WHEN he appears in public these days, Michael J. Fox can’t hide the involuntary movement of his limbs caused by Parkinson’s disease.
Despite the discomfort that must cause, he kidded courageously and unself-consciously about his affliction Monday night on David Letterman’s “Late Show,” where, over the years, he has been one of Dave’s most frequent guests.
“What is [Parkinson’s]?” Dave asked. “We don’t know about this. Is it a disease, a disorder, a malady, a … ?”
“It’s a drag,” was Fox’s simple answer.
“I was looking through the current issue of Architectural Digest …,” said Dave, referring to a photo spread in the magazine of Fox’s newly built home in the Connecticut countryside.
“I have to explain the timing of this,” Fox replied, seeming a tad embarrassed. “It’s bizarre because it’s like, you know, I’m getting all this press and it’s like, ‘Yeah, he’s got a degenerative brain disease, but, hey, look at that living room!'”
As he has in other interviews recently, Fox voiced his conviction that medical science will find a cure for Parkinson’s within the next 10 years.
The audience applauded and Dave, whose own life was so recently saved by a team of heart surgeons, told Michael, “I will say this: I hope that one day your doctors will be able to do for you and your problem what my doctors were able to do for me and my problem.”
*
Meanwhile, Letterman welcomed newly christened Republican Senate candidate Rick Lazio to the national political arena Monday night by launching into a string of Lazio insult jokes.
The Lazio portion of Dave’s monologue went like this:
“Hey, uh, we have a new Republican candidate for Senate – Rick Lazio, ladies and gentlemen!
“Rick Lazio! Isn’t he backup catcher for the Mets?
“Rick Lazio! Isn’t he that Cuban kid’s uncle? Isn’t that Rick Lazio?
“Rick Lazio! One day you’re working at a pizza parlor in Queens, the next day you’re running against Hillary!
“Rick Lazio! Unbelievable! Wow, one day you’re working at a body shop in Massapequa, the next day you’re running against Hillary! That Rick Lazio!
“Rick Lazio! He looks like a guy who couldn’t get past the $500 question on ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’! That’s Rick Lazio!
“Hey, Rick, welcome to the race, buddy! Night after night after night, punks like me working you over. Well, nice to have you in! Come on in !”
The Long Island congressman’s new status may even land him a guest shot on Letterman’s show.
Says executive producer Maria Pope, “Considering that we are ground zero for ‘Campaign 2000,’ you can bet we will definitely be keeping a close eye on Rep. Rick Lazio.”