We'll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives

A Swingin' Showbiz Saga

By: Paul Shaffer, David Ritz

Narrated by: Paul Shaffer

From Paul Shaffer, lifelong music junkie, hipster, and longtime leader of David Letterman's band, comes a candid, endearing, hilarious, and star-studded memoir of a life in-and love of-show business.How does a kid go from a remote Canadian town at the tip of Lake Superior to the bright lights of Broadway and a gig leading the band on Letterman? This book is Paul Shaffer's answer to that question. From playing seedy strip joints in Toronto, to his first legitimate job out of college-which found him working with future stars (and friends) Gilda Radner, Martin Short, and Eugene Levy-to being first musical director of the nascent Saturday Night Live and helping to form the Blues Brothers, to being onstage every night with Dave and playing with the greatest musicians of our time, Shaffer has lived the ultimate showbiz life. Now, in this hilarious, entertaining, and candid memoir-in which he dishes on everyone from John Belushi and Jerry Lewis to Mel Gibson and Britney Spears-Paul gives us the full behind-the-scenes story of his life, from banging out pop tunes on the piano at the age of twelve to leading the band every night at the Sullivan Theater.©2009 Paul Schaffer; (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

“Very entertaining. . . . Tremendous fun. . . . It will delight [readers] looking for persuasive evidence that making music for a living is every bit as cool as it seems.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A true show-business dignitary.” —Vanity Fair

“I love this book. Paul tells great stories about the great people of music, stage, television, and film. . . . This book is like a leisurely dinner spent listening to stories from the hippest guy at the table. We’ll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives is endlessly entertaining.” —David Letterman

“John had Paul, Mick had Keith, I have Richie. And Dave? Well, he has Paul too. No, not Paul McCartney. He has Paul Shaffer! The man has seen it all, not as some fly on the wall but at the center of the storm. We’ll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives is a swinging read. The anecdotes will make you wish you were here.” —Jon Bon Jovi

“What a guy.” —Julia Roberts

“An hysterical ride with the hippest musicians of the last thirty years and with the coolest tour guide imaginable. If grammar and spelling aren’t your thing, this book’s for you.” —Martin Short

Unsung Showbiz Hero

What did you love best about We'll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives?

The story, Mr. Shaffer's wealth of stories and asides about his road to becoming a musical and comedy legend.
The premise and title of the book are explained immediately and hilariously.
He is a gifted writer, he was good hearted about his choice of stories (I am sure he could have written a scathing tell-all but he chose the higher road) and was not politically correct nor ashamed of describing his faith and his love for people.

What other book might you compare We'll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives to and why?

1000 percent better than Bossypants. It is more detailed, less irreverent and didn't try to be funny. It was much more respectful in tone to the reader.

What does Paul Shaffer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is an amazing narrator. He should do more books. His years in entertainment, his sense of timing (both musical and comical) can be heard in every minute. As he describes in his book, he has a keen ear, and I really think that helped him do a great job instinctively.

It isn't a laugh a minute, because life isn't a laugh a minute. You just may cry at times.

Of course, since he is hilarious, he did many of his own old comedy bits and uncanny impressions of well known celebrities.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

His memories of John Belushi, his memorial service and his memories of his parents.

Any additional comments?

I wish I could stand David Letterman anymore or I would have found out about this book a few years ago. I used to love him before he became political.

Paul's book is not political AT ALL.

Great history lesson on pop culture

Fantastic story that is so much more than playing for David Letterman.
I now believe Paul is a comedian that works as a musician.
He does a great job as narrator

Paul Rocks

I was reluctant to buy this book but I am so very happy I did . Paul is terrific . The book context is awesome and Paul is a great narrator . Listen to this one!

Fun Flashback…

Enjoyable to listen to Paul tell his story of his musical roots.

I just wish he would update the book to include the end to his days on Letterman and subsequent career appearances.

The only negative thing is his impersonation of Dave Letterman…makes Dave sound like Lawrence Welk !!

This one's a keeper...

Thought about burning my monthly credit on this one for a coupel months...then did it. OMG, I should have done it much sooner. The book would be a 4 star with most any narrator but having Mr. Shaffer himself read it (act it out for us?) is amazing. Not to be missed.