Paul Shaffer: He could have been George Costanza

David Letterman's longtime bandleader Paul Shaffer has written a memoir. Titled We'll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin' Show-biz Saga, the book will be published by Random House on Oct. 13.

Here's the publisher's blurb about the book:
"How does a kid go from a remote Canadian town at the tip of Lake Superior to the bright lights of Broadway and a gig leading the band on 'Letterman'? This book is Paul Shaffer's answer to that question. From playing seedy strip joints in Toronto, to his first legitimate job out of college -- which found him working with future stars (and friends) Gilda Radner, Martin Short, and Eugene Levy -- to being first musical director of the nascent 'Saturday Night Live' and helping to form the Blues Brothers, to being onstage every night with Dave and playing with the greatest musicians of our time, Shaffer has lived the ultimate showbiz life.

"Now, in this hilarious, entertaining, and candid memoir -- in which he dishes on everyone from John Belushi and Jerry Lewis to Mel Gibson and Britney Spears -- Paul gives us the full behind-the-scenes story of his life, from banging out pop tunes on the piano at the age of twelve to leading the band every night at the Sullivan Theater."

The New York Daily News offers one yummy tidbit. Shaffer "reveals he was offered the role of George Costanza before it went to Jason Alexander. Seinfeld handpicked Shaffer for the role and told him, 'There’s no audition ... You’ve got the part. Just call us back!'

"Shaffer never responded -- the music man says he was too busy to accept the role."

The book was written with David Ritz, who has collaborated with a wide range of music-biz celebs, including Don Rickles, Etta James, Priscilla Presley, Ray Charles, B.B. King and Grandmaster Flash.