Later

Jim Downey on David Letterman:

He was willing to do things that he knew wouldn't get huge laughs, but he loved them. I always think about how much he paid attention to language. He had this very Midwestern fondness for odd turns of phrase. [When I was head writer on "Late Night,"] we once did a bit where we had this weeklong project upgrading his desk, adding little features. The NBC crew guy was there with a power drill, and Dave said, "My dream is for 'Late Night' to get its own three-speed drill — and someday, God willing, a variable-speed drill."