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(More customer reviews)This is the thoroughly entertaining and engrossing life story of Paul Shaffer who is known to all as Dave Letterman's sidekick and band leader. Paul tracks his days from the time he attended an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada to his present day star status. There is one constant throughout Paul's engaging tale... and that is his unbridled love of music. Paul was always looking for new challenges from the time he was competing with his childhood rival Marvin Slobotsky for the musical hearts of his local congregation... and pulled out all stops by learning to play "EXODUS" by "ear" after watching it performed during the Shaffer's Sunday night Father-And-Son-Ritual watching the Ed Sullivan Show... to the storied times in the future when Paul breathlessly describes meeting and trying to win the respect of all his youthful idols such as Ray Charles... James Brown... Bob Dylan... Phil Spector... Mick Jagger... Miles Davis... and untold others. What makes Paul's story so blissful... is that unlike other high profile life stories... which attempt to become "shocking-tell-all's"... Paul's is strictly told from his musical heart. There is not one stop along the musical fantasy that became the author's life... that the reader doesn't feel the boyish... bubbly... enthusiasm... that emanates from every pore in Paul's body. He always loved rock and roll and the blues... and wow!... pinch me!... I can't believe I'm playing with these "cats"... is what Paul radiates from start to finish. Any "busting-of-chops" of any of the musical luminaries is done in a humorous and gentle manner. Such as when he meets and plays with Bob Dylan... and while Paul is in awe and oh-so-eager to please... all Dylan cares about is meeting Larry "Bud" Melman "a lovable nerd" who was a running character on The Letterman Show. Shaffer does point out though... Dylan's seemingly constant changing of religious beliefs. When Paul gets to play with his idols Ray Charles and James Brown the reverence he shows to their talents and persona would be akin to the treatment that a religious Catholic would show to the Pope.
Regarding James Brown Paul writes: "THIS MAN WAS JAMES BROWN. AND HIS PERFORMANCE IN THIS MOVIE MADE TIME GRIND TO A HALT, AND THE WORLD STOP TURNING ON ITS AXIS. DOGS STOPPED CHASING CATS. CATS STOPPED CHASING BIRDS. LIONS LAY DOWN WITH LAMBS. BABIES CEASED CRYING. WOMEN STOPPED WEEPING. AND JAMES BROWN, IN SINGING "OUT OF SIGHT", CONQUERED THE KNOWN WORLD. FROM THERE HE WENT INTO "TRY ME" AND "PRISONER OF LOVE." "BUT IT WAS "PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE" THAT TORE THE ROOF OFF AND BROUGHT DOWN THE HEAVENS. AT THE END OF THE SONG, A CAPE WAS PLACED ON JAMES'S BACK. I SAT IN WONDER."
The early days of "Saturday Night Live" are covered from an insider's perspective including his relationship with all the early stars, Belushi, Aykroyd, Chase, Murray, and others... including his beloved Gilda Radner. How he was selected for the Letterman "gig"... along with his ups and downs with "The Blues Brothers". Most readers will be surprised when they learn about Shaffer's fascination with Jerry Lewis and his telethon and his almost photographic recall of famous *HOLLYWOOD-SCHMALTZ*.
Did you know that Little Richard is an Orthodox Jew? Do you know who the character Elwood Blues was named after? Did you know that Paul Shaffer could have been George Costanza... if only he returned a call? You'll learn all this and more simply by treating yourself to the pleasure of reading this book. And throughout this musical maestro's melodious story he is very proud of the fact that... "I MYSELF HAVE REMAINED CONSISTENT. I'M JEWISH, I'M HAPPY. I LOVE THE TRADITION. LIKE MY FAVORITE BALL PLAYER, SANDY KOUFAX, I DON'T PLAY ON YOM KIPPUR, THE HOLIEST TIME OF THE JEWISH YEAR, THE SACRED DAY OF ATONEMENT." *Amen!*
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