The ‘other’ Elvis takes the talk-show route
In 1977, a young British singer/songwriter with a rebellious streak made his first appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” Elvis Costello decided to perform “Radio Radio,” a tune that had not been cleared with the producers and took aim at their cousins in the commercial radio industry.
“I was thrown off the air,” Costello says. “I thought I’d never work on American television again.”
Twelve years passed before Costello’s next “SNL” gig. But in April, he returned again to NBC Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, this time as the host of his own program – “Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…” – which runs on the Sundance Channel. He taped a few shows there before NBC’s Summer Olympics schedule made it necessary to move to Harlem’s Apollo Theater.
“It’s one of the great theaters in the world,” says Costello, 54. It’s also an appropriate setting for a series that emphasizes live music and allows musicians to speak at length about their own sources of inspiration. Those musicians include Elton John, the show’s co-executive producer (with partner David Furnish) and first guest; Tony Bennett; Smokey Robinson; and Diana Krall, Costello’s wife.
“I set out knowing that I wasn’t going to be looking for dark secrets,” Costello says. “The tone would be more celebratory, with people looking outside themselves to the music they love. So you have Lou Reed enthusing about Jimmy Scott, or James Taylor doing an impersonation of George Jones – a very good one, actually.”
The performances also distinguish “Spectacle” from other talk shows. Costello begins by musically acknowledging his guests; before introducing the reunited Police, for instance, he offers a piquant acoustic reading of “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” Rather than merely plugging their projects, artists perform an eclectic array of material, often collaborating with their host and other musicians.
The hour-long shows are each culled from about “three hours, with 45 minutes of music,” Costello says. “How do you get those magic moments if you don’t go a bit long?”
“Spectacle” is not just a forum for pop and rock stars. Leading operatic soprano Renee Fleming will be the featured guest Jan. 28; on Dec. 17, Bill Clinton is the man of the hour.
“I know that your staff in the White House nicknamed you Elvis,” Costello tells the former president. “So I have to ask you, who do you think is the real King – is it you, him or me?”
TV insiders took notice of Costello’s skills as an interviewer and raconteur when the singer filled in for David Letterman briefly back in 2003. Music critic J.D. Considine isn’t surprised that the singer would strike them as a natural. “He’s smart and cosmopolitan, and comfortable enough with celebrity not to be awed by it.”
The birthday bunch
Actor Eli Wallach is 93. Actress Ellen Burstyn is 76. Singer Tom Waits is 59. Actress Priscilla Barnes (“Three’s Company”) is 53. Bassist Tim Butler of Psychedelic Furs is 50. Actor C. Thomas Howell is 42. Singer Nicole Appleton of All Saints is 33. Actress Shiri Appleby (“Roswell”) is 30. Singer Sara Bareilles is 29. Singer Aaron Carter is 21.