Name: B.B. King on Letterman, February 28, 1985
Uploaded: 2016-04-28T18:26:20.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'B.B. King on Letterman, February 28, 1985' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2016-04-28. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'B.B. King on Letterman, February 28, 1985' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2016-04-28. Transcript available.

My next guest is one of the most respected musicians in the entire world, and
we're always
delighted to have him with us on this show. He is also featured on the
soundtrack of this
new film called Into the Night, and he'll be appearing tomorrow night at
Carnegie Hall.
Please welcome B.B. King.
I walked up with my band, she can't break big feet, long been to think it ain't
had nothing, but she's my baby.
And I love her just the same, and I'm crazy about my baby, cause Caldonia is
her name.
Caldonia! Caldonia! What make your big head so hard?
Caldonia! Caldonia! What make your big head so hard?
We'll be right back.
We'll be right back.
Hello, baby.
Good job.
Nice to see you again.
Have a seat, man.
How are you doing?
I'm very well, thank you.
You sound good.
Are you on tour now?
I get the feeling you're always on tour.
I'm on tour, yes.
How many nights a year are you out working somewhere?
Well, we've been averaging about 300 days a year, but we're cutting down now
about 275.
Oh, yeah.
You're getting lazy is what you're doing.
Now, is this in a trailer?
Are you flying?
How do you do this?
We mostly go by bus, fly when we have to.
Yeah.
You prefer the bus to fly?
I prefer the bus most times.
No kidding.
Why is that?
It's more like home?
Well, it's from point to point.
Usually, if you're flying, you've got to leave the hotel, get a bus, a car or
something, go to the airport.
From there to the next place, another bus, and then to...
But if you own the bus...
Oh, you own the bus.
No, no, no.
That's a whole different deal.
No, no, no.
I didn't mean it that way.
I meant if you get on the bus from your hotel, what I'm trying to say.
And the bus...
Oh, if you're on the bus.
I thought you said if you own the bus.
Whatever.
Well, we do own the bus.
Of course you own the bus.
Have you got anything going to Indianapolis later?
No.
No, not right now.
You know, the times that you've been on the show and when I've seen you perform
in other places,
I notice you sometimes, a lot of times, you close your eyes when you're playing,
when you're singing.
Now, not being a musician, what is that?
Why do you do that?
I can concentrate better like that.
Usually, if I'm looking at the people, maybe listening to you or watching you,
I'll forget the lyrics.
Yeah.
Another thing, though, in my early years, people used to give me a pretty hard
time.
They would boo me and throw things at me.
So, if I got my eyes closed, I don't see it coming.
This sounds...
But that, you know, you say that, and I believe you, but it seems really hard
to fathom that people would be booing you.
Yes.
Now, why were they booing you?
Well, most times, people had preconceived ideas about blues, blues players.
Yeah.
And if they were young, a lot of times, they thought they were all slow and
downhill.
And...
So, you kind of broke the mold for what people thought blues singers ought to
be.
I've tried to.
Yeah.
Do you remember a jingle, the Pepto-Con tonic?
Is that Pepto-Con?
Oh, yeah.
It's Pepto-Con.
You recorded that years ago when you were a kid, huh?
Yes, yes, yes.
Can you sing just a couple of seconds of that?
Would you like a bit of it?
Yeah, just a little bit.
Pepto-Con show is good.
Pepto-Con show is good.
Pepto-Con show is good.
You can get it anywhere in your neighborhood.
Nice job, Bebe.
Have a nice night at Carnegie Hall.
We'll be back with Elaine Bush with them.