Bob-Dubery Spectacle is a chat show. Elvis Costello is the host. It's a blast! Costello is a perceptive, intelligent interviewer who a) has a deep knowledge of the history of popular music b) knows when to shut up and let the guest talk. This is a 5 disc set. 35 quid from Amazon UK. I reckon it's a bargain - there's 650 minutes. Elvis also has his own band with him, padded out with guest players - notably Allen Toussaint and James Burton - but the real magic is the way the gets his guests to sit down and talk about how and why they did what they did, what moved them and inspired them, and to just be people talking about something that they love rather than being A STAR. I haven't watched all of it yet. See above - there's a lot. I have been surprised and delighted by what I've seen so far. The very first episode has Elton John as the guest. He tells stories of being an office boy in a publishing house at age 16; bemoans the death of songwriting as a profession; tears into the modern broadcast media for ignoring strong songwriting talents like Ron Sexsmith and Rufus Wainwright; talks about how his playing style was influenced by Leon Russell; then takes some of his early songs and breaks them down showing us a bit of Leon Russell HERE and a passage influenced by Laura Nyro there. This is magical. Lou Reed talks about his songwriting and early musical influences. They surprised me. Doc Pomus turns out to be Lou's main man. He's a doo wop fan, loves jazz singers like Little Jimmy Scott (and has worked with them). It's a musical chat show, musicians talking about music. Elvis pushes the boundaries a little bit with Bill Clinton (well... he plays the sax, and had aspirations towards a career in music) and they end up talking for a while about Richard Nixon (apparently a very fine pianist, and this suggests that the shows are not scripted). Some marvellous performances as well, including Elvis and his band doing "Border Song" and reminding us how good those old Elton John/Bernie Taupin numbers were, playing with the police and segueing "Roxanne" into "Watching The Detectives". So much more to come - Tony Bennet, Jakob Dylan, Norah Jones, Kris Kristofferson.
AlanRatcliffe Stratisfear wrote Wow. Thanks for letting us know about this! +1. I've seen a few clips on YouTube, which I thouroughly enjoyed. Didn't think to check see if a DVD was available. Must... buy...
Bob-Dubery The interview with Bill Clinton is fascinating. They talk about why politics is like jazz but not like classical, how music can bring solace, why there should be more spending on musical education in schools.... that program finishes with the debut of a piece by Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny. Clinton is visibly thrilled at getting to meet James Burton.
