Eels Talk 'Royal Albert Hall' DVD/CD, Reflect on All Seven Live Albums

FUSE TV - Eels Talk 'Royal Albert Hall' DVD/CD, Reflect on All Seven Live Albums

2014's The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett was the fifth Eels album in five years, and the 11th since the 1996 indie rock landmark Beautiful Freak. It was also the first record to put Mr. E—he of the "Beautiful Blues"—front and center, his name and visage there for all to see. The resulting tour was an intimate, career-spanning affair that built to a monumental performance at London's Royal Albert Hall, captured in high-def detail on a new DVD and two-CD release available this week. To celebrate, E spoke with me about his fear of bumming out the audience, heavily reworking his songs over and over, and how he managed to tour an album about cancer and suicide. Our conversation spanned the seven—seven!—live releases the Eels have put out in the last 15 years.

Tell me about the hugs. The DVD ends the same way every show on the tour did—with you walking through the audience and hugging basically every single person you could.

I came up with the list of songs I wanted to play that year, last year, and when we started rehearsing it became apparent to me—"Oh my god, this is just, like, a bummer-fest. This is a lot of sad songs." So I started to slowly try to figure out a way to structure a show that would gradually lift the spirits of the audience, so that by the end of it you would leave happy, like you'd been through something really positive. And the thing that really made it work, I think, was the hugs. At the end of the proper set, I would say—and I really meant this, it was really heartfelt—"Thank you so much for your years of interest, I don't know what I would've done without it; gimme a hug!"

Touching idea, but maybe scary to pull off?

It was fascinating because every night was a different experience. And it was an extremely dangerous, stupid thing to do, and that's why it appealed to me. I don't advise any singers to actually do this, and I'll never do it again [laughs]. Most nights I wouldn't get very far before there would just be a pile of people on me. Some nights people would take advantage of me being in such a vulnerable position and grab my hair or something. I got into a couple fistfights, which was ironic, when I'm trying to thank the audience and hug them. There was actually one fistfight at Royal Albert Hall, it luckily didn't show up on camera [laughs].

Feat. Mal Hall

22m

Feat. Mal Hall

LIVE on FUSE: Combate Global

30s

LIVE on FUSE: Combate Global

We All Have That One Family Member...

3m

We All Have That One Family Member...

All the Focus is on the Diamonds

21m

All the Focus is on the Diamonds

Nick Cannon Talks His Personal Opinion on Marriage

1m

Nick Cannon Talks His Personal Opinion on Marriage

Does Finance Talk Stress You Out? Amara La Negra & Sharelle Rosado Tell All

5m

Does Finance Talk Stress You Out? Amara La Negra & Sharelle Rosado Tell All

Baby Talk

23m

Baby Talk

The Missy Elliott Hall of Fame

2m

The Missy Elliott Hall of Fame

Surgeon Dr. Crane Talks Breast Surgery, Focus On Trans Community

1m

Surgeon Dr. Crane Talks Breast Surgery, Focus On Trans Community

All Joking Aside

1h 20m

All Joking Aside

All About Nina

1h 36m

All About Nina

The All-Americans

1h 36m

The All-Americans

All Joking Aside - Trailer

1m

All Joking Aside - Trailer

All About Nina - Trailer

1m

All About Nina - Trailer

The All-Americans - Trailer

2m

The All-Americans - Trailer

All in the Family

20m

All in the Family

#DigitalLivesMatter

1h 25m

#DigitalLivesMatter

LA and Xristina Talk Transitioning

1m

LA and Xristina Talk Transitioning

An All Star Women Special

46m

An All Star Women Special

All You Ever Wished For

1h 21m

All You Ever Wished For

Elle and Tito Live

23m

Elle and Tito Live

Hiatus Kaiyote: Live Alive

19m

Hiatus Kaiyote: Live Alive

Live at Home, Loser?

24m

Live at Home, Loser?

LGBTQIA+ Rights, Let's Talk About It

2m

LGBTQIA+ Rights, Let's Talk About It

We Need To Talk About America

We Need To Talk About America

All You Ever Wished For - Trailer

2m

All You Ever Wished For - Trailer

Poppin' Up All Over The Place

20m

Poppin' Up All Over The Place

T-Pain's School of Business: Artiphon- The All In One Musical Device | Season 1 Look Back |

1m

T-Pain's School of Business: Artiphon- The All In One Musical Device | Season 1 Look Back |

Robert Jordan Talks Life Outside of DCI

1m

Robert Jordan Talks Life Outside of DCI

Young M.A Talks Whitney Houston & Barbershops

2m

Young M.A Talks Whitney Houston & Barbershops

Mario Lopez: One On One

Mario Lopez: One On One

We Need To Talk About America - S2 Trailer

1m

We Need To Talk About America - S2 Trailer

All the Best Moments From Saturday Morning Fever

2m

All the Best Moments From Saturday Morning Fever

Where Did People Get All These Milk Crates?

21m

Where Did People Get All These Milk Crates?

Cam'ron Unveils The All-Pink Fleebok 2

2m

Cam'ron Unveils The All-Pink Fleebok 2

Carlos Niño Shares His All-Time Favorite Record

2m

Carlos Niño Shares His All-Time Favorite Record

Issa Rae Talks 'Raedio' and Prioritizing Therapy (Extended Cut)

12m

Issa Rae Talks 'Raedio' and Prioritizing Therapy (Extended Cut)

Plastic Surgery Talks With Dr. Miami and Jenelle Butler

6m

Plastic Surgery Talks With Dr. Miami and Jenelle Butler

I Played One on TV

46m

I Played One on TV

Gabriel Iglesias Talks Favorite Comedians and Large Penises: Ask Fluffy

4m

Gabriel Iglesias Talks Favorite Comedians and Large Penises: Ask Fluffy

G Fella Delivers More Grilling Tips and Talks New Music

4m

G Fella Delivers More Grilling Tips and Talks New Music

Sake One

10m

Sake One

Game On!

20m

Game On!

Ayo and Teo Talk Their Evolution While Cooking With Their Father

10m

Ayo and Teo Talk Their Evolution While Cooking With Their Father

Ian Performs Sexy Slow Jam "Every Living Little Thing"

3m

Ian Performs Sexy Slow Jam "Every Living Little Thing"

T-Pain Talks Developing His Unique Style While Cooking With His Mom

12m

T-Pain Talks Developing His Unique Style While Cooking With His Mom

One Take Jake

20m

One Take Jake

On Call Miami

44m

On Call Miami

One Busy Queen

21m

One Busy Queen

On Call LA

43m

On Call LA

Who's On Top?

1h 13m

Who's On Top?

Leaning On Lena

20m

Leaning On Lena

Chew On This

44m

Chew On This

On Call NYC

44m

On Call NYC

What The Hell Are We? Are We Living In A Simulation?

18m

What The Hell Are We? Are We Living In A Simulation?

Rapper Rich Quick Performs "Nice Guy" On 'Dancin' On Air'

3m

Rapper Rich Quick Performs "Nice Guy" On 'Dancin' On Air'

Fire On The Floor

22m

Fire On The Floor

Putting It On Wax

23m

Putting It On Wax

Clean Up Aisle One

46m

Clean Up Aisle One

Freaky On The Floor

22m

Freaky On The Floor

Eyes On The Prize

22m

Eyes On The Prize

Bougie On A Budget

2m

Bougie On A Budget

Battle on the Catwalk

45m

Battle on the Catwalk

Is Everyone on Drugs?

20m

Is Everyone on Drugs?

Gym Shorts on Runway

41m

Gym Shorts on Runway

Freedia's Twerk On Washington

21m

Freedia's Twerk On Washington

Eye On The Prize

44m

Eye On The Prize

Bougie on a Budget Music Video

2m

Bougie on a Budget Music Video

T-Pain Gets Schooled On Genetics

1m

T-Pain Gets Schooled On Genetics

This Season on Transcendent: First Look

1m

This Season on Transcendent: First Look

Cody Spells Out Love On The Field

1m

Cody Spells Out Love On The Field

Gabriel Iglesias Dishes On His "Second Favorites"

1m

Gabriel Iglesias Dishes On His "Second Favorites"

DJ Eclipse's Vinyl Collection on Crate Diggers

13m

DJ Eclipse's Vinyl Collection on Crate Diggers

DJ Scratch's Vinyl Collection on Crate Diggers

14m

DJ Scratch's Vinyl Collection on Crate Diggers

Desus & Mero On Recognizing their Social Responsibility

10m

Desus & Mero On Recognizing their Social Responsibility

One Big Happy Family: Season 2 Trailer

2m

One Big Happy Family: Season 2 Trailer

Is Nya A Baller On The Low?

51s

Is Nya A Baller On The Low?

Martin Moreno Faces His One-Handed Woes

2m

Martin Moreno Faces His One-Handed Woes

Lil Jon and Nude DM's on Tour

3m

Lil Jon and Nude DM's on Tour

Dikembe Mutombo on Adidas at Sneaker Con

5m

Dikembe Mutombo on Adidas at Sneaker Con

This Season On Clash of The Corps

1m

This Season On Clash of The Corps

Kev On Stage Makes Shrimp Fried Rice

20m

Kev On Stage Makes Shrimp Fried Rice

Clark Should Have An S On His Chest

2m

Clark Should Have An S On His Chest

Nopalito On Telling Raw & Authentic Stories Through Photography

7m

Nopalito On Telling Raw & Authentic Stories Through Photography

The Transcendent Star On Donald Trump: Dear Bambiana

1m

The Transcendent Star On Donald Trump: Dear Bambiana

Chika On Building Community Through Her Music (Extended)

14m

Chika On Building Community Through Her Music (Extended)

What To Expect On Clash of the Corps

1m

What To Expect On Clash of the Corps

On the Road With G-Thing: Deleted Scene

2m

On the Road With G-Thing: Deleted Scene

Freedia's Manager Drops a Unexpected Bomb on Her...

3m

Freedia's Manager Drops a Unexpected Bomb on Her...

Here's What to Expect on "Saturday Morning Fever"

2m

Here's What to Expect on "Saturday Morning Fever"

1000 On How Resilience & Consistency Launched His Rap Career

9m

1000 On How Resilience & Consistency Launched His Rap Career

On Set At The Transcendent Season 2 Promo Shoot

1m

On Set At The Transcendent Season 2 Promo Shoot

Anthony Ramos On 'The Good & The Bad' (Extended Cut)

12m

Anthony Ramos On 'The Good & The Bad' (Extended Cut)

Rene Casamalhuapa aka Doc on Following His "Untraditional" Path

7m

Rene Casamalhuapa aka Doc on Following His "Untraditional" Path

Here's What's Going Down This Season on Fluffy's Food Adventures

1m

Here's What's Going Down This Season on Fluffy's Food Adventures

Blue Devils' Javier Astorga & Friends Discuss Paths On Hiking Adventure

1m

Blue Devils' Javier Astorga & Friends Discuss Paths On Hiking Adventure

Young M.A On The Struggle of Giving Up Meat

9m

Young M.A On The Struggle of Giving Up Meat

Lena Waithe On Making What She Wants To See (Extended Cut)

17m

Lena Waithe On Making What She Wants To See (Extended Cut)

'Hollywood Puppet Shitshow' First Date: Amanda Cerny Meets Herself on Strings

1m

'Hollywood Puppet Shitshow' First Date: Amanda Cerny Meets Herself on Strings

Dancin' On Air Producer Once Told Madonna to Clean Her Mess

1m

Dancin' On Air Producer Once Told Madonna to Clean Her Mess