I have no particular recollection of noticing many comments or articles here about this show. Hence, I’m interested in your experience of it. I recall buying season one on DVD and pretty much rushing home to watch it thinking that I was in for a treat and a feast. I expected insightful interviews with an interesting array of people.
It certainly is an interesting array of people and season two, which is available now on YouTube, continues in that vein. However, to my surprise, Elvis is a terrible host and a bad interviewer. He reminds me a little of James Lipton who had the job of hosting Inside the Actors’ Studio. Great guests, but Lipton could make you squirm as he leaned into his guests attempting to oil his way into their affections.
Costello seems not to know how to actually ask a question. This is a problem that I see in the vast majority of interviewers, even professional ones, so I’m not that surprised to see it in an amateur. Costello is not a professional journalist and it shows. Instead, he’s egotistical, determined to show that he is the star here and everybody else is a guest. This seems somehow self evident but it’s not the best way of running a good show. It’s the best way of ruining a good show. It’s a habit that bedevilled Michael Parkinson for the last 10 years of his run as his stuttered and stammered his way through every interview making sure that he interrupted everybody and often himself as well.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Costello doesn’t understand humility. He seems to think that humility is about offering the most ludicrous display of brown nosing hoping that he will receive the same in return which he often does. Interestingly, the most compelling displays are usually from the most humble of the performers, with Jesse Winchester being the standout.
The double episode in season two with Bruce Springsteen is in someway is the low point. Desperate to show that he and Bruce are now mates, they completely mangle Pretty Woman.
Elvis attempts to tell anecdotes that are not able to be followed by anybody including Springsteen and so he is forced to laugh and say “yeah yeah” a lot.
The real horror of the whole thing is when Costello reflects on Patti Scialfa and offers that she is a great singer-songwriter. Of course she is, and what is Springsteen to say about it precisely? How about you ask a question?
Live performances are sometimes good but sometimes pretty surprisingly shoddy. Again, Elvis is often the culprit as he oversings with any real feeling now seemingly beyond him.
How many others have seen this particular spectacle? I’m sure that there are plenty who feel quite differently about the show but I would be very interested to know your responses. Of course the show has been discontinued and all of this is some years ago now but nonetheless it exists out there so I thought let’s have a chat about it.
I loved Elvis up to and including ‘Spike’ but gradually lost interest in his records after that although I have seen him live a few times and, to his credit, he does deliver a good ‘spectacle’. In terms of this TV programme I’ve only seen clips but my guess is that, however bad he is as a rock-star-turned-chat-show-host he surely can’t have been as truly cringe worthy as poor old Marc Bolan.
Maybe he isn’t a great interviewer, but it is worth it for the music. I remember a great slow version of “everyday I write the book” with Ron Sexmith. I think there was also performance from Jesse Winchester that brought tears.
Sorry but have to disagree with you. Haven’t seen all of the 2 seasons but seen most of them. The Bruce episode was a highlight for me.
Lacking humility is so far off beam. Take a look at his heartfelt eulogy to John Prine and his article on Linda Ronstadt – the guy is incredibly humble.
Agree Steve, Elvis was humble. His questions were good as was the show.
I did ask for your viewpoint so fair enough but I’m intrigued. I’d love to see some examples of these ‘good’ questions. A good question defined as:
1. Clearly phrased with little chance of the question being lost amongst the rambling
2. Open enough that would enable the subject to stand a fair chance of being able to answer it
3. Just to clarify – it is actually a question that is not an opportunity for EC to pontificate
Just an impression having etched the show some time ago. I have no intention of trawling through you tube episodes to find questions in support of my statement.
Strangely enough I watched the live at the Apollo episode only last night, with Allen Toussaint, Basher, Levon Helm and Richard Thompson. Could have done without all the conversations – I do find EC rather an awkward interviewer, though. He overdoes the fanboy bit, although all the musos seemed faintly amused as he blithered on. And the audience’s ritual clapping whenever a song was mentioned was annoying. But the music was terrific – nothing better than top-hole musos taking pleasure in each other’s company. And I could listen to Allen Toussaint knocking off little party pieces all day.
Yes – that particular episode is tragic. All that time with those great musicians sitting on stage while Elvis just talks nonsense. The Nick Lowe conversation is so awkward and with Allen Tousaint EC says “ I don’t want to do all the talking”. If only that were true.
Yeah, I don’t think you’d watch the shows for the interviews, rather for the music. They’re reminiscent of Jools Holland’s technique, which is not designed to be rigorously investigative, but rather is to put the musician at ease. To that end, they work a treat.
Elvis himself never really bothered me at all although I have never liked his singing voice…the music generally was just so good…I always wondered why it was cancelled. It was and is so rare to see such quality performers on prime time TV. John Prine, Ron Sexsmith, Kris Kristofferson were all so very good. The Springsteen and U2 episodes were the only ones I could do without to be honest. To each his own I guess.
I only saw them when Ovation was the channel hosting them. I have to say I enjoyed them, if only because of the lack of credible music shows of that ilk on US TV.
I have only positive memories of this show. I watched them all and seem to remember enjoying them. I even bought Jesse Winchetser’s ‘Love Filling Station’ album after his appearance on the show.
That Jesse Winchester appearance is one of the most genuinely moving renditions of a song that I’ve ever seen. Genuine lump in the throat stuff.
Neko Case’s tears says it all…I also bought the album after watching that episode, I’m sure many more did!
beautiful
Elvis appeared on a , quite good, tribute album when it looked like curtains for Jesse – unbeknownst to JW, as I recall. He fought back and it looked a bit awkward for the disc but, alas, the Big C got him in due course.
I’m a huge David Ackles fan, but 47 years after his last album, and 21 years after his death, the great singer-songwriter seems almost forgotten.
When Costello had Elton John on as a guest on Spectacle, they finished with a duet. They could’ve gone with any one of a thousand songs, but they closed with a version of “Down River”, by David Ackles. So thumbs-up to Elvis and Elt.
Elt was always going to appear as a guest. He was an executive producer on the show.
I used to love American Gothic back in the day – listening to it for the first time in probably 30 years. Ironically, it was probably Elt who did for him – the Brecht/Weill artiness didn’t stand a chance up against the likes of Tiny Dancer and Rocket Man.
American Gothic is a fabulous album. Huge in scope and pretty unique in the singer songwriter sphere. The closing Montana Song is just an epic piece of music and all written by him including the amazing Aaron Copland style orchestrations.