Music on TV - Week of 10.03.11: George Harrison, Feist, Mastodon

Martin Scorcese's George Harrison: Living in the Material World airs in 2 parts on HBO

“George himself is no mystery. But the mystery inside George is immense. It’s watching him uncover it all little by little that’s so damn interesting.”
- John Lennon

George Harrison was more than just "the quiet one," and the fact that he was able to keep a substantial amount of mystery about him while being one of the most famous faces on the planet is alone enough to warrant a documentary. Director Martin Scorcese, with his fourth glorious rock documentary after profiling The Band (The Last Waltz, Bob Dylan (No Direction Home) and the Rolling Stones (Shine a Light), does his best to lift the veil on Harrison through a marathon-length film that's as thorough as it is thought provoking.

The film is broken up into two parts (to be aired on Wednesday and Thursday nights on HBO) that could be categorized as "With the Beatles" and "Post-Beatles." While the first part doesn't break any new ground for Beatles fans, it serves and an incredible set up for the revelations in part 2. With the Beatles you see multitudes of Harrison's songs get left on the drawing room floor, making the 22 song solo debut (All Things Must Pass -- what many, including myself, consider the best post-Beatles album by any of the members) that much more triumphant. Scorcese has really outdone himself here, even finding himself in the mystery of George Harrison. It's a must watch for any HBO subscriber, otherwise look for it on DVD possibly later this year.

Meanwhile, Canadian songstress Feist is back this week with her third solo release, Metals. If there was one thing that marked her first two releases, it was the ability to make even the most depressing of subjects sound bouncy and joyous. With Metals, though, the exuberance is mostly gone, making this album a far moodier affair. The moods, though, are quite brilliant, and Feist shows no signs of running out of musical ideas. Feist plays Letterman on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, Mastodon also graces the stage at Ed Sullivan Theatre, tearing up Letterman on Wednesday. As I mentioned last week, I'm awfully smitten with their latest, The Hunter, and after having seen them open for Soundgarden, I can tell you do not want to miss this wondrous culture clash. (Hope Paul Shaffer works his way into sitting in, adding some cheese keys to the affair.) Also: Look for Radiohead Monday on Fallon. (How weird is it that a Radiohead appearance on Fallon only warrants only an also?)

Picks for the week
Monday, October 3
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Blink 182
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Sting
FUEL: The Daily Habit: New Found Glory
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Radiohead
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Death Cab for Cutie (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Hanson (REPEAT)
Tuesday, October 4
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Mute Math
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Feist
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Mona
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Daryl Hall
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lykke Li
TBS: Conan: Yeasayer (REPEAT)
Wednesday, October 5
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: J. Cole
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Mastodon
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Colbert Report: Mos Def & Talib Kweli
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Knux
HBO: George Harrison: Living in the Material World: George Harrison, The Beatles
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Portishead
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Fools Gold, Roll the Tanks
Thursday, October 6
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Jane's Addiction
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Joy Formidable
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Rapture
HBO: George Harrison: Living in the Material World: George Harrison, The Beatles
NBC: The Today Show: O.A.R.
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Blondie
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Jeff the Brotherhood
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Frightened Rabbits, J. Cole
Friday, October 7
ABC: The View: Alicia Keys
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Garland Jeffries
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Knux
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Puddle of Mudd
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Judas Priest, Joe Jonas (sitting in with The Roots)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Biffy Clyro
Saturday, October 8
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Josh Groban
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Foster the People
PBS: Austin City Limits: Raphael Saadiq, Black Joe Lewis