Bri Kirkham is a senior telecommunications and journalism news major and writes ‘Miss Brihavin' for Ball State Daily. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of The Daily. Write to Bri at bmkirkham@bsu.edu.
DISCLAIMER: If you don't care about the history or backstory of "Uncle Gimpy," and just want to hear some weird stuff, you can find the audio clip of the show near the bottom of the page. Alternatively if you don't have a weird-ass sense of humor, this isn't for you.
When I heard this "Uncle Gimpy" clip for the first time, I couldn't believe David Letterman had anything to do with it. But then I remembered something.
The guy is a bona fide weirdo
Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel each dedicated very genuine and heartfelt goodbye-monologues to Letterman before his last show on "Late Night." They attested to his innovative approach to the industry, and credited him for their own successful careers.
And while their sentiments were touching and lovely, they both used the same word to describe Letterman and his show: "weird." To be fair, that is probably the most accurate word to describe him that exists in the English language.
The Jimmys did a great job at explaining just how different Letterman was from everyone else, especially for that time period.
What's an "Uncle Gimpy"?
Ball State Director of Relationship Marketing and Community Relations, Al Rent, was a student with Letterman and they worked together at WBST, which was an old-school, classical music radio station at the time (now Indiana Public Radio). Letterman left WBST, understandably so, and created WAGO out of a campus residence hall.
"They [at WAGO] had total freedom," Rent said. "They broadcasted just to the internal campus."
And thus, "Uncle Gimpy" was born. It is WEIRD. I don't really know what to make of it, but I just know people need to know about it. When I tried to research it, I couldn't find anything. It's as if "Uncle Gimpy" has been completely erased from history.
Rent was nice enough to lend a copy of "Uncle Gimpy," circa 1968. Letterman is the voice of the announcer while one of his friends is Uncle Gimpy. But, it's important to keep in mind that Letterman did most of the writing for this show. Rent is right, there is no way to explain it. You just need to listen.
My view
I know, right? Bizarre. To me, this seems what Adult Swim would be like in the '60s. And I'm sure it's something that you either love or hate, at least the Unified Media newsroom is pretty split on it.
As someone who is interested in journalism, pop culture and general weirdness, of course I'm bummed to see Letterman go.
Even if you don't identify with him or his show, as some folks from my generation may not, entertainment as genre wouldn't be where it is today if it wasn't for Letterman. Whoever your favorite TV personality is, from Ellen DeGeneres to Bill
O'Reilly Murray, I guarantee you with self-proclaimed certainty that they have been affected by Letterman in some way.
After talking to Mr. Rent and seeing the heartfelt goodbyes from hosts like Fallon and Kimmel, I have to believe that Letterman didn't always know what he wanted to do when he grew up, but he always knew who he wanted to be. I think "Uncle Gimpy", as strange as it is, personifies that ideology.
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