New Musical Express, March 1, 1986: Difference between revisions
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{{Bibliography header}} | {{Bibliography header}} | ||
{{Bibliography index}} | {{:Bibliography index}} | ||
{{NME | {{:NME index}} | ||
{{Bibliography article header}} | {{Bibliography article header}} | ||
<center><h3> The Mortician's Wax </h3></center> | <center><h3> The Mortician's Wax </h3></center> | ||
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<center> Danny Kelly </center> | <center> Danny Kelly </center> | ||
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'''The King Of America (Part Two): Declan MacManus guides Danny Kelly through the LP of his coronation. Elvis died for this... | |||
{{Bibliography text}} | {{Bibliography text}} | ||
"I have no position in pop now, I resigned my post. I'm not in competition with anyone. The best people are in a class of one, and I'm the best example of what I am... | |||
" | "Compared to what else's going on today, it's a punk record..." | ||
Declan MacManus — his hand on the plug of the life support system that keeps Elvis Costello alive — is selling me his beloved new LP. | |||
"What do ''you'' think about ''King Of America''?" | |||
I think it's largely wonderful; a vindication of two years out of the racks. It's your most talked about work since ''This Year's Model'' and your best since ''Imperial Bedroom''... | |||
"That wouldn't be very hard..." | |||
...and, in many ways, among Costello's now 11-deep canon, it's often ''different'', sometimes ''unique''... | ...and, in many ways, among Costello's now 11-deep canon, it's often ''different'', sometimes ''unique''... | ||
Uniquely, it's downbeat, careful, almost monochrome. The playing | Uniquely, it's downbeat, careful, almost monochrome. The playing — lots of it courtesy of Presley's old spars, the TCB (Taking Care Of Business) crew — is an object lesson in low-key virtuosity. | ||
"I resisted the temptation to grandstand, to drive nails through people's heads. I didn't betray the songs... everything serves ''them''... | "I resisted the temptation to grandstand, to drive nails through people's heads. I didn't betray the songs... everything serves ''them''... | ||
"Differently, for the first time since '' | "Differently, for the first time since ''Almost Blue'' at least, a Costello record moves with a traditional, timelessly American, tread, albeit one minutely flecked by wholemeal forms; country, Irish, and whispers of cajun, zydeco and Tex Mex. | ||
"We eschewed the current production fascism which dictates that all drums have to sound like cannon fire, all tambourines have to sound like saxophones. and so on... | "We eschewed the current production fascism which dictates that all drums have to sound like cannon fire, all tambourines have to sound like saxophones. and so on... | ||
"But these songs aren't folk. I'd just seen two perfect hit singles by | "But these songs aren't folk. I'd just seen two perfect hit singles by The Pogues fail because the radio doesn't play "folk." And they're like a punk group compared to one guy with an acoustic guitar, | ||
"Anyway, I'm a ''pop'' writer... | "Anyway, I'm a ''pop'' writer... | ||
"Uniquely, ''America'''s torrent of words are unambiguous. Well, as unambiguous as Costello's come. The patented baroque linguistic cardtricks are largely gone, replaced by a simultaneously discomforting | "Uniquely, ''America'''s torrent of words are unambiguous. Well, as unambiguous as Costello's come. The patented baroque linguistic cardtricks are largely gone, replaced by a simultaneously discomforting — the shock of the new — and cockle-warming ''directness''. | ||
"A couple of years ago my writing was sort've short-circuiting and slipping into those wordplay things, at which I'm quite good. It was all becoming pretty glib | "A couple of years ago my writing was sort've short-circuiting and slipping into those wordplay things, at which I'm quite good. It was all becoming pretty glib — I thought I'd have to start using less words. | ||
"There's not ''too'' many words... this is the clearest lyrical record I've ever made. I used the number that I needed..." | "There's not ''too'' many words... this is the clearest lyrical record I've ever made. I used the number that I needed..." | ||
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Differently, for the first time since his debut in fact, Costello has cut himself away from the umbilical security of The Attractions. | Differently, for the first time since his debut in fact, Costello has cut himself away from the umbilical security of The Attractions. | ||
"Obviously, I couldn't assume an emotional rapport with the new band. It was like a football team really; they stood around while I went through the songs, explaining everything | "Obviously, I couldn't assume an emotional rapport with the new band. It was like a football team really; they stood around while I went through the songs, explaining everything — even my colloquialisms — to ensure that the meanings were clear. I was as honest with them as I could be... | ||
"They came along with very few prejudices, very open-minded and hearted. They didn't say 'who's this weirdo, then?'..." | "They came along with very few prejudices, very open-minded and hearted. They didn't say 'who's this weirdo, then?'..." | ||
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Uniquely, guitarist James Burton finds his often-wondrous, country-tinged playing twinkling with absurd ease behind the voice of a strange chap called Elvis... for the ''second'' time. | Uniquely, guitarist James Burton finds his often-wondrous, country-tinged playing twinkling with absurd ease behind the voice of a strange chap called Elvis... for the ''second'' time. | ||
"In all honesty, I was just as thrilled to be playing with | "In all honesty, I was just as thrilled to be playing with James because he'd worked with Gram Parsons! The good thing was that they talked about Elvis as a ''musician'', just the singer in a band. They didn't have him up on some pedestal. After all the sleaze it was very pleasing to listen to people with fond memories, funny little stories to tell, y'know." | ||
Did they take the piss? | Did they take the piss? | ||
"Only joking asides... it wasn't as if I turned up wearing a gold lamé suit or acting weird..." | "Only joking asides... it wasn't as if I turned up wearing a gold lamé suit or acting weird..." | ||
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"I desperately want a fair hearing for this record, not to have people misread it... "Everything you don't understand on it is ''exactly'' what it appears to be..." | "I desperately want a fair hearing for this record, not to have people misread it... "Everything you don't understand on it is ''exactly'' what it appears to be..." | ||
''King Of America's'' pair of outright rockers (" | ''King Of America's'' pair of outright rockers ("Lovable" — "It's mostly straight, but isn't love ''tricky''?" — and "Eisenhower Blues" — "a satirical blues, anyone who can't see why I recorded it is an idiot!") are self-explanatory, which leaves... | ||
" | "Brilliant Mistake," opening proceedings and setting a sparkling standard for the rest of the LP, concerns itself with The Big Country. | ||
"America? No place on earth has ever been based on such high principles, principles that have either been betrayed or used to beat people around the head with. | "America? No place on earth has ever been based on such high principles, principles that have either been betrayed or used to beat people around the head with. | ||
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"This country, by comparison, has no ''constitutional'' morality yet people would still view America as being more unjust. But that's a huge argument, beyond the scope of this song. I simply chose three little scenes to illustrate America The Brilliant Mistake. It's not the last word... nothing on this record is the last word." | "This country, by comparison, has no ''constitutional'' morality yet people would still view America as being more unjust. But that's a huge argument, beyond the scope of this song. I simply chose three little scenes to illustrate America The Brilliant Mistake. It's not the last word... nothing on this record is the last word." | ||
"''You're not gonna do a thing to"...'' " | "''You're not gonna do a thing to"...'' "Our Little Angel" is a country slide, a distanced view of a Costello mainstay, the coquette. | ||
"It's just a story of a tease, a flirt tolerated by a bunch of hangers on, deflecting the more genuine feelings of ardent suitors. You know that scene, everybody does. It's small and trivial..." | "It's just a story of a tease, a flirt tolerated by a bunch of hangers on, deflecting the more genuine feelings of ardent suitors. You know that scene, everybody does. It's small and trivial..." | ||
And a close relative of " | And a close relative of "You Little Fool." | ||
"Ah, but that was a ''much'' sicker song..." | "Ah, but that was a ''much'' sicker song..." | ||
" | "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" — some bloody hope! | ||
"Beneath The Animals' thuggish version, there was always another song in there. The reason I put it out as a single was to get across the very different ''sound'' of the LP. I ''have'' got some sympathy with the lyric, but not in any desparate way. Perhaps the voice misled people. I had a terrible throat that day, but I kind of liked the effect." | "Beneath The Animals' thuggish version, there was always another song in there. The reason I put it out as a single was to get across the very different ''sound'' of the LP. I ''have'' got some sympathy with the lyric, but not in any desparate way. Perhaps the voice misled people. I had a terrible throat that day, but I kind of liked the effect." | ||
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"Some people might even take offence because it's not waving the flag for the working class, but fuck it, there's plenty of others doing that already... | "Some people might even take offence because it's not waving the flag for the working class, but fuck it, there's plenty of others doing that already... | ||
"It's a personal song, not sociological. My grandfather lived all his life in a house that was condemned, condemned from before The First World War 'til the day he died. But at least that place was solidly built | "It's a personal song, not sociological. My grandfather lived all his life in a house that was condemned, condemned from before The First World War 'til the day he died. But at least that place was solidly built — they knocked down many like it to build flats that were demolished 15 years ago because they were made with so little regard for human life that they turned into fucking shit. And if you put people into shit, they turn into shit too! | ||
"But there's a falsehood in thinking people morally superior because of their background. All upper class people are not bastards, all coppers are ''not'' bastards, and all working class people are ''not'' good. Some of them are stupid and vicious. | "But there's a falsehood in thinking people morally superior because of their background. All upper class people are not bastards, all coppers are ''not'' bastards, and all working class people are ''not'' good. Some of them are stupid and vicious. | ||
"Alright, some of those are ''made'' to be stupid and vicious, but there's no fucking excuse when women are raped, when kids' heads get knocked in | "Alright, some of those are ''made'' to be stupid and vicious, but there's no fucking excuse when women are raped, when kids' heads get knocked in — they're stupid, brutal people." | ||
After that little lot, and the profound resignation of "Fireworks," Wagner would come as light relief. Happily, then, Side One's closer, "[[I'll Wear It Proudly]]" another act of devotion, is a relief, welcome and (de)light(ful). | After that little lot, and the profound resignation of "Fireworks," Wagner would come as light relief. Happily, then, Side One's closer, "[[I'll Wear It Proudly]]" another act of devotion, is a relief, welcome and (de)light(ful). | ||
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"In many ways, there's nothing worse than English people living in the USA, especially Los Angeles. They've all got ''Spinal Tap'' accents, terribly exaggerated South London accents like Mick Jagger, nowworrameen? | "In many ways, there's nothing worse than English people living in the USA, especially Los Angeles. They've all got ''Spinal Tap'' accents, terribly exaggerated South London accents like Mick Jagger, nowworrameen? | ||
"The virulent anti-American racism in this country makes me sick and sad. That a country's foreign policy and an admittedly idiotic president can damn 200 ''million'' people is mad, utterly mad. Those ideas | "The virulent anti-American racism in this country makes me sick and sad. That a country's foreign policy and an admittedly idiotic president can damn 200 ''million'' people is mad, utterly mad. Those ideas — that they're all stupid and have too much money — are just ''crap''! | ||
"People now tell me that it's got political overtones, that the song's about cultural imperialism, but... it's simply that there are people who go there, accept, and are accepted." | "People now tell me that it's got political overtones, that the song's about cultural imperialism, but... it's simply that there are people who go there, accept, and are accepted." | ||
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"I was very nervous, intimidated almost, about working with Ray and those guys. Their musical stories are all [[Ella Fitzgerald]] and [[Louis Armstrong]], so you start to wonder what the hell you're doing there, whether you're up to it. You start to have nightmares that you're just indulging some faddish whim... | "I was very nervous, intimidated almost, about working with Ray and those guys. Their musical stories are all [[Ella Fitzgerald]] and [[Louis Armstrong]], so you start to wonder what the hell you're doing there, whether you're up to it. You start to have nightmares that you're just indulging some faddish whim... | ||
"The song, again, is what it seems, a love song. Pain doesn't always have to be major, ''crushing'', pain | "The song, again, is what it seems, a love song. Pain doesn't always have to be major, ''crushing'', pain — it can be like picking up something beautiful, a rose, and getting it stuck in your hand..." | ||
Costello's repeated recent denials of a boozelogged 1985 render "[[The Big Light]]" less sodden with meaning than might have been the case. | Costello's repeated recent denials of a boozelogged 1985 render "[[The Big Light]]" less sodden with meaning than might have been the case. | ||
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Declan Macmanus got tired of his suit of lights, tired of going to work each night and wasting his breath. | Declan Macmanus got tired of his suit of lights, tired of going to work each night and wasting his breath. | ||
"[[Sleep Of The Just]]" | "[[Sleep Of The Just]]" — a lilting Poguesian air, armed with an inbuilt sideswipe at Madonna — closes ''King Of America'' with a suitable flourish. It's the second side's fourth ace, this resurrectional record's ninth in all. | ||
"It's a construction from an actual event. The opening verse happened to me, but not the rest. It's just a little story about morally superior prigs. This one | "It's a construction from an actual event. The opening verse happened to me, but not the rest. It's just a little story about morally superior prigs. This one — a soldier, ''by coincidence'' — thinks he's better than his nude model sister. It's a parable, about pride, about pomposity..." | ||
"So what ''do'' you think about the record?" | "So what ''do'' you think about the record?" | ||
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{{Bibliography notes}} | {{Bibliography notes}} | ||
{{Bibliography next | |||
|prev = New Musical Express, February 22, 1986 | |||
|next = New Musical Express, May 31, 1986 | |||
}} | |||
'''New Musical Express, March 1, 1986 | '''New Musical Express, March 1, 1986 | ||
---- | ---- | ||
[[Danny Kelly]] interviews Elvis Costello | [[Danny Kelly]] interviews Elvis Costello <span style="font-size:92%">(continued from [[New Musical Express, February 22, 1986|February 22]].)</span> | ||
{{Bibliography images}} | {{Bibliography images}} | ||
[[image:1986-03-01 New Musical Express | [[image:1986-03-01 New Musical Express page 18 clipping 01.jpg|x390px]][[image:1986-03-01 New Musical Express page 19.jpg|x390px]] | ||
[[image:1986-03-01 New Musical Express | <br><small>Clipping and page scan.</small> | ||
<br><small> | |||
<small>Photo by [[Derek Ridgers]].</small><br> | |||
[[image:1986-03-01 New Musical Express photo 01 dr.jpg|300px]] | |||
[[image:1986-03-01 New Musical Express | <small>Cover.</small><br> | ||
[[image:1986-03-01 New Musical Express cover.jpg|x120px]] | |||
{{Bibliography notes footer}} | {{Bibliography notes footer}} | ||
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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NME Wikipedia: NME] | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NME Wikipedia: NME] | ||
*[http://www.elviscostello.info/articles/n/nme.860301a.html elviscostello.info] | *[http://www.elviscostello.info/articles/n/nme.860301a.html elviscostello.info] | ||
*[http://www.flickr.com/ | *[http://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=13068920%40N00&sort=date-posted-desc&text=N.M.E.%2001%3A03%3A1986 Flickr:] [[Stephen McCathie]] | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Musical Express 1986-03-01}} | |||
[[Category:Bibliography 1986 | [[Category:Bibliography]] | ||
[[Category:Bibliography 1986]] | |||
[[Category:New Musical Express| New Musical Express 1986-03-01]] | [[Category:New Musical Express| New Musical Express 1986-03-01]] | ||
[[Category:Magazine articles | [[Category:Magazine articles]] | ||
[[Category:Interviews | [[Category:Interviews]] | ||
[[Category:1986 interviews]] |
Latest revision as of 08:01, 25 September 2023
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