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Paul Shaffer

Paul Shaffer Trivia and Quotes

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Trivia

  • Paul has written a book titled We'll Be Here For The Rest of Our Lives. []
  • Paul has earned the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honor, in 2008. []
  • Paul has been accepted into the National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame. []
  • Paul is 5' 5" (1.65 m) []
  • Paul has been nominated for two Emmys. For Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Direction for Late Night with David Letterman in 1989 and 1992. []
  • Like his longtime boss David Letterman, Paul Shaffer also grew a beard during the Writers' Guild strike of 2007-08. However, Paul opted to shave it off before the Late Show returned to production because nobody could recognize him with facial hair. []
  • In 2002, a street which surrounds the Thunder Bay community auditorium in his hometown was renamed "Paul Shaffer Drive". []
  • In 2001, Shaffer hosted the VH1 game show Cover Wars. []
  • In June of 2006, Shaffer received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. []
  • Shaffer briefly left Saturday Night Live in 1977 to star alongside Greg Evigan in the short-lived CBS sitcom, A Year at the Top. []
  • He was portrayed by Aaron Lustig in The Late Shift, a telemovie portraying Jay Leno
    and David Letterman's fight for the successor of Johnny Carson. []
  • He hosted "Live from the Hard Rock Cafe" each month on NBC Radio from June 1985 to August 1986. []
  • Paul graduated with a degree in Sociology and Philosophy from the University of Toronto in 1971. []
  • Paul was chairman of the American Red Cross recruiting drive in 1990. []
  • On September 29, 2005, Paul Shaffer made a major contribution to Lakehead University to dedicate the 5th floor ATAC boardroom to his father Bernard Shaffer who did a lot for the college. []
  • Since 2002, he has been the national spokesperson for Epilepsy Canada. []
  • He wrote and co-produced (with Paul Jabara) the hit song, "It's Raining Men". []
  • Paul has recorded with many famous artists. These include Grand Funk Railroad, Diana Ross, B.B. King, Cyndi Lauper, Carl Perkins, Yoko Ono, Blues Traveler, Cher, Chicago, Robert Burns, Robert Plant, Scandal and Earl Scruggs. []
  • Paul has released two solo albums. In 1989 he released Coast to Coast, which he won a Grammy for Best Instrumental. Two years later, he released The World's Most Dangerous Party, featuring The World's Most Dangerous Band. []
  • He was the musical director for the closing ceremony at the 1996 Olympic Games. []
  • Since 1986, he has been the musical director/producer for the "Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame" induction ceremony. []
  • Normally being classified as the sidekick of late night king David Letterman, Paul has actually hosted the show many times when Dave hasn't been there to host. []
  • Paul has worked with David Letterman on both of his late night variety shows. This has even spurred a running joke that they both switched from NBC to CBS because Paul was fired for stealing office supplies. []
  • Since 1990, he has been married to Cathy Vasapoli, with whom he has two children named Victoria and William. []
  • Paul was in the original band The Blues Brothers. He played keyboard and did the arrangements. []
  • Paul was the first person to introduce The Blues Brothers ever. It was in an Saturday Night Live sketch where Shaffer played Don Kirshner. []
  • Shaffer was slated to appear in The Blues Brothers, but contractual obligations with Saturday Night Live prevented it. []
  • Shaffer began his musical career in 1972 as the musical director for the Toronto production of Godspell. []

Quotes

  • Paul Shaffer: That sociology degree that I got from the University of Toronto actually comes in handy. You have to be able to deal with people--as a band leader--a lot of it is dealing with people. []
  • Paul Shaffer: It was in Toronto in the early seventies that I developed a credo that has come in handy when, at critical times in my life, confusion threatened to cancel clarity: "What I do best is simply play songs I love." []
  • Paul: Before I moved to Bristol, I would have to drive a long distance to get to meetings. I was so excited when I came here and found out that there was a meetinghouse here. []
  • Paul: (describing the word hip) Let me tell you something about this whole hip thing. You know, being at the cutting edge, being hip, is not all fun and games. You know, if I had to do it all overagain, you know what I would be? []
  • Paul: Just because you're in a cover band, it doesn't mean you're not a star. []
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