You Better Watch It.... Two Times!

While in college, my best friend Annie and I shared a mutual obsession with singer Elliott Smith (RIP). Annie would cover Google Image searching him while simultaneously GPS/Lojacking his every move, and I would try and record his live TV gigs now and again. (Please, non-Elliott-Smith-fans, keep reading: This post has little to do with him.)

In 1999, he made an in-store appearance at the Virgin Megastore in Union Square to promote his album Figure 8. After the blandish show, being 18 years old and a virtually retarded person, I celeb-u-stalked Smith packing up his gear in the basement and approached the notoriously shy musician with such glee and vigor that Annie refused to join me, choosing instead to stand a solid 15 feet behind me and stare at the floor. There I was, raving like a Jewish mother about how great he is, how much we love him, and how my friend Annie is his biggest fan, while motioning behind me to a girl sitting on the floor, rocking herself back and forth and crying. All jokes aside, it very nearly ruined our friendship (you know how emotional college kids are), and I'm sure even my simple blogging of the event will reignite the smoldering embers of anger that Annie holds on to so dearly. (Epilogue: He stabbed himself in the heart a few years ago.)



Ok, so why the long face/story? Before his performance at the Virgy-Meggy-Store, he made an appearance on Conan, which I duly recorded. Low and behold, the song was OK, not super memorable. What was memorable was the Jack Black interview that came on directly before him. Now this was back in Jack Black's "High Fidelity" days, i.e. the non-mega-famous days, when he was portlier, unkempt, and completely unrefined. It had to be and still is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Lines from the interview were generously sprinkled into our everyday convos, my VCR's belt running thin from constant rewinding.

With Nacho Libre coming out this Friday, my friend Alyson e-mailed me to reminsce about the famous Jbles interview, which we hadn't seen in years. But thanks to George Jetson and all of his wacky technology (I literally took a shower on a conveyor belt this morning, go figure), THE JACK BLACK INTERVIEW IS ON YOUTUBE! So, of course, it is my duty to pass it along.

Enjoy.