Kanye and Michel and Adam and Jon

Ugh, I posted another video, seemingly without issues, but I've been told it doesn't work for everyone. Regardless, I'll proceed with this post.

All right, I dug up the final video clip that I knew was somewhere in my archives and -- get this -- I edited out all the commercials before uploading it. Look, you even get bonus Michel Gondry awesomeness.

By the way, I love Late Registration, it's one of my favorite Jon Brion collaborations, possibly just behind the Aimee Mann records and the Eternal Sunshine soundtrack, and I feel incredibly lucky that we were there the first time Kanye joined Jon at Largo. If you're listening for Brionisms, this track is a great place to start. The piano is a no-brainer, but those squelchy bass sounds in the background are probably Jon's MicroKorg in action. My favorite song on the record is still "Gone," wherein a Jon Brion track breaks out in the middle of a rap tune -- but I digress.

Back to the video: The Jon Brion content starts around the 13-minute mark, but maybe you'll stick around for the rest of the footage. Enjoy (if YouTube lets you)!



See also:
» i won't be denied
» i want my JBTV

i want my JBTV

Last week, I slid down the YouTube rabbit hole, entranced by an old performance video of Aimee Mann on Jon Stewart's old MTV talk show. Not coincidentally, Jon Brion was in her touring band at the time. I think I watched the video a couple of dozen times in a row, and the song is still in my head. It also moved me to do something about the hours and hours of videos in my archives.

This may or may not surprise you, but I'm a bit of a collector. I once religiously taped (on VHS!) talk shows and music programs for appearances by my favorite artists. Even scarier, I cataloged them to a good extent. (Multiply that by 10, and you'll get an idea of my former bootleg collection.)

I eventually downsized and got rid of all the videotapes, though not before transferring the better segments to DVD. Fast-forward several years, and I finally figured out how to rip the clips and upload them to YouTube. Yay technology! And um, why did it take so long?!

So in lieu of a concert report and to assuage my Largo longings, I'll share three of the choicest recordings with you. Most of my clips are already on YouTube, but I found three worth checking out. Actually, I think two of them have been available (if somewhat buried in search results) for a while, but the first one may be a bona fide rarity. Enjoy! And please feel free to share them with other fans. They deserve to be seen!

Jon Brion, The Late Late Show, "Knock Yourself Out" (Oct. 29, 2004)


Grant-Lee Phillips & Jon Brion, Real Time with Bill Maher, "See America" (March 21, 2003)


Rhett Miller & Jon Brion, Late World with Zach, "Things That Disappear" (May 1, 2002)


See also:
» i'm happy, hope you're happy too
» the heart of rock 'n' roll is still beating
» tell it to the radio