The Three Daves

Have you ever stopped to think about how much the world has been influenced by the 3 Daves? Probably not. In fact, you probably don't think you know who or what I'm talking about, but I assure you that you actually do. I'm not talking about the Dave Clark Five. The 3 Daves are famous. The 3 Daves are wealthy. The 3 Daves I'm referring to are Dave Letterman, Dave Thomas and Dave Barry. Between the three of them, these notable Daves have had a tremendous effect on the American landscape and beyond. Think about it.

First, you've got Dave Letterman, big time late night television star. Mr Letterman has been a staple of beyond prime time television for years. Go just about anywhere in the world where there's an active television and flash a photo of the guy and sure enough, folks will point at it and say, "That's Dave Letterman", only with a freaky accent that's hard to describe in print without acquiring a bad reputation for being a bigot. For an Indiana boy, old David has done pretty well. He gets to play host to powerful Hollywood A-list stars that love Dave just for himself, plus the fact that appearing on "Late Night with David Letterman" will jack up interest in their latest movie, book, dogfight or affair. That means money. Big, big money. So knowing and being friendly to this particular Dave can make you popular and wealthy, something even the best of toothpastes, perfumes and deodorants can't do no matter what the commercials say.

Next we have Dave Thomas. A hamburger entrepreneur to the extreme, this humble man became the founder of Wendy's Old-Fashioned Hamburgers, where you can still get a great burger for ten cents, if you drop the coins on someone's table, grab their burger while they're distracted and run like crazy. I didn't say it was legal, but that never stops congress, does it? This Dave pursued the American Dream, got it, went back to high school, graduated, wrote books and helped orphaned kids get adopted. Thomas also acted as spokesperson on TV commercials for Wendys. What a great American success story! At least his bias was hamburgers and not political, like some former news anchors. Ask Dan Rather if you have any questions.

Last, but not least, we have Dave Barry, well known long time Miami Herald columnist and coauthor with Ridley Pearson of "Peter and the Secret of Rundoon", third in their current Peter Pan series. This Dave had the honor of seeing his life on television for a couple of seasons as "Dave's World", furthering his own popularity and providing employment for Harry Anderson. His many books are worth their weight in paper. Barry is undoubtedly a gentleman, a scholar and a much better writer than a guitar player. Good thing Pulitzers aren't given for guitarists.

All 3 Daves have contributed greatly to American culture. Letterman's special contribution is lost job productivity everywhere, due to viewers losing sleep sitting up to watch his show. David Letterman is probably best known for his unwavering support for heterosexual marriage. Although he could probably have his pick of eligible gay men in Hollywood, David has always chosen to marry women. Dave Barry contributes to literacy, because folks have to learn to read in order to enjoy his comedy. Barry's books also stack nicely to allow one to access those higher shelves where the good books with the big words are located. Barry also gave me some free advice on writing, for which I'm grateful to this day. The greatest of the 3 Daves, in my eyes at least, is Dave Thomas. Thanks to him, many people across America have a job and can pursue their own American Dream.

To me, that beats comedy any day.