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Topic: David Letterman asks: "Is that a lap steel?" |
Nate Hofer
From:
Overland Park, Kansas
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Posted 9 Jul 2013 5:53 am |
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Bringing up the age-old discussion about public awareness of the instrument we spend so much time with.
Whether it's pedal or lap I guess it doesn't matter. Most people don't know what it's called. And honestly, maybe that's part of what makes it so alluring to me.
Any thoughts on the lack of popularity today of our instrument?
This is so cool. This just aired. At the end of Dale Watson's performance, Letterman turns around to the steel player and asks him directly a couple things about his instrument, starting with "Is that a lap steel?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHcRTTy0Epg
(I didn't post this Pedal Steel because I figured someone else already did or will.) |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 9 Jul 2013 7:06 am
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Turns out Letterman booked Dale just from hearing a song on the radio... evidently the steel guitar was a big part of the draw, since he walked up to Don Pawlak and started asking questions. I liked the one "Is it hard to play? Beautiful!". *Yes*, the pedal steel is hard to play! I couldn't tell Don's response, something about a hill.
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New FB Page: Lap Steel Licks And Stuff: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195394851800329 |
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Bill Ladd
From:
Wilmington, NC, USA
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Posted 9 Jul 2013 7:31 am
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| "Just like flyin' a helicopter" |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 9 Jul 2013 7:47 am
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We had a thread going on this one a few weeks ago. My comment at the time:
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You have to give Letterman a lot of credit for having many quality musical acts on the show over the years, but as alluded to earlier by Joe Casey, asking Don at the end "is that a lap steel?" C'mon Dave!
Well at least he was in the ballpark... |
There were other comments to the effect that Letterman, joker that he is, was just messing with Don. I don't think so - that would be way too subtle a joke (and not particularly humorous) for most of America to have a clue about it. Not like when he had Alison Krauss & Union Station on when their latest CD came out a couple years ago and he commented to Dan Tyminski in looking at his mandolin, "you're a grown man - get a real guitar" which drew chuckles from the audience and no doubt in living rooms around the country.
Here's a link to the thread:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=248219&highlight=watson[/quote]
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Mark |
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Andy Henriksen
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 9 Jul 2013 8:31 am
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| Mark Eaton wrote: |
| There were other comments to the effect that Letterman, joker that he is, was just messing with Don. |
Could be either..he's got a bit of a strange sense of humor...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M65Dx0STe2M |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 9 Jul 2013 9:07 am
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Just like in the other thread Andy, I'm not buying it. Jokes are like currency to talk show hosts like Letterman, Leno, Kimmel, Fallon, O'Brien, the late Johnny Carson, etc. - they try to spend them wisely when the microphone is on, be it with an interviewee or a player in the band of a musical guest. Hence a good audience reaction when he made the comment to Dan Tyminski.
I think Dave just screwed up is all.
I saw the drums thing on the other thread...I find it hard to believe that Letterman was thinking with the Watson episode, "I'll make some kind of a smart aleck comment about a lap steel to this pedal steel guy and see what kind of reaction I get."
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Mark |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 9 Jul 2013 9:10 am
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I don't believe that's the case at all. It's just Dave being his normal goofy self. He does it all the time. He knows better. Sid, the guitar player, plays steels occasionally both with the Late Night band and sometimes musical guests too.
That's how I see it. |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 9 Jul 2013 9:35 am
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Well I guess we'll just have to "agree to disagree."
Letterman is still mostly sharp as a tack, but he isn't getting any younger (66), and I agree that his musical knowledge is such that he's been around any number of pedal steel guitars - but it could be one of those "on the cusp" of senior citizen moments where he just blurted something that didn't come out right. I'm 59 and I'm noticing that on occasion something might come out of my mouth I didn't intend. It's scary for me to think what it might be like for me in another 10-12 years. 
On the other hand, our little band of steel guitar folks are possibly the only ones on the planet to have thought about any of this during that segment on the show with Dale Watson. 
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Mark |
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Jack Aldrich
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 9 Jul 2013 6:18 pm
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In my experience watching Letterman, I find that he's pretty hip about rock, standards and jazz, but he doesn't have much experience with country music, even though he professes to like it. I believe that the lap steel question comes from its popularity in rock, especially because of Ben Harper and David Lindley. He sure liked Dale's band (and who wouldn't).
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Jack Aldrich
Carter & ShoBud D10's
D8 & T8 Stringmaster
Rickenbacher B6
3 Resonator guitars
Asher Alan Akaka Special SN 6
Canopus D8 |
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Rockne Riddlebarger
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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Posted 12 Jul 2013 7:12 am Re: David Letterman asks: "Is that a lap steel?"
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| Solomon Hofer wrote: |
| Any thoughts on the lack of popularity today of our instrument? |
As a lap and console steel player and teacher I don't understand why everyone isn't falling all over themselves to play this type of guitar. As we players know, it's one of the coolest instruments every devised......On the other hand, As one who only performs on these guitars I'm actually glad it is so rare. I've spent most of my life trying to be a one-of-a-kind and if everyone played lap steel I'd just be another beard in the crowd!
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www.facebook.com/speedingwest
www.facebook.com/rockneriddlebarger |
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Ulrich Sinn
From:
California, USA
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Posted 12 Jul 2013 1:59 pm
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| Quote: |
| I'm 59 and I'm noticing that on occasion something might come out of my mouth I didn't intend. |
You are a lucky man!
This is my life as far as I can remember back. The only improvement age brings is that I get less upset about it myself. |
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Todd Weger
From:
Safety Harbor, FLAUSA
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Posted 6 Feb 2014 6:33 am Re: David Letterman asks: "Is that a lap steel?"
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| Rockne Riddlebarger wrote: |
| Solomon Hofer wrote: |
| Any thoughts on the lack of popularity today of our instrument? |
As a lap and console steel player and teacher I don't understand why everyone isn't falling all over themselves to play this type of guitar. As we players know, it's one of the coolest instruments every devised......On the other hand, As one who only performs on these guitars I'm actually glad it is so rare. I've spent most of my life trying to be a one-of-a-kind and if everyone played lap steel I'd just be another beard in the crowd! |
That is a great point! It's kinda nice to be U-NEEK...  |
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Chris Scruggs
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2014 11:41 am
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Dave's usual thing I'd to ask the drummer "Are those your drums?" followed by "Can I buy them? How much?"
There is a video on YouTube which is just a compilation of five second spots where Dave is asking the all these different drummers if those are their drums and if he can buy them as he walks out to shake the band's hands.
Hilarious! |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2014 12:30 pm
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| Quote: |
| Any thoughts on the lack of popularity today of our instrument? |
A fobo, Lane Gray I believe, has pointed out more than once that the only place steel guitar really appears to be unpopular and losing musical influence is on the Steel Guitar Forum. Everywhere else (except so-called "country" radio) it's going great guns. If you really want to know what's going on in the world, the best starting place is to shoot your TV and drown your radios. You'll figure out the rest. 
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=208507 |
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