Cult heroes are hard to find these days.
Victor the giraffe and Elvis Costello seem to be the current fave raves.
Sadly, Victor isn't with us any more but Costello certainly is and he has a knack of letting you know about it.
This time be turns his attentions to those celluloid police sirens — Messrs. Columbo, Kojak, Cannon, Rockford, Baretta, Starsky and Hutch and Co.
They are the mass heroes who prompted Elvis to write a song — "Watching The Detectives" (Stiff Buy 20).
Physically, Costello is the guy who gets sand kicked in his face pretty regularly.
Mentally he's the real tough nut. His songs are his defence. The lyrics kick, bite and gouge with all the artistry of a street-fighting man.
"Watching The Detectives" was obviously written in a good mood because it pulls punches for the sake of a hypnotic melody based around cute keyboards and a bumping bass.
Cult heroes can be just passing fancies, but I fancy that Elvis will have the last laugh. "Watching The Detectives" should ensure that.
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