Master Sgt. Matt Proietti brings Larry The Lizard along to The Tonight Show - April 23, 2003.

Got this picture Thursday night (4/23/03) following a special "Tonight Show" where all audience members were military folks.  It was taken after we all went to a studio where they had set up a barbecue for us.

Jay spent about an hour there talking to everyone, posing for photos, talking to peoples' relatives on their cell phones, talking about his cars and motorcycles.  To get this shot, I just said, "Jay, this is Larry, an old drinking buddy from UMASS that we've adopted as our unit mascot.  He said, "Did you go to UMASS? I used to perform at the Blue (????Something or Other?????) out there."  Then I had to fess up that I was serving in the military when some of my best friends were stumbling around Amherst.  Before the show, Jay came out to warm up the crowd and he took some questions, so I asked "When was the last time you were home in Andover" and he was pretty excited. He said, "Are you from Andover?" "No, Leominster," I said, which got no reaction at all.  Then he asked if there were other people in attendance from Mass., which there were.

While I've always felt Letterman's show was funnier, this was the second taping of Jay's show I went to in two months that was hilarious.  Jay is the man when it comes to spending time with our troops.  First he posed for "official" Tonight Show photos with each group (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard) - and, yes, Larry is with me in the front row. I should get that picture next week.  The photographer said, "Hey, there's a lizard in there - and it appears his name is Larry."

I watched the taping from the Green Room, but the only guest in there was the Army's top cook. Sandra Bullock and Fleetwood Mac were the other guests, but they had their own rooms away from scum like me.

Larry checks out the spartan food in the Green Room.

Larry (on TV in Green Room) watches Jay tape promos for the show after the show was.

Blurry photo of Larry with Jay in background warming up the audience.  One of the photography rules was "no flash" and I'm not bright enough to change the ISO setting without a manual!
Master Sgt. Proietti

Also see Larry's Adventures in Kuwait