Watch The National Superfan David Letterman Chat With Matt Berninger
David Letterman is a huge fan of the National. Back in the spring, he said he wished he could be Matt Berninger, and last month, when Letterman guested on his successor Stephen Colbert’s Late Show, the National were the musical guest by Letterman’s request. Now, Letterman and Berninger have sat down for a longform interview in the style of Letterman’s Netflix show, posted to the band’s YouTube page and as a podcast on all platforms.
The chat is billed as a look at the band’s songs, lyrics, and live performances, as well as Berninger and Letterman’s shared experience of depression. In preview clips, the pair can be seen discussing how the phrase “pharmacy slippers” from this year’s Laugh Track closer “Smoke Detector” relates to Berninger’s mental health struggles during the making of the album, as well as Letterman’s desire to continue working after retiring from five-nights-a-week late-night TV duty.
Watch the full hour-long production below.