New Musical Express, July 26, 1986: Difference between revisions
(formatting +Category:Book reviews) |
(formatting +tags) |
||
Line 4: | Line 4: | ||
{{Bibliography article header}} | {{Bibliography article header}} | ||
<center><h3> Stiff luck </h3></center> | <center><h3> Stiff luck </h3></center> | ||
---- | ---- | ||
<center> Adrian Thrills </center> | <center> Adrian Thrills </center> | ||
---- | ---- | ||
''' Elvis Costello: An Illustrated Biography <br> | |||
Mick St Michael | |||
{{Bibliography text}} | {{Bibliography text}} | ||
There is a fascinating book to be written about the wonderfully chequered musical career of Declan Patrick MacManus. But, while the man's alter ego Elvis Costello has reigned practically unchallenged as Britain's most consistently brilliant songwriter for the past ten years, his history has never been satisfactorily chronicled. | There is a fascinating book to be written about the wonderfully chequered musical career of Declan Patrick MacManus. But, while the man's alter ego Elvis Costello has reigned practically unchallenged as Britain's most consistently brilliant songwriter for the past ten years, his history has never been satisfactorily chronicled. | ||
Line 19: | Line 20: | ||
As an "unauthorised" biog, a book like this is never going to give the fan any real insight into the artist's deeper motivations and St Michael's anecdotal and heavily factual approach does tend to leave the reader frustrated and eager to know more about how Costello himself actually felt at various points. | As an "unauthorised" biog, a book like this is never going to give the fan any real insight into the artist's deeper motivations and St Michael's anecdotal and heavily factual approach does tend to leave the reader frustrated and eager to know more about how Costello himself actually felt at various points. | ||
Perhaps the book's most interesting and revealing sections concern EC's Stateside forays. Right from the release of ''My Aim Is True'' in 1977, Elvis and manager Riviera were anxious for American success and their attempts to gain | Perhaps the book's most interesting and revealing sections concern EC's Stateside forays. Right from the release of ''My Aim Is True'' in 1977, Elvis and manager Riviera were anxious for American success and their attempts to gain it — usually with mixed results — are captured in considerable detail here. Overshadowing all else is the infamous Ohio bar-room brawl with hippy refugee Steven Stills and white soul veteran Bonnie Bramlett, where a drunken Costello was alleged to have called Ray Charles "an ignorant blind nigger." Elvis later claimed that he was merely playing devil's advocate to get rid of two unwelcome drinking chums. | ||
Though he was publicly forgiven by Charles himself and was later to apologise for the incident in a ''Rolling Stone'' "Elvis Repents" interview, the incident left a blemish on his career in the States. The American media were outraged and Costello hounded to the point where a New York club gig was picketed by Rock Against Racism activists. | Though he was publicly forgiven by Charles himself and was later to apologise for the incident in a ''Rolling Stone'' "Elvis Repents" interview, the incident left a blemish on his career in the States. The American media were outraged and Costello hounded to the point where a New York club gig was picketed by Rock Against Racism activists. | ||
Line 29: | Line 30: | ||
There is a fascinating book to be written about the music of Elvis Costello, but it may well take the pen of Declan Patrick MacManus to do it. | There is a fascinating book to be written about the music of Elvis Costello, but it may well take the pen of Declan Patrick MacManus to do it. | ||
{{cx}} | |||
{{tags}}[[Declan Patrick MacManus]] {{-}} [[Graham Parker]] {{-}} [[Brinsley Schwarz]] {{-}} [[Stiff Records]] {{-}} [[Flip City]] {{-}} [[Billy Bragg]] {{-}} [[Dave Robinson]] {{-}} [[Jake Riviera]] {{-}} [[Trust]] {{-}} [[Armed Forces]] {{-}} [[My Aim Is True]] {{-}} [[Stephen Stills]] {{-}} [[Bonnie Bramlett]] {{-}} [[Ray Charles]] {{-}} [[Rolling Stone, September 2, 1982|Rolling Stone]] {{-}} [[Concert 1979-04-01 New York (2nd show)|Bottom Line]] {{-}} [[Rock Against Racism]] {{-}} [[Bebe Buell]] {{-}} [[Cait O'Riordan]] | |||
{{cx}} | {{cx}} | ||
Line 57: | Line 61: | ||
*[http://www.nme.com/ NME.com] | *[http://www.nme.com/ NME.com] | ||
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NME Wikipedia: NME] | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NME Wikipedia: NME] | ||
*[http://www.flickr.com/photos/littletriggers/14118213612 Flickr: Stephen McCathie] | *[http://www.flickr.com/photos/littletriggers/14118213612 Flickr:] [[Stephen McCathie]] | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Musical Express 1986-07-26}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:New Musical Express 1986-07-26}} |
Latest revision as of 13:42, 25 February 2023
|