Bill Clinton Talks About His Sax Life Wednesday At 9 On "Elvis Costello: Spectacle"

Jake Kalish — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:27:00 GMT

Elvis and Bubba in the same room?

We've checked out the first two episodes of Elvis Costello: Spectacle, and it's a show that's clearly still getting its bearings. The good news is Elvis Costello doesn't talk down to anyone; the bad news is he doesn't talk to that many people, either. The first two shows featured Elvis with Elton John and Lou Reed, and felt like when you hear old musicians talk in depth to each other - great appeal, quite honestly, clearly seemed limited to music geeks. Elton went on and on about the now-obscure Leon Russell, while Lou waxed poetic about the mostly-forgotten Jimmy Scott. It wasn't that any of this was bad -- it was that it seemed a little exclusive; too inside baseball for the regular folk.

But that problem may be alleviated by Wednesday's guest, former Saxophonist-in Chief William Jefferson Clinton. Clinton has always been a fantastic talk-show guest, and it'll be interesting to hear him talk music. Maybe getting a non-musician (er, non-professional, anyways!) on for the whole show will free Costello up to let us all into the party.

"Elvis Costello: Spectacle" Premieres Tonight On The Sundance Channel

Jake Kalish — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:35:00 GMT

So just when we were pining for those days before we were born, when serious music shows like The Johnny Cash Show featured serious musicians doing serious songs, all grown-up like, we find out about Elvis Costello: Spectacle, set to premiere tonight at 9 on Sundance (and, if you happen to be across the pond, also on BBC 4). The show, created by Elton John and his partner in love and business, David Furnish, will feature Costello sitting down with guests and talking music after first performing a song written by or inspired by the guest. Here's Sir Elton discussing the concept for the show:

Wouldn’t it be great to do a proper, full-length musical show, because we live in a sound-bite culture. Elvis has experience, he’s got an encyclopedic knowledge of music...He's the one.

No argument here, especially after seeing Costello doing such a stand-up job guest-hosting for Letterman in 2003, and watching him on other shows talking shop in a deeply intelligent, never pretentious or insider-y way. These are Elvis' hopes for the show:

(I want to) hear about a deep love or a curiosity that might be obscured by fame. This is a wonderful opportunity to talk in complete thoughts about music, movies, art or even vaudeville, then frame it with unique and illustrative performances.

Well, doesn't that sound...adult. The first guest Wednesday will be Elton John (How did Elton John book that guy?), followed the 10th by Lou Reed and Julian Schnabel, and then, on the 17th, Bill "Saxophone Collossus" Clinton. We look forward to it.

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Holiday Gift Suggestion #1: "The Johnny Cash Show" On DVD

The Remote Island : Elvis Costello: Spectacle

Bill Clinton Talks About His Sax Life Wednesday At 9 On "Elvis Costello: Spectacle"

"Elvis Costello: Spectacle" Premieres Tonight On The Sundance Channel