(thanks to 'brainofjaocohen' for rehearsal photo!)
4pm) Update from DC reminding me to (ack!) watch tv tonight. There's a concept. Nothing so far, not even my man Questo, has enticed me to brave the wilds of 'The Fallon Show', but tonight that must end. For the first time in a dozen years, the one and only Jawbox will reunite on the show...(the Q says, and i quote:
@questlove: 'so Jawbox reunites after a 12 year break. they treat their fans to an Hr soundcheck in our studio: they are kicking ass and taking names. )
Should get home in time to see this...yay Pacific Time...
12.20 am) headphones in, watching Conan O'Brien's mouth move...not hearing him. Bliss that soon will be interrupted. Full Disclosure: Got off the SNL boat about '78, thought Letterman's uptight morning gig was as dramatic as comedy could be, never did manage to transition to the post.Letterman generation, i.e. O'Brien, Stewart, etc. I was well off the tv train by then...I'm told Fallon was on SNL, but i only glimpsed it occasionaly, when Mr Walken would intersect with it, and i don't recall Mr Fallon, although i did wait on Molly Shannon once, who was perfectly delightful, and also, as the kids informed me...on Saturday Night Live. Interesting. So I'm in no position to judge Mr. Fallon; he has major goodwill points with me for providing a happy home for Questlove & the Roots as house band.
12.35am) at last...hip opening, & love to the Roots, and then...apparently i missed the constitutional amendment that made opening monologues mandatory on night shows...no matter how ill the fit. Nice suit though...I hope he blinks soon; I feel bad for him...
Hey, he read the NY Times today...drinking water is dirty...that would be a news flash...
12.43am) Monlogue over finally...show intro's reveal an excited and likeable Fallon...interesting. Hopefully over time they'll play with the structure & go with his strengths, which don't seem to be addressed by shoehorning him into this comedy format. At the risk of angering the talk show gods, it reminds me of Chevy Chase's ill.fated late night endeavor...i remember the same painful feeling watching his gig, of a man trying very hard, (as opposed to the Leno gig, which just makes me reach for shoes to hurl...), and just not breaking through, except for the one shining moment that i watched just to see Henry Rollins, figuring, no matter what, the big H will keep it hopping...
In one of those 'fall down the rabbit hole' moments, the conversation twists to them discussing 50's jazz...(huh?!)...both big fans, apparently. So off the path, and a welcome change from the endless promotional carousel that these interviews usual are. An actual human moment, go figure. Alas, poor Chevy...(to this day he won't address that show...) I've been scouring YouTube to try to find this, but so far to no avail...
12.59am) Rachel Maddow interview...entertaining. She confesses to wanting to pickpocket crowds gawking at the Rockefeller center Xmas tree...
1.07am) HP laptop add pimping Windows 7...i'm sorry, it makes me giggle.
1.08am) Disclaimer on Abilify ad is longer than the ad, and horrifyingly impressive.
1.11am) Maddow is mixing drinks (?!) Promising...
1.19am) Why don't they give more space to the Roots? (biased, i know...)
1.20am) Tom Ford hits the stage, pimping his transition from fashion design to film direction ('A Single Man', looks promising)...turns out Fallon is in one of his suits...Ah, synergy. (really is a nice suit, though). Ford doing an entertaining cliff notes bio...interesting cat.
1.31am) finally! Wow, they look great, ripping through 'Savory', intermittently more tender and more abrasive than the original. Totally look like they're having major fun (go kim!).
Is this a one off, or the beginning of a Reunion...hmm. I'll save the whole reunion thing for a later piece. Whichever way they go, what a thrill to see them back at it. Amazing band that never got it's proper due...
See for yourself...
endnote: J. Robbins shirt is a reference to his son Callum, who's suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy. For more info, go here...
mo' endnote: would have loved to have heard the Roots do a take on FF/66...imagine the tuba getdown! (this, of course, from the guy who was drooling for a collaboration between the Roots & Willie Nelson when they played back to back at Coachella a few years back...a man can dream)
finally, thanks to NBC for making available the non.aired songs online. Very nice...
Wow, that is really horrible about his son.
ReplyDeleteAt work right now so I can't listen GRRRRR, but when I get home tonight! Thanks for the reminder.
Jimmy Fallon was always kind of a tool on SNL - he's known for NOT being able to keep a straight face through ANY sketch, pretty much ever.
Yet, somehow he managed to get pretty much the best late night talkshow setup ever - the best house band, and some of the best (most interesting, not most famous) guests pretty much ever.
Then again, all that I know of his show is also from net video clips. Like you, I'm pretty much off the TV.