To people who know what they are talking about?

Perhaps there will be an electrifying moment in the second season, if there is one. This one sounds too good to miss.

Dylan is a terrible interview.

It took you a long wander through the wilderness, and who knows, you might wander back in again. But here, in this article, you found one of the highest purposes of a media critic; finding something of great beauty that the rest of us didn't see and bringing it to our attention. Thank you.

I have never liked popular music. I can't accept anything that talks about love and takes it seriously, or as anything achievable by mortal beings. I sure don't know much about Elvis Costello or any of his music. But getting these important (and self-important) people to talk seriously about their art, rather than about their sexual orientations or their vacations, is very attractive. I'll have to Tivo this show. And if it's good, I'll thank you again, Ms. Havrilesky.

A lot of people won't understand me praising you after all the criticism I've leveled at you, but they, too, are all obsessed by the personal instead of the professional. Screw them. You did a good job here, Ms. Havrilesky, and I look forward to more great moments from you like this.

The music industry's answer to Inside the Actor's Studio?

It was a pleasure to read Heather Havrilesky’s article, and I give thanks to her. The article reminded me that prose and music are bigger than the writers or performers. The great songs are the ones that allow others to share an experience with the author, where you either get it or you don’t (we yearn to share because it's very lonely out here!). But when you get it, it’s wonderful, as was this article.

Dylan is almost always a terrible interview, but have you read Paul Zollo's book "Songwriters on Songwriting"? Dylan, talking with a songwriter about songwriting is very un-Sphinxlike. A great interview.

I think Dylan would be superb on a format like this.

So the images are boring, pretentious or disturbing, but the interviews and performances themselves are wonderful. Does it work as radio? Can you just not watch the images and listed or do you miss something essential that way?

That make me miss television. I cant wait for the radio version. Is it available online?

...I recommend "Performing Songwriter" magazine (www.performingsongwriter.com) and a book called "Behind the Muse" by Bill DeMain (http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Muse-Greatest-Songwriters-Inspiration/dp/0967597323/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228319132&sr=1-1).

I've read about the show and watched the online clips and it looks interesting but EC will insist on singing. I liked him back in the '70s when his vocals were snarly but I honestly can't stand to listen to him straining anymore. Dylan is usually criticized as a non-singer but every vocal on his new/old Tell Tale Signs is compelling.

when he interviews Laurie Anderson - she's my muse...

I can hardly wait to see this. Too bad it is on cable, but, then I can't afford a conversion box and will soon be without television at all.

When Elvis subbed for Letterman when Dave was recovering from his heart surgery, I was so impressed with Elvis' intelligence and wit and spontaneity. Excited about this show!

...and this series should be, too. Anyone who's followed his career knows of his eclecticism and genuine love for music. (This became clear early on when he released a live version of "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" and proudly announced it was by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Most of us new-wavers thought he was putting us on. Little did we know...) I'm looking forward to this.

Ms. Havrilesky,

It isn't as bad as you make it sound...tickets were free. They were damn hard to get, but they were free. I'm just a regular schlub but I got in to see a taping. But yeah, I didn't get backstage!

Heather, if you can access streaming audio or podcast on your computer, or satellite radio, you CAN join the cool kids club. Randy Bachmann, of Bachmann Turner Overdrive and the Guess Who and his singer wife Denise have a fantastic radio show broadcast on CBC Radio One (AM) on Saturday nights at 7 p.m. Randy plays guitar riffs, explains how songs were created, the artists insprirations, tells the most fantastic intimate stories about the thousands of well known artists he's known, played with, met and talked with, about guitars and gigs, and provides an interesting history of rock music and a timeline of singers and styles. He links his stories to the artists' music, plays their songs and sometimes plays along with them to illustrate style and technique. He explains how he got his start with Burton Cummings in Canada, who inspired him as a kid musician and why, and what famous musicians he invited to Thanksgiving Dinner when he was 11 yrs old just by hanging out at the backstage door. There's no admission to Randy's 'Vinyl Tap,' you and anyone in the world just listen and participate via email or letter, Denise reads the letters, responds to them and does the prodigious research. It's intimate, it's fun and its like you're sitting in his living room and he's talking to you about the history of Rock 'n' Roll. When you listen, you are the kid in 'Almost Famous.'

It's possible that because Diana Krall is a devoted CBC Radio listener, and because she and Elvis have been living in Vancouver for a while and because Randy and Denise broadcast from Vancouver, that Elvis might have got his idea for Spectacle from Randy's radio show, airing across Canada and the world for several years.

Here's the info: Sat night 7 p.m. www.randysvinyltap.ca, click on the Listen Live link, or Sirius Satellite 137.

I enjoyed the show and Elvis & Elton's citing their inspirations for some of the rock's overlooked heroes. It looks like it will be an interesting series.

That being said, I was amused by the twist of fate over their discussion of Leon Russell. They brought up Bonnie Bramlett of Delaney & Bonnie, who Leon played with, and later brought up seeing Ray Charles on stage with Leon.

I wonder if in the many hours of the interview that were not shown, if Elvis flashed on the odd coincidence of Bonnie Bramlett punching him in a bar for calling Ray Charles a "blind, ignorant n****r".

Accidents will happen indeed.