A rock legend claimed that he could have become the bandleader on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show before Jon Batiste was confirmed for the role. He felt his family history gave him a natural link to the idea. Had the idea materialized, he also spoke about how the logistics and commute would not have worked for their band, The Imposters.
Elvis Costello almost became Stephen Colbert’s Late Show bandleader
In a conversation with Rolling Stone Music Now, Elvis Costello revealed that he pitched himself for the possibility of becoming a bandleader on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show. He said, “Steve asked my advice about that role. … I said, ‘What about me?’ And I think he thought I was joking, and I said, ‘No, I’m not joking.” He claimed that at one point there were serious talks to make this possibility come to life.
“Branford Marsalis was the band leader of The Tonight Show. Lots of really great people have done that gig. … And don’t forget, my dad was a radio dance band singer who appeared a lot on the BBC. So I had continuity with the idea,” Costello continued, revealing why he was drawn to the idea.
He revealed that then he thought about relocating his band members. This is because, he said, he was the only one in New York, with keyboardist Steve Nieve living in France, which could have made the working arrangement complex. “We would’ve been asking an awful lot, and the money involved and everything would’ve been unbelievable … to relocate three band members to New York,” the singer added.
He also acknowledged that landing the gig may not have worked out for several reasons, but said it felt good to put his name forward and that there was no harm in having that conversation. Costello added that even if he had landed the role, he might have been fired within three weeks, not by Colbert, but by the network for saying or doing the wrong thing.
