Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 18, 1992 TAG: 9201180400
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Los Angeles Daily News
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
ANOTHER TALK SHOW DEBUTS IN LATE NIGHT
Former "Saturday Night Live" regular Dennis Miller is about to become either another name on a long list of wannabes or the next Arsenio Hall.Like Hall, he is looking for success in late-night television by courting younger viewers not interested in watching Johnny Carson or Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show."
Miller takes center stage Monday for the first time as host of his own hourlong late-night talk show aimed at 25- to 40-year-old viewers (at 10 p.m. on WJPR-Channel 21/27 and at 2:30 a.m. on cable channel WGN).
The list of recent failures in this arena is too long to name but includes such successful personalities as radio disc jockeys Rick Dees and Jonathan Brandmeier and game show host Pat Sajak.
How does Miller respond to those predicting a similar demise for him?
"When I was a kid we used to watch `Wide World of Sports' when they had cliff diving on. You watch because there's a chance some guy will hit the cliff. There will be some people watching this and waiting for me to hit the cliff," he said.
Miller sailed through the airwaves unscathed for six years on "Saturday Night Live," where he brought his sharp sense of humor and scorching commentary to "Weekend Update," a weekly news parody performed by Miller and written almost exclusively by him. He said his new show features "a similar newscast every Friday night. It'll replace the monologue for that show."
Besides his takeoff on "Weekend Update," is Miller's new talk show going to be any different than his late-night competition?
Well, yes and no.
Like every other late-night talk show, "The Dennis Miller Show" has its own house band (assembled by musical director Andy Summers, former guitarist with Police), and it is taped before a live audience (at KTLA studios in Los Angeles). Like every other late-night talk show host, Miller will deliver a monologue, sit behind a desk and interview guests.
It's Miller's smug attitude that may separate him from the pack and his predecessors, although the ratings will determine whether that is a plus or a minus. Even the slogan being used to lure advertisers by syndicator Tribune Entertainment - "the man's got an attitude" - confirms this.
When asked if he is naturally a smart aleck, Miller explained: "It doesn't matter what the real Dennis Miller is like. What TV demanded on Dennis Miller up to this point was to be a bit flippant, and I tried to fill that bill.
"I will be more true to that attitude in the monologue and desk pieces. When I'm interviewing people, I have to open up more. I suppose I'll be like I am at a dinner party. I'll listen. If I find something interesting, I'll try to express interest. If I don't find it interesting, I'll try to feign minor interest. I don't want to fall all over myself. But I'm not going to go, `Get off my show.' There's a chemical reaction that happens with the guests. You can't force it."
Though most viewers know Miller from "Saturday Night Live" rather than for his stand-up act, the Pittsburgh native spent several years on the road as a comedy club regular.
"I never aspired to show business," said 38-year-old Miller. "As a kid I used to think funny things, but I never said them out loud until the 10th grade. I felt ostracized. I had the star split end on the football team sitting next to me. I made a comment that made him laugh. It was then that I saw the ability to integrate myself through humor. I saw the power to make people laugh," Miller said.
After majoring in journalism in college and working a series of odd jobs, Miller said, he "began to realize the key to life is to make money off of something that interests you or pleases you.
"I was about 25 and was a deli clerk at the time. I saw someone doing comedy who was bad and thought, `I can do that.' I worked at it and got better."
In 1984 he wound up in Los Angeles, where he was eventually spotted by "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels.
"It was very tough emotionally to leave `Saturday Night Live.' [If this show doesn't last] I'm not above crawling back. I'd feel proud that I tried it. You can't live life hedging your bets."
Miller said his 18-month-old son influenced his decision to leave a sure thing. "There's something about having a child that reacquaints you with the opportunity that's life and your urge to strive," he said.