King of Late Night

Johnny Carson has never really left us.
He remains the exemplar,
the late night gold standard,
the patron saint of comics.

He’s the model of what

a TV host should be
cool, yet warm,
ironic, yet sincere,

smart, effortlessly funny,

and very sharply bespoke.
Johnny Carson,
The king of late night.

In American life, many people

good or bad,
famous or infamous,
are self-creations.

Carson transformed himself

from a shy kid
into the Carson
we all knew and loved.

Smart, witty, urbane,

charming, razor-sharp,
and the best damn late night host
that ever was or ever will be.

A documentary, “Johnny Carson: The King of Late” night is airing on PBS as part of the American Masters series.

© 2012 Catherine Giordano