Letterman – Downtown Magazine

Few musicians have logged more television time than Paul Shaffer. In addition to being David Letterman’s bandleader and sidekick from 1982 to 2015, Paul was part of the band on Saturday Night Live for nearly five years. He also starred in the CBS sitcom A Year At The Top, hosted the VH1 game show Cover Wars, and appeared in the classic comedy This Is Spinal Tap; there is a long-standing rumor that Paul was offered the role of George Costanza on Seinfeld.

Off-screen, Paul’s credits as a musician are also very impressive. He got his start in musical theater, serving as musical director of the Toronto production of Godspell, eventually finding his way to Broadway in New York. While still in the SNL fold, he was a major creative force behind The Blues Brothers. Early into his Late Night With David Letterman tenure, he played keyboards for Robert Plant’s post-Zeppelin band The Honeydrippers and contributed the impressive synth solo to Scandal’s “Goodbye To You.” He co-wrote the song “It’s Raining Men” for The Weather Girls, which went Top 10 around the world and has since been covered by RuPaul and The Spice Girls’ Geri Halliwell. He has also released several solo albums, one of which Grammy-nominated and two of which produced by Todd Rundgren.

Paul has not slowed down his leaving the Late Show With David Letterman. He has been the musical director of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony since its inception. He was the musical director and on-screen accompanist for 2015’s Primetime Emmy-nominated A Very Murray Christmas. Last year he recorded his third solo album alongside his Letterman bandmates, Paul Shaffer & The World’s Most Dangerous Band, as released via Sire Records on Mar. 17; it features vocals from Dion, Jenny Lewis, Bill Murray, Darius Rucker, Shaggy and Valerie Simpson.

In support of The World’s Most Dangerous Band, Paul and band will be appearing at the Theater At Westbury on Apr. 22. One night earlier, the show comes to Montclair’s Wellmont Theater. Paul spoke to Downtown about his new album, the tour, James Brown, New York and plenty more. He can followed on Twitter via @PaulShaffer.

First, I wanted to ask you about the book you wrote a couple of years ago. Was it enjoyable for you to write the book in considering that you are primarily known as a sideman and a host and all that? Or was writing a book a completely different creative experience for you?

Paul Shaffer: Well of course it was. I was very much lucky to have David Ritz writing it with me. He is a pro, does a lot of music biographies, started with the Ray Charles book that he did back in the 70’s and Marvin Gaye and on and on…A lot of process was sitting with David and remembering stories that happened, and then you know putting them together with him and making a book out of it. I loved the process.

Sure. Was there a lot of material that was leftover from the book? A lot of stories that you still feel you hope to tell one day in another book or another form?

PS: Of course…I didn’t get to talk about about seeing Siegfried and Roy in Las Vegas with James Brown and then hanging out with all three of them later on…That is a book in itself really, but yeah, I couldn’t put everything in there…That certainly was one of the things I realized about the book that I did write a little bit inside…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHIm7ITmsjo

Speaking of things that are inside, a lot of people know of course that you co-wrote the song “It’s Raining Men,” but I was curious if you had been otherwise in the co-writing game, trying to place music with other artists. Or was that just a one-off for you?

PS: I have written a few other things but it was a sort of a one-off. My co-writer was Paul Jabara, who wrote a number of other hits including “Last Dance” by Donna Summer. I had back in the 70s, when I was working in the studio as a session musician, I had done arrangements for this guy. One song we did together was called “One Man Ain’t Enough,” so he was already working towards that concept…

Anyway, Paul called and said, “I’ve got this title I want to write and you were so great as my arranger. I would love it if we co-wrote this thing.” He said, “What do you think about the title ‘It’s Raining Men?’” I said, “I will be right over,” and that is how it came about. I have written a few other things, songs, I mean comedy songs of course. One called “Kung Fu Christmas” for the National Lampoon back in ’74… Really I just love to play. I just love the immediate ratification that you get from playing the piano and playing songs that I love. Writing was just never a priority with me…That is all I can say.

So you do have the upcoming show at Westbury with The World’s Most Dangerous Band and the album coming out on Rhino/Sire. Does that mean that you and the band are still fully intact and you hope to keep it going, even though you are not on TV every night?

PS: Well, we love to play together. Everybody is doing their own thing now…I brought everybody back together to do the album and there was just, I was in love with the reunion, you know. We all loved playing together and felt comfortable playing together. After all those years, now we speak the same language, so we did the record together, we had a great time together and it all, it made sense to do some live appearances, which we are going to be doing springtime. Everybody was interested so you know, simple as that…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBvCIzU_Y_Q

For somebody who is a fan of yours and the other musicians for years on television but may not be so sure of what they are going to see live on tour, do you have a way of describing the show?

PS: Well, I am going to be telling a lot of stories…I would be bringing them out as stories about times on the Letterman show, different artists that we’ve worked with and then in many cases, backing it up with some of the music. You know. James Brown is a guy who was just such a great influence, my very favorite, and I got to play for him so many times on Letterman. Every time was a lesson…so you know I wanted to tell the audience about that and then you know demonstrate in songs…We are also going to be playing tunes from the new album.

Well, you’ve mentioned so far James Brown a couple of times. I remember you often coming in and out of commercial on Letterman, doing the James Brown cape routine. Is that something you ever talked about with him?

PS: With James?

Yeah.

PS: No…We got into a routine for, I think years, where every Friday I would do the routine and a different celebrity would come out and put the cape on. The pinnacle of it was when he himself did it, James Brown came out himself to put the cape on me. So you know, that was, I could have retired that after that. It was such a thrill but I did not get to…I never did.

Is it true that James Brown lifted the cape concept from Gorgeous George, the old professional wrestler? Did you ever hear that?

PS: Yeah, I have read it, sure. I have read it in the history books, I did not get a chance to confirm it with him, no, in any of the conversations I had, but I believe it. You know, it makes sense. I remember, well, I am old enough to remember Gorgeous George and I remember his outfits and his capes and stuff. So if James Brown has to be pretty honest if he ever did it admit it personally…It would be an honest thing to say, “I got it from a wrestler.”

So you have the upcoming tour and you have the album coming out on Rhino/Sire. When you have a free moment, what do you like to do in your spare time?

PS: I have two kids, my daughter is 23 living, she is out of the house, but my son is a senior in high school still at home, and I just like to spend as much time with him as he has for me. That is my priority and I have my best times with him and my daughter too, so hanging out with them, that is it.

I must say that you created or at least you portrayed two of the greatest comedy characters ever between Artie Fufkin and your impression of Don Kirshner. Do you have aspirations to act or be on the camera without an instrument again?

PS: Sure, I love it. I found the experience very musical, especially comedy, comedy in front of an audience, because it is something like getting that reaction from the audience and the waiting for it and then going on with your line and timing is just perfectly. I enjoy it so much and getting that kind of response from an audience is just the same as getting a response for one’s music from an audience. I would love to do small acting, yes.

Cool, and back to the hobby thing, do you have a favorite restaurant in New York? I realize that you have been here for over 40 years in New York.

PS: Yeah. I still go to a place called Caffe Cielo, right near the Ed Sullivan Theater, so I used to have lunch there very often. Now they have moved farther down in the Theater District to 49^th Street, but I still go there because there is a group of friends who have lunch at the bar. Also, Gallagher’s Steakhouse on 52nd it’s right by the old theater where I used to work. That’s a place I go for the oxtail soup. So those are the two places that come to mind.

Still a Midtown West guy, cool. And so finally, Paul, any last words for the kids?

PS: Well, yes, hey kids…That’s it. (laughs) You know keep your nose to the grindstone. and enjoy being a kid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyy-b2Rg3uA

Matt Kirsch (left) & Alden Ford (right) — Matt Kirsch (left) & Alden Ford

In earning his living as a comedy writer, Matt Kirsch has what many would consider to be a dream job. As a staff writer for Triumph’s Election Special 2016, Matt was recently nominated for a Primetime Emmy. Prior to his work with Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, Matt contributed to nearly 300 episodes of the Late Show With David Letterman, writing for Letterman from 2013 through the groundbreaking talk show’s 2015 finale.

Prior to his work on late night television, Matt created Duder. A web series long before Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime were creating web-only content, three seasons of Duder were produced. The show was a Webby honoree in 2009 for Best Long Form Comedy and went on to win Best Comedy at the 2011 New York Television Festival. Now based in Los Angeles, the Yale graduate is currently writing for Disjointed, the forthcoming Netflix series starring Kathy Bates and produced by Chuck Lorre.

Downtown caught up with Matt for some Q&A, attempting to learn about the everyday life of an acclaimed comedy writer. Matt can be followed on Twitter via @HeyMattKirsch, while Duder remains posted online at www.duder.com.

I know that you wrote plays and produced an online series before that was a common gig, but what was your first paid writing gig?

Matt Kirsch: I worked for The Onion for about four years and contributed headlines for the paper and story ideas for the IFC show. When The Onion moved to Chicago, the bulk of the editorial staff left, and we started this web project with Adult Swim called Thing X. That was my first official writing gig.

What was the first writing gig you had in which it was clear that this was a career instead of another one-off gig?

MK: Getting the Letterman job was exciting just because it feels like you won the lottery — there’s so much chance and circumstance that goes into hiring for these gigs. But I think getting signed by an agent, which happened about a year before Letterman, strangely made things feel more real for me. Once you have someone working for you and it’s in her best interest for you to get jobs and keep working, it starts to feel more like a career, for better or for worse.

Was there a mentor or someone early on that helped you move forward in your career?

MK: Definitely my playwriting professors in college — Deb Margolin and Toni Dorfman — were hugely influential just in my helping me find my voice and gaining confidence. And there were so many ridiculously talented writers at The Onion that I learned from and helped me out: Joe Randazzo, John Harris, Joe Garden, Chris Karwowski, Carol Kolb, Dan Guterman, and tons others.

Did you always want to be a writer rather than a stand-up or on-screen performer?

MK: Yeah, for the most part. I had a lot of fun acting in my web series, Duder, mostly because I was playing a version of myself, and when you write it, it’s pretty easy to memorize.

What is the hardest part of your job? Is it coming up with material?

MK: One challenging thing is just fighting the urge for your brain to turn off and relax at any point during the work day, because you mostly have to stay in it. One minute you’re pitching story arc ideas, then you have to switch gears and figure out the best line for some guy to say when he’s being chased out of a bathroom, etc.

On the other hand, what is your favorite part of what you do?

MK: I love just being in the room with funny, talented people, riffing and figuring out minutia about story stuff.

Do you feel that there are any misconceptions about life as a writer?

MK: Hmm, not sure what the stereotypes are exactly, but it’s more collaborative and you’re a little more invisible than some people might think, which is what I like about it. You’re all kind of working as a hive mind, but that’s just my experience, lots of shows are different.

Is there an accomplishment that you’re most proud of as a writer?

MK: I’d say my web series Duder, just because I somehow had the drive to make this thing happen for zero money and convince my friends to work with me for zero money. And it became this messy, unfiltered download of my brain at that particular time in my life.

Having written in both New York and Los Angeles writer rooms, is the experience of writing different between those two cities?

MK: Not a ton of difference — we just complain about different things.

It’s sort of a hack question to ask where writers get their ideas from, but in your case, what is your routine like when it comes to getting creative? Do you treat it as a 9-to-5 where you write every day? Are you more based in writing only when inspiration hits?

MK: Yeah, that is a hack question. Jesus, Darren. (laughs) No seriously, you have to be as disciplined as you can and just write all the time, rather than waiting for inspiration to hit. It’s just a muscle that needs to be exercised regularly — and you never know what will come out at any given time and whether it will be useful or not. With that said, my level of discipline definitely differs whether I have a full-time gig or not and how tired I am at the end of the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IumyT__2UPo

What are you currently working on now?

MK: I’m writing on a new Netflix show called Disjointed, which should be out in June.

When not busy with writing, how do you like to spend your free time?

MK: I like to hike — which is so much easier to do in L.A. than New York — hang out with our dogs, play video games and cards and board games, and that’s it.

Is there anything you miss about living in New York?

MK: Yeah, lots. Bagels mostly. Walking to a bar in less than 25 minutes. Public transit. And lots of people that still out there.

Do you often run into folks from Long Island while out in Los Angeles?

MK: All the time! There are two writers from Long Island just on my staff, and one is actually from Merrick, though he went to Calhoun [High School]. I know, gross. (laughs)

Finally, Matt, any last words for the kids?

MK: My advice would be: Just write a lot of stuff and don’t just write it, produce it. There’s nothing more important than developing your voice and having something you can show people that showcases your voice. And it doesn’t matter if it’s raw and super low-budget.