Garry Shandling has reportedly died of a heart attack at 66, leaving behind a comic legacy that includes his 1980s Showtime series “The Garry Shandling Show,” which reimagined the sitcom and broke down the barriers between viewer and star.
Just as Shandling’s character spoke directly to the camera, adopting the traditional show-business practice of breaking down the so-called fourth wall, his theme song acknowledged itself in the most nakedly meta way possible. Like the show, it tried to strip away anything artificial and just make you smile.
The song, sung by Bill Lynch, explains itself as plainly as it can: “This is the theme to Garry’s show, the theme to Garry’s show. Garry called me up and asked if I would write his theme song. I’m almost halfway finished, how do you like it so far? How do you like the theme to Garry’s show?”
Enjoy the song in its entirety. R.I.P., Garry.