Back when Paul Schafer played along with the musical guest on Letterman

There's a little montage of musical guests starting at 1:17:30 here:

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

Some are during the Anton years, and some (thankfully) during the Steve Jordan years. I also remember Shaffer and Carole King playing a killer "Chest Fever" on the Radio City Wurlitzers, but it either got cut from this, or I imagined it.

oh wait, found it, it was from the 6th anniversary show (at 37:57):

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

ugh shit sorry here it is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV1rZzc6ClI

Forgot that both Steve Jordan AND Fig played on the Stones' Dirty Work! I like Jordan quite a bit so it's strange to see hear them doing more or less the same gigs. "How do we want the drumming? Because we've covered both sides of the spectrum with the two we've hired for this session!"

I love Anton Fier, it's sad that he stopped playing a while ago (at least a few years now). Maybe he had a good reason and doesn't miss it, but I feel that's unlikely.

I haven't been able to find a listing of which Dirty Work tracks Jordan or Fig play on, but my guess is that Jordan could be on just about any track -- he can sound uncannily like Watts -- and Fig is probably on "Winning Ugly," since it sounds nothing like Watts or Jordan. And because it's awful.

David Marchese gave "Winning Ugly" an apt description - it sounds exactly like the kind of thing you'd hear in an '80s Dan Aykroyd comedy. Play it over Trading Places or Spies Like Us, it'll probably match perfectly.

I do like this opening bit he did on Letterman with Ringo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5avrzeQ3ZsM

which Dirty Work tracks Jordan or Fig play on

The Rolling Stones database on timeisonourside.com suggests that Anton Fig is playing percussion on "Back to Zero", the album's Talking Heads pastiche, but that may be guesswork.

Looking at that 10th anniversary montage and finding some performances worth investigating further

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mir_awnzhI

Black Crowes, except it's the Robinson Bros. and their other guitar dude circa 1990: "Jealous Again"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTut68r_Q-E

Bob Weir & Jerry Garcia sit in with the World's Most Dangerous Band and do "When I Paint My Masterpiece" in '87

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgAtnL5r-F0

Sinead O'Conner: "Mandinka" (this clip booed at the 10th Anniversary BTW)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PsnvLrK5cM

Van Morrison w/Georgie Fame sitting in for Paul!: "Whenever God Shines His Light" & "Have I Told You Lately?"

Oh wow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxofd9whblw

The Breeders, except it's the Deals and Jim Macpherson is relegated to shaker and tympani(!): "So Sad About Us"

Has Viva Shaf Vegas been mentioned yet? Don’t think so.

Another WOW: Paul backing Kate Bush on "The Man With The Child In His Eyes" from SNL

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3krnke

Paul and co jamming with Joan Jett on Roadrunner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFJ7BFU3iKM

Modern Lovers or Junior Walker?

1,2,3,4,5,6 Modern Lovers

Late entry:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xLZPCviDZ0

Alice In Chains (one of Staley's last TV performances): "Again/We Die Young" w/extra guitars & backing vox from the house band in early '96

The guitarist guy really likes to make a meal of switching instruments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZgsHi7wA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZgsHi7wAiI

that Kate performance must be her one and only such in the U.S. ever…

...except for the performance of "Them Heavy People" on the same broadcast, which my brother saw at the time.

This performance by Dinosaur Jr. on Letterman from 1993 is so insane. As usual, Paul Schaffer and Co. sit in, but they’re throwing in bells, a wild sax solo, high harmony vox, and it is SO LOUD. They crush it; the Ed Sullivan Theater is fully melted🔥🔥https://t.co/5K0fjJhI1B

— Ben Boyer (@sleezsisters) January 11, 2022

David Sandborn holding his own in the tornado!

OTM!

Will is very focused on his prompter.

Ben used to post here.

schaffer's plugging his ears. lol what a prick.

I thought he was doing that to help him sing his harmony note.

NOT VERY PROFESSIONAL IN THAT CASE, PAUL

that was genuinely out of control. i love it.

also: hey two drummers . . . but only has a kick drum???

this is my new favorite thing, btw.

*only ONE

that's not the Ed Sullivan Theater, that's NBC studios!

I was going to do a post itt chroniclling Dino Jr. on Letterman, but got lazy & forgot.

Here's their debut that Dave references in his intro to that "Out There" clip: they perform "The Wagon" and Murph is limited to a couple floor toms and a tambourine. Will Lee is into it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm7flMpKK5Y

...and here they are on the CBS show, doing "Feel The Pain" with discreet help from the house band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DbkEnoVNhg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v4m4SzmA4U

10,000 Maniacs, except it's just Nat & the guitar player w/The World's Most Dangerous Band: "Don't Talk"

By 1993, they were able to negotiate that Will & Paul could have a coffee break so the whole band could appear, but were still stuck w/Anton, so their drummer was stuck on congas and tambourine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7oG5i20uew

"Stockton Gala Days"

Nick Cave video with the Paul Schafer stank face mentioned early on (about 2:20 in)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO17Vdi94CA

Always enjoyed the contrast between the guitarist's 'chance to shine' on The Wagon's bridge and J taking the solo

One thing a lot of these clips have got me thinking about is when exactly in the '90s did the musical guests on late night talk shows (not just Letterman) get relegated the last 10 or so minutes of the show? A number of these clips indicate that the bands played in the middle of show, like in this Screaming Trees on Letterman clip, where we find out they played before a cooking segment!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJIEZx-_T74

i always assumed it was because everyone was watching for the music portion so they put it at the end to get people to stay tuned. also lament all bands getting strictly relegated to one song. i know it was less common, but i have clear recollections of some bands getting to play a couple songs.

wrt Letterman maybe it had something to do with the show's starting time moving from 12:30 to 11:30. With the 12:30 start, if you waited to put the band on at the end that would be like 1:20am or something, maybe that was considered too late

XP Yeah, I noticed on some '80s-'90s Carson clips that they often had bands do two songs back to back without a commercial break.

wrt Letterman maybe it had something to do with the show's starting time moving from 12:30 to 11:30. With the 12:30 start, if you waited to put the band on at the end that would be like 1:20am or something, maybe that was considered too late

I can see that. Apparently though he kept doing that in the early days of the CBS show. I was just a kid then, but my parents were cool/understanding enough that I saw a lot of those shows at the time, and I really don't remember a time when bands weren't the last thing on a show.

Huh I only ever watched Conan (right from the very beginning) and the band was always at the end.

In my head bands and comedians were always at the end but I only watched the last couple of years of Carson and then Conan.

Comedians sometimes came to the couch (depending on if Johnny waved them over), so I think there was at least always one more segment after their sketch?

sketch set

I seem to remember Lyle Lovett on the couch on Letterman, an example of a musician playing last in the lineup but not closing out the night with the performance itself.

i was always annoyed that the "performance" guests rarely got to sit at the couch and talk shit. imagine the hilarity of letterman trying to talk to j mascis after that performance.

Thread needs L7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5miCNKSoptQ

"Are you alright, Paul?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpx20yJ4KoA