Ear on TV: Week of 04.27.09 - The Decemberists

It was nearly three years ago that The Colbert Report put the Decemberists on notice for coat-tailing on Colbert's green screen challenge. The resulting mock feud led to one of the more entertaining half-hours in the short history of the show, with a 'ShredDown' duel between Colbert and Decemberist guitarist Chris Funk. With some controversy, Colbert declared himself, and his stand-in Peter Frampton, the victor. As such, when The Decemberists return on Monday to the scene of the (perfect) crime, they might enact some revenge while also promoting their latest album, Hazards of Love.

It's all in good fun, of course, and it's good thing that Colin Meloy and co. don't take themselves too seriously, given that their latest finds their theatrics knee deep in a prog-folk-rock opera. And considering three of the four identifiers in that genre (that I just made up) would/should made The Colbert Report's Threat Down list, is it any wonder that The Decemberists are Stephen Colbert's musical nemesis?

For those that missed, forgotten, or just want to relive "Rock and Awe: The Countdown to Guitarmageddon" from the last Decemberists/Colbert showdown, here's the 'controversial' hand off from Colbert to Frampton, featuring Henry Kissinger and a 5-necked guitar (borrowed from Cheap Trick's NickRick Nielsen:



Meanwhile, I don't much know what to make of this Asher Roth phenomenon, other than it seems like the inevitable step in the suburbanization of hip-hop. He performs his ode to beer pong and weed, "I Love College", on Kimmel Wednesday, which served as a theme for Spring Break '09. Roth's album Asleep in the Bread Aisle is reminiscent of the party rap of the late eighties (Licensed To Ill, Loc-ed After Dark, etc). His willing embodiment of Stuff White People Like and Don Imus references feel a bit dated if we've truly moved into a 'post-race' Obama era, but perhaps the inevitably of Roth proves we really haven't.

Finally, as if there wasn't enough to watch Monday night (Chuck finale, folks!) you really need to see/record Prince on PBS where he begins the first of a two-night appearance/interview with Tavis Smiley. It's rare we get to hear the Purple One talk much at all, and Smiley actually gets him to open up a bit about childhood and his battles with the record industry, both subjects he has shied away from talking about in the past. Here's a preview clip of him talking about his childhood:



Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, April 27
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Franz Ferdinand (REPEAT)
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Colbert Report: The Decemberists
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Michael Franti
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Morrissey (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (REPEAT)
PBS: Tavis Smiley: Prince
Tuesday, April 28
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Asher Roth
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Duke Spirit (REPEAT)
PBS: Tavis Smiley: Prince, Bria Valente
Wednesday, April 29
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Manchester Orchestra
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Antony and the Johnsons
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Whip
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Gomez (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Ben Harper And Relentless7 (REPEAT)
SUNDANCE: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...: Elvis Costello, Renee Fleming (REPEAT)
Thursday, April 30
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Starsailor
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Santigold (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Adele (REPEAT)
Friday, May 1
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Hold Steady
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Ziggy Marley
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Cold War Kids (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Duke Spirit (REPEAT)
SUNDANCE: Monks: Transatlantic Feedback: The Monks
Saturday, May 2
PBS: Austin City Limits: Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Joe Ely, Guy Clark (REPEAT)