Tonight's Musical Guest, Today
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Nirvana on Saturday Night Live. Warren Zevon on David Letterman. Sometimes, late-night TV musical performances live on forever. Most don’t. But we still want to talk about them.
Each week on “Tonight’s Musical Guest, Today”, long-time friends Alex Beaton and Jon Hillman dive in on the music and cultural memory of a band through the arc of their late-night TV performances. Watch along with Alex and Jon as they examine and react to these musical history moments preserved in the amber of time alongside two celebrity guests and a talk show host.
From Conan to Colbert, Letterman to Leno, or SNL to MadTV, there is no shortage of iconic late-night musical moments. And no end to the ones you don’t remember.
Tonight's Musical Guest, Today
Nirvana with Rory Phillips
We're talking about a band important enough that we use them in our show description. It's NIRVANA week!
One of the pod's musical heroes is here to talk about his own musical hero. Musician and producer Rory Phillips (The Impossibles, The Stereo) joins the show to talk about his own Nirvana superfandom and what it was like growing up as a budding musician in the era of Nevermind. Alex and Jon try to not make Rory feel too weird about their own love for The Impossibles before jumping into Nirvana's amazing late night TV career arc, including iconic performances on SNL and the MTV VMAs. Plus the debut of SKANK, DANK, OR TANK?
Want to watch along with us? Check out the links below for the performances discussed this week!
Smells Like Teen Spirit, 11/8/91 on The Word UK
Full Set, 1/10/92 at the MTV Studios
Smells Like Teen Spirit/Territorial Pissings, 11/11/92 on Saturday Night Live
Lithium, 9/9/92 on the MTV Video Music Awards
Heart Shaped Box/Rape Me, 9/25/93 on Saturday Night Live
Serve the Servants, 2/27/94 on Tunnel (Italy)