Letterman Announces Retirement, Strickland Soul-Searches [VIDEO]

I'm not sure if I've ever been a David Letterman fan.  (I wasn't even sure if I should write "Dave" or "David.")  I don't dislike him or his show, I just have never really been inclined to watch.  That's not saying much -- I think I'm a huge Jimmy Fallon fan but I don't watch his show either.

As I'm thinking of Fallon vs. Letterman, I find myself enduring a bit of an internal struggle.  The part of me that enjoys Fallon is the part that wants to stay young and hip and appreciates (and is a little jealous of) his creative genius.  But, the more I think about Letterman, the more I realize -- I actually do like Letterman, but for less overt and completely different reasons.  The part of me that enjoys Letterman is the part that longs to be able to just relax and enjoy myself, have some laughs, spend a little time with friends -- that's how Letterman comes across to me, as just a friendly, silly guy.

And then I realize... Letterman reminds me of me.  Fallon reminds me of Alabama.

I look to, and give credit to, Alabama for just about all-things creative.  She's got that knack.   I'm comfortable admitting that I don't.  But, we make a great team.  I handle the more, um, Letterman-type tasks...?  What I mean is, the thing that has made Josh Strickland in the Morning work, has been basically a no-frills, real-guy approach.  That's what I know how to do, and fortunately, it has been well-received.

In a sort of strange coincidence, I woke up this morning and the exclamation 'Holy livin!' came to mind.  I first heard this exclamation (whatever it means) from a guy on the radio named Coach.  I haven't seen or heard a Coach reference in probably 15 years.  But, it just so happened that, through the power of social media, I found him pretty easily and sent a quick note full of "I remember when..." references.  It turned out to be a great trip down memory lane for the both of us.  He's been in West Virginia since I last heard him on the radio in the mid to late 90s.  Ya know, before many of you reading this were born...

Despite never really having talked to Coach prior to today, he is one of the guys that inspired me to "do radio."  This August marks 18 years that I've been doing radio.  It's not the 34 years that Letterman has been doing Late Night, but...

What does it all mean?

In his "retirement monologue" (I'm not sure if that's what you call it) he told an amazing story about a bird.  Haha -- sounds lame, I know.  Maybe that was, in a way, his intended point.  I totally get it.

Watch David Letterman Announce His Retirement Here: