Paul Shaffer

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band– Born In Chicago 3:05
Matt "Guitar" Murphy*– The Blues Don't Bother Me 3:32
John Popper– Harmonica Musings 0:32
Dan Aykroyd, Lonnie Brooks, Junior Wells and The Blues Brothers Band– Cheaper To Keep Her 3:13
Elwood*– "Mac, Gotta Minute?" Dialog
The Blues Brothers Band– Perry Mason Theme 2:29
John Goodman, Dan Aykroyd and The Blues Brothers Band– Looking For A Fox 2:46
The Blues Brothers Band– Can't Turn You Loose 2:24
Aretha Franklin and The Blues Brothers Band– R-E-S-P-E-C-T 3:00
Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett, Jonny Lang and The Blues Brothers Band– 634-5789 3:29
Blues Traveler– Maybe I'm Wrong 5:33
Murph*, Mack* and Elwood*– "Bluegrass" Dialog
Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman and The Blues Brothers Band– Riders In The Sky (A Cowboy Legend) 3:10
Taj Mahal, Sam Moore . Joe Morton, Sharon Riley and The Faith Chorale– John The Revelator 3:53
The Carl LaFong Trio– Let There Be Drums 1:14
Dr. John and The Blues Brothers Band– Season Of The Witch 5:09
Joe Morton, Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman, Paul Shaffer, Erykah Badu and The Blues Brothers Band– Funky Nassau 4:11
The Louisiana Gator Boys– How Blue Can You Get 5:18
Unknown Artist– Intro Dialog
Joe Morton, Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman, J. Evan Bonifant and The Blues Brothers Band– Turn On Your Love Light 3:30
The Louisiana Gator Boys and The Blues Brothers Band– New Orleans 4:01… (mere)

Paul Shaffer was being interviewed at the 92nd St. Y by Glenn Close last November. He was promoting his book, "We'll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin' Show-Biz Saga" (co-author, David Ritz). And if knowing (sort of) both participants wasn't enough, I'd picked up an advance copy (nice 8 x 11 size with easy-to-read large print) at the Times, so the event was a must.

I hadn't yet read the book but brought it with me to possibly get signed. The interview was fun. Close kept the atmosphere relaxed and took Shaffer through his early life and career, with a piano onstage to illustrate various songs. At one point, he mentioned his old friend from Canada, Martin Short, and Short himself bounded up to the stage to join the discussion. Cool! I felt too shy to get the book signed or talk to Glenn Close again, so just left afterward.

I later read the book. Gilda Radner called Shaffer "the most show business person I know" and he's full of stories about absolutely everyone. One question to Shaffer at the Y had been who he wanted to work with who he hadn't yet worked with. He had a hard time coming up with an answer (I don't remember if he ever did) since he's worked with everyone. If he name-drops, it's because he really does know all of show business. It doesn't come across as obnoxious but makes for a fun read.… (mere)

I've been a fan of Paul Shaffer's ever since I first saw him do his Don Kirschner impression on Saturday Night Live, so I was really looking forward to reading this. It's a breezy, funny, sometimes poignant (especially when he writes about people no longer alive, like his parents, Gilda Radner, and John Belushi) memoir that is completely readable, at times, compellingly so.

The chapters are thematic rather than chronological, and he covers his life from his childhood dreams of showbiz and playing the piano at shul (Jewish temple) to becoming David Letterman's band leader and everything in between. This is a very entertaining show business memoir, without the backstabbing and tell all trash that mars so many such books.

It was my first Kindle book and I read most of it on the plane while on vacation, the perfect travel book!… (mere)