Pitchfork

So often when you give money to a good cause, you're told you'll be paid in karma, good will, or the favor of the Lord. But karma's a myth, good will doesn't come with a receipt, and it's grace-- not deed-- that will get you into heaven. However, at last night's Revenge of the Book Eaters benefit for 826 NYC, charity gave back in record time, as Sufjan Stevens and David Byrne played just one song together as the evening's finale.

Between short performances by Stevens and Byrne, host John Hodgman (an editor for the New York Times Magazine, and, more famously, the PC guy from the Apple Commercials) promised the Beacon Theatre audience of 3,500 that the two would close out the show with a duet if an additional $5,000 dollars in donations could be raised during the event. People dug deep, and after Byrne finished his set, it was announced that they had actually raised just under $15,000.

Byrne performed country versions of his own solo and Talking Heads songs, then invited Sufjan back to the stage, introducing the following song as being "about Michigan, but not written by Sufjan Stevens." Stevens shyly returned with a lyrics sheet and banjo, and together the duo sang a cover of Lefty Frizzell's "Saginaw, Michigan", Stevens fumbling a couple words of the verse while he and Byrne shared the chorus (and a couple hundred people took out the cameras they had snuck in). Instant karma! Except, now that I think about it, for $15k, Byrne and Stevens really owed us three songs. I'm waiting!

Sufjan Stevens & David Byrne: "Saginaw, Michigan"
[Lefty Frizzell cover; live at Beacon Theatre, NYC] | [Video via Stereogum]