Interview: Grammy Award-Winner Paul Shaffer Talks Career, Receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award & More

On Thursday, March 10, 2022, Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts will honor world-renowned singer, composer, comedian, and multi-instrumentalist Paul Shaffer with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the "Together We Celebrate" Annual Gala.

Shaffer served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader, and sidekick on the entire run of both Late Night with David Letterman (1982-1993) and Late Show with David Letterman (1993-2015). He was also a member of the house band and a featured performer on Saturday Night Live (1975-1980) and made many movie and TV appearances. Grammy-award winner and four-time EMMY nominee, Shaffer holds two honorary doctorate degrees, was inducted into the National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame and awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. In 2008, Paul received the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honor.

For more information visit: WhartonArtsGala.org.

BroadwayWorld spoke with Shaffer about how it feels to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, the moments in his career he's most proud of, what he would like to do next, and more!

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Let me first ask, how does it feel to be honored with Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts' Lifetime Achievement Award?

Well, I guess the comedic way to go would be the one-word answer, 'dead' [laughs]. Of course one worries, "Are you giving me a Lifetime Achievement Award because you know something I don't?" But in all seriousness, at any point in one's career or life it's a wonderful honor. But to be given it by this lovely school, the Wharton school, which has terrific music programs, is so gratifying for me because I didn't really go to music school myself, I just took piano lessons, that was pretty much the extent of my training. So this is quite a kick for me.

You have had such an incredible career, how does it feel now, especially as you're being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, to look back at everything you've accomplished?

It's fantastic, what more can I say? I had a blessed career, I don't take any credit for it myself, the creator must have had something to do with it. We all have had a little more time recently because of quarantining and such. But as I look back, I think my favorite times were getting started in New York, early as a musician, before I was trying to get on camera and read lines, etcetera, but kind of breaking into the musical scene in New York. Specifically, the recording scene was such a gas. The words of the Kander and Ebb song rang true, "If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere."

I couldn't agree more. I know you just said that was your favorite time in your career, proving that you could make it in the industry, but does anything stand out to you in your career as something you are most proud of?

So many things. The way that I got to New York in the first place was so magical. In Toronto, 1972, I had just graduated from college and was playing around town, and I accompanied a couple of friends who were auditioning for Stephen Schwartz as he cast the Toronto company of Godspell. He hired me as the accompanist and said, "Can you get a band together and conduct this show?" And all of a sudden, I was in show business. And then he said, "When this show is over, I want you to come to New York and play for me there," and he did in fact arrange for that to happen, and I played for him in The Magic Show in 1974 at The Cort Theatre. And that was so significant, just getting here, and having a job. So many people come here just on their own and get jobs waitressing, etcetera, and I don't know if I would have been able to do that. But this guy, Stephen, is responsible for so much of what became my life here.

That's such a cool story. It's nice to hear that you most appreciate the beginnings of your journey.

It's not all talent, let's put it that way. My goodness, it certainly is luck, a lot of it, meeting the right people. Playing at The Cort Theatre at The Magic Show for Stephen... The guy who produced the cast album was the late, great, Phil Ramone, who said to me, "I'm producing Burt Bacharach next month," and used me on this Burt Bacharach record, and I thought I had died and gone to soul heaven. Another example of how one thing can lead to another. And that happened for me.

Jumping back to Wharton and their "Together We Celebrate" Gala, you will be joining nine students from the New Jersey Youth Symphony jazz program for a performance. Are you excited to collaborate and perform with these young musicians?

I sure am. I'll tell you, you can see so many young musicians on the internet now that blow you away, because it's almost like they are starting from where you left off and continuing. So I can't wait to play with these musicians and just see where they take these couple of things that I'm going to play with them.

How does it feel for you knowing that you are a role model for students in the performing arts?

I think it's the very definition of the phrase, "I'm not worthy." Certainly being able to make a living at doing something that seemed totally out of reach when I was, say, in high school, in Canada, it is gratifying to look back on. Unfortunately, when it comes to, "Do you have any advice?" things are so different now that I usually have to say, "Not anymore." I don't know how these kids I play with... how are they going to get started in the business? Certainly in a different way that I did.

Like you mentioned, the Wharton Institute provides an artistic education for young people. How important do you think that a good artistic education is?

Well, first of all, science has shown that it helps everything, it helps your whole intellect. Not only music, which is sort of semi-mathematical anyway, but all the arts get your mind working in ways that it wouldn't otherwise. And that's a given. But you've got to be able to see what happened to us during the quarantine when live music was no longer available, it really added to the malaise that took over all of us, I think, during the last couple of years. And now, as we hopefully start to come out of it, you can see the difference, when people come out to shows, everyone is just so grateful and so appreciative to be able to do it again. I think that speaks to it right there.

As we talked about, you're being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, so is there anything that you feel you have yet to conquer in your career?

I think I would be greedy if I did. I have had so much fun, you know? And I sort of embarked on a new stretch of my career, which I would love to continue, and that is working with symphony orchestras. I've done it only twice now, but it is a big thrill. I never got to do that before, and now I am getting to do that, and I would love to do more of it. To experience all of those souls playing together, it's just fantastic what comes out.

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