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10. Farrah Fawcett on The Late Show with David Letterman, 1997



Farrah Fawcett toddles to her chair, and fumbles a joke. It begins. Dave asks if she's all right. Her head snaps around, her eyes stare wildly. Farrah barks, "Don't I seem all right?!" The conversation disintegrates into frothy talk about Ms. Fawcett's sexiness and how much people like her. Then, while attempting to relate a central park adventure, Farrah loses command of the English language completely. She slaps herself in the face in an attempt to kickstart her weary synapses. A moment of cathartic revelation: Farrah yells, "You're making fun of me!" The audience applauds. Yes. Yes we are! — M.L.
9. Paula Abdul on Seattle Q13 Fox News affiliate, 2007



Paula Abdul is often accused of being on some form of medication — be it alcohol, painkillers, or Simon Cowell's heady musk. But this morning-show incident stands out from even her checkered resume. She's so unfocused that the network had to take a do-over, on live TV, and restart the interview. At least Paula was enjoying herself. Though Bravo has removed her one-season show Hey Paula from its website, we remember her blaming this disastrous interview on exhaustion. But when she says, "Seattle has the best delusional people," we're pretty sure it takes one to know 'em. — J.C.
8. Jim Everett on ESPN2's Talk2, 1994



It's one thing for a sports talk-show host to trash-talk an athlete when he's on the field. It's another entirely to trash-talk that same, very large athlete when he's sitting across from you in-studio. Host Jim Rome did just that to former L.A. Rams quarterback Jim Everett, repeatedly calling him "Chris" (after female tennis player Chris Evert), and referencing Everett shying away from sacks in an '89 championship game. With their chests puffed up like warring silverbacks, the men verbally spar until Everett says, "I bet you don't call me Chris again." And then Rome does. It's rare for actual off-field NFL violence to end up on-camera; it's usually left in the club, or the ER after someone shoots himself in the leg. It's even rarer that it's this hilarious. — M.L.
7. Whitney Houston on Primetime, 2002



In 2002, Barbara Walters interviewed the troubled Bodyguard chanteuse for ABC’s Primetime. Instead of seeing the brassy diva with the golden pipes, audiences got a terse, spacey Houston who sounded like she had been sucking on an exhaust pipe. The singer’s demeanor and laryngitis were odd but hardly the stuff that goes down in the annals of bizarre unscripted TV. No, it was Whitney’s catchy anti-drug jingle that made the history books. Remember kids, don’t smoke rock — dream big and spring for some China White. — C.L.
6. Ol' Dirty Bastard on MTV News, 1999



The world lost something special when Russell Tyrone Jones died in 2004. Ol' Dirty Bastard, Big Baby Jesus, Dirt McGirt — even the man's aliases were entertaining as hell. ODB was a strange man, and nothing illustrated that better than putting him in a room (or on a street, on at an award show) with even-keeled citizens. This collection of outtakes from a sit-down with MTV's John Norris is almost exhausting to watch. Was ODB just fucking with him or was the man really that damn weird? The good money's on "that weird." — J.C.




                 


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32 Comments

Too bad you didn't have room for one of my favorite Tom Snyder regulars - "Joey" the hit man.

rh commented on 02/26

how is it possible that i have never seen this tracy morgan clip before? how have i lived?!!

mee commented on 02/26

You missed the hilarious Oliver Reed interview on 'Aspel'...

KT commented on 02/26

You totally forgot Steve-O on the Too Late with Adam Carolla Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rafFvbCf4Y

poo commented on 02/26

You have #19 mislabeled. That was not "The Late Show with David Letterman." This clip is from 1986. Letterman did not move to "The Late Show" on CBS until 1993. The clip you showed is from "Late Night with David Letterman" on NBC (later "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," and now "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon").

JS commented on 02/26

The same goes for #5 and #1.

JS commented on 02/26

Thanks! Titles have been fixed. - Ed.

Ed commented on 02/27

I really don't think that the Iggy interview is as shocking or painful as you're making out. A gap-toothed junkie he might have been at the time, but this interview is pretty much par for the course for an Iggy interview from the 70s and 80s. I thought he was as eloquent and witty as ever, if obviously 'addled', and Snyder was taking it with good humour. For a real Snyder interviewee meltdown, his interview with Lydon and Wobble from PiL takes a bit of beating. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BZ2UoBZzEI

DM commented on 02/28

My mistake, I meant of course Lydon and LEVENE.

DM commented on 02/28

How could you leave out Joe Namath's drunken interview with Suzy Kolber? "I want to kiss you"! Classic! What an oversight!

DSE commented on 03/06

Re: Whitney Houston Interview -- this is not Barbara Walters doing the interview, it's Diane Sawyer.

CC commented on 06/04

Don't see what is funny about these. Painful to watch, cringe-worthy is not fun! Best forgotten.

MMM commented on 09/25

These are great. Cringe-worthy perhaps, but fascinating and a great lens on our often strange modern culture.

got commented on 09/25

Tracy Morgan should just be on everything, all the time. Loved him nodding like a crazy man at Taylor Swift during the VMAs. He's insane and awesome!

lala commented on 09/25

What about Artie Lange on "Joe Buck Live?" He hijacked a boring talk show and turned into a hilariously filthy piece of Borscht Belt performance art.

BF commented on 09/25

In many instances -particularly with Letterman - the odd behavior is obviously staged with the host feigning surprise. Let's not be naive here.

wp commented on 09/25

DSE.. I agree with you there!! That Namath interview was awwkkward!

RS commented on 09/26

I love the Sam Phillips interview.

Bell commented on 09/26

The Iggy interview was great. I think the Nietzsche reference (Apollonian and Dionysian) went over John Constantine's head. Constantine is the one fumbling for coherence.

bhny commented on 09/26

John Constantine, did you really listen to the Iggy Pop interview, because he was very coherent, smart, witty, earnest, and self revealing throughout. Tom Snyder seemed interested in everything he had to say. Wasn't a trainwreck at all!

jz commented on 09/26

What about Mary Lou Henner on The Tonight Show. That was screamingly funny and incredibly painful at the same time.

DW commented on 09/28

What about Grace Jones and her 8-ball on Letterman in 1986?

cb commented on 09/28

I'm sad Beck's first interview on 120 minutes wasn't there. The one where he doesn't say anything, but just tosses his boot at the set. That was amazing.

LL commented on 09/28

How about Carson with Zsa-zsa and her cat? I'd've thought it was a total setup, but she stormed off and didn't come back. Short, but classic!

ts commented on 09/28

Go look up "Molly meldrums interview with Iggy pop" on australias "countdown" music show from the 80s. Its completely hilarious. Iggy was so fucking high.

dmx commented on 09/28

I gotta call "too soon" on Farrah.

mjk commented on 09/29

a drunk Mitch Ryder interviewed by a German before a gig, this is on a Rockpalast dvd. Henry Rollins, when with Black Flag inverviewed by a punk kid. Can be found on youtube

ssk commented on 10/04

I agree with the Artie Lange interview on Joe Buck's boring show. Certainly strange to Buck, but HILARIOUS to me.

m2 commented on 10/06

No, Michael Jackson?!

SM commented on 11/07

Howard Stern's appearances on Arsenio or Snyder or Leno? C'mon!

KB commented on 11/28

Oliver Reed's interview on Aspel OR Letterman would have fit somewhere.

zcs commented on 12/10

Damn, part 1 of the norm mcdonald/conan interview is a little rough, but they both get funnier, and more irreverent as it goes along. part 3 is pretty brilliant actually.

KCG commented on 12/14
 

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