Uncut, January 2023

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Uncut

Ultimate Music Guide


UK & Ireland magazines

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Elvis Costello makes some new musical friends


Michael Bonner

Q&A

How was 2022 for you?

It was a return to some kind of rhythm of working. I played a club in Leeds on my own, talking and telling stories, like a speaking engagement. It was fun to do! We went straight into a tour with The Imposters and Charlie Sexton and ended up in Denmark. Then we did it again, less than a month later in the States. We had Nicole Atkins with us, Nick Lowe opened up on most of the shows. And we've got another record! It's The Boy Named If (Alive At Memphis Magnetic). We have two recording sessions, one from last October, when The Imposters first played the songs from The Boy Named If live together, and another session in May. We started playing some other songs by other people. There's a track in Japanese on it! I heard this terrific duo called Kimiko and we invited them to rework "Magnificent Hurt." It's been a couple of years of those kinds of discoveries and making some new friends. I've loved that.

Were you pleased with the response to The Boy Named If?

Yeah, it was very well received. I was not only in your magazine, I was in the 'Grimsby Whippet Fancier', Horse & Hound and everything. Some of the things you don't really suit, truth be told. You're there to have your face be seen. Suddenly, you end up eating food on television at 11 in the morning. Lovely people, not really my speed. I'm trying to be a good team player, but it's clearly not my world. I can do the showbiz game, up to a point, but there's a reason why I'm not in Dancing On Ice. I was offered it, of course I was offered it, but I'm not going to do that. That's for ex-newsreaders and ex-politicians. There should be a few more candidates heading for that, incidentally. I can't wait to see Liz do the quickstep on Strictly. I shouldn't laugh, though, it's people's lives...

You spoiled us with two LPs this year. What was the reasoning behind getting your first band Rusty back together for The Resurrection Of Rust?

[Rusty partner] Allan Mayes called me and said, "It's 50 years. Let's make a cassette!" I said, "No, let's make a record with The Imposters and it'll come out on EMI!" So we did and we had a lot of fun. He came and stayed with us in New York, we went on The Tonight Show then he came and played with me to about 5,000 people. When we started out, we'd play to, like, 16 people. We were thrown out of at least one venue in Liverpool because they said, "It's not worth switching on the lights for you." We weren't quite ready, frankly, back then.

We received a lovely letter from Allan about the album: "I knew that all I had to do was be patient and it would all eventually happen for me."

That's great. It was a real thrill for me and I can imagine how Allan felt. I mean, it was a big moment for us.

In September, you played two shows in San Francisco, covering Grateful Dead songs.

Yes, it was a benefit billed as Costello Sings Hunter-Garcia. I wanted to do something unique. I invited Allan to join us, because we're another 1972 band and most of the Hunter-Garcia songs were from around that time. We didn't play any of them back in those days, because Allan didn't share my love of the Dead. In San Francisco, we had Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, Austin de Lone, Ruth Davies and Paul Revelli as the band. We took them into the Golden Gate Park the next day for the Strictly Bluegrass Festival. I've been going for about 15 years. I played with Steve Earle and ended up playing organ in Marcus Mumford's band. I was going round the park in a buggy. "Where am I supposed to be now...?"

Talking of festivals... you played at Woodstock '99. Have you seen the documentary?

I didn't need to re-live it. It was ugly, brutal and horrible. Funnily enough, someone came up to me at the Bluegrass festival and said, "I used to play with Jewel. You said to us when you came off stage, 'It's going to go wrong in a minute.'" Too much violent male energy. Willie Nelson had the right idea. He played first and he was out.

Dylan chose "Pump It Up" as one of the songs featured in The Philosophy Of Modern Song. Have you seen a copy yet?

It's in the house, but I'm sworn to secrecy! I tell you what, it's better than some academy giving you a long-service pity medal.

What does 2023 have in store?

I'm hopeful things will further get back to normal. We're going to Australia for the first time in 10 years. I'm going back to Iceland again, it's nearly 10 years since I was there. In February, I'm doing a 10-night stand in New York at the Gramercy, which is quite a small theatre. I will perform a completely different set each night, with the first five nights playing solo and the next five alongside Steve Nieve. So if you miss a song on night three, it's not coming back. There's going to be some surprises along the way. It's another way to look at it. I tried spinning the wheel to choose a song, so now I'm trying this.

Some nights will lean more towards ballads, some nights more towards storytelling songs and then some nights towards multiple rhythm. It'll be a challenge, but it's something I've wanted to do for a while.

You're keeping busy!

This is easily the busiest I've ever been. The only difference between this and, say, the first two and a half years — which was pretty intense — is that the touring is more humanely paced than it used to be. I'm not doing 35 dates straight between recording sessions. Did I mention I've got another record coming out next year? It's entirely different and it's very exciting. I'll tell you about it next time. Who knows how much more time there is for any of us, but I'm really enjoying working at the moment.

Finally, what music have you enjoyed this year?

When I was in the Golden Gate Park, I saw Arooj Aftab. I recommended Vulture Prince last year and now I've been fortunate enough to see her play. I saw Gorillaz recently, who were incredible. I'm going to see Thundercat and Robert Glasper on Halloween. I've got Ron Carter's Big Band at Birdland, Marc Ribot at Le Poisson Rouge, Rhiannon Giddens singing Henry Purcell at the Lincoln Centre. There are very significant musicians playing in very accessible venues at the moment. It's great. Keep the ears open, keep the antennae up and we'll get by.


Tags: The Boy Named If & Other Favourites TourLeedsDenmarkThe ImpostersCharlie SextonNicole AtkinsNick LoweThe Boy Named If (Alive At Memphis Magnetic)The Boy Named IfKimikoMagnificent HurtRustyThe Resurrection Of RustAllan MayesTonight ShowElvis Costello Sings Hunter/GarciaRobert HunterJerry GarciaGrateful DeadLarry CampbellTeresa WilliamsAustin de LoneRuth DaviesPaul RevelliHardly Strictly BluegrassSteve EarleMarcus MumfordWoodstock '99Willie NelsonBob DylanPump It UpIceland100 Songs and MoreGramercy TheatreSteve NieveMarc RibotRhiannon GiddensArmed ForcesSpanish Model

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Uncut, No. 308, January 2023


Michael Bonner interviews Elvis Costello.


The Boy Named If is No. 10 on Uncut's best new releases of 2022.


EC is namechecked in Graeme Thomson's profile of Loretta Lynn.

Images

2023-01-00 Uncut page 56.jpg2023-01-00 Uncut page 57.jpg
Page scans.



Best new releases of 2022

No. 10: The Boy Named If

Uncut

2023-01-00 Uncut page 58 clipping 01.jpg

Following two archival projects — a deluxe Armed Forces boxset and a Spanish-language reimagining of This Year's Model — Costello reunited with The Imposters for this characteristically diverse album anchored by top-drawer rock 'n' roll. Its songs involved stories of schoolteachers, imaginary friends, bereaved couples and scoundrels — a rich cast of colourful protagonists, in other words, to populate one of Costello's very best 21st-century albums.



Blue Kentucky girl

Loretta Lynn - 1932-2022

Graeme Thomson

Extracts:

page 42

Graeme Thomson's profile of Loretta Lynn includes a few Elvis Costello namechecks. Graeme Thomson's profile of Loretta Lynn includes a few Elvis Costello namechecks. Graeme Thomson's profile of Loretta Lynn includes a few Elvis Costello namechecks.



Remaining text and scanner-error corrections to come...


Cover and page scans.
2023-01-00 Uncut cover.jpg page 58 page 59

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