# What was the deal with Crispin Glover (on Letterman)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593 "2002-11-13T16:34:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/1 "2002-11-13T16:34:33Z")
Many years ago I taped “Letterman” regularly. I’m pretty sure I taped the one where Glover went nuts and launched a kick at Letterman. It seems strange that they would have aired that scene, though. However, what I don’t remember, is what led up to it. I remember on that show or another, Glover showing Letterman some creepy looking toy, but that’s about it. Anyone??? ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/2 "2002-11-13T16:44:02Z")
Glover was being quite spastic and trying to be whacky. I think he was either A) High or B) A spstic nerd enjoying his attention. He was talking about the martial arts he was learning and asked to demonstrate to Dave. Dave made the mistake of getting up while Cridpen decided to show how high he could kick. He nearly grazed Letterman’s nose with his kick and Letterman angrily called a commercial break. Crispen was gone by the time the show was back on and no mention was made of the previous incident. I believe Mr. Glover was never allowed on the show again. ---
**Author:** ![Obvious\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Obvious\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obvious_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/3 "2002-11-13T16:53:44Z")
Here is a (small) pic of the event: [http://www.dromo.com/fusionanomaly/crispingloverlettermankick.jpg](http://www.dromo.com/fusionanomaly/crispingloverlettermankick.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/4 "2002-11-13T17:41:42Z")
I saw the show when it aired and I vote for "high as a kite’. Glover has always had an erratic reputation, but you have to behave yourself to some degree to be a competent actor. He was on something that night and I don’t think he was just high on life. He did a lot of damage to himself and his emerging career with that stunt. ---
**Author:** ![emulsified](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emulsified/32/2915_2.png) [@emulsified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emulsified)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/5 "2002-11-13T17:57:52Z")
From my recollections… The incident _was_ mentioned again, the very next night if I remember right. At the opening of the show, they showed clips of Glover behaving oddly, including the kick, then faded to Dave napping on a couch moaning, “No! No!” Paul rushes in and wakes Dave and says he just had a horrible dream about Glover. Paul says something like, “Don’t worry, Dave! Don’t you remember? After the show, we rolled him up in a carpet and dumped him in the river!” (Or words to that effect, it’s a little fuzzy now.) He has been on the show since then, but they sort of skirted around his odd behavior. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/6 "2002-11-13T17:58:04Z")
I remember seeing “the kick”. Glover had been working out, was quite muscular, and dressed like a hippie, the obverse of his 50’s meek nerd alter ego. Get it? Letterman obviously wasn’t hip and took the playfighting as a threat. He played the hurt puppy and said things like “people shouldn’t act that way”. Due probably to public pressure for some resolution, Glover did return to the show afterwards in his usual sheepish (think George McFly) character and made nice. Letterman, like a benevolent Ed Sullivan, seemed to enjoy putting Glover through the wringer. I thought the return appearance was stranger than the “kick” appearance. ---
**Author:** ![emulsified](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emulsified/32/2915_2.png) [@emulsified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emulsified)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/7 "2002-11-13T18:10:38Z")
Hmm, I should’ve googled a little more before posting. Here’s a [link](http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=PJT.91Jan9120329%40bailey.cpac.washington.edu&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain) to a usenet post that describes the appearance in some detail and the sketch I described in my earlier post. Eunoia, I don’t think it was a matter of Dave being unhip. To be the kind of hip that Glover was that night would take severe chemical alterations. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/8 "2002-11-13T18:19:23Z")
I’ve often wondered about this, but IIRC in Leonard Maltin’s film guide, the entry for the 1992 comedy **Rubin and Ed** says something to the effect of “Glover appeared on David Letterman’s show as this character; Letterman kicked him off …” Off to check IMDB… ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/9 "2002-11-13T18:24:22Z")
Drat, nothing on IMdB. Well, I have the Maltin book at home, so I can check when I get there. . . . ---
**Author:** ![Petey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f1d935/32.png) [@Petey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petey)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/10 "2002-11-13T18:35:26Z")
[Here](http://www.echonyc.com/~barnhart/daveware/glover-transcript) is a transcript of the interview. [Here](http://www.tvbarn.com/lsn-archive/lsn-072997.text) and [here](http://www.tvbarn.com/lsn-archive/lsn-080597.text) are articles about the incident and its aftermath. The second article confirms that Glover appeared as Ruben Farr from Trent Harris’ movie “Rubin and Ed”. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/11 "2002-11-13T18:45:15Z")
Awesome. Thanks, **Petey**. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/12 "2002-11-13T18:53:06Z")
He was definitely back on after the incident. I remember him mumbling things about it not being him, but his alter-ego that kicked at Dave. It certainly made for interesting television compared to what other talk shows had on at the time. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-crispin-glover-on-letterman/136593/13 "2002-11-14T01:23:13Z")
Crispin was not on drugs but was playing a character similar to Andy Kaufman and his lounge lizard alter ego. Letterman didn’t seem to be in on the joke. Haj