as he speaks Nov. 30 at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Letterman is donating memorabilia from his career in television to his alma mater. Upon his retirement from television last May, the former “Late Show” host took advantage of the opportunity to quit shaving, and the impressively bushy result has been on display in the few public appearances he’s made. (Corey Ohlenkamp/The Star Press via AP)</p>
As Whitefish Review prepares to release its 18th issue, “Growing Up and Getting Older,” on Saturday, the nonprofit literary journal got some unexpected national attention thanks to retired “Late Show” host David Letterman.
The upcoming issue features a conversation with Letterman — his most in-depth interview since retiring in May — conducted by Whitefish Review founding editor Brian Schott.
The Review on Wednesday released the interview on its website, which quickly attracted national media attention.
Schott said the interview was first picked up by GQ, and it blew up from there.
It has since been picked up by Newsday, Esquire, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, Yahoo News and The Associated Press, among others. The response crashed the Whitefish Review website for about an hour on Wednesday because of the number of inquiries coming in.
“I was very fortunate to have had that time to talk with [Letterman],” Schott said. “I owe a huge amount of thanks to Jeff Giles for making that happen.”
Giles recently relocated to Whitefish from New York City. Schott said Giles looked him up after getting settled and wanted to be involved in Whitefish Review and he is now one of the journal’s editors.
Giles’ background and connections in journalism came in handy when the pair were discussing ideas one day, and Letterman’s Montana connections — and new beard — came up in conversation.
Schott said Giles was a friend of Letterman’s publicist in New York and he decided to reach out and ask about getting an interview.
“We thought it was just a long shot,” Schott said. “But it would be a good tie-in with the theme, so we gave it a try. And then Dave said yes ... I couldn’t believe it.”
Schott said preparing for the interview was the hardest part.
“I was terrified,” Schott said, laughing. “Dave is one of the premier interviewers in the world. But as soon as I got on the phone with him, he put me completely at ease.”
The interview topics ranged from silly to serious and include Letterman’s thoughts on Montana, life after the “Late Show,” the recent Paris attacks, skiing, heart surgery, fishing, raising his son and, of course, the beard.
“And I know, it’s not a good-looking beard,” Letterman said in the interview. “But I don’t even care. I just don’t care. And it’s kind of fun — well, I won’t say that it’s fun to walk around irritating people, I think I’ve proved that on TV — but it’s sort of amusing to see the reactions.”
Letterman also spent a good portion of the interview reflecting on his time in Montana. He talks about how he first discovered Big Sky Country (it’s all Tom Brokaw’s fault), and some of his favorite Montana activities.
“The last time we were out there at Big Mountain — I guess they call it Whitefish Mountain now, you’re looking into the Canadian Rockies, then you’re looking back at Glacier, then you’re looking south to the ranges that run forever in that direction,” Letterman said in the interview.
“One of my early ski instructors said to me that the first lesson in skiing is that when you get off the chairlift, take in the view. We’d been half way up the chairlift and it was like an IMAX movie. It’s beyond an IMAX movie — It’s all there. It’s crazy. You don’t see stuff like that.”
Letterman owns a ranch near Choteau near the Rocky Mountain Front. Schott said Letterman’s thoughts on the wind were “one of the neat surprises of the interview.”
“I can remember one day being out there just walking around,” Letterman told Schott. “The wind was coming at me and it was fairly gentle. And what it was bringing to my ears was just dead quiet. And I couldn’t believe that the two things could exist — that the wind could be blowing and what it brought to you was absolute silence. The place is full of surprises like that.”
The full interview with Letterman is included in the “Growing Up and Getting Older” issue and is also available on the Whitefish Review website.
The launch party for the issue will be Saturday at Crush Lounge in Whitefish. The event will feature live music by Matt Seymour and readings by guest editor Rick Bass and local writer Jason Forrest. Doors open at 7 p.m. and readings begin at 8 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Whitefish Community Foundation, Montana Arts Council and Glacier Bank. A $10 donation is requested.
Bass served as the guest editor of the newest issue, which features 39 contributors from 18 different states, chosen from nearly 1,000 submissions in fiction, essays, poetry, art and photography.
Bass is the author of more than 30 books of fiction and nonfiction. His most recent novel, “All the Land to Hold Us,” received France’s Prix Laure Bataillon for the best book translated into French, and his memoir, “Why I Came West,” was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. In March 2016, Little, Brown will publish “For A Little While: New & Selected Stories.”
Bass selected Juliet Hubbell’s “The Owl” as the 2015 winner of the Montana Prize for Fiction, winning a $1,000 prize.
“As with the best literature, you can’t really describe this story to someone, when trying to share your enthusiasm,” Bass said in a press release. “What you find yourself saying is, in that most time-honored and ancient of traditions, simply: ‘You’ve got to read this.’”
Bass also included two runners-up in the fiction contest-Jay Woodruff’s “Good” and Horatio Potter’s “Love Machine.”
The cover of the journal features a photo montage by photographer Tom Chambers (“Daybreakers”) and the back cover features a photograph by Ansley West Rivers (“Disappearing Trees”).
Honoring its tradition of seeking young, previously unpublished authors, the editors selected two essays for publication by high school students Sarah Ward and Ben Sachrison.
Whitefish Review is a nonprofit journal publishing the literature, art, and photography of mountain culture. As a recognized 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation created for the public good, it is supported by donations, grants, and subscriptions.
“It’s a fun thing to do, but it would be impossible without the entire team,” Schott said of Whitefish Review. “A really big thanks to my wife, Lyndsay; she’s really gone to bat for us.
“And a big thanks to the local community. We couldn’t do any of it without the tremendous support from the donors and community.”
Copies of Whitefish Review are available in local bookstores or for order online at www.whitefishreview.org. Cost is $12, with back issues and subscriptions also available. A new e-book will be available soon.
For more information, call 406-261-6190 or visit www.whitefishreview.org or www.facebook.com/whitefishreview.
Entertainment editor Stefanie Thompson can be reached at 758-4439 or ThisWeek@dailyinterlake.com.