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American Morning

Showbiz Today Reports: Musician David Yazbek Mixes Song With Comedy

Aired July 26, 2001 - 10:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The legendary screen actress Katherine Hepburn is expected to be released from a Connecticut hospital this weekend, where she was being treated for a urinary tract infection. Although Hepburn's infection had cleared earlier in the week, the 94-year-old has remained hospitalized to help regain her mobility.

One woman who's got plenty of mobility had fans rocking out at New York's Madison Square Garden Wednesday night. Madonna kicked off the first of her five New York shows in style. Our very own Bill Tush will be live in our next "Showbiz Today" report to talk about the Madonna experience.

If you can't get a ticket for the Madonna experience, Broadway's "The Full Monty" promises to be a full-filling experience -- those are the kind of cheap word tricks we use to keep you on your toes. Strangely enough, the man who scored the Tony-nominated musical comedy doesn't even like musicals. He does, however, like making music. His third album was just released in stores.

CNN's Jodi Ross found Yazbek and his band performing in New York.

A warning: The following contains absolutely no nudity.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID YAZBEK, MUSICIAN: The two driving forces in my life have been music and, for some reason, comedy. So what do you get? You get funny songs.

JODI ROSS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Funny songs" is the simple way to define David Yazbek's music. His third album, "Damascus," is filled with something he calls challenging pop.

YAZBEK: It's challenging pop in that it's pop music along the lines not of 'NSYNC or Britney Spears, but more along the lines of the Beatles or pop rock kind of stuff.

ROSS: That stuff, which once was just for devoted fans of the band Yazbek, is now the toast of Broadway.

David composed all the music for the stage production of "The Full Monty," and it earned him a Tony nomination. (on camera): Are you surprised?

YAZBEK: Yes. I'm surprised that any music I've written has appealed to such a large audience. It's not because I look down on my own writing or anything. It's just because I am not used to having a vehicle that automatically means a large audience.

ROSS: But you've successfully merged these two worlds of yours.

YAZBEK: I'm very comfortable in both worlds, and I think that audiences who see "The Full Monty" want to go out and buy "Damascus." The other way around, it's a harder nut to crack.

ROSS (voice-over): Maybe so, but that won't stop him from trying.

Jodi Ross, CNN Entertainment News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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