The week's pop-music calendar is highlighted by the appearance of Elvis Costello.
Costello and his band, the Attractions, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Fox Theater. Squeeze, another British group, is the opening act.
Costello is touring in connection with his Taking Liberties album, which has been selling well for the past three months. His other albums include My Aim Is True and Armed Forces.
At 26, Costello is one of the senior apostles of New Wave. His unpredictable personality keeps him in the news, and his music, which is a hard and pounding contrast to today's generally sweet sounds, has won a large following.
Costello's real name is Declan Patrick MacManus. He grew up in London and at one time worked with computers. His break in show business came when he staged a street-corner audition outside the London Hilton, where a convention of CBS executives was held. He was arrested for the disturbance, but also got a recording contract.
After his first American tour, Costello was quoted as saying that he liked Chicago best because people there were rude. "People on the West Coast were so nice it was driving me mad. If one more person said, 'Have a nice day,' I thought I might kill him."
Costello became involved in another uproar when he made a very unkind remark about Ray Charles during a barroom encounter with singer Bonnie Bramlett and several other musicians. Once the incident came out, the furor became so great that Costello felt obliged to issue a semi-apology. He claimed he was only trying to get away from the relentless camaraderie of Ms. Bramlett and her friends.
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