Talk a Little, Sing a Little

I’ve seen two “talk” shows recently that put a similar slant on the format: The Chris Isaak Hour on the Biography channel and Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… on the Sundance channel. In both shows the host spends an hour talking with a single guest with musical performances mixed in. Spectacle has a live audience; Chris Isaak does not, but they often mix in stock footage of an audience that looks straight out of the 1950s applauding at the end of songs.

I’ve seen recent episodes of Spectacle with Smokey Robinson, James Taylor, and Tony Bennett. And I’ve seen Chris Isaak with Stevie Nicks, Glen Campbell, and Yusuf Islam. All of those are artists I find interesting and entertaining and both hosts do a fair job with the interviews.