Paul Shaffer and Friend

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As proof that not all representations given in these pages are of celebrities no one remembers, here are two gentleman who are still very much active and in the news.

Paul Shaffer, as everyone knows, is a Canadian musician and bandleader. He appeared regularly on television starting in 1975. This included over 30 years continuously providing music for a popular talk show hosted by his co-star.

Many talk shows have a house band, but as the years have gone by they tended to change in instrumentation. The Tonight Show with Johny Carson had a traditional big swing band first led by Skitch Henderson (who hated the electric bass) and then by Doc Severinsen. Later bands, like those led by Paul, tended to be scaled down. Part of this evolution simply reflected changing tastes - audiences were less interested in hearing "In the Mood" than "Johnny B. Goode" - but there was also deferment to the economic reality that had ultimately brought the end of the Swing Era. Paul played keyboard in what can honestly be called a combo.

The show itself - actually there were two - was atypical from previous talk shows. From the earliest days where The Tonight Show was hosted by Steve Allen, the interactions between guest and host tended to be fairly straightforward and tranquil. But that quickly changed on the show featuring Paul, his band, and his co-star.

By no means the bash-the-guest type of program pioneered by Joe Pyne or Alan Burke, the new show nevertheless had an irreverent brashness that was the product of the 1960's and had become mainstream by the last two decades of the 20th Century.

Parts of the show gave the impression of much being improvised - such as having soup and blankets brought out for two members of the audience who seemed to be cold - and there were brief interludes that departed from traditional continuity - such as having Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis see how fast he could bring a soft drink from a vending machine on another floor to the studio.

As was the case for all late night talk shows there was a monologue and virtually none of the jokes fell flat as they regularly did for Johnny Carson. The political humor - although never absent in previous talk shows - tended to be distinctly barbed with particularly sharp jabs when scandals erupted or when the politicians made dunderheaded blunders, both features which became more and more common in the days of easily hidden digitalized cameras and audio recorders.

But it was the structure of the jokes that departed most from the norm. As a result the viewers weren't always sure if they got the joke or not. This could happen on the Top-Ten segment where a countdown list on a particular topic was read and displayed on screen.

For instance the "Top Ten Things Lincoln Would Say If He Were Alive Today" have the some-you-get-and-some-you-don't characteristic:

Top Ten Things Lincoln Would Say If He Were Alive Today

1. "Jefferson gets Monticello. I get a tunnel."
2. "Eeaagh! Iron bird!"
3. "Hey, babe, that's me on the five-dollar bill."
4. "I really think I should have been the king in that Civil War chess set."
5. "Why is the video store always out of Mandingo?"
6. "What the hell is Donahue doing in Russia?"
7. "I really like the taste of menthol cigarettes."
8. "How much money do I get from these Lincoln Logs?"
9. "We still must strive to reach our goal of equality."
10. "Through the years, the Union has been preserved."

We see in some places there is no immediate connection with the set-up of the joke - that is, "things Lincoln would say" - and the actual punchline - like "Eeaagh! Iron bird!" As was pointed out by the Roman orator and statesman Cicero, a traditional joke first sets up an expectation for the listeners. Then the punch line comes along and delivers something unexpected. However, there is usually still some connection with the set-up.

But on the show the set-up would sometimes be omitted entirely. Instead there would be just a punch line. For instance a curtain would be raised and there would be a man playing ping-pong while wearing a speedo. Or suddenly two elderly mall-walkers would pass by in the background.

The name Shaffer, by the way, is the usual spelling of the name although even highly intelligent and creative people have believed for decades that renderings like "Shaefer", Shaeffer", "Schaefer" or "Schaeffer" are more common. But regardless of the spelling, the pronunciation is usually "SHAY-fer" where the first syllable rhymes with "hay" although if you follow the confusing rules of English pronunciation, you would think "Shaffer" should be pronounced "SHAF-fer" where first syllable rhymes with "staff".

An alternate spelling - not quite as common as "Shaffer" with a double-f - is Shafer (one "f"). The name, as the other variants, is common not just in Canada, but is found throughout the North American continent even in the more quaint regions of the rural United States. Those who bear the names are often known for their generosity, tolerance, acceptance of diversity, and when compared to others, are those from whom the sun seems to reflect more brightly.