London Times, October 11, 2015: Difference between revisions
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<center><h3> Every day I write the book </h3></center> | <center><h3> Every day I write the book </h3></center> | ||
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Costello does this — chuckles, with the occasional twinkle thrown in — a lot. It takes a while to acclimatise, as it would, you suspect, for anyone who remembers him as a surly, curled-lipped pugilist, forever in a grump. I tried to avoid interviewing him for years on the basis of that apprehension. | Costello does this — chuckles, with the occasional twinkle thrown in — a lot. It takes a while to acclimatise, as it would, you suspect, for anyone who remembers him as a surly, curled-lipped pugilist, forever in a grump. I tried to avoid interviewing him for years on the basis of that apprehension. | ||
This tricksy reputation is one of the many topics the 61-year-old addresses in ''Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink''. Completed without the aid of a ghostwriter, the memoir is by turns scathing, lachrymose, self-flagellating and impassioned. Unsurprisingly, it is beautifully written. It is also often extraordinarily moving. At its centre, of course, is the man born Declan MacManus. But the book is haunted by another presence, to the point where it could just as accurately have been titled A Voyage Round My Father, had it not been taken. | This tricksy reputation is one of the many topics the 61-year-old addresses in ''Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink''. Completed without the aid of a ghostwriter, the memoir is by turns scathing, lachrymose, self-flagellating and impassioned. Unsurprisingly, it is beautifully written. It is also often extraordinarily moving. At its centre, of course, is the man born Declan MacManus. But the book is haunted by another presence, to the point where it could just as accurately have been titled ''A Voyage Round My Father'', had it not been taken. | ||
Ross MacManus, a jazz musician who switched to singing, bagged a job with the Joe Loss Orchestra and spent pretty much his entire life on the road, comes across as a larger-than-life character: a ladies' man, ''boulevardier'' and mischief-maker, certainly, but also a person dedicated to, and utterly immersed in, life as a professional musician. | Ross MacManus, a jazz musician who switched to singing, bagged a job with the Joe Loss Orchestra and spent pretty much his entire life on the road, comes across as a larger-than-life character: a ladies' man, ''boulevardier'' and mischief-maker, certainly, but also a person dedicated to, and utterly immersed in, life as a professional musician. | ||
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Ross MacManus's father was also a musician, playing the trumpet in the orchestra on White Star Line cruise ships. Does Costello, the father of twin sons with his third wife, the pianist and singer Diana Krall, ever wonder if his children will continue the tradition? | Ross MacManus's father was also a musician, playing the trumpet in the orchestra on White Star Line cruise ships. Does Costello, the father of twin sons with his third wife, the pianist and singer Diana Krall, ever wonder if his children will continue the tradition? | ||
"Well, I never felt destined or obligated to do this because of my father and grandfather. It would be for them to decide for themselves. I know they love music. Sometimes I hear sounds coming from the basement, and it sounds like we have Depeche Mode down there. When you put music on, sometimes they'll go, 'Play that again.' And it's Miles Davis. But the next time, they'll want Donald Where's Your Troosers?" | "Well, I never felt destined or obligated to do this because of my father and grandfather. It would be for them to decide for themselves. I know they love music. Sometimes I hear sounds coming from the basement, and it sounds like we have Depeche Mode down there. When you put music on, sometimes they'll go, 'Play that again.' And it's Miles Davis. But the next time, they'll want 'Donald Where's Your Troosers?'" | ||
''Unfaithful Music'' may skip between time zones, but it covers all the bases — his childhood in Twickenham and Liverpool; his musical apprenticeship and eventual breakthrough; the riotous early tours with the Attractions; and his later incarnation as a musical sage, collaborating with everyone from Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach to Allen Toussaint and the Brodsky Quartet — a fan would expect. Including the surliness. His prickly reputation was cemented on his first day of press interviews, when he had a debilitating attack of vertigo and turned up to meet various splendidly seedy-sounding hacks feeling nauseous. | ''Unfaithful Music'' may skip between time zones, but it covers all the bases — his childhood in Twickenham and Liverpool; his musical apprenticeship and eventual breakthrough; the riotous early tours with the Attractions; and his later incarnation as a musical sage, collaborating with everyone from Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach to Allen Toussaint and the Brodsky Quartet — a fan would expect. Including the surliness. His prickly reputation was cemented on his first day of press interviews, when he had a debilitating attack of vertigo and turned up to meet various splendidly seedy-sounding hacks feeling nauseous. | ||
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{{Bibliography notes}} | {{Bibliography notes}} | ||
{{Bibliography next | |||
|prev = London Times, November 15, 2014 | |||
|next = London Times, October 17, 2015 | |||
}} | |||
'''The Sunday Times, Culture magazine, October 11, 2015 | '''The Sunday Times, Culture magazine, October 11, 2015 | ||
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{{Bibliography images}} | {{Bibliography images}} | ||
[[image:2015-10- | [[image:2015-10-11 London Times pages 20-21.jpg|380px|border]] | ||
<br><small>Page scans.</small> | <br><small>Page scans.</small> | ||
<small>Photo by [[James O'Mara]].</small><br> | <small>Photo by [[James O'Mara]].</small><br> | ||
[[image:2015-10- | [[image:2015-10-11 London Times photo 01 jo.jpg|320px]] | ||
[[image:2015-10- | <small>Cover.</small><br> | ||
[[image:2015-10-11 London Times Culture cover.jpg|x120px|border]] | |||
{{Bibliography notes footer}} | {{Bibliography notes footer}} | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*[http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk TheSundayTimes.co.uk] | *[http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/culture/music/article1616329.ece TheSundayTimes.co.uk] | ||
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sunday_Times Wikipedia: The Sunday Times] | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sunday_Times Wikipedia: The Sunday Times] | ||
*[http://www.elviscostello.com/news/every-day-i-write-the-book/751 elviscostello.com] | *[http://www.elviscostello.com/news/every-day-i-write-the-book/751 elviscostello.com] | ||
*[http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10643 Elvis Costello Fan Forum] | *[http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10643 Elvis Costello Fan Forum] | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:London Sunday Times 2015-10- | {{DEFAULTSORT:London Sunday Times 2015-10-11}} | ||
[[Category:Bibliography]] | [[Category:Bibliography]] | ||
[[Category:Bibliography 2015]] | [[Category:Bibliography 2015]] | ||
[[Category:London Times| London Times 2015-10- | [[Category:London Times| London Times 2015-10-11]] | ||
[[Category:Newspaper articles]] | [[Category:Newspaper articles]] | ||
[[Category:Book reviews]] | |||
[[Category:Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink reviews]] |
Latest revision as of 03:04, 25 May 2023
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