Robert Wyatt and Elvis Costello `Loose Talk' May 1983

Wyatt and Costello discuss the release of `Shipbuilding' on an early Channel 4 programme `Loose Talk'. Restored from a VHS tape before it was too late.

[@edwardmulholland7912]

Robert’s voice is so poignant, it was perfect in every way for the song. It’s the best lyric Costello ever wrote. Everything about the recording still stands up today after all these years.

[@CookinginRussia]

So few people now recognize Wyatt as the incredible musical genius he was. What a tragedy what happened to him. No surprise that Elvis Costello recognizes him.

[@samjones9214]

Utterly sublime.There's a longing in Robert's voice that hints at the sadness of past times, unrecoverable. But it's not oversentimental either. Those disappeared traditional working class jobs in the mines, heavy engineering, shipbuilding and similar industries were hard, generally poorly paid and dangerous.And somehow, this song encapsulates much of this feeling on a human scale. an absolute masterpiece.

[@OldDunc]

With due respect, it's also about the (then, in 1983) present: Thatcher's war in the Falklands.

[@samjones9214]

@@OldDunc Fair enough Old Dunc. But my comment was made only 3 years ago and Thatcher's failure to support Britain's heavy industries was part of a deliberate deindustrialization policy (mostly aimed at breaking union power and working class soldarity) which started in 1979 so I don't think I was that far out given when the song was written.

[@OldDunc]

@@samjones9214 Understood (and i saw the date of your comment), but that's why talking about "the sadness of past times" doesn't work here. "Traditional working class jobs" were nothing to be nostalgic about, and the unions knew that. And the core of the song is about the war, though I agree that Thatcher's economic policies are in there too.

[@DavidInSugarLand]

One of the greatest songs written. And what a fantastic recording!

[@twistedspanner]

Robert looks much younger and healthier in the interview. In the video he looks almost unrecognisable. Loved Robert in the Soft Machine. Fabulous band.

[@OldDunc]

That's what I like about the video. Music videos generally are aimed at glamorizing the performer; Wyatt here looks ancient of days - they even show his wheelchair. It fits the song.

[@alexgreen5064]

A match made in heaven. Such a sublime piece of songwriting, melody and vocals.

[@manoutoftime9057]

Why does this only have 6 comments? As good as 'pop music' ever got!

[@timflatus]

Well, the song is one of the greatest ever written and recorded as I'm sure everyone here will agree. But the interview is rather annoying. It's an Elvis interview that they let Robert sit in on, that's partly because Robert is completely out of his comfort zone here

[@cuebj]

Two of my favourite artists combined in a great song - I still have the single as well as a recording by EC and play both regularly even now, 2021. Strange to see them looking so young. EC is a few months younger than me. I'd forgotten it dates from Falklands war

[@veloman59]

Brilliant song, brilliant singer, just brilliant

[@RobertLogan]

Pure perfection. This makes me cry, for so many reasons.

[@michelbrauner8550]

Beautiful Robert Wyatt is music.

[@colintaylor7412]

So strange. I love Elvis and Robert - but the interviewer is my big brother!!!

[@manoutoftime9057]

You should be proud mate! 👍

[@ahmedsredy2429]

Quiet a brilliant interviewer your brother was ,naturally when you work in channel 4 you can only be good ,I hope you and your big brother are doing well and seeing each other regularly .I will check out more interviews by Mr Taylor the journalist .

[@failletceline5756]

Deux légendes musicales,réunies,en phase, le bonheur de la musique…inspirante…..

[@elizabethflynn8455]

Thank you very much for posting this. Much appreciated.

[@rosscavanagh2187]

Yes an absolute beautiful soulful n heart ballad jazz folk piece

[@croiners4166]

Great, thanks for sharing, jim

[@Jerkcurb1]

Couple of absolute legends

[@ZeldaFitz]

One of my favourite songs of the 80s

[@richdelgado3405]

This single song has more melody, meaning and beauty than about 90% of the crap on the radio today.

[@pablomalaga4676]

99.99% (at least)

[@seanoconnor5402]

More melody, meaning and beauty than about 90% of the crap on the radio then too.

[@dancingvirgil]

Stop living in the past

[@cosmicdrifter287]

straight to the heart.

[@mu8554]

I went to school with a wayne Dinsdale back in the 1970's,he was a very unusual human being.

[@krisscanlon4051]

What a duo...fantastic!

[@filirani]

Grazie !!

[@kennycampbell7975]

Released 40 years ago today.

[@billschwenke790]

Excellent King Crimson cover exists on some CD EP I got years back, not on KZbin for some reason

[@AfroZen]

Two, top English gents…

[@planetwaft349]

Dad they're going to take me to task. But I'll be back by christmas.

[@troygaspard6732]

This was out in Rough Trade? Good on them for getting Wyatt.

[@Fexobs]

Yes he did a couple of albums for them `Nothing Can Stop Us' and `Old Rottenhat' and a great EP called `Work In Progress'

[@suncity22001]

catholic architecture is my fave.

[@dawsonson]

Beautiful song

[@morganfisherart]

Two of my #1 geezers. The interviewer said, "we'll talk to you later" - so is there a Part 2 of this video?

[@Fexobs]

Not to my knowledge Morgan, and I'm the chap who taped it....around about the time I was probably writing to you to praise your compilation `Minatures' to the skies ! It is POSSIBLE they maybe did an interview with Elvis too, which I wouldn't have kept at the time.

[@debrabrabenec3731]

Thank you for Miniatures! I love it! Back when I made mixtapes for friends, they were perfect for filling up the end of the tapes!

[@ajs41]

Do you have any more Loose Talk shows? I'm particularly interested in the one which featured Sade, which I think was from 11th April 1983. I know there are already some clips from that show on YoTube but I'd be interested to see the whole show.

[@Fexobs]

Hi Andy, sadly not. I was a student back then and VHS tape was about a fiver for an E-180 (3hr tape). I used to spin them out for a long as possible by only recording things which were essential to me.

[@MIXTAPEdc]

Here is Sade's performance. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppyaemdjrZhqg9k but yeah, it would be great to see the whole shows. I see Howard Jones and Cocteau Twins' performances on KZbin, but gosh, the whole shows/interviews would be great.

[@user-ob1oi7kn2w]

ELVIS COSTELLO IS A BELLEND

[@ZeldaFitz]

Mark Bedford on double bass

[@matthewhearn5464]

Once again...

[@FitzElda]

Clive Langer on organ

[@OghamTheBold]

1983 around the time I won the college Physics prize and Thatcher in 1984 forced us to dig for food in managed decline Manchester

[@johnnymoondog]

1.1x

[@timetobenotdo]

Robert Wyatt’s version of ship building is by far my favorite thing from Elvis Costello

[@JSTNtheWZRD]

DINSDALE 🦔

[@DarkForcesStudio]

Funny to hear how detached we were from current events in those days. Costello had to be informed by only one news channel.

[@stephenpayne9120]

Tell us what you mean without sounding like the Daily Telegraph Cryptic Crossword.

[@OldDunc]

Funny, they did have print media in those days. TV news is not and never has been a good source for news.

[@kevinprior3549]

Smoking in the audience... wow

[@in3rcia218]

1:20 tears for fears copying here very hard

[@thedrumdoctor]

For anyone who doesn’t know, ‘I Believe’ from ‘Songs From the Big Chair’ was an attempt at a Wyatt style vocal delivery based on his performance on this song. I didn’t realise the origins of ‘I Believe’ until Roland Orzabal and Chris Hughes explained it on the Classic Albums documentary.

[@krisscanlon4051]

So I heard tsk nice try lads

[@chrisredditch]

@@thedrumdoctor The title "I Believe" Comes from the fact that Robert once covered The Monkees Song "I'm a Believer"

[@thedrumdoctor]

@@chrisredditch I didn’t know he’d covered it!!

[@chrisredditch]

@@thedrumdoctor kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2izc4OaaLp0bbM

[@michaelhopper4545]

that was a very awkward interview

[@thedrumdoctor]

I thought that as well. Neither really comfortable with the situation.

[@OldDunc]

@@thedrumdoctor That seems fine to me. Wyatt especially wasn't a part of the pop industry, so of course he hadn't been prepped by PR people.

[@thedrumdoctor]

@@OldDunc At this time in the business the stylists and PR budgets seemed to on the new pop bands. I remember at the 80s when I was in a signed band on an independent label, we had no budget for that sort of thing! Different times they were, indeed. Looking at Wyatt as a drummer and a singer, he wasn’t going to be moulded into some sort of contrived image. After MTV exploded image was everything.

[@PaliGap1]

Such a poor interview about two good artists and a great record.

[@zootius]

This is well Brexit.