A musical history of "The Colbert Report"

People will best remember "The Report" for its satire. But the music on the show was actually just as good

Published December 10, 2014 9:35PM (EST)

"The Colbert Report" will be remembered (and sorely missed) for its razor-sharp political satire. However, this amalgamation of news, politics and comedy was not the only things that Colbert and his team executed well. While musical guests that graced "The Report" could be viewed as an afterthought, they should not be overlooked in an appraisal of what made the Comedy Central show so great. Over nine seasons, Stephen Colbert highlighted some outstanding musical talent on his show -- from St. Vincent to Philip Glass. Below are some of our favorites:

Neil Young:

St. Vincent:

R.E.M.:

Philip Glass:

Philip Glass provided the background for a Colbert performance art piece.

Paul Simon:

Though the performance exclusive was unavailable, this clip is worth it just for Colbert nearly cracking up during the interview.

Vampire Weeknend vs. The Black Keys:

Colbert makes Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig and The Black Keys (who appeared multiple times on "The Report" fight for a Grammy:

The National:

The Postal Service


By Sarah Gray

Sarah Gray is an assistant editor at Salon, focusing on innovation. Follow @sarahhhgray or email sgray@salon.com.

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Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Colbert Countdown St. Vincent Stephen Colbert The Black Keys The Colbert Report The National Video