From The Basement SkyArts (UK TV) w/ Iggy Pop

http://www.tvscoop.tv/2008/12/my_day_in_tv_or.html

A while back, this really cool person I know asked me if I wanted to interview some pop-stars for a TV show. I thought she was joking until it emerged that she actually did work on a TV show. Now, as a TV critic AND a music critic, you're not supposed to talk to these people. They're the enemy, right? Well, I knew this fine lady before I knew what job she did, so I didn't feel too bad in saying 'yeah, I guess'. The show I featured in, called From The Basement (Sky Arts) starts tomorrow and I'd like to tell you all about it... who will feature, what it's like and what it's like to get a camera stuck in your face in the name of entertainment.

Spending a day in TVland is weird and kinda boring. It's a bit like waiting for a filling. You sit around for ages until someone calls your name and then, the real nerves kick in. Instead of getting a man poking around in my mouth with some stainless steel equipment, I had to talk to some famous people, most of who I love, and impress them sufficiently so they'd see me as someone worth talking to.

Now, too many people in the interviewing game ask dumb questions like 'If you could be a biscuit, what kind would you be?' or 'How did you get your band name?' I wanted to find out something new about these people. So instead of taking questions with me, like a proper interviewer, I thought I'd wing it. As such, I got a pretty warm reception from all, especially Mr Iggy Pop who seemed to thrill at the notion of not talking about that time he stabbed himself on stage or whatever.

In between these chats, I got to see how TV works. Boy, is it painstaking. It's a fraction to the left with that light, a slight movement of a drape to help frame the drummer and a lot of drinking coffee. Things take so long because there's 30 or so people on set trying to make things happen. Imagine that. To make 20 minutes of film, you have to make that many people happy first. No wonder people go mental in La La Land.

Sadly, there's no expose. I love to tell you that I saw producers snorting coke from the foreheads of trembling runners and people getting locked in cupboards for a laugh. It seems that my first foray into telly (my second if you don't include a brief appearance on the News at Ten in the journalist throng at a murder press conference) was with some really nice people. Or maybe they kept their debauchery away from 'The Prying Eyes of The Hack'?

So. With that, you can see the show I featured on. It starts at 9pm tomorrow on Sky Arts and is called From The Basement and it's a bit like The Old Grey Whistle Test. Bands playing music with no frills and, most importantly, no Jools Holland on piano. Here's the dates and the bands.

3rd Dec Gnarls Barkley, Sparks, The Kills
10th Dec The Fall, White Denim, My Morning Jacket
17th Dec Iggy and the Stooges, CSS, Terry Callier
24th Dec Radiohead, Andrew Bird, Fleet Foxes
31st Dec The Raconteurs, Band Of Horses, Seasick Steve
7th Jan Queens of the Stone Age, Mercury Rev and Shortwave Set

The shows are apparently repeated 2-3 times in UK on Sky Arts and then will go out on IFC in US in January and February as well as NHK in Japan, Australia and South
Africa. To see if I made the cut, you'll have to tune in.

www.fromthebasement.tv


- sounds really good, akready put it in the personal planner, for tonight, Kills!!! yay!

yeah, i know of this show. i remember they had sonic youth on an episode.

congrats homesick!

it'd be awesome if some one could capture the stooges, or qotsa when ever they air.

i dunno how to capture stuff off tv, i have an external harddrive, a macbook, um a cybershot camera - can i do it with these? lol

ill give it a go, if someone can think of a way!

Bump for ZinZin

I've got a reminder on this Don't know if I'll be able to tape it though I can't believe it though...The Fall, The Stooges, Radiohead, Seasick Steve just: wow.

wow, didnt know seasick steve or radiohead were on, i saw the kills one the other night, was so cool, cant wait for fal and stooges obviousy!! such a cool series

Yeah I missed The Kills and Sparks I was gutted

kills were brilliant, gnarls barkley and sparks sucked

sorry, dont like sparks, cant pin'em down, its like electro-rock-classic rock-classical-vocal-etc-etc

just dont get it, i know they have fans, but im not one of them

but yeh, kills were amazing

BIGGGG BOOOOOOOOY

Lets hope The Stooges performance is as good as The Fall's! They were amazing as always The other bands sadly were...crap.

yeh fall were brilliant!

YES ITS TONIGHT!

I've had a crappy day so I'm needing a real Stooge fix!

I want hear so many things...BUT...I would love to hear one of the songs I've not heard live, "I Got A Right", "Search & Destroy", "Raw Power" or maybe "God Is Dead"

I'm excited. But if they stick to "I Wanna Be Your Dog" (the greaest song ever written) or anything off of "The Stooges" or "Fun House" (two best albums ever made) I won't be complaining!

So yeah...


CAN'T WAIT!

same here!! and had a tough day too!! haha

cant wait, says its iggy but i guess its stooges, and yeh hopefully i got a right, and god is dead would be so sweet!

The set was as follows:

Little Doll
Trollin'
Loose
T.V. Eye

There was no interview and there was way too much footage of two other bands. Both of them were forgettable and only shown because Sky Arts loves obscure bands but nobody would watch them unless bigger acts were also playing, like The Stooges.

Iggy mentioned "God Is Dead" when they were setting up and I heard a bit of Ron's guitar part, just the tiniest of tiny snippets. I'll try to upload the audio of it tomorow.

"T.V. Eye" featured a little monologue about coorporate rock by Iggy just before the "RAM IT"s and was the highlight of the fantastic set. Steve MacKay played saxophone on "Trollin" and it defenetly kicks it up a notch.

I just wish they could have more Stooges stuff rather than constant set interuptions by clips of a Brazilian electro-pop band and an Abba-hippy combo.

Still The Stooges proved their amazingness once again.

that's pretty awesome. it'd be great if it eventually shows up as a dvd some where. the short, but sweet set list is a nice kick in the teeth too.

yeh CSS sucked ass, and other band was no better, and definitly overplayed CSS, dunno what that was about

missed the god is dead thing, really annoyed gunna listen hard for the repeat

yeh set was amazing, highlisht for me is the same, TV Eye amazing!

Its on again tonight/tomorow morning at 12.40am on Sky Arts1 if anybody missed it first time round.

I have recorded the programme on VHS but sadly I don't know how to transfer it I also have audio of "God Is Dead" though in very bad quality as its from my phone's recorder. If anyone wants to have a copy of it though let me know.

saw it again, and saw god is dead! sounded good!

I know it sounded very promising. Can't wait to hear the full version.

hopefully they just let loose - pun intended - on this next album i think there are presurres on 'reformed' bands to make a good album and like 40 years, no one can match that, but hopeufly ppl will -again - have underrated them and theyll come back with a typical stooges FUCK YOU! album!!! and by the sounds of god is dead, fans are in for a treat!