Elvis Costello and Ron Sexsmith are set to make Spectacles of themselves.
British songwriter extraordinaire Costello always has been a big supporter of Canadian songwriter extraordinaire Sexsmith, and Sexsmith will be one of the guests Saturday when Costello’s music/interview series Spectacle resumes its second season on CTV.
Costello and Sexsmith are joined by Sheryl Crow, Neko Case and Jesse Winchester.
“Ron Sexsmith has been loved in many places and rightly has been thought of as one of Canada’s finest songwriters, and probably the world’s finest songwriters, but still is oddly enough not as well known as the quality of his songs should demand,” Costello said. “It’s a complete travesty.
“But here Ron is sharing the stage with somebody like Jesse Winchester, and the penetration of his songs is even more modest than Ron’s, and if anything, is making Ron sound like some operatic tenor in terms of delicacy. Ron is a very poised, beautiful, nuanced singer and here’s somebody (Winchester) who is even more subtle.”
Sexsmith is thankful for the support Costello has provided through the years, dating back to 1995.
“I never expected that,” Sexsmith said. “When my first album came out in North America, it really didn’t do a whole lot. It was people in England like Elvis and Elton (John) who noticed it.
“And Elvis always has been good in terms of giving me advice about things, or if I had a bunch of songs and I was wondering if they were any good, he’d have a listen. He always has been very generous with his time.”
A comfort level with Costello was a calming influence for Sexsmith on Spectacle. Sexsmith admitted he usually gets pretty nervous for TV gigs.
“Once the date (of the taping) arrived, there was that terror I usually feel every time I have to do television, because I’ve really had a lot of bad experiences,” Sexsmith said. “I just don’t like the way I look. I think a lot of people feel the same way when they see themselves.
“But I was really happy to see Sheryl and Neko again, and I think it went well. Elvis seemed to be pretty happy with the way it turned out afterward. And I felt pretty relaxed for a change, so hopefully that will show on television.”
Costello always is intrigued by what transpires when diverse talents such as Sexsmith, Crow, Case and Winchester get together.
“The great advantage of this show is there’s a framework that everybody lends,” Costello said. “Neko’s voice is really strong, and there’s a great contrast in vocal styles with Sheryl Crow, who has these huge hit songs that she now is playing just with an acoustic guitar, stripping them of all the paraphernalia that probably made them get across on the radio.
“The opportunity for those people to come along and lend themselves to that evening, obviously I’m very grateful.”
As the second season of Spectacle continues, guests include Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson, Levon Helm and a two-parter with Bruce Springsteen.
