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Know Your Current (and Not So Current) Letterman Events

1. Which of these local meteorologists did Letterman introduce as “one of the best gay weathermen in the country” at a Clowes Hall event?

A. Chuck Lofton
B. Bob Gregory
C. Chris Wright
D. Randy Ollis

 

vaccum2. When he spoke at the opening ceremony for the Letterman Communication and Media Building in Muncie, which of the following was not one of his “Top Ten Good Things About Having Your Name on a Building”?

A. On weekends, maintenance crew lets you ride on the floor buffer.
B. Great way to show up that jerk down the street with a vanity license plate.
C. When people say Letterman is cold and empty, they might be talking about the building.
D. No more annoying pledge-drive calls because everyone assumes you’re dead.

 

rutabaga3. What was the name of Letterman’s band in college?

A. The Altoona Tubs
B. The Scootch
C. The Rutabaga Manhole Cover
D. The Tinkles

 

toilet4. What excuse did the host give the first Letterman Scholarship winner at Ball State for not presenting the award in person?

A. Tuberculosis
B. Attending the Geneva Summit
C. Irritable bowel syndrome
D. Better things to do

 

canned-ham5. As a weatherman at WLWI (now WTHR), which of these pranks did Letterman not pull on the air?

A. Erasing the border between Indiana and Ohio
B. Pointing to the weather map with a fish
C. Wearing a plastic tornado hat
D. Forecasting hail the size of canned hams

 

mellencamp6. On the Late Show, which of these Hoosiers has presented a Top Ten list?

A. Michael Jackson
B. John Mellencamp
C. Jim Gaffigan
D. Dorothy Mengering (Dave’s mom)

 

7. Which nonsensical description has the announcer not used to introduce Letterman on the Late Show?

A. And now, microscopic sea creature …
B. And now, disenfranchised French youth …
C. And now, epileptic table-saw operator …
D. And now, unlicensed daycare provider …

 

andretti8. In Letterman’s television debut interviewing Mario Andretti at the 500 in 1971, the ABC announcer mistakenly introduced the young reporter as whom?

A. Robin Miller
B. Chris Economaki
C. Tom Carnegie
D. Derek Letterson

 

9. What local restaurant did Letterman’s assistant say he liked when asking our dining editor for another recommendation?

A. Bonge’s Tavern
B. Mug ’n Bun
C. Hollyhock Hill
D. St. Elmo

 

valvoline10. Which Indiana-related joke has Letterman not made?

A. From West Tipton, Indiana, home of the people who live in West Tipton …
B. Do you know what the average student at IU got on his SAT, Paul? Drool.
C. Top Ten Perks of Winning the Indianapolis 500: 1. All the Valvoline a guy can drink.
D. One time, while living in Indiana years ago, I killed a hitchhiker.

 

[Answers: 1. B 2. D 3. C 4. B 5. C 6. D 7. C 8. B 9. A 10. B]

Comiskey joined the magazine in 2006, shortly after completing an MA in journalism at Indiana University. During graduate school, he served as arts & culture editor of the Indiana Alumni Magazine and wrote for newspapers throughout the state. Comiskey’s longform features have won a number of Society of Professional Journalists Awards, and have taken him inside sperm banks, across the country in a semi, and to the home of the world’s smallest books. He lives in Zionsville with his wife and three children.
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