Elvis Costello says he pitched himself as Stephen Colbert’s bandleader after the host asked him for advice about hiring one. Colbert was preparing to succeed David Letterman on CBS’s The Late Show in 2015.
Costello shared the story in a new Rolling Stone Music Now interview with Brian Hiatt, conducted around the release of his My Aim Is True (49th Anniversary Edition) box set.
Colbert initially assumed his friend’s suggestion was a joke, prompting Costello to reply, “No, I’m not joking.” Costello says serious discussions followed.
“I would’ve got fired in about three weeks,” Costello joked, imagining CBS objecting to something he said or did.
He Had Already Made an Album With the Roots
Costello had watched the Roots build a regular television base with Jimmy Fallon while continuing to record and pursue other projects. He thought a similar arrangement could give his band, The Imposters, more stability and reduce the demands of touring.
Costello and the Roots released their collaborative album, Wise Up Ghost, in September 2013 through Blue Note Records, with Costello, Questlove and Steven Mandel producing.
Costello cited Branford Marsalis’s stint leading The Tonight Show band as another example of an established musician taking the job. His father had been a radio dance-band singer who regularly appeared on the BBC.
Three Bandmates Would Have Needed to Move to New York
Costello was the only member of The Imposters living in New York. Keyboardist Steve Nieve was based in Paris, and making the television job work would have required three musicians to relocate. He said the cost and upheaval involved in moving everyone made the plan impractical.
Costello’s twin sons with Diana Krall were still young when he considered the position, Entertainment Weekly reported.
Costello Later Performed With the Man Who Got the Job
Jon Batiste became Colbert’s first bandleader and stayed for seven seasons before leaving in 2022. Louis Cato, who had been filling in during Batiste’s absence, took over permanently and remained through the show’s final season.
Costello praised the choice, saying Colbert “couldn’t have done better than Jon.” He also credited Batiste with building a successful career beyond the nightly television job.
The two musicians collaborated for The Late Show in 2020, when Batiste accompanied Costello remotely on “Hey Clockface / How Can You Face Me” and “Party Girl.”
The Finale Put Costello Alongside Both Bandleaders
For Colbert’s May 21st finale, Costello joined Batiste and Cato for “Jump Up.” Colbert suggested performing the song as a quartet, and Costello credited Cato and Batiste with the arrangement.
Costello said he had performed the song only a handful of times since 1977. A previously unreleased recording made at Hope & Anchor Studio in 1976 appears on the anniversary set, released October 2nd.
During a planning call, Costello questioned whether the song was too downbeat to close the series. He had not known Paul McCartney would be the final surprise.
McCartney appeared with his Höfner bass for the Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye.” The performance closed the episode as staff members filled the stage, CBS News reported.
Costello remembered waiting beside McCartney at the Ed Sullivan Theater before joining him on a Beatles song. He said he could not top that performance.
“I retired that night,” he told Rolling Stone of his decision to stop appearing on television, citing the commercial, corporate and political pressures on the medium.