NEW YORK — Hidden in the attention being paid to David Letterman leading up to his May 20 retirement is the knowledge that it will also mean the end of a regular television role for America’s bandleader, Paul Shaffer.
The gravel-voiced sidekick, who’s 65, isn’t ready to leave show business, even with the gig of a lifetime coming to a close after 33 years.
“Of course, I had the old mixed feelings, sadness, etcetera,” Shaffer said during an interview in his office behind the Ed Sullivan Theater. “Now I have come around to just being absolutely thankful for such a wonderful run, such a long run, working for a guy who has been nothing but encouraging to me.”
Shaffer is a walking trivia answer of showbiz credits: bandleader for the original “Saturday Night Live” troupe, same role for the Blues Brothers, part composer of the 1980s hit “It’s Raining Men” and the “Late Show” theme, cringe-worthy record executive Artie Fufkin in “This is Spinal Tap” and music director for the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions. If he hadn’t neglected to return Jerry Seinfeld’s call, you may have known him as George Costanza, too.
He’ll always be linked in public consciousness with Letterman, however, like Ed McMahon and Johnny Carson, or Andy Richter and Conan O’Brien.
Until Shaffer interviewed for the bandleader job that began in 1982, he had never met Letterman. Shaffer was asked what he saw for Letterman’s post-midnight “Late Night” on NBC, keeping in mind they could only afford a few musicians. He envisioned something like the lounge bands he saw at the beginning of his career in Toronto, a lead keyboard player and a couple of other instruments, interpreting Stax and Motown hits.
Letterman said that sounded great.
Starting at a time when his five years at one job, on “Saturday Night Live,” seemed like an eternity, Shaffer said he never felt tempted to leave Letterman. He’s had the freedom to do other things while the “Late Show” let him lead a band — perform in front of an audience, do sketch comedy and match wits with TV’s hottest host. That’s not to say it was always easy.
“I spent time preparing funny, off-the-wall lines, something Jerry Lewis had said, for example,” he said. “I was doing quite well with it, I thought. (Letterman) said, ‘I would rather we just have a conversation and try to talk.’ Well, that was daunting to me, but I did. That’s when I began to see what he really needed from me.”
