In a comment recently from Helen Bach (if you don’t follow Helen’s comments you miss the best thing about Rock NYC) she claimed she didn’t watch Costello’s talk show “Spectacle” because I didn’t like it.
Not true.
Sometimes I hate it and sometimes I love it. Just this season I raved about the U2 interview and today let me say that while a fairly rotten interviewer (I could ask Costello a thing or two that’d remove that hat from his head), Mary Louise Parker’s talk fwith EC had its interesting moments and for sure it did.
Two stand out.
Costello’s claim that Van Morrison’s album His Band And Street Choir was the template for My Aim Is True. I know both albums like the back of my hand and I have great ears and if there is an equivalent to “Call Me Up In Dreamland” or “Virgo Clowns” on Aim I’d pay cash money if somebody could prove it. EC sure didn’t.
The next moment was when EC played a beautiful “Town Cryer” off Imperial Bedroom on acoustic guitar sitting next to Parker. She closes her eyes as he sings. And if I was Diana Krall I’d seriously consider whether this was borderline adultery.
So, Helen, go watch it with my blessing.