Tom Snyder R.I.P.

One of the true icons of late-night TV just died. He was a respected newsman for years and hosted thousands of guests on the Tomorrow Show, but he will remembered it seems most for his forays into pop culture in the late 70s/early 80s and his verbal battles with punk and New Wave artists. He was the establishment voice of dismissal and authority in his tirades against his guests (though to be admitted, Johnny Rotten and Elvis Costello, to name two, were pretty obnoxious and baited him) but he kept having these people on and and at least in my small outpost in rural collegiate Pennsylvania at the time, he was almost an appointment show after the midnight munchies. He was a condescending boor, but he was our cool condescending boor.

Dan Ayckroyd did a well-known & often hilarious parody of Tom Snyder for SNL, but Snyder in full flower was even better. The DVDs of Tom interviewing punks and NewWavers has been available for awhile (I think Wendy O Williams makes an appearance). Take a gander.