BY MIKEY MIGO
I had a lot going on this past week and one of them was writers block. For a few days I've been thinking of a good topic to discuss with you guys and have a bitch of a time. I've asked friends, family, and anyone who would listen. Finally, in the late hours a friend came to the rescue with this topic idea. The more I thought about it the more I thought it would be a good one to go with.
There are plenty of celebrities out there who are in bands or are just flat out musicians. I did a column about it a few months ago. People like Juliette Lewis, Keanu Reeves, Russell Crowe, and others are all well known screen performers, but they are also in bands and enjoy expressing themselves in that form of art as well. Hell, Chevy Chase was the original drummer for the guys in the band prior to Steely Dan's. I didn't know that until about a week ago.
Then there's those who are not in a band and basically just bust out their skills every so often when the occasion calls for it.
Let's take a look at a few:
Conan O'Brien plays Guitar
When Conan was attending Harvard he got himself a drum kit, but didn't have much skill with it. He lent the kit to his roommate and drummer for the now defunct Galaxie 500 Damon Krukowski and would go on to play the acoustic guitar. For years he'd play it on Late Night on random sketches including "Conan sings a lullaby". With the writers strike, Conan dusted off his electric guitar for a performance. While his crew played "Rock Band", he played a long with his real guitar. You can see this for yourself on the video above. It's entertaining because it's Conan, but at the same time it's entertaining because the shock value that Conan is half decent on the strings.
Steve Martin plays Banjo
When I was a kid I'd be amazed that my grandfather could play the banjo. He's not a "country bumpkin" as the banjo stereotype goes. Neither is Steve Martin though. Steve would participate in music comedy shows as a teenager where he'd play banjo and entertain like only he can. As time would go on, Martin would continue to use music in his comedy routine. He sold a million albums of his comedy album featuring the hit single "King Tut" in the late 70's. Over the years you can see Steve make many appearances of Steve doing just what the video clip above contains. He is not only a banjo player, but a pretty damn good one at that.
Dana Carvey plays Drums
This is the clip from Waynes World(obviously), but Carvey can actually kick ass on drums. The clip I wanted to use was Carvey(again as Garth) sitting in with U2 for "Even Better Than The Real Thing". I know it was from an award show, but not sure which one. I think it was an MTV one, but that really doesn't matter without the clip. Anyways, Carvey got his first drum kit when he was a kid and continues to hone his craft as he became a huge success on Saturday Night Live. He even met his wife at one of his gigs, which is really cool. There have been rumors of a Waynes World 3. If it happens (it'll rock!), I hope to see Garth Algar behind the kit once again.
Bill Clinton plays the Saxophone
When Bill Clinton was running for president he would appear on the Arsenio Hall Show and play the saxophone. The way I see it, it was a great way to show he was in touch with pop culture and to show off he's more than a stiff suit like so many politics are. He was a tenor saxophone player from way back to grade school, but realized he'd never be a Coltrane or Getz so he moved on. Still, over the years you can see him bust out the sax and entertain a crowd. Like in this video above from the 40th Anniversary of the Newport Jazz Fest held on the White House lawn. He wasn't going to play, rather just close the show with a thank you. The crowd and musicians would have none of that and cheered him on to play. And he did.
Mike Huckabee plays Bass Guitar
While not nearly as cool(or smart, educated, or great) as Bill Clinton, Huckabee is also a musician. He plays the bass guitar for his band called "Capitol Offense". He's played a lot of political functions for the Republican Party. Not to even touch on his political career or standing, it seems to be as if he's trying to be hip a little too hard. I mean "Capitol Offense"? C'mon!
Will Ferrell playing the Cowbell
Everyone knows the "Don't Fear The Reaper" SNL skit. Everyone knows the whole phenomenon of "More Cowbell". The cowbell story did not end with the Christopher Walken episode. Shortly after, Queens of the Stone Age would appear on the show to perform. The single "Little Sister" was introduced by Will Ferrell. The band went to rock on as they always do and then it happened again. Will Ferrell joined them on stage and rocked the cowbell once again. My favorite part of this clip is the fact that the band didn't break kayfabe. They didn't one laugh, smirk, or make a mockery of the cowbell legacy. Surely, they know the song needed cowbell or they wouldn't have recorded it that way. You can't tell me this isn't great.
I didn't plan on it, but a lot of these people are former Saturday Night Live cast members. Hell, Conan was a writer and Steve Martin has been guest host more times than anyone in the show's history. Damn politicians ruining everything.
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