Chris Isaak Gets Help From Pumpkins, Stevie Nicks on TV Show

Posted on Feb 26th 2009 12:00PM by David Chiu
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When Chris Isaak debuts his new music television talk show, 'The Chris Isaak Hour,' Thursday night, he will join the ranks of Elvis Costello, another musician who has his own interview program. Could this be the start of a rivalry between dueling musician-hosted talk shows?

"There's room for plenty of music shows on TV," Isaak, 52, tells Spinner. "I think Elvis' show ['Spectacle'] is awesome. You can say he's a genius, and I take care of the other stuff."

'The Chris Isaak Hour,' which premieres on Biography, features the singer interviewing and performing with artists such as Smashing Pumpkins, Stevie Nicks and Glen Campbell. Isaak admits that the idea of doing a talk show scared him at first: "I said, 'What do I know about asking people questions?' It's a different skill, and definitely it is a skill. Not just anybody can do it."

What got him through was the common ground that he shared with the musicians on the program. "I know what people talk about [when] a tour bus breaks down, or they talk about trouble in the band," he says. "I've been through everything they've been through. And I love music so much. I feel like I got to go to rock 'n' roll fantasy camp -- I got to jam with Cat Stevens, Smashing Pumpkins and Glen Campbell all in a couple of weeks. It's pretty awesome."

As far guests he would like to book for future episodes, Isaak mentions Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson and Metallica. "I just went to a Metallica show. They're such nice guys. I'd go back to them and [say], 'You guys are huge. I don't know what this would possibly do for your career, but I would love to have you on the show.'"

Meanwhile, Isaak is also releasing 'Mr. Lucky,' his first new album of original material since 2002. During that hiatus, Isaak was touring, put out a holiday album and a compilation. "It sounds like I've been off to the Bahamas," he explains. "I've been dying to do this for a while and I've been working on it all along. It didn't hurt to have time to write a lot of stuff."

Although 'Mr. Lucky' carries the signature Isaak sound of romantic heartbreak and longing through songs such as 'You Don't Cry Like I Do' and 'Breaking Apart (a duet with Yearwood), its title seems rather ironic. "In a way, it's a good thing," he says, "because people will say, 'Oh, you've had tough times.' I go, 'I have one of the luckiest lives I can think of.' If God comes down and is walking around asking who wants to talk, I'd say, 'Go on to somebody else. I'm taken care of, thanks.'"

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