Yo-Yo Ma was a guest on the Steven Colbert Late Night Show a few weeks ago. I expected a mostly-serious world-class professional musician and a so-so interview, but he was surprisingly entertaining and funny. At one point during the interview, Ted and I burst out laughing.

Stephen: Is music funny?

Yo-Yo Ma. Of course. Every time I make a mistake, it’s funny.

Stephen: Are there any composers who are funny?

Yo-Yo Ma: Oh, yes. Haydn is funny. And Seiken is funny. Haydn and Seiken.

(Insert laughter here.)

I had to look up Seiken, because I’ve never heard of him. In case you’re wondering, Seiken is the artist name of Sergio Pérez Sànchez, a Madrid-based music producer and DJ. One website described him as a “restless, eclectic and multifaceted electronic music producer” so, yes, maybe funny.

After the interview, Yo-Yo Ma performed a medley of Bach’s Prelude from the 1st Cello Suite and his (Yo-Yo Ma’s) adaptation of “Over the Rainbow.” We didn’t hear any mistakes, so not funny–just amazing and beautiful to hear.