Is there some sort of undeniable creative thread that links the acting profession to the music profession?聽 Both worlds seem littered with individuals equally as willing to try their hand at either job, often with hugely variable and unpredictable results.聽is a talented actress 鈥� doe-eyed indie darling of movies like 500 Days Of Summer and accomplished comedy foil to in Christmas classic Elf 鈥� but she is also one half of rising pop duo She and Him alongside M Ward, already on their 3rd album and growing in popular and critical stature every day (we鈥檝e been playing the infectious new single 鈥淣ever Wanted Your Love鈥� quite a bit on the show).聽 is a revered songwriter, but it was perhaps inevitable that the showmanship and theatrical verve so evident in his work would find its way onto screen in some form (he has always favoured the more peculiar of roles, one particularly memorable character his bartender in Francis Ford Coppola鈥檚 鈥淩umble Fish鈥�).
I have been thinking about this because last week I headed to the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow to see a long time favourite of mine, .聽 I鈥檝e attended a number of his gigs over the years, and converted a fair few non-believers in the process.聽 There is always much to recommend, even for the uninitiated, in his highly personal and often hysterically funny songs.聽 In beauties like White Winos, April Fools Day Morn, Your Mother And I, One Man Guy and so many more, his life is laid bare.聽 But beyond the songs, there is the physical side to his performance 鈥� all nervous ticks, sudden lunges and bizarre facial contortions.聽 It has to be seen to be believed, and there is little surprise that he has also wandered into movies (beginning in 1974鈥檚 M*A*S*H as the 鈥漇inging Surgeon鈥� and continuing as recently as hit films Big Fish and Knocked Up).聽 But this particular show in Glasgow somewhat strangely welded the two talents together.聽 So, in between the usual perfectly crafted three-and-a-half-chord gems that seem to flow endlessly from his pen, we were also treated to serious monologues written by his father (Loudon Snowden Wainwright, Jr, a writer for America鈥檚 Life magazine with whom his son had a famously difficult relationship), delivered from an antique armchair on the stage.聽 It was unexpected and, although a little too close to a sort of public therapy at times, it mostly worked.聽 It may not have been quite what the audience paid to see, but it certainly added an extra dimension that was admirable.
Also on the show we鈥檒l hear a Record Of Note from Beth Orton鈥檚 beau , and go Live On Arrival with 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (his acting wasn鈥檛 the best either, but thankfully he stuck at the music).聽 So join us this as we raise the curtain on an evening of superlative entertainment.