Bruce sang that there were “57 channels and nothing on.” Back then, he wasn’t far off. But the good folks at Comcast have found a way to trump that by nearly ten-fold. Then, when the despair reached its zenith, on popped “Spectacle.” Debuting on the Sundance channel, Spectacle features Elvis Costello talking/singing/playing music with some iconic folks. The premiere, to my absolute delight, featured Elton John.
Talking to Elton, it’s easy to go down the same tired road: the gay stuff, the costumes, the greatest hits. Hell, I’ve done it. Anyway … Spectacle, to its well-deserved credit, dug deeper and explored the often under-appreciated genius that inspired (in this case) Elton.
Here’re a couple names that were discussed, how many have you either not heard of, or simply don’t know much about: Laura Nyro, Billy Stewart, Major Lance, David Ackles. Each of these (Laura Nyro especially) were absolute influences on the music that Elton produced. But in the myriad of interviews, biographies, and documentaries, their names don’t come up. And the reverence, in just speaking their names, which Elton and Elvis displayed was amazing. They weren’t name-dropping or reciting tired stories we all knew.
So what? Why do old guys chattering about the good ol’ days matter? Because their experience is precisely what’s missing from musicians today. Elvis and Elton worked their asses off. And the respect they show is surprisingly missing from a lot of what’s out there today. There’s almost a reverance in hearing Elton talk about Leon Russell.
Quite simply, it made me love music more than I already do. Watch the show, learn something, and just soak it all in. You won’t regret it.
