Name: Southside Johnny on Letterman, May 23, 1989
Uploaded: 2016-08-01T05:11:58.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Southside Johnny on Letterman, May 23, 1989' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2016-08-01. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Southside Johnny on Letterman, May 23, 1989' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2016-08-01. Transcript available.

Are you ready?
Paul, everything okay?
Yeah.
You all set?
Yes.
Okay.
Our next guest started out his career in Asbury Park, New Jersey with his
friends Little Steven and Bruce Springsteen.
Right here, I have a copy of his 10th record album and it's entitled, as you
can probably see right there, Slow Dance.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to this program, Southside Johnny.
Oh, kid.
We're born to live, we're born to die.
It's summer in between, and I'm not sure why.
Sleeping on eating, eating what you find.
I know we're somewhat more than king, but a whole lot less than kind.
That's what you find.
That's what you find.
Little cat, girl.
That's what everybody finds.
Now, little cat, girl.
Nobody's sitting in a while.
And alive in the subway, it's a long slope, fade to black.
When you believe the city, ain't nothing you can do but cry, no.
Ain't no use in crying.
Your tears are lonely, babe.
If you're sleeping on the city, see, snap.
You've got to be insane, yeah, yeah.
That's what they say.
That's what they say.
Little cat, girl.
That's what the mayor said.
You know, man, yeah.
Little cat, girl.
The most exciting city in the world.
The bus is coming up.
The bus is gone.
It's living with nothing but exhaust.
I'm pulling by the bus, I'm in the mid-night hour.
Let's stop on the dance.
It's like you're going to love.
You pray to God, but he never seems to hear.
In the mayor's prayers, Lord, make them disappear.
Politicians can't pray until they drown.
It's been a long ride now that this is your last time.
The city ain't got no shame.
The city ain't got no shame.
Thank you very much.
Yeah.
Not bad.
Johnny, nice to meet you.
Thank you very much for being here, too.
Thank you.
Thank you, gentlemen.
How many folks of the actual group do we have over there?
Well, we've got three horn players that are somewhat in the group, sometimes
not.
We never know what they're going to do.
You know, like old horn players that get a little strange.
And when you go out for a show, how many do you have?
Nine guys in the band.
Nine guys in the band, plus yourself.
Sometimes ten.
Yeah.
Now, now...
Sometimes eleven.
Now, Johnny, when we say South Side, geographically, what are we talking about?
South Side of...
Well, actually, it means the South Side of Chicago, but when I got...
Hey, that's a guy from the South Side.
I had never been to Chicago.
I had never been to Chicago when I got the nickname.
I'm actually from the South Side of Ocean Grove, New Jersey, which is a...
Hey, it's the same thing, same atmosphere.
It's a retirement community for old Methodists.
So, you know, get in the way.
But now, wait a minute.
The South Side refers to the South Side of one town.
Right.
And you had never been there.
No.
You're from another town.
That's right.
Well, was there a lot of paperwork involved, getting the nickname shifted?
My mother always wanted a ghetto, and, you know...
Well, I don't know what that means.
I don't either, really.
That's what she says, though.
And you just learned to drive?
Yeah, I'm 40 years old.
I just turned 40 last December, and...
And let's not forget Newark, okay?
So, 40-year-old...
Yeah, I never learned how to drive before.
When I was young, you see, when I was 18, 17, it was the 60s, and it was a wild
time.
A lot of drugs, a lot of drinking, a lot of wild sex.
And I knew I could do all of those things, but I couldn't do all of those
things and drive, too.
Probably not a...
Probably a wise choice.
Yeah, so I let everybody else drive, and I was in the backseat doing all of
those things.
And it was a nice existence, but when I got married and I turned 40, I thought,
well, I'll slow down a little.
But I'll just do some of them and drive.
At the time, what a horrible job for somebody to drive you around while you're
doing all that.
That's all right, I didn't get lucky that often anyway, so what's the
difference, you know?
So have you taken driving lessons, or did you do what?
I had a guy who came around, a guy named Al from Taggart's, and that was his
whole name, Al.
Al from where?
Al, Taggart's driving school with the big sign saying, please stay away from
this car and watch out and big bumpers.
There's a guy having sex in the backseat.
Leave us alone.
It was weird to have the driver wheel waiting in the back, but he was great.
He was very calm and cool, and he would just say things like, what?
How many lessons did this take?
Oh, hmm.
Let's see, we started around 1956.
No, it was only about four or five lessons, and he was very good.
He said, don't hit the bus, don't run over the children.
So did you get a license now?
Yeah, I got a license, got my picture on it and everything.
It's got a big red circle with a slash on it.
Well, congratulations, you must be doing something right.
This is the new album here, South Side Johnny, called Slow Dance.
Good to see you.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you very much.
Come back anytime, Johnny.
No question.
Well, we'll be right back here in a little bit.
Well, we'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
We'll be right back here in a little bit.
Are you all right?
The trumpet player, I thought his face was going to explode.
You okay?
You want some Tylenol or something?
My God.
I thought we were going to have to gaffer tape his face.
It looked like it was going to pop.
Geez, you guys sounded great.
Thank you very much.
Are they supposed to be out here?
Are they supposed to stay out here?
Well, they're here now.
We're going to keep them out here.
But they know Johnny left, right?
We haven't told them to Johnny left.
But they can stay.
Well, please stay.
Yeah.
This might be a better gig, you know?
Our next guest.