When I was a little kid, my mom would put me to bed at a normal kid bedtime, then she would promptly go back downstairs thinking that I was sound asleep and dreaming like the cutest child ever that I was. (Not to brag, but my shit was CUTE). But rather than go to sleep at a normal time so that I was well rested for school the next morning, I would sneak into my parent’s bedroom, where my dad was watching TV. I would jump into bed with him and we would watch Cheers and the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. By the time the guests were coming out, my mom would usually head up to use the bathroom or get ready for bed, so I would dart back to my bedroom and finally fall asleep. While I’m sure this is the reason that I didn’t learn anything in elementary school, it is one of my happiest childhood memories. My dad loved Johnny Carson, and Johnny always made him laugh, no matter how tired or stressed out from the day he was.
Even though I’m sure I understood 0% of what Johnny was talking about, I loved him too. I got that something special and funny was happening, and I liked being in on the joke, even if I didn’t understand the punchline. Because of this, I’ve always had a soft spot for Johnny Carson, and for what the Tonight Show represents and has meant for pop culture. I remember crying all through the final episode on May 22, 1992 (I cannot remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, but I somehow have never forgotten this date) (That’s not true – soup), and knowing that I was watching something truly important come to an end.
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