David Letterman Really Likes Drums

drums

(Source: CBC Music)

by Dave Shumka

David Letterman is really into drums. There’s a thing he sometimes does after a band plays on his show: he walks up to the drummer, compliments them on their drums and asks if they’re rentals. We noticed it happening often enough that we combed YouTube for a few dozen instances and created this supercut of Letterman talking to drummers. We also threw in the occasional cellist and harmonium player for good measure.

During our research, we learned a few things:

• David Letterman is pretty much the most charming man in the world.

• Lots of drummers rent their drums to appear on The Late Show.

• Singers tend to look uncomfortable when attention is being paid to a drummer.

• Not surprisingly, Letterman himself plays drums.

Songs You May Have Missed #432

bnl

Barenaked Ladies: “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” (1997)

Barenaked Ladies have plenty of their own compositions deserving of recognition here. But their cover of fellow-Canadian Bruce Cockburn’s “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” is one that shouldn’t be missed. In fact, they make this tune their own to such a degree that you could say it defines the band as much as any of their original songs.

Props, of course, go to Cockburn for writing a powerful lyric about love and its accompanying terrors and ecstasies. But it took BNL to put across the full measure of that power.

In 2005 “Lovers…” was named the 11th greatest Canadian song of all time on the CBC Radio One series 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version.

I don’t know if it was written with this in mind, but it seems this would make a fitting anthem for LBGT rights…

This, by the way, is the original 1997 B-side version–superior, in my opinion, to the slightly more polished take which appeared on their 2001 Greatest Hits compilation.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/08/02/songs-you-may-have-missed-158/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/03/27/songs-you-may-have-missed-374/

bnl

Recommended Albums #50

semisonic

Semisonic: Great Divide (1996)

What a joy it is to belatedly discover a really good album that you’d previously missed from a decade gone by.

Another great feeling is that of associating a newfound piece of music with a newfound friend (an “F.N.T.” if you will) who makes their entrance onto the stage of your life on cue just as the metaphorical needle hits the groove. Life is beautiful in that moment…

Recently I experienced the magical confluence of both experiences on one unforgettable day and evening. It was a reminder of just how much both friends and music can enrich our lives. Certainly I feel abundantly blessed on both counts.

So, about this album…

Semisonic are known mostly for their top ten 1998 hit “Closing Time”. And so often when a band’s career climaxes with a single massive hit, the work they did previous to it remains undiscovered by the masses. I won’t argue for Great Divide to be recognized as some kind of lost masterpiece–just a real enjoyable listen for fans of 90’s rock. Or, as Rolling Stone described it, “a record of simple but sparkling modern pop.” Hard to imagine this one missed the album charts completely.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/08/09/songs-you-may-have-missed-457/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2014/11/08/songs-you-may-have-missed-517/

Listen to: “F.N.T.”

 

Listen to: “If I Run”

 

Listen to: “Across the Great Divide”

 

Don’t miss: “Falling”

Rock Star Look-Alikes

Source: Ultimate Classic Rock)

kirk hammit

Kirk Hammett of Metallica and Sky Blu of LMFAO

hagar

Sammy Hagar and chef Guy Fieri.

ringo

Ringo Starr (playing the pope in the 1975 film ‘Lisztomania’) and Burger King

waters

Roger Waters and Richard Gere

gene

Gene Simmons and Muammar Gaddafi

keith

Keith Richards and King Tut’s grandma

tommy-criss

Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe and “master illusionist” Criss Angel

Plant2

Robert Plant and King Théoden

ozzy-penny1

Ozzy Osbourne and Penny Marshall

plant-and-quaker-man3

Jimmy Page and Mr. Quaker Oats

peart-hanks

Neil Peart of Rush and Tom Hanks

hetfield-cowardly-lion

James Hetfield of Metallica and the Cowardly Lion

bono-robin

Bono and Robin Williams

Songs You May Have Missed #431

iron

Iron & Wine: “Baby Center Stage” (2013)

Iron & Wine is singer-songwriter Sam Beam, who has been compared to Cat Stevens by Rolling Stone, while Pitchfork notes a resemblance to late 60’s and early 70’s era singer-songwriter works like Astral Weeks and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

“Baby Center Stage”, the final cut from his latest LP Ghost on Ghost, is like the musical equivalent of a gorgeous summer sunset.

Songs You May Have Missed #430

sweet

Matthew Sweet: “So Far” (2000)

The aptly-named Sweet breaks off a thick slab of tuneful power pop. If music were food, this would be dessert.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/10/11/songs-you-may-have-missed-488/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/03/17/songs-you-may-have-missed-768/

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