When Stephen Colbert first took the reins of “The Late Show” after David Letterman‘s retirement in 2015, he tapped Grammy-winner Jon Batiste to lead the in-house band.
When Batiste stepped down in 2022, he was later replaced by Louis Cato, who filled the role until the show ended its run earlier this year.
A Surprising Contender
During a recent appearance on the “Rolling Stone Music Now” podcast, British rocker Elvis Costello revealed that he’d made a legitimate attempt to land the job as “Late Show” bandleader when Colbert was first announced as Letterman’s replacement.
“Obviously it was an impulsive thing to put myself forward,” Costello recalled, explaining that Colbert had sought his opinion about who to approach about leading the show’s band.
“[Colbert] asked my advice and I said, ‘What about me?’” Costello recalled. “And I think he thought I was joking. And I said, ‘No, I’m not joking.’”
Costello admitted there was a certain degree of self-interest in nabbing the gig, having seen what serving as Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show” band had done for the visibility of The Roots.
“I saw… that they had saved their own lives and those of their family around them by coming off the road and basing themselves. I thought maybe that would be good for us,” said Costello, who shares 19-year-old twin sons Dexter and Frank with wife Diana Krall, a Grammy-winning jazz vocalist.
It Probably Wouldn’t Have Worked
In hindsight, Costello conceded that his idea probably wouldn’t have worked out in the long run.
For one thing, he doesn’t think that his backing band, The Imposters, would have relocated to New York City.
Ultimately, he believes that Colbert made the right choice in Batiste.
“He couldn’t have done better than Jon,” Costello added.
“I mean, I would have got fired in about three weeks,” Costello said. “Not by him, but probably by the network. I would’ve said or done the wrong thing for sure.”
Looking back, Costello chalks it all up to a momentary lapse of reason. “It was like a dream I had for a minute… It would have never worked for a whole number of reasons, but it was nice to put my name in it,” he observed.
A ‘Late Show’ Favorite
While Costello’s brief dream may have never materialized, he certainly maintained a steady presence on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” appearing on the show five times over the years.
His fifth and final appearance was a special one, joining Colbert to perform his hit “Jump Up,” with the duo then joined by Paul McCartney and Cato to play The Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye.”
“That was a lovely way for three performing players to work as a unit,” Costello recalled.
“Stephen sang great,” he added. “We had a conference call about it and I said, ‘Look, this seems like a very downbeat sort of number to end the show on,’ because initially he was saying it was the end of the show… But of course what I didn’t know was that they had a whole other card to play, which was Paul McCartney. And then I got to be part of that band as well, which was terrific fun.”
In fact, he admits it’s a tough performance to top.
“You won’t ever see me on television again, that’s for sure,” he added. “I’m done. I thought, ‘Well, I can’t possibly beat that.’”
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British Rock Icon Pushed to Be Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Bandleader: ‘He Thought I Was Joking’