While I can certainly see ?uesto and his bandmates eventually tiring of the constraints of a late night program. However, I think there are a few things that suggest the band will be around longer than Marsalis' three years. (FWIW, Fallon's late night program marks three years in a little over three months)
Marsalis notably considered the role (or working with Leno, or both) as being an "ass-kisser." If anything, it seems Fallon considers having The Roots as a boost to what there is of his credibility. It's still pretty common to hear a guest compliment the band and Fallon chime in. Whether that qualifies as the reverse of Marsalis' concern, or additional evidence of Fallon's total music fanboy tendencies depends on where you sit. The Roots will soon release another album, which makes at least two they've put out while working on Fallon's show. They have also toured during breaks and have done shows on the weekends. A check of Marsalis' discography notes a couple of album releases, but no sense of whether he could have toured. That would provide an opportunity for channeling mischief somewhere besides 8 second mockery. Arguably the band is integrated into the show on a level comparable to the Max Weinberg 7/Basic Cable Band. Besides "Slow Jam the News" there have been many other recurring and one-off bits with a musical element that's not just providing theme music (of which they do a lot). While they may eventually feel stifled, boredom is probably a longer way off. David ________________________________ From: Kevin M. <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [TV orNotTV] The Roots salute Bachmann... not really. David, putting Marsalis back into the equation has merit. In the case of Branford and ?uesto, you have bandleaders who are used to having a lot of freedom to speak through their music, who then have to conform to network standards. Marsalis learned he didn't like it, and I suspect The Roots will one day depart from Late Night for the same reason. -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
