Los Angeles Times, July 18, 1982: Difference between revisions
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Here are four examples — from different songs — of Costello's lyric approach: | Here are four examples — from different songs — of Costello's lyric approach: | ||
''So in this almost empty gin palace | {{n}}''So in this almost empty gin palace <br> | ||
{{n}}''Through a two-way looking glass <br> | |||
{{n}}''You see your Alice | |||
''There's been a long honeymoon | {{n}}''There's been a long honeymoon <br> | ||
{{n}}''She thought too late and spoke too soon | |||
''Don't get smart or sarcastic | {{n}}''Don't get smart or sarcastic <br> | ||
{{n}}''He snaps back just like elastic | |||
''Almost blue | {{n}}''Almost blue <br> | ||
{{n}}''Almost doing things we used to do <br> | |||
{{n}}''There's a girl here and she's almost you. | |||
The last set of lyrics is from the new album's "Almost Blue," a ballad with the stamp of a standard on it. While most of the other tunes on ''Imperial Bedroom'' are more idiosyncratic, there's an ambitiousness and scope in the LP's bending of pop traditions that is breathtaking at times. | The last set of lyrics is from the new album's "Almost Blue," a ballad with the stamp of a standard on it. While most of the other tunes on ''Imperial Bedroom'' are more idiosyncratic, there's an ambitiousness and scope in the LP's bending of pop traditions that is breathtaking at times. | ||
Coupled with his seven earlier albums, the new collection represents a creative explosion perhaps unmatched for quality and quantity in rock since Dylan's mid' | Coupled with his seven earlier albums, the new collection represents a creative explosion perhaps unmatched for quality and quantity in rock since Dylan's mid-'60s period. | ||
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"I'd like to have hit singles, but you have to realize just how awful AM radio is over here. It makes me sad that someone like Randy Newman would only have a hit with 'Short People,' which is fairly insubstantial next to (Newman's) 'Davy, the Fat Boy,' which is brilliant" | "I'd like to have hit singles, but you have to realize just how awful AM radio is over here. It makes me sad that someone like Randy Newman would only have a hit with 'Short People,' which is fairly insubstantial next to (Newman's) 'Davy, the Fat Boy,' which is brilliant" | ||
''What was your attitude like when you first played the [[Concert 1977-11-18 Los Angeles|Whisky]]? | ''What was your attitude like when you first played the [[Concert 1977-11-18 Los Angeles (early)|Whisky]]? | ||
"I was just pleased to have an album, because I never thought it'd be possible — I had been turned down by everybody even though I had total conviction that the songs were good. It finally happened so fast. In a minute, I went from being this computer technician to a professional musician. By the time we got to this country, people were beginning to say we were a big deal. We had to live up to a lot of expectations." | "I was just pleased to have an album, because I never thought it'd be possible — I had been turned down by everybody even though I had total conviction that the songs were good. It finally happened so fast. In a minute, I went from being this computer technician to a professional musician. By the time we got to this country, people were beginning to say we were a big deal. We had to live up to a lot of expectations." | ||
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''You mean the night you stormed off-stage? I thought it was over equipment problems. | ''You mean the night you stormed off-stage? I thought it was over equipment problems. | ||
"No, it wasn't that I just sort of cracked up on stage. A lot of things were going on that left me confused. I remember having an argument with Dave Edmunds just before we got to L.A. on that tour. I was telling him that the whole tour was a failure and that we had lost the battle over here. We were playing to half-empty halls in a lot of cities and radio was ignoring the record. | "No, it wasn't that. I just sort of cracked up on stage. A lot of things were going on that left me confused. I remember having an argument with Dave Edmunds just before we got to L.A. on that tour. I was telling him that the whole tour was a failure and that we had lost the battle over here. We were playing to half-empty halls in a lot of cities and radio was ignoring the record. | ||
"Then we got to LA and the Civic was full. It all looked too easy. I began to worry that it was all phony — that people had just convinced themselves that we were the thing to see that week. I was questioning if we were really any good. If we couldn't pull a crowd 1,000 miles away, why should we suddenly be God in California." | "Then we got to LA and the Civic was full. It all looked too easy. I began to worry that it was all phony — that people had just convinced themselves that we were the thing to see that week. I was questioning if we were really any good. If we couldn't pull a crowd 1,000 miles away, why should we suddenly be God in California." | ||
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''What about the incident in Columbus? | ''What about the incident in Columbus? | ||
"It's very important to me that people understand what really happened that night, and I keep running into examples of how they don't When we were working on the new album, for instance, (Paul) McCartney was in the studio next door working with Michael Jackson. Bruce (Thomas, who plays bass in Costello's Attractions band) gets along very well with McCartney and he went down to see him. Everything went fine until someone introduced Bruce to Michael as my bass player. Then it got really unpleasant" (became of the stigma of the racial episode). | "It's very important to me that people understand what really happened that night, and I keep running into examples of how they don't. When we were working on the new album, for instance, (Paul) McCartney was in the studio next door working with Michael Jackson. Bruce (Thomas, who plays bass in Costello's Attractions band) gets along very well with McCartney and he went down to see him. Everything went fine until someone introduced Bruce to Michael as my bass player. Then it got really unpleasant" (became of the stigma of the racial episode). | ||
"That really brought it home to me. A few friends in the business said they could see how the situation could arise — how you'd say anything to get rid of some people. But it's still no excuse for what happened, and I apologize again. The whole thing was just further evidence to some people that I'm some kind of bastard." | "That really brought it home to me. A few friends in the business said they could see how the situation could arise — how you'd say anything to get rid of some people. But it's still no excuse for what happened, and I apologize again. The whole thing was just further evidence to some people that I'm some kind of bastard." | ||
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{{Bibliography next | {{Bibliography next | ||
|prev = Los Angeles Times, July 7, 1982 | |prev = Los Angeles Times, July 7, 1982 | ||
|next = Los Angeles Times, | |next = Los Angeles Times, August 7, 1983 | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Los Angeles Times, July 18, 1982 | '''Los Angeles Times, July 18, 1982 | ||
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[[Robert Hilburn]] interviews Elvis Costello. | [[Robert Hilburn]] interviews Elvis Costello. | ||
{{Robert Hilburn 1982 Los Angeles Times}} | |||
{{Bibliography images}} | {{Bibliography images}} | ||
[[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times Calendar cover.jpg| | [[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times Calendar cover.jpg|380px]] | ||
<br><small>Calendar section cover.</small> | <br><small>Calendar section cover.</small> | ||
[[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times Calendar page 61.jpg| | <small>Page scans.</small><br> | ||
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[[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times Calendar page 61.jpg|380px]] | |||
{{Bibliography box}} | |||
<center><h3> On the Riviera </h3></center> | |||
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<center> Patrick Goldstein </center> | |||
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{{Bibliography text}} | |||
[[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times Calendar pages 82,83,84 clipping composite.jpg|150px|right]] | |||
Half the fun of keeping track of Elvis Costello, (profiled on Page 1 and who plays the Greek Theater Tuesday night) is hearing new anecdotes about his irrepressible manager, Jake Riviera, whose battles with reporters and record companies are the stuff of legends. | |||
Nick Lowe, who's also managed by Riviera, tells the best tale, which dates back to the time of Costello's first album. Riviera and Lowe were drinking in a pub one night when someone rushed in with the news that Elvis Presley had just died. "I was absolutely inconsolable," Lowe said "Weeping like a baby. Jake, however, was very calm, telling me to pull myself together." | |||
Riviera drove him home, with Lowe still broken up over the news. Finally Riviera turned to him and said, "You know what this means, don't you? We're going to have to change his name from Elvis Costello to Elton..." | |||
Lowe was stunned. "He was perfectly serious. I thought, 'What a chap. He's already planning the next move.'{{nb}}" | |||
{{cx}} | |||
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<small>Photos by [[Gary Friedman]].</small><br> | <small>Photos by [[Gary Friedman]].</small><br> | ||
[[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times photo 02 gf.jpg| | [[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times photo 02 gf.jpg|380px]] | ||
[[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times photo 01 gf.jpg| | [[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times photo 01 gf.jpg|380px]] | ||
<br><br><br><br><br><br> | <br><br><br><br><br><br> | ||
[[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times Calendar advertisement.jpg|360px | [[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times Calendar advertisement.jpg|360px]] | ||
<br><small>Advertisement.</small> | <br><small>Advertisement.</small> | ||
[[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times Calendar page 02.jpg|x120px | |||
[[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times Calendar page 62.jpg|x120px | <small>Table of contents and concert listings page.</small><br> | ||
[[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times Calendar page 02.jpg|x120px]] | |||
[[image:1982-07-18 Los Angeles Times Calendar page 62.jpg|x120px]] | |||
{{Bibliography notes footer}} | {{Bibliography notes footer}} | ||
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*[http://articles.latimes.com LATimes.com] | *[http://articles.latimes.com LATimes.com] | ||
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Times Wikipedia: Los Angeles Times] | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Times Wikipedia: Los Angeles Times] | ||
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