Leo Kottke The Merv Griffin Show February 11, 1978 "Bean Time"

Leo Kottke Archives Project: Leo Kottke_Video_1978
Thanks to David Taylor for the restoration of this video.
A transcription of "Bean Time" is available at www.stropes.co....
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[@MisterNiles]

Yes. Th pop music scene.

[@MGreen-vz6yb]

Such a beautiful man! I'm so happy I got to meet him in Boulder CO. and he even gave me his address, I was a Luthier.

[@franks6608]

He's the man

[@petercena9497]

Greenhouse is an all time classic I tend to forget. Deserves more recognition.

[@retohofmann5878]

Very unique...as always. Leo is a genius.

[@fridgeratorsam4042]

Off the Greenhouse album. Wore that cassette out. Good to see Merv Griffin give Leo his dues. Still can't comprehend how elegantly and effortlessly he performs those amazing pieces he's created.

[@bobsebring2819]

A national treasure!

[@DonRossMusic]

I happened to be sick at home with a bad cold that day. I really NEVER watched Merv, but I happened to turn on the tube that afternoon and was shocked to see Leo on the set. I was in the process of learning this very tune off the record, but couldn't figure out one or two of the voicings. I sat there and memorized what I saw/heard, and voilà, I could play my own weird version of "Bean Time." Picked a good day to have a bad cold. :-)

[@markodardanis5667]

Best right hand in history.

[@franks6608]

Bean time one of my favorite songs this song was originally on the album greenhouse

[@davidmckenzie420]

This was one of my favorite Leo songs in the early 70's. So fun to have found this. Saw him at a small venue in So-Cal in '72. Wonderful.

[@trapezoidspangle934]

Brilliant, funny and good lookin’.

[@spoonerfive]

Thanks for posting this amazing video of one of my true musical heroes!

[@klarifoon]

Almost a kid then. Bought my first record Burnt lips at the time of this broadcast. Still jumps off the speakers. Great upload.

[@raccoonlittlebear6476]

I remember seeing Leo 'live' on another episode of Merv's show where Merv described Leo as "a colorful pristine island, in the sweraling sea of pop music." I'll never forget that. 😐

[@johnmaisonneuve9057]

YEKS! WOW!

[@themuttbucket8964]

Naw....I'd say that was overdubbed ....like 3 times....cept I've seen Mister Leo....and what ever he did...he did on his own....like...by himself....all by himself...All that sound...a WALL...cept friendly.....My only guess is that he is an alien from another planet sent to bless us...unfortunate ones and give us something to strive for.......On behalf of all us Earthlings, we thank you Mister Leo for .....I don't know... whatever you do...I could say....the way you., "play the guitar" ...but that's like saying ...Hey, MR. Mario Andretti.....You...like...."drive a car?".......Mr. Pavarotti ..."Dude...who knew you can "karaoke".....you're almost as good as Gertrude I'm pretty sure that there are elves inside Mister Leo's guitars ...playing a lot of Leo's stuff... State Fair Needle box seat..he just has to make it look like he's playing it for the manager/record company...smooth,,,..have a Dilly Bar....

[@mvinge]

Wow! What a rare gem. Not many recordings of Beantime. As far as I know this is the only video. AND Leo's playing a nylon classical with the rarely seen thumb pick?? Wow. Sounds great but I doubt he is playing that guitar by choice. Although, I think there's a video of him playing The Fisherman with a classical also. Anybody know what's up with Leo and the nylon strings? Great video! Just fyi to any fellow Kottke scholars... Stropes Editions (this channel) website is the go-to resource for Leo Kottke transcriptions 🎸

[@mikelord9860]

Back around that time he would tour with a 6-, a 12- AND a classical - saw him come onstage carrying all 3, the classical tucked under his arm.

[@mvinge]

@@mikelord9860 oh cool. I’ve seen Leo about 20 times but only over last 15 yrs. Never seen him with anything but his Taylor 6 & 12. Thanks for the info. I’m going to try and ask him about it. He’s doing a 3 day residency here in Minneapolis in couple months at one our small local jazz clubs.

[@boonhawk]

Staggeringly good...

[@JoeCarpenter]

Excellent vid...thanks for the upload.

[@raychrl]

Wow, I've been searching for this for 20 years. Sure would like to see more made available like this. Thank you! Charles

[@ucdbnxt7318]

Leo once said that when he first held a guitar, he KNEW he could play it... go figure...

[@ehaber197]

Absolutely killed it on national TV!

[@mikelord9860]

Absolutely! This performance would garner the same response today - but that's the thing, this style of playing has virtually disappeared from broadcast TV. It seems no one cares about virtuosity anymore.

[@raccoonlittlebear6476]

@@mikelord9860 Very true. Today's "music" replies on chicks wearing next to nothing, and singing next to nothing. Ha!

[@TOCS94]

@@mikelord9860 I believe the appreciation of virtuosity is more or less the same as in the past. It's largely the industry itself that doesn't believe in risk taking any more. I feel people like Kottke and Fahey didn't just get record deals because of instrumental proficiency, they contributed something to the world you can't calculate on a spreadsheet or deduct from any telemetry, formula or algorithm. The methods used to create music today are finetuned at every stage of its pre-production so much that it becomes style over substance simply because the numbers don't lie.

[@wchphoto]

That was the second time Merv had him on the show. It would be great if tapes existed from his first appearance! Maybe, John?

[@stropeseditionsltd.4056]

I'm glad to report that we not only have video for Leo's 1976 appearance on the Merv Griffin Show, but five other 1970s television appearances as well. And with the support of the Stropes Foundation, we are now able to digitize and index this archival material. (By the way, your contribution to the Leo Kottke Archives this past year is much appreciated. Thanks, Bill.)

[@wchphoto]

@@stropeseditionsltd.4056 Thanks, John! Any from "The Midnight Special"? I remember that he played 3 tunes (to no audience) and they aired them one at a time over 3 episodes and panned an audience as though they were watching him play. But the big thrill for me was that he played my D-28 and at the end of the show, the credits ran over the image of my guitar in a stand. At least...that's what I think I remember!

[@tomkearney4718]

I remember Leo playing Morning is the Long Way Home on TV… either on Merv, or on the Mike Douglas Show. It was amazing! I hope you have that performance available!

[@xiangqiforchessplayers9209]

kudos to the camera people

[@AndyAlexis]

He was on Merv Griffin another time, too, playing Uptempo; perhaps 1976?

[@mikelord9860]

I could swear Leo played on Merv's show in Jan. '79 too (on WFLD, channel 32, Chicago; I'm thinking the 12th). He was on to promote his Best Of album The Best.. I think this because, the show aired on a Friday evening and we were preparing for the blizzard that would clobber us that weekend. My mind may be betraying me but I seem to recall that cluster of events.

[@GWGuitarStudio]

The studio version was played on a big Gibson archtop, which works better for this song. Awesome playing, tho…

[@madelinekahn4953]

Can you please post these two episodes of the show: May 21 1980, Jan 9 1970?? Please!!🙏 It's very important!

[@matthewchambers5401]

Leo on a classical?

[@stephenverderber112]

Yeah,that was my reaction.. still sounds like Leo.

[@charleswinokoor6023]

It was good of Merv to have him on as a guest, but talk about a clumsy intro. Too bad we aren’t able to hear the interview.

[@moldlives]

I love Leo but this feels more like a finger exercise than a tune that falls pleasantly on the ears. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@cmotdibbler8105]

Disagree. The tempo of this and the arrangement killed me as a 4 year old in 1983. When I went to see Tommy Emmanuel in Sheffield in around 2011 Gareth Williams opened with this and I nearly danced in the aisle

[@evansgate]

that's exactly what I thought too moldlives

[@tedpeterson1156]

@@cmotdibbler8105 Yeah, I was only 2 and could tell it was some slick syncopation