Dick Cavett’s Inattention

Dick Cavett is one of my heroes, a man of integrity, wit, and intelligence. He hosted talk shows in the sixties and seventies, often featuring extended time with a single guest. It is refreshing to learn from a recent interview that he could be inattentive like us, and on live TV! Monday’s New York Times featured an interview with Dick Cavett by Seth Myers of NBC’s Late Night. Read this brief exchange and recall the last time you had a similar experience…

Seth Meyers: How long did it take for you to walk out onstage and not feel like an actor without lines?

Dick Cavett: The first time you’re in charge of an hour and a half of television, you might as well be looking at Mount Everest. It took a few weeks to relax into it, and then it was fun, but those first shows I’d realize the guest’s lips had stopped moving and I had no idea what they’d been talking about. A tip for a young guy like you from an old hand: Have something ready that you can always say that can apply to everybody. Something like, “Do you pee in the shower?”

For the full New York Times interview, click the link below:

Perfect Strangers: When Dick Cavett Met Seth Meyers