Farewell, Johnny.

[shimp scrampi]

Well, today we've lost Jack's protege and friend Johnny Carson, another gentle Midwesterner who became an entertainment institution. Much like Jack Benny, in Johnny Carson's heyday it was difficult to imagine TV without him. Rest in Peace, Johnny. I hope you're catching up with Jack on the other side.

[Mike]

Last night I drove by the Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. On the marquee was a message that said something like: "Goodbye Johhny - Rest In Peace - Make God Laugh" (!)

[Jack Benny]

When Jack died I was 10 years old, and it didn't have much of an impact on me. Getting to know and love Jack in my 30's through radio shows, helped me to understand, in some small way, the loss people who grew up listening to Jack on the radio or watching him on TV felt when he died. This week experiencing my feelings at the loss of Johnny Carson, I think I have a better understanding of what losing Jack must have been like. Keith Richards has said that the Rolling Stones are a fixture in peoples lives, like the moon and the stars - they feel like they have always been here and always will. Johnny and Jack entertained us for so long, and were invited into our homes so often, that they became fixtures in our lives. Losing them is about as close as losing a family member as you can get. It's like looking up in the night sky and noticing two of the brightest stars are missing, and knowing the heavens will never be quite the same, and the way we look at ourselves and the world around us will be a little different from this moment forward.