Questlove And The Roots: How A Hip-Hop Band Conquered Late Night
Smart move. Because it turns out The Roots have an unexpected talent for creating great moments on camera that become viral videos.
They reinvented Robin Thicke's sexy, controversial hit "Blurred Lines" with kiddie instruments. And slow jammed the news with the leader of the free world.
And when Jimmy Fallon moved up from Late Night to take over The Tonight Show in February, music remained at the center of the action.
"For starters, Jimmy is a musician ... he's a legitimate singer and guitarist," Questlove says. "This show is really a variety show disguised as a talk show."
As we're hanging out in the band's tiny rehearsal studio, one of the show's writers stops by to ask for some on-the-spot creativity. In a couple of days, Will Ferrell will be a guest of the show. So will his lookalike: Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
They want to have a drum battle. But Ferrell doesn't really play drums.
So the writer has a simple request: Could Questlove to work up a simple drum solo Will Ferrell can pretend to play on camera?
First, Questlove looks up a few drum solos on YouTube for inspiration. He sifts through clips of virtuoso solos — way too complicated for Ferrell to attempt — and even looks at a bit of his duet with Portlandia star and Saturday Night Live alum Fred Armisen, who actually plays drums.
Then Questlove sits behind a small kit in a cramped room packed with posters, DVDs, memorabilia and even a stray Grammy award. He reaches behind his back, pulls out a snare drum from among a half dozen sitting on the floor behind him, and tries out ideas.
The result, which finally airs on The Tonight Show two days later, makes Will Ferrell sound like Buddy Rich.