The Face, March 1986

Bibliography   72 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 UK & Ireland weeklies UK & Ireland magazines UK & Ireland newspapers US newspapers US rock magazines US music magazines US magazines US alternative weeklies European magazines European newspapers Canada  •  Mexico  •  Asia Australia  •  New Zealand South America  •  Africa Blogs  •  Fanzines  •  Books Online publications — The Happy Death Of Elvis Costello A comic drama in three parts, involving the troubled troubadour in intrigues of his own devising and nightmares of others' imagination, in which he finally lays hid ghost to rest... Nick Kent Part One "And they pulled him out of the cold, cold ground. And they put him in a suit of lights." - Declan P.A. MacManus, "Suit Of Lights" 1986 The world was stunned this past month when, after almost a year of speculation concerning physical deterioration and possible mental instability, Elvis Costello, the self-styled "knock-kneed mis-shapen misanthrope" of rock, was claimed to have executed himself in what many insiders regard to be a bizarre schizophrenic slaying! Rumour had been rife regarding Costello's purported problems: indeed one brave journalist had made sensational reading in a recent issue of a rock weekly by describing the troubled troubadour's last desperate months, during which, sighted "at London gigs and clubs he (Costello) was a bloated, sweating presence. For whatever reasons he looked a wreck". This intrepid scribe went on to draw weighty conclusions from rumours "too difficult to substantiate, too persistent to ignore" that "tell of a troubled love life, a drink problem and an artistic stone wall." Reflecting on Costello's new recording — "an undisguised plea for compassion, for a breathing space, for a ray of hope" — the pop pundit concluded that the mediocre version of an old Sixties hit, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", was in fact nothing less than "a harrowed howl for help". Elsewhere, mention made of the victim's penchant for "agonisingly slow self-flagellation" and "public disembowelment." Not long after these words appeared in print, a voice claiming to be Costello's psychiatrist, a certain Dr. McManus, contacted the aforementtoned reporter by phone — only a matter of hours prior to the suicide of his patient -- in an attempt to force a confrontation with the troubled genius. "It was a long shot," Dr. McManus stated, "but it might just have worked." At Costello's funeral, just as the casket was laid to rest, Dr. McManus was heard to remark with regard to his patient's demise: "Unfortunately, with Elvis it became a force of habit. When it moved he'd fuck it, when it didn't he'd stab it." The contents of the star-crossed crooner's suicide note were read out later during the wake. "It was a good idea at the time. Now I 'm a brilliant mistake." Remainder of text to come. The Face, No. 71, March 1986 Nick Kent interviews Elvis Costello. Images File:1986-03-00 The Face photo 01.jpg File:1986-03-00 The Face photo 02.jpg Photos by Davies and Starr. File:1986-03-00 The Face cover.jpg File:1986-03-00 The Face photo 04.jpg File:1986-03-00 The Face photo 03.jpg Cover and photos.

External links

• Wikipedia: The Face
• elviscostello.info