#billlynch

The Greatest Television Theme Song in the History of Television Theme Songs

When news of Garry Shandling’s March 24 death came crackling over a staticky NPR station in a driving rainstorm, Sound Bites immediately flashed on the theme to “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.”

Although I hadn’t heard them for a quarter-century or more, the words and the melody came flooding back. That’s what happens when you’re the greatest television theme song in the history of television theme songs.

“All in the Family,” “M*A*S*H*” and “South Park” all had or have iconic opening songs. But none come close to Shandling’s.

Like the show it represented, the theme is quirky, off-kilter and unique:

This is the theme to Garry’s show/the theme to Garry’s show/Garry called me up and asked if I write his theme song/I’m almost half-way finished/how do you like it so far?/how do you like the theme to Garry’s show?

This is the theme to Garry’s show/the opening theme to Garry’s show/this is the music that you hear/as you watch the credits/we’re almost to the part/of where I start to whistle/then we’ll watch “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show”

(whistling)

Now it’s time for Garry Shandling’s Show

Written by Joey Carbone and performed by Bill Lynch, the theme to “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” is, like the show itself, virtually all Sound Bites knows about the comedian. I’ve never seen “The Larry Sanders Show” or anything else Shandling’s done since his namesake show went off the air.

And that’s OK. Shandling’s Show was one of only a few - “The Simpsons” and “Seinfeld” among them - that Sound Bites made sure he was home to watch every week. I still don’t watch much TV - I’m a music blog at heart - but “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” makes me smile just thinking about it.

I first saw Shandling’s shtick via some old stand-up routines that a friend put on VHS tape back in the late 1980s, just as the show was ramping up. In a weird case of cosmic kismet, I reconnected with that friend on Facebook literally minutes before NPR reported the comic’s death of a heart attack at 66.

I haven’t seen that dude in 29 years. Until yesterday, I hadn’t heard the theme song to “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” in nearly that long. Maybe my long-lost buddy and I should get together and binge watch us some Shandling.

Thanks for the yuks, Garry. You’ll be missed.