You’d think a living rock legend who has lost his voice and a political satirist/comedian wouldn’t dare attempt a convincing musical performance, but there’s truly something special about this clip. Not only does Stephen Colbert clearly have the vocal chops to make it through Elvis Costello’s Hank Williams-esque My Aim is True B-side “Cheap Reward,” but he takes the gig seriously in a way that most comedians wouldn’t have the guts to do.
Watch here or below as Costello strums on a gorgeous vintage “cursive logo” Gibson J-45 (sorry, my inner gear junkie wrote that) while Colbert sings lyrics like “your comical rage,” and only smirks once at the irony.
Also, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: some songs are just too well written to mess up: