For the Love of God, Harry, Just Give Us Your Songs Next Time

There are few areas where one would think Imus capable of inspiring a musical genius like Harry Connick, Jr. But Connick, whose latest album is In Concert on Broadway, revealed today that he has been mimicking the I-Man in a most unexpected of ways.
 
“266 days,” Connick said, referring to his own exercise streak, which pales in comparison to Imus’s 1,096 days, but is still impressive. “Every single day. I swing a lot of kettle bells, I do cardio, a lot of functional training.”
 
Besides, he figured if Imus works out everyday, pretty much anybody can.
 
Connick only visits us when he has something to promote, a fact that audibly irritated Imus, who recalled that the last time Connick stopped by, he had offered him a copy of the original Imus Ranch Record.
 
Instead of accepting the gift like any decent human would have, Connick instead inscribed on the album cover, “There is zero chance that I will listen to this piece of sh-t,” and promptly handed it back to Imus.
 
Interestingly, Connick is working on a movie now with one of the featured artists on The Imus Ranch Record, Willie Nelson. “What an amazing guy,” Connick said emphatically. “He’s a great musician. A legendary musician. And just the coolest guy.”
 
Then, showing how cool he’s not, Imus expressed his dismay over Connick listing his five favorite songs as any track from In Concert on Broadway. “What if my favorite songs are my songs?” Connick shot back. “Does that imply that I’m full of conceit?”
 
But Connick was eager to make amends with Imus. “I actually really love this show,” he said. In fact, just last night Connick told some friends how talented he thinks Imus is because he doesn’t pre-interview guests. “That requires a huge amount of talent.”
 
Confused, Imus said, “We don’t do pre-interviews?”
 
Besides his new album, Connick is also promoting his return to Broadway later this year in a new production of “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.” Instead of talking about that, however, Imus shared with his guest every show he’s seen in the last year, including Million Dollar Quartet, where one of the cast members plays the piano backwards.
 
Asked if he could do the same, Connick hung his head and said, “Probably not.”
 
Though it runs contrary to his taste, Imus appreciates Connick’s musical ability. He noted that the songs on In Concert on Broadway were not irritating, and likened Connick’s body of work to a Jackson Pollack painting. “You don’t have to understand it,” he said. “It just looks good.”
 
Which made Connick feel so great that he shared with Imus one of his five favorite songs: “Bye, Bye Love,” by Ray Charles. He’s also a big fan of Queen, and wondered if Imus had ever met Freddie Mercury.
 
Immediately defensive, Imus replied, “Why? What are you saying?”
 
Oh, nothing.
 
-Julie Kanfer