50,000,000 music fans can't go wrong.

It didn't cause major pile-ups in Manhattan, but Elvis's photo on the side of a bus did stop me short and send the pedestrian behind me swerving and grumbling to avoid a collision. It was sensational––not the accident, the photo, that is. It was one of those ultra close ups, Elvis's Buddy Holly glasses filling a quarter of the ad space to promote his show, Spectacle. Whoa. Not only is Elvis no Brad Pitt, but, now, having seen the show, I believe the ad is a bit misleading.

The show, which appears on the Sundance Channel, is not, ultimately, about Elvis Costello. You don't have to like Elvis to like the show; his persona is not the reason this may be, right now, the absolutely best thing on TV. Spectacle transcends our expectations of a celebrity hosted chat show, transcending any of Elvis's and any of his guest's accomplishments, which are not insignificant––I mean, so far he's had Elton John, Lou Reed, Bill Clinton and James Taylor.

  Each week one guest appears for the whole hour, and not because he or she is promoting a new release. They are not there to make Elvis look good, either. They are there because at some point Elvis, the fan, was moved by something they composed, or in the case of President Clinton, was curious about Bill's passion for the saxophone. Elvis wants to know how they do it; he's genuinely into them. You can see him stretching. And if you're an Elvis fan, well, you're probably going to have to stretch, too, because––let's face it, Elton John and James Taylor probably don't come up on your Amazon "also recommends" list.

In turn, Elvis interviews them about their inspirations. And you should hear the way Elton John talks about Laura Nyro, David Ackles and Leon Russell, and how Lou Reed goes on about Doc Pomus and how Pomus came to write "Save the Last Dance For Me." (Pomus got the idea at his wedding reception while watching, from his wheel chair, the happy guests dance with his new bride.) James Taylor is still in awe of George Jones, just as he was when starting out as a young picker in North Carolina––he played a few bars of one of Jones' songs, twang and all, and then played a section of one of his own songs that was clearly indebted to the master. And, without the glint of an agenda, Bill Clinton almost boyishly related the time he met the great Al Hirt.

Now this is cool.

In not being about Elvis, but rather Declan Patrick MacManus, and not being about his big headliners, a selflessness comes through. The title of the show, Spectacle, is ironic (Elvis apparently insisted on it, he being a true Brit and loving his irony.) It's about music that inspires. It's a twist on celebrity endorsements, only the guests come off as real people, humbled before the inspirers, and the people are not endorsing anything or anyone specifically, except the wonders of music. It's the gold standard for promoting, isn't it: to convey one's passion for what one does, give others a sample of greatness––no schmooze, no hype or kitsch––just a sense of a real, dare I say, authentic appreciation for a product.

I'd buy one of those any day. I believe there are 9 more episodes, all of which my Tivo is set to record.