Yes, it is obvious that this is a comedy show when Stephen Colbert says things like “Skinny Love” is an anthem for a women’s yoga class, or asks Justin Vernon if Bon is short for Bonathan. But at the heart of this interview, and certainly throughout the live performance, is a sincerity and obviously deep appreciation.
It seems like every major media outlet is spending most of their facetime with Vernon talking about For Emma, Forever Ago, because there really wasn’t a media circuit surrounding that release. Now that he’s appearing on talk shows and…well, everywhere, they are just now getting to some points that most small press has already moved passed about Bon Iver. It’s not so much about the guy in the woods anymore, now it’s the guy in front of an arena of people. The guy who has created music that’s not just simple (albeit beautiful) folk tunes.
Check out the interview and performance below. “Calgary” is an all out show stopper, while the bonus jam “Skinny Love” is somewhere between guys singing around a campfire and that moment after a party where someone finds a guitar and starts playing songs that everyone knows. By which I mean: it is absolutely amazing.
