David Letterman to musicians: ‘Are those your drums?’

Most of David Letterman’s jokes come and go in moments and feature set-ups, punchlines and guffaws. He’s quick-witted and thrives on snappy comebacks.

But the late night host understands the nuance that comes with longer-form jokes too, those that take months and years to become apparent, as evidenced by the funny new super-cut of Letterman making conversation with bands after their performances.

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Specifically, Letterman’s been asking one key question of drummers over the years: “Are those your drums?” He asks it of superstars and one-hit-wonders, and though taken separately, each query seems innocent enough, when aggregated the humor arrives.

Toss in other musicianly wonders over the years -- what’s the difference between a French horn and an English horn, for example -- and the result is a clip on its way to going viral.

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