Each night he appeared on The ‘Tonight Show with Johnny Carson’, Doc Severinsen would walk out dawning the most eccentric, loud and gawkish clothing items — all of which he sourced himself.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Where do you get those outfits?
- Oh, this - - You have some little old pervert in the basement somewhere that - (audience laughing) - [Johnny] (elf-like voice) Look what I'm going to make!
(audience laughing) - [Questlove] Doc Severinsen's wardrobe was as vital and important to the show as any guest that was ever on the show.
- [Johnny] Show us your niblets.
- [Ed] Did you see the size of the lapels on that jacket?
Look at the lapel.
- [Questlove] For the banter between Johnny and Ed, it was a staple.
- First I have a gold lame shirt, which everybody must have.
(audience cheering) You got it, kids.
(audience applauding) - No you should try wearing men's clothing sometime.
(audience laughing) - Most band leaders do something in their dress to be a little bit different.
- [Johnny] Salmon pants, right?
(audience laughing) - [Ed] Yeah.
- And they're swimming upstream, I mean.
(audience laughing) (audience cheering and applauding) - And when they get there, they're gonna die.
(audience laughing) - You don't dress in the same clothes as the guys in the band.
- [Johnny] I don't look at Doc's clothes before I come out, and I don't look at them after I come out either.
(audience laughing) - [Doc] I remember walking down Park Avenue, and there was an Italian clothing store, and they had this window full of ties that were just really wild.
(audience cheering) So I went and bought a bunch of them, took them back, and Johnny made a remark.
I thought, 'I'm moving in the right direction here'. - It's the gray fox.
(audience laughing) - [Johnny] Wow!
- No, the silver stallion.
Ha Ha! (audience laughing) Yeah!
(audience cheering and applauding) - [man] You know those coats he wears, they're like Matador coats.
Those things weigh 40 pounds.
- What is that?
- It's your little old band leader under here.
(audience laughing) - You look like one big fungus.
(audience laughing) - [Johnny] That's the worst skin rash I've ever seen, I don't know.
(audience laughing) - [Doc] You realize - you go 'Uh oh, I've created a monster here and I'm going to have to feed the monster'. - I'm being used to keep that peacock sexually stimulated.
(audience laughing) (cheerful big band music) (shrill trumpet sounding) - [Arturo] Everybody loved his outfit.
It go with his personality, you know?
- Do you dig it?
- [Johnny] Yeah - [Ed] That's nice.
- Just give me a set of whips and a tire iron, and I can go any place.
(audience laughing) - You going to go out and have a knife fight tonight?
(audience laughing) - Look at that outfit.
(audience laughing) - No this, this is my Fire Island bowling jacket.
(audience laughing) - [Arturo] Even if I would love to, I don't believe my wife would let me wear those things.
(Arturo laughing) (shrill trumpet sounding) (energetic big band music)