I could watch a thousand Letterman/Elliot clips. They are always so hilarious together.

@theblade9024

Жыл бұрын

spoofing Shatner who did a dramtic version that was hilarious.

As a child I always thought Chris was a goofy and unskilled actor, even though he made me laugh...as an adult now I realize how talented he really is.

"I miss my wife too" plus eye roll. So funny! I wonder if Shatner has seen this. He must have, right?

How did I miss this episode? Chris channeling Shatner? Genius.

Shatner's Rocket Man is the MOST obtusely brilliant performance ever on television.

@lindabaron4584

2 ай бұрын

Heck yeah!! 😂

Chris has all the charm and magical qualities that one may guess at random 😃

The genius of Chris Elliot...one of the few reasons to own a TV

Like some others here, I also saw Chris' version before seeing Shatner's. When I finally did, Hashtag MindBlown.

@michaelparks6120

Жыл бұрын

Have you seen Shatner do Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds? It's enough to make you question the existence of God or even bigfoot 😉

@theblade9024

Жыл бұрын

spoofing Shatner who did a dramatic version that was hilarious.

So ahead of his time. Chris Elliott was the #1 reason to watch Letterman in the 1980s

@michaelparks6120

Жыл бұрын

You defined hip knowing Chris Elliott in the 80s.

@theblade9024

Жыл бұрын

spoofing Shatner who did a dramatic version that was hilarious.

It was already the 90s, but Paul nailed those mid-70s synthesizer sounds here

Elliot and Letterman. Let's get these two together to do something again.

@adamlytle2615

8 ай бұрын

Cabin Boy 2!

Chris's comfort level on stage in front of an audience has no equal

This song is so powerful, and it really helped me get through that difficult time in my life when my father, a jazz street musician, was brutally murdered by satanic cultists. Thank you for helping me get through those hard times Chris.

@DiodeMom

Жыл бұрын

Which song? Lol

@leebrock4783

Жыл бұрын

Top tier comment. 💯

@ontologicallysteve7765

Жыл бұрын

By Satanic cultists? Holy balls, my friend. That's too oddly specific to be made up. Condolences.

@blueabattoir

6 ай бұрын

This song helps when my herpes flares up. Thank you Mr. Elliot! You truly are a Rocket Man.

@peaceandlove544

Ай бұрын

I am so sorry 😢😢😢

This was really out there at the time and Chris Elliott is a genius. This was so many years after Shatner's one-time performance that most people would have no idea what this is, but it's perfect in every way, not just a random pop-culture reference (again, no reason to expect anyone to get it) but a personal artistic expression, channeling Elliot's own anxieties following the cancellation of his TV series Get A Life by reenacting what Shatner's career was for several years following the cancellation of Star Trek. It's hilarious and deep and real, and the best thing about Family Guy and anyone else imitating the bit is giving more people the chance to find this original parody and appreciate how rich Elliott's work is.

@davidfuller764

8 ай бұрын

Right on! Thanks

@dgodrummer8110

7 ай бұрын

and no internet archive. so most of us had no idea Shatner's version existed.

The day that I see 'Staff Favorite Moments: Writer, Performer, Genius Chris Elliot' on here is the day that my life is complete.

Little piece of trivia. Chris actually did this in front of Elton John way back in 2009 and Elton was so moved he wrote the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" right after that and dedicated it to Chris Elliot. True Story. I saw it online. :-p hehe

the greatest impersonation of shatner ever

Chris Elliot was hilarious, Man under seats was a good bit too.

It's nearly impossible to be able to parody a parody. But that's how good Chris Elliott is.

@chriszozaski5813

Жыл бұрын

And you have to take into account that back in '92, I'm gonna assume that a large percentage of people who saw this had no idea that it was a parody.

@JD_Cool

Жыл бұрын

@@chriszozaski5813 Good point. Pre KZread, the only folks with knowledge of Shatner's shtick were those who saw it live.

@theblade9024

Жыл бұрын

spoofing Shatner who did a dramatic version that was hilarious.

@mulemule

8 ай бұрын

Except Shatner didn't do his as a parody.

@trekkiejunk

8 ай бұрын

"a parody of a parody?" I am not convinced Shatner's interpretation from the 70's was a parody. He did a whole album like that, and still does those types of "raps" onstage.

This was before most people had the internet, so Shatner's performance was a hazy memory for some, a rumor for others, and a traded VHS tape for very few. And people couldn't jus go online to ask wtf they'd just seen. Sheer trust in the material and performance.

Love his self-important attitude, Chris what a talent!

Chris’ comic sense is absolutely hilarious. The whole vanity thing, ego, just cracks me up

I remember when Chris performed in a spoof of an NBC show called "Goddess of Love" when Chris said I am the Goddess of Love,then he belched, and said no really I am the Goddess of Love,chris is hilarious and so is his daughter Abby,she was great on Saturday Night Live

This version of Rocket Man always brought tears to my eyes.🚀

@v4v819

Ай бұрын

Did you see Shatner's

@stardust_memories2260

Ай бұрын

This is good tears, Shatner's were bad tears

The most underappreciated comic ever

Two comic geniuses

This is gold...especially for those that don't get it.....

Dave is Dave he deals with Chris shangenens like a proud parent does with their kids 😊

Best Chris Elliot bit

Chris Elliott on Letterman! For me it couldn’t be better!

The Max Headroom bit made me laugh a lot since this was like 4 years after Max Headroom was relevant, that's a funny thing for Elliott to pretend was going on. I was only a kid back then but I loved his sitcom, he was my favorite comedian because of his Letterman bits.

@Itelkner

3 ай бұрын

Another of Chris's favorite go-to funny-bone ticklers - bring up an old dated reference as if it were a current thing.

Did Chris Elliot actually manage to out-Shatner Shatner? This deserved a lifetime achievement award!

Chris is such a riot

You know, and I'd like to take this opportunity to speak for everyone, including both Sid Caesar and Charlie Callas, Chris Elliott has more natural god given talent in the end of his pinky finger than the entire cast of The Partridge Family has in their entire finger. And I really mean that too.

@Itelkner

3 ай бұрын

It takes one of deep showbiz insight to tie all those analogous threads together.

I have always loved this man.

Chris Elliott is the best comedian of the 80's and 90's.

I saw this when it aired hilarious thanks! The famous Shatner bit.

“I miss my wife too.” Priceless.

That wig Chris is sporting is quite a statement. I've never seen his head vaguely resemble Art Garfunkel more!

Chris Elliott so underrated

Was watching Michael Mann's "Manhunter" from '86 - and all of a sudden, there's Chris Elliot!

What a fancy lad!

I saw Chris Elliot's take on Shatner's years before I saw the original vid. My mind was blown when I finally did. lol.

I forgot how good he was on there

Still waiting to see Chris's masterpiece, "Poolside Ecstasy."

C.E. got that Art Garfunkle thing going.

Chris Elliott, a genius just like his dad.

That blond TJ Hooker wig alone is worth the price of admission.

@Itelkner

3 ай бұрын

Haha... you're right! Good catch. Chris is spoofing Shatner's TJ Hooker-era penchant for wearing "stylish" wigs.

OMG, these guys are hilarious!!

At the time, before internet/KZread, most of us didn't know he was satirizing a bizarre Shatner performance from a 1970's Sci-Fi awards show. Stewie did his own rendition of this same routine on an episode of Family Guy. Look that one up too. All three performance, back to back, are a laugh riot!

Shatner apparently was doing a Sinatra "It's a quarter to 3 and the bar is empty" kind of deal and it was stupefying. I watched it at the time - late '70s - and for the life of me couldn't figure out what was going on. Just knowing that Chris Elliott even knew about it to parody is mind-blowing! But Shatner's honestly was funnier 'cuz he was serious!

I remember this appearance very very well.

"And I'm gonna be.......HIGH!!!!"

Never underestimate the challenge of shopping for quality hair pieces.

Brilliant!

I was thinking this must have been were "Family Guy" got this bit, but then I read the video description- "Respect to William Shatner" and I was like "Oh yeah. I forgot about that."

I still remember “ get a life “… it had some sort of impact on a very young boy. Thanks Chris…

Chris Elliot is so funny that I started laughing looking at the thumbnail.

I'm in the mood to watch Cabin Boy.

I didn’t realize how much of a punchline Shatner’s Rocketman was. So many years of watching Stewie Griffin’s parody I didn’t know this one existed

Genuis to the genius power.

Dave wearing a Malcom X hat!

The difference is that Chris was undoubtedly going for comedy Shatner was clearly doing a dramatic version that was undeniably comical as hell

I made a lot of beer money in college “sharing” my Chris Elliott DVD collections with other fans.

@charlenemack7040

Жыл бұрын

Chris Elliott has been trying to find you for the last 20+ years. He wants his share of the money you doofus! 😂😂😂💰💰💰🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺

Patio Chairs to ya!

It is like a car crash. You just can't look away.

Genius

I love it but I am surprised there was an awareness of the Shatner clip before the internet.

Paul does a mean Elton!

Chris Elliott is King of Trolls!

Get a life is without doubt the greatest show ever made if you don’t have the time to watch it you are going to be a fool and I am just clicking the words that come up when you are messaging 😂

@davidfuller764

8 ай бұрын

❤

I used to get picked on and they would call me the Rocket Man 😂

This was, of course, done in memory of SPEWEY.

i'm sure that most viewers of Letterman in 1992 have not seen the Shatner song from1978 and thought this was original comedic material. back in 1992, when we didn't have the internets, most viewers wouldn't know what Steve Elliott was doing here. unless they were some VHS sharing nerd. i was watching TV back in 1978 but i didn't know about Rocket Man Shatner Karaoke video until the early 2000s, like the rest of us.

Well, I'm glad many people thought he was funny. I sometimes "got" his humor and laughed but most of the time I didn't get it. Lucky for him he had such a megawatt sponsor like Letterman to give him a platform. "The Guy Under the Seats" gag was funny.

👍 & 👌

Hope he sent Shatner a check.

STP Vibes 😂

When that actually aired in 1992, I was 21 and hadn't _seen_ the Shatner "Rocket Man" performance. (Viral videos then were spread by "Your friend has a copy on VHS for some reason and shows it to you.") So I thought Chris Elliott was just being silly.

Actually, X is hug and O is kiss.

That was great😂 Sorry Chris that's a hug hat. A kiss hat would be the circle. Good try though. Love you Dave.

Roc’e Man.

spoofing Shatner who did a dramatic version that was hilarious.

I think Chis's hair deserves some sort of mention asa potential oddity.

Comic genius.

Don't show Musk this clip, he'll probably go after Dave for wearing that hat

Isn’t that the lead singer of the Spin Doctors? 😂 I swear he kind of looks like the guy.

@kevinmc4500

8 ай бұрын

🤣🤣🤣🤣

We're going to take a brief pause right now, and be right back with Christopher Walken. You don't want to miss this one.

I was never on board with Chris Elliot I was more the Larry Bud Melman type.

Way ahead of his time giving Dave the Elon musk X branded baseball cap. It’s like he’s a time travluh or sumptin’.

William Shatner did a version of this.🤣

Been a Elliot fan since he jumped off

Only guy funnier than Dave.

haha

Loved Get A Life.

Just may have topped Shatner’s performance.

I was a pretty regular viewer of LNwDL and have no recollection of this so first, thanks for posting. Second, I went back and reviewed the original. I'm sure I'd seen it at some point in the 45 years since it happened but not recently. I thought Mr Elliot's version was a little over the top what with the multiple Chrises ... and then I rewatched the original - it's completely faithful to The Shat's version. Third ... OMG, did The Shat's "people" really let him do that? In the clip I saw there isn't any context beyond it being some awards show, so I don't know if it was *intended* to out-Chris-Elliot-before-Chris-Elliot or it was intended to be just what it professes to be - The Shat's interpretation of Taupin's lyrics. Which is what Bernie Taupin himself actually says when he introduces the performance.

Chris "Eagleheart" Elliott.

Chris missed this one, HUGE...c'mon...I was hoping for something more...

Chris is one of the truly strange dudes. Funny.