Bachmann asks NBC to apologize for the Roots' dig

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann asked for an apology from NBC on Wednesday after the Roots, the house band on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, played the song "Lyin' Ass B-" as she went on the show Monday night.

Although the lyrics were not heard, the Philadelphia band's drummer, Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, challenged his Twitter followers to figure out the title of the song, originally recorded by the California ska-punk band Fishbone.

Many did, including one who gave Thompson "huge ups . . . perfect entry song for her!" By Tuesday, however, negative reaction rolled in.

Rep. Nita Lowey (D., N.Y.) said: "I do not share Michele Bachmann's politics, but she deserves to be treated with respect. No female politician - and no woman - should be subjected to sexist and offensive innuendo like she was last night."

Fallon tried to defuse the brouhaha, first tweeting that "@Questlove is grounded," and, later: "I'm honored that @MicheleBachmann was on our show and I'm sorry about the intro mess. I really hope she comes back."

On Tuesday, Thompson, who has a picture of himself with President Obama on his Twitter feed, apologized: "The performance was a tongue-in-cheek and spur of the moment decision," he said. "The show was not aware of it and I feel bad if her feelings were hurt. That was not my intention."

Wednesday, the morning after a GOP debate, Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman, went on the Fox News Channel show America's Newsroom and said she had not been aware of the song at the time. "I am hoping to be able to speak to Jimmy Fallon today. I don't have anything against Jimmy Fallon. I love him; he's a kick. It was a great opportunity to be on the show. I'd love to go back again."

But she said if it had happened to Michelle Obama, "I have no doubt that NBC would have apologized to her and likely they could have fired the drummer, at least suspended him." That did not happen, she said, and "this is clearly a form of bias on the part of the Hollywood entertainment elite, but it's also, I think, it's sexism as well."

When guests come on the Fallon show, the Roots, whose new album, Undun, is due out Dec. 6, greet them with walk-on music that's often subtle and usually witty. For Larry King, it was Roger Miller's "King of the Road." For Kourtney and Khloé Kardashian, it was Meatloaf's "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad."

Contact music critic Dan DeLuca at 215-854-5628, deluca@phillynews.com, or @delucadan on Twitter.

Read his blog, "In the Mix,"