Letterman '94

Sorcerer386 · #1 07-30-2002, 11:10 PM

Okay guys, I watched for the thousand'th time the Letterman 1994 interview, but this time something made me think, I want to know more -- at least more about this Weasel Management thing. Letterman says that he was given a telegram saying to never mention Stevie's name from Weasel Management, and eventually Stevie fired them. Does anyone know any more about this story?

Gypsy-Rhiannon · #2 07-31-2002, 02:29 AM

Ok....I have not seen this Letterman so can someone fill me in on what happened on it?? Sounds interesting! LOL!

Pip

Sorcerer386 · #3 08-01-2002, 11:51 AM

Well, Stevie sang a pretty good version of Blue Denim...she was a little timid at first, a little flat, but as soon as the first chorus hit she started getting more confident. Anyway, then he interviewed her just for like 3-4 minutes, and one of the first things he asked was, "You were never with us over at NBC huh?" And she says, "Well, I was with you in spirit." And he goes on to tell how he mentioned her name a couple times, but then got a telegram saying cease and desist, never mention Stevie's name on his show again. Yet, Stevie didn't know this because she said she was in Australia with Tom Petty and Bob Dylan. Apparently, at the time she was managed by a company called Weasel (sp?) Management, and someone from there anonymously sent the telegram. She ended up firing them. I just wondered what the story was with Weasel Management, if that was the reason she fired them, etc. Other things in the interview were talking a little about Bill Clinton, and saying how she handed him the deadened tambourine and was trying to apologize on stage while she was singing, and how she didn't even really get to meet him because as soon as the party was over they wisked him away (I assume she met him and talked to him at the party they threw for him at the end of his term). She also mentioned that she thought Bill was too young to be president because he is her age and she has trouble deciding who goes on which bus, much less run a country...so the president needs more experience. I think that was about it.

Gypsy-Rhiannon · #4 08-01-2002, 12:24 PM

Cool! I'll have to try to get a copy of that! Thanks!

Pip

Johnny Stew · #5 08-02-2002, 12:47 AM

A little clarification on the "Weasel Management" thing....
Stevie's management company at the time, was actually called Frontline ("front line, baby... well, you held her prisoner... and after all these years, well, as well as you knew her....").

In 1986, Letterman was trying to get Stevie on his show. There seems to be a little confusion as to whether or not she was actually booked but then cancelled, or if Letterman's invitation was simply turned down flat.
Either way, he talked about being told she was "too busy."

So.... he would show clips from the "I Can't Wait" video, and air a schedule of Stevie's upcoming TV appearances... which were all obviously fake, and just meant as part of the joke (If I remember correctly, 'Battle Of The Network Stars' was one of the bogus appearances

).

At some point, Frontline contacted Letterman and told him to "cease and desist." Basically threatening him with litigation if he didnt stop mentioning Stevie's name on the show.

Well, of course, Letterman being Letterman, he took this and ran with it. Referring to them as "Weasel Management," and so forth.

Eventually it died down... so presumably Letterman either tired of the joke, or was advised by his people to really stop.

All these years later, Stevie & David seem to get along great, and they both laugh about the "incident."
In fact, she's now made five appearances on his CBS show.

Johnny Stew

Janet · #6 08-02-2002, 12:35 PM

I have all these clips from 1986 David Letterman about Stevies management.

Johnny Stew pretty much told it...and its the funniest thing. David calls her management all these funny names...he brought it all up all the time ( I must have 5 different shows with her on it)

All that he plays is Stevie's I Cant Wait..the part she flashes her cleavage LOL. He plays it over and over and over.

The last time he plays it, Chris Elliot does Stevie..kinda funny.

But when she shows up in 94...you can tell she always wanted to be on the show and that she wanted to make things good...

But those 1986 clips are priceless..

ricohv · #7 08-02-2002, 01:18 PM

Does anyone remember around this time, too he would play the treadmill from the StandBack video...just that short clip and they would play it forward and back. He would mention that her management company didn't like him making fun of her, or something to that effect.

Sorcerer386 · #8 08-02-2002, 08:28 PM

OH! So Weasel Management IS Frontline. I wondered if they were or not, like, maybe just under a different name. I didn't know that Letterman had made up that name to make fun of Frontline. Thanks Johnny Stew and Janet and ricohv.

Dugan · #9 08-02-2002, 11:30 PM

Weasel is just one of those words Dave uses to describe so called authority types. For example (in reference to not being able to call Calvert DeForest's character "Larry 'Bud' Melman.) "Those weasels at NBC call it 'intellectual property'. Another one of his favs is pinheads.