E.A.P.
on the bus.
post show. post shower.
watching the elvis ‘68 comeback special.
‘a glorious mess’… to quote aaron.
he said they shot something like 19 hours of footage.
elvis is an engine.
sweating and karate kicking his way through every song.
i mean, the production value of this is awful….
‘lawrence welk’ meets ‘hair’ meets adam west ‘batman.’
cheesy camera moves, skits, belly dancers, jean tuxedos, ascots,
full on dance numbers…
and the whole time, elvis just digs in and delivers.
smiling, laughing and throwing black leather shapes.
literally every woman in the audience is ready
to devour his sweaty, greasy ass.
they look possessed.
and he just owns all of it.
our friend jessie is riding with us for a few days,
and i have never seen her so transfixed.
she’s just sitting on the couch, quiet and grinning,
eyes pinned to the t.v.
it’s wild.
41 years later, elvis still makes the ladies go all melty melts.
tonight was the second show of o.a.r. tour.
it was great.
nice to be back out with them again after about 5 years.
such good guys.
and it’s real fun to play amphitheaters with the band.
big stages… nice outdoor, summertime sheds.
this is gonna be a good few weeks….
but back to the elvis special…
this must have been a total revolution.
watching this when it was first broadcast in 1968.
people must have FLIPPED THEIR SHIT!
after 30-something mostly unwatchable movies,
and having been out of the performing loop for 7 years…
elvis shows up on everyones TV and decimates.
approachable. and untouchable.
trends are cyclical. we know this.
we have a new britney to replace the old britney
a new n’sync to replace the old n’sync.
bands are constantly being celebrated for ripping
off joy division, springsteen, u2…
and people who sing karaoke on TV, and are lauded as
the next great hope.
but we haven’t seen another frank sinatra.
and we will never see another michael jackson.
and no one, in 4 decades, has ever been able to come within
spitting distance of the king. no one.
elvis is effortless.
no pretension.
i mean, he hams it up for sure….
but he performs and sings with such ease. and confidence.
it’s just an extension of who he is.
pure.
like breathing.
August 8th, 2009 at 2:43 am
wow…you ain’t lyin…elvis melts me years later as i gaze into those audacious blue eyes and listen to his beautiful voice…well said Mr. Nathanson…helluva writer are you…
August 8th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Great show last night in Maryland. So weird seeing you in such a large venue.
August 8th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Wow!
LOL! I love this special–Elvis at his most rambunctious. I’ve watched it a half dozen times with my mother. It’s all her fault I’m an Elvis freak. She listened to him and watched his movies all while she was preggo with me. LOL
I’m so glad I finally get to see you tonight with OAR. My partner in crime backed out on me last minute so I’m going solo, but this little post got me all excited to see you again.
Thanks for the well timed blog post, Matt.
*muah*
Tara Leigh
August 8th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Johnny Cash comes to mind too.
August 8th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
first time i saw you play was at the cleveland amphitheatre with o.a.r! it was baller.
August 8th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
“literally every woman in the audience is ready
to devour his sweaty, greasy ass.”
Lovely.
August 8th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Great post!!
And I’m starting now to throw out a request for “Curve of the Earth” for the Big E in Mass when you’re with Sugarland! Can’t wait!
August 8th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Speak the truth Matt! LMAO.
August 8th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Damn! Wish I could have been at the show last night. Come back to Recher in Towson soon! you don’t have to bring OAR with you
August 8th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Again, you rock my soul. I have to say–those last four lines of your post: “but he performs and sings with such ease and confidence…it’s just an extension of who he is. pure. like breathing”–that is you, also.
Much affection–and hoping to see you in Columbia, MO sometime.
August 8th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
how is it that everytime you write somethint, whether it be a song or a blog post, i feel like i understand exactly what you’re talking about?
i mean, i’ve never been divorced but the first time i heard wedding dress i practically teared up. i’ve never actually seen elvis or watched real footage of him but i found myself nodding along with what you wrote.
-awkward end to awkward ramble-
August 8th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
I love reading your blog- poetic and REAL. Why arent more people real? Authentic? Anyways, are you ever going to come back to South Carolina? i hope so.
August 8th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Hey! I own like 18 of those “unwatchable” Elvis movies. And I love them! I can think of no better way to improve my mood than to fire up a movie where a guitar could come flying in from off-stage at any moment and the lead actor breaks out into song or where the leading man can throw the leading lady over his shoulder and carry her off or over his lap and give her a good spanking. Where, I ask you, will you ever see such things in a new movie today?
August 8th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
If only I had been listening to Elvis instead of Van Halen and Def Leppard from next door!!!!!!
August 8th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
ANd didn’t you LAUGH at my Elvis Christmas albums?????
August 8th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
wow matt, you really are such an honest person. i like your point of you very straight forward. looking forward to see u perform live. cheer!
August 8th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Just wanted to tell you it was great listening to you on Elliot in the Morning on Friday. You are an amazing artist and and all around funny guy. It sounded like you were having a great time - bought your cd today and I love it.
August 8th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
thanks so much for a great show last night in Columbia, MD. 2nd time i saw you this year.
i heart elvis. but i heart you more.
August 9th, 2009 at 2:26 am
you never fail to astound me with your words..all so true on elvis and all else..however, i know that i am one of many ladies that will go ‘melty melts’ for you, Matt Nathanson. you’re beautiful, keep it coming.
August 9th, 2009 at 8:16 am
My daughters and I loved seeing you in Hartford w/OAR. (My daughter made me a big fan of yours as well!) Thanks for coming out and signing autographs - she was thrilled to get her shirt signed. Too bad they had to rush you out of there. Hope you’re not too famous now to come back to the Webster Theatre! Love your music!
August 9th, 2009 at 9:51 am
I really would like to know if you are coming to Oxford, OH or not. I have called the Miami University campus several times and they have no clue. Ticket info says TBA. Please come!
August 9th, 2009 at 10:56 am
And that is why they call him The King.
Was it really five years ago you last toured with O.A.R. ? Seems like yesterday I saw you with them. Your always amazing Matt.
August 9th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
the photo at the side of your blog is Exchange Square in Glasgow, isnt it? I approve
August 9th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I was at the O.A.R show and actually got to meet you which I have told everyone I have talked to including cahiers and my friends parents. I just wanted to say it was a very amazing show. I have to agree with the comment above that it was strange to see you in such a large venue, because after seeing you at the Recher in October it was very different. It was still amazing though and me and my friend probably drove the people around us crazy with our screaming and singing. However getting to meet you was the best part and nearly hyperventatlating when I did was something I did not expect to happen. But great concert!
August 9th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I really enjoy reading your blogs. You’re hilarious and an excellent writer.
August 9th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Awesome show in MD on the 7th. Favorite Matt Nathanson quote of the evening: “It’s like bringing a book to an orgy”.
While I love watching you perform the things you says between songs cracks me up. Can’t wait til the next time I can see you again.
August 9th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
You make a great point. Love the last paragraph
August 10th, 2009 at 12:07 am
I was at the show tonight and I deff. waited in that long ass line to get your autograph…I touched your hand and the rest of the night I felt superior to everyone in the world who had not. Why is that? Your awesome, but saying “hi” dosn’t mean you know me, dosn’t make me a bigger better fan than anyone else….meeting someone you admire is great, but why do we get like that? In any case I had a great time and love my new autographed cd! Can’t wait to see another show!
August 10th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Hey Matt,
Nice Blog, so true about Elvis. I look forward to seeing you in Toronto tomorrow!
August 10th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I can’t decide what it must take to perform like that - it’s either a level of confidence that I can’t even begin to comprehend, or it’s a level of *need* to perform and to express yourself that is even more alien to me. Either way, I envy it. I think we all do. It’s the reason people hover around singers, the reason we all want so *badly* to be part of the show, part of the sing-along, part of the magic.
I have a brother who sings, and it’s absolutely spellbinding to watch him disappear into something he loves so much. He’s kind of taught me, by example, that all you really have to do to touch that is to open your mouth and let your fear fall away. But it seems so hard. Maybe the fear is bigger than the desire?
August 12th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Hey Matt,
Just got back to Rochester you did an awesome job in Toronto.
August 12th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
I love your use of the phrase “melty melts”. I think that describes how we all feel about you quite succinctly as well. haha
August 13th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Hi Matt, it was wonderful seeing you again in Toronto–another awesome performance. Love your stage antics too! Hope you got a chance to enjoy Little Italy on College st.
August 13th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Hey Matt! Your blog entries make my entire day, I swear. Anyway, I was the one that threw those sweatbands up on the stage at the Modesto show on the 2nd and then ran away all awkward and lame. I hope you liked them! Come home soon. SF misses you!
<3 Carly
August 14th, 2009 at 5:15 am
Hey Matt-
Dig yer thoughts on Elvis…sounds like the tour is getting off to a fun start for you. I woke up at like 6:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep… somehow came across this blog of yours. I wanted to drop you a line where you’d actually see it. I Hope all is well on the road.
Do you remember Erica Doyle? She is going to see your show in Augusta, ME. and would love to catch up with you, even if briefly. Maybe you can be on the lookout for her, as far as her FB photo goes, she hasn’t changed much! Do you remember when the 3 of us went to see Tracy Chapman play at Symphony Hall back in ‘88? Funny, we were talking about it the other day…fond mems from such a long time ago.
If you ever need any lap steel session playing(electric) you know where to find me.
Love, Cate
August 14th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
meat loaf comes to mind as well…
August 15th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Hey Matt. We all had a blast at your Augusta concert with Sugarland on Thursday. Trona and aunt Christine were happy, and you definitely made Carolyn and Shelby’s day. Next time you’re performing in either Maine or New Hampshire within the next year, I’ll see if can come. You put on a damn good show!
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:59 am
We’ll have to get you some fried dough with sugar at the Iowa State Fair! :)~
August 22nd, 2009 at 7:50 pm
I, at one point thought Matt resembled Elvis, no laughs, he is super hot though just like Elvis in his prime. Have you seen him dance the way he sings, with his angelic voice moves and plays the guitar is just as much, in my opinion, in the flow as Elvis ever was. Call me “possessed” but I am a believer! okay late night too much to drink…lose liped and I’ll piss myself if he ever read this. . .
regardless
Does anyone know how to get tickets to west springfield with Sugarland on Oct 2?
Thanks
August 22nd, 2009 at 7:57 pm
sorry loose lipped spelled wrong above blame it on the drinky I’ll keep my yapper shut and smile
Ps
Does anyone know if he is playing any other shows in New England around that show?
Thanks Again!
August 25th, 2009 at 11:30 am
We will never again heed another Jimi Hendrix, another Led Zeppelin, anoter Janis Joplin. The likes of Jim Morrison, Ian Curtis (Joy Division), Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday, and Bing Crosby have been lost upon this generation and decimated in the music industries’ search for the next “big thing”. What happened to the FREE LOVE of woodstock? What happened to music being so pure and great that all of america stopped to listen? We have shaped music into being a over processed, shallow, and greedy thing. Music today is about sex, drugs, money, or the lack of these things. To me, and hopefully others, music should show the sweet, sorrowful, rhapsody of life. With lyrics or without, music should mean something more than what it does today.
While I wasn’t alive for any of these great artists, I can look back and appreciate what they’ve done for me, what they’ve done for music. Let us not forget how to be free, and how music can accomplish that for us. If we all conform to the same music, the same SOUNDS, we allow ourselves to conform to about everything else.
August 30th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Matt
It is so wonderful to hear you on the radio! I have been enjoying your music since the begging - Pitzer…. Now my boys are enjoying it. It is wonderful to hear you share it with the world. Keep up the good work!
August 30th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Oh I type too fast..from the begining!! Lol
September 1st, 2009 at 7:22 am
Thank you for sharing and opening up your thoughts. You have a way of being poetic with everything you write. Elvis is awesome!Graceland is a great place to visit! Thank you again for your great blog.