Dave Attell Makes His Network Television Debut | Letterman

Dave wouldn't mind going bald if prizes were involved.
(From "Late Show," air date: 11/24/93)
#daveattell #comedian #letterman
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Welcome to the Letterman KZbin Channel, home to all your favorite clips from Late Night and Late Show - as well as conversations with the writers, producers and performers who helped make it all happen. These highlights have been artisanly-produced, carefully-curated, and chosen completely at random by an old computer that used to pick numbers for the New York Lotto back in the 90’s.

[@johnplainview6118]

In every regard, that was the cleanest I've ever seen Dave Attell.

[@rafaelfernandeslopesdeoliv1700]

Yeah, it's like bizarro attell.

[@purdysanchez]

It's network TV. There was no other option.

[@Jeffthedude15]

It's a bit unsettling 😂

[@bschuler6216]

It's like he walked out of Jerry Seinfeld's wardrobe 😂

[@therumjiggler6879]

Both in appearance and material.

[@rrrooo6489]

this was before he grew his black hat.

[@thelettermanpodcast]

Hahahha

[@holysmokes6926]

underrated comment

[@lorip.1110]

Insomniac was a great show. Highly underrated.

[@kpec3]

cute girl😘

[@benellis8844]

That show was legendary. Just way before it's time

[@FoxyPinkGirl]

Every time I hear his name or see him, the theme song instantly pops into my head.

[@charickter]

Indeed!

[@thegiftedone]

Who the f said it was underrated?……….what it needs an Emmy to secure its success?…🤦🏻‍♂️. Everyone loved it and it ran for a while…….

[@daviddorsey3321]

That's cool how he gets them with light stuff and gets darker as it goes. He was already a master!

[@watcherofthewest8597]

agree. itt was odd at first and then got into the normal, and by normal i mean insane, Attell we all love.

[@myworms]

Met him by chance about 10 years ago in a hotel lobby. A nice guy, and was genuinely surprised that I knew a lot about his career.

[@John-mf1sz]

I bet. Seems like a humble guy that definitely doesn’t expect anyone to actually know anything about him. Attell is a legend in the comedy world for a reason. Same with Stanhope; and I’d bet he’d also be a little surprised to run into someone that loved his work.

[@glenndouglas8822]

Stalker

[@purdysanchez]

Attell is literally one of the best comedians ever.

[@myworms]

@@purdysanchez yep and one of the most influential and imitated of this generation.

[@onnaquest]

Absolutely ​@@purdysanchez

[@joshuadewez1732]

Dave’s been killing it for like 57 years

[@ztoxtube]

Dave, too

[@tonyanthony5105]

Dave too, though he wasn’t present in this video

[@DannySullivanMusic]

indeed. 10000% correct dude

[@garylobo3]

Born in 1965

[@illygah]

Dave has the same name as David!

[@more_bumps_ahead]

Comedy that hasn't aged after 30 years - Attell is the G.O.A.T.

[@alisonlindholm1169]

I've been on an Attell kick this week and was disappointed to not find any Letterman appearances. Perfect timing!

[@MrJayehawk]

That's a great kick to be on for sure. Attell is solid gold.

[@mobucks555]

Just like Norm, Dave is one of the most highly respected comedians by all other comedians.

[@rossz4898]

They’re the two best easily

[@TonyTube407]

I'm a fan of Dave Atell, seen him live before, but I've never seen him this young before. I would have never recognized him! Sounds like him, younger, but it's still him. Love it!!!

[@savethisforlater]

Every picture of you is a picture of you when you were younger -MH

[@TonyTube407]

@@savethisforlater And every person you look at is a little bit older by the time you see them.

[@DannySullivanMusic]

i know! entirely correct man

[@rchrissis66]

I remember this…he was so young. Like 26. He’s like a fine wine now. Best in the business.

[@frankiemendez4601]

The part where he shook off the nerves and got comfortable...that was amazing.

[@illygah]

when was that part? are you imagining parts?

[@frankiemendez4601]

​@@illygah 3:15

[@nirradical]

Insomniac was gold...ahead of its time. I continue to be baffled why the full series isn't streaming online somewhere

[@tylerp3327]

This channel called Nowt Crime Theater has full episodes on here. Kinda low quality but it’s better than nothing

[@jntdhome]

In the early 2000s, they had two DVD releases. I break mine out once in a while. I would love the whole series too!

[@nirradical]

@@jntdhome oh I still have my DVD sets!

[@NathanWind99]

Letterman doing Johnny’s trademark “I’m glad you folks are in a great mood tonight”. Love it.

[@thelettermanpodcast]

Yes!!!

[@Stephen_Eee]

As a bald guy myself, I still forget we all had hair at one point.

[@youtubedj9298]

Oh yeah... We did!

[@mikec6733]

What prize did you win ? 😊

[@Stephen_Eee]

@@mikec6733 a lifetime supply of no shampoo 😅

[@mikec6733]

@@Stephen_Eee congratulations. Wow !!

[@shr00m7]

It interesting how similar Dave's cadence and delivery is similar to Norm McDonald's, but they both maintiained their individiuallty and it evolved later into their carrers, like a branches from the same tree.

[@madbrowniac7871]

IIRC Norm McDonald used to appear on Miss Patricia Heaton's ABC Sitcom "The Middle" and of course Dave Attell appeared on Ray Romano's CBS Sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond."🤔B.W.

[@zachznidarsic8131]

He looks like Paul Simon here

[@thatgreenslime9517]

Who finally learned to be confident

[@pollard068]

Al?

[@hershyworlds8041]

Good call

[@GordonCaledonia]

"Call Me Al-coholic"

[@justinhunt1714]

I said the exact same thing to myself when he walked on stage!!!!!

[@loucatalan3479]

respect for doing your first national TV spot wearing a denim shirt underneath the blazer. true 90s

[@robertw1962]

Ive seen Dave 5 times live. Always funny! One of my favorites.

[@thatsjarrod1965]

Even hilarious back then, the man has never been not funny a day in his life. Absolute legend

[@kerch-e]

Dave is a legend for a reason

[@thelettermanpodcast]

Both of them.

[@UberDurable]

One of the best comedians, never disappointing!

[@Tommyr]

Dave is AWESOME! One of my favorites! BRILLIANT!

[@micahclawrence]

When Dave had hair he looked like the main guy from the tv show Dream On.

[@johnd5790]

Everybody in comedy agrees that Attell is unmatchable.

[@roywhiteo5]

I think he might be the most skilled comedian alive. He's like the Aesop Rock of comedy

[@shawnmcvey7789]

Attell is the Jeff Beck of stand up.

[@gustavopeace]

Og legend, still holds up!

[@alexisnaranjo]

Best Attel impression I ever heard

[@t1nma5k22]

The Debut of one of the greatest Stand-up comics. A comedians Comic!!

[@mchepen]

ive never seen him be so squeaky clean, didnt even know he could do it that well lol

[@jackedkerouac4414]

He had the audience in the palm of his hand. What a slot too right before Thanksgiving

[@TonyTube407]

So....here it is almost 30 years later and when I hear him tell some of these SAME jokes today they're ever better!!!! Thanks, Dave Attell!!

[@KABOOM35]

And the man is now a Legend.

[@thelettermanpodcast]

We love how Johnny is known for breaking stand up legends into stardom. Equally frustrating, is how Dave doesn’t get the same regard. This video is a prime example of that fact. How many superstar stand-ups made their television debut on Letterman? Lots.

[@mikahspatzierer4464]

Nooorm

[@zgiW]

@@mikahspatzierer4464 Norm's more a Jay comic

[@theomen7665]

@@zgiW are you insane?

[@kinsmed]

Insomniac. Consistently good.

[@MrCFoley]

i just watched attell at the comedy cellar. he’s the Yoda of comedy. his open mic is the comedy cellar in NYC.

[@BobbyBoucher228]

When I heard David Letterman say Taylor Dayne, I realized just how old this clip is and how old I am for realizing that.

[@RedOwl73]

Letterman doesn't look like Father Time and Attel doesn't look like a long shoreman. This WAS a long time ago. Love 'em both.

[@jordanweller7485]

Attell is a legend

[@ShoshinMizu]

i love that he still uses these

[@thatgreenslime9517]

Denim doesn't count

[@stanleychen2394]

Been a long time fan of Dave’s and worked with him many times. First time seeing this! Thanks for posting

[@t1nma5k22]

This is one of the BEST Stand-up Sets I have EVER seen! The Jokes are incredibly well written & still hold up today!!

[@robertw1962]

Yes, well written solid 5 mins. I have watched it a few times and still laugh hard.

[@boardskins]

Gold Jerry, gold!

[@arthurlevine1840]

Wow on the next show he was having Penn and Teller, Dwight Yoakum, and Gabriel Byrne?! That's a special occasion type of lineup.

[@jjutt87]

Still holds up, timeless! Everyone's got to love Dave!

[@mooville32]

I have never seen him like this! Insomniac was my intro to him and yes that was so good.

[@kidwave1]

Funny from day one, but man, did he evolve. One of the funniest ever to "stand up"!

[@nagilum]

Solid set from the goat. Expected nothing less.

[@micahclawrence]

He’s one of the absolute best joke writers man. He’s def top 10 all time maybe even pushing top 5.

[@chrisharrje6690]

When it comes to jokes... definitely top 3...with Hedberg and Todd Barry.

[@burningblue1254]

@@chrisharrje6690 Todd Barry is fabulous. So is Dimitri Martin.

[@brianpacheco1927]

His voice sounds so normal here. The cigarettes deepened it considerably lol

[@topteneverything7143]

He crushed it.

[@rodneypratt4324]

That was a great set. Very impressive

[@Turco949]

He was like 27-28 here so quite different but you can still sense his immense potential.

[@mike4619]

You can tell he had something special.

[@AAAA-lt9hq]

Wasn't expecting the hair and young Dave voice. He becomes his classic self at 1:39.

[@trkddy]

This guy is good Hes going to be a huge star 🌟

[@johnquinn456]

Been a good thirty years Thank you David

[@purdysanchez]

Saw him live. He's the only comedian I've ever seen get a laugh for every line. What I mean by that is the setups, punchlines, tags, and transitions all got a laugh.

[@mjgoodson]

I didn't know Dave Attell used to be Brian Benben.

[@samanthab1923]

Omg! I see it 😂 good eye

[@comoyoko]

My favourite stand up comedian!

[@Jamesballsworth]

This is WILD. His voice is so different!

[@TheArtofGuitar]

"It's hard to find on a holiday, oh yeah." Haha. Best follow-up line!

[@johnnyguitar2929]

I met Dave Attel at a Comedy Cellar about 10 years ago. He was friendly and funny as hell. He even let me bum a cigarette from him when we chatted outside.

[@_fig.8]

absolute master

[@CalmDownHarold]

SO GOOD!

[@jerzeyguy71]

needs to bring back an Insomniac style post COVID show!

[@joshportelli]

Wow! A king is born!

[@onlymyrooles]

Just watched the new Joe Roman post cast with him on it. He’s still so humble. He’s so great 😊

[@clu7chblac4wat3r9]

Attell has been so good for 3 decades!

[@SailorGreenTea]

4:18, ya Devon

[@patrickspooner3029]

Watching this in 2022, having been to a bumping mics show. The guy is a god among mere mortals.

[@vladsonofdragon1161]

Still my fav comedian!

[@laudanum669]

One of my favorite Dave Attell jokes. "Sometimes you need a cigarette, like after you make love to a beautiful woman or a confused young man. Or when you kill someone with a hammer".

[@robbieseahagmangano897]

Awesome Dave!

[@calixa]

a comedians comedian. love this guy and yeah as mentioned I loved Insomniac too. Crazy to see him this young.....and happy? hopeful?

[@georgieboy_htown4eva4eva]

Attel is a baby in this. Love that guy.

[@tmacrae]

Dave Attell's jokes are like a bridge over troubled water.

[@johnmac4020]

Attell with hair!

[@blueyediablo]

And in a blazer

[@equalizer1553]

Crazy he wasn’t fully formed and by the end of this set it was like he knew what to lean into

[@jonahgarcia71]

The Legendary Attell.

[@JD-gx3ms]

I’ve never seen Dave with hair and a clean act

[@jaymeez]

Insomniac was one of my favorites! I gotta see if I can but all the seasons

[@buryyourdraws]

This was wild, how many damn cigarettes did he smoke between here and Insomniac when I first discovered him? Cuz his voice is sooo different, still a very good set almost 3 decades later 😂

[@defdc]

Here's 2 of my favorite people!

[@ChristopherSibert]

dave attell would have a field day with this fresh-faced youngster

[@Ayanami0001]

Legend

[@tubby6339]

Just play along, alright!!

[@31446963048]

Id love to hear Attell do this set now

[@darinsingleton3553]

Baby Attell. Adorable.

[@SuperKelbe]

Legend ...

[@dieselbreakfast]

is it just me, or does an owl look like a lawyer for a parrot...

[@Simply_chase]

His voice!

[@michaelreeves3637]

Crushed it

[@electrojones]

He has the strongest set of anyone. Always. Since the 90s.

[@eddyspecter]

Nice tight set!

[@robinblackmoor8732]

Wow, Attel looked like this at one time? I had no idea.

[@peterparker3409]

damn he killed that shit

[@tycobb2580]

so crazy to see Dave with hair

[@willschuster7175]

Deserves a crown.

[@sorryfortheinconvenience]

Long Live the 'Mole'!

[@rockturtleneck]

That's some strong material--doesn't seem dated at all.

[@BenzoDiaz93]

For a second, from the thumbnail, I thought that was Christopher moltisanti