As we all binge watch TV and YouTube, I came across this great clip of Elvis Costello interviewing fmr. President Bill Clinton before a relatively small crowd in Arkansas. What makes the clip interesting is that the subject matter is largely confined to music. Whatever you think of his policies, Clinton is bright enough to sit down on such terms with Elvis Costello. And Elvis Costello? He comes across as better prepared and a more interesting presidential interviewer than most. Plus, we get two or so great Costello live performances interspersed in the clip.
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This seems to have been part of a larger Elvis Costello project, and there are other clips available on YouTube. For those who love the peculiar brilliance of Costello’s voice — and how he can make the notion of a “cover song” both hysterical and yet also an improvement — I give you his cover of U2’s “Mysterious Ways”:
And, what the hell, let’s include a throw-back to Costello’s original brilliance:
Btw, side joke that I think Elvis Costello has probably laughed at too. David Lee Roth: “Music critics like Elvis Costello because music critics look like Elvis Costello.”