While a tenuous book connection could be made (
Confessions of a Late Night Talk Show Host, a meta-heavy follow up to
The Larry Sanders Show) I think the best tribute to Garry Shandling - who died of a heart attack yesterday - is this clip of Bill Haverchuck from
Freaks and Geeks. In an episode where he endures some of his worst humiliations (his gym teacher dating his mother) he is shown at his most-comfortable-in-his-own-skin - while watching Garry Shandling host
The Tonight Show, and laughing uncontrollably. Judd Apatow got his break working with Shandling, so this scene is presumably the acknowledgement of that. It is one of my favourite dialogue-free moments of television.
When Rolling Stone asked Apatow yesterday for a comment, his said "Garry would see the ridiculousness of me being asked to sum up his life five minutes after being told of his passing. It is a perfect, ridiculous Larry Sanders moment. I can imagine how Hank would handle it, but I just don't know how to sum up someone I loved so much who taught me everything I know and was always so kind to me. I am just too sad. Maybe tomorrow I will do better."
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