Rolling Stone, October 14, 2004: Difference between revisions
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Elvis Costello is literally as old as rock | Elvis Costello is literally as old as rock 'n' roll itself. The British singer-songwriter, whose real name is Declan Patrick MacManus, was born in London on August 25th, 1954, seven weeks after the real Elvis made his first Sun single on the other side of the Atlantic. But in three decades of making his own records and composing some of the most melodically and lyrically accomplished songs in rock, Costello can proudly say he has never written about being a rock star. | ||
"I just am rock | "I just am rock 'n' roll," he says with a grin on a recent morning in a Manhattan hotel room. "I don't have to protest that hard. A lot of rock 'n' rollers are afraid to do things because they won't look good doing it: 'A rocker wouldn't do that.' I'll put on a suit if I feel like it. It's not about the clothes. It's about here," pointing to his head. | ||
Costello is, in fact, wearing a suit. He also looks very much as he did, if not as rail-thin, when ''My Aim Is True'', his 1977 debut on Britain's Stiff label, announced the arrival of the most original voice of the punk era. Costello aspired to more than that, however. His discography is a staggering library of confidence and daring: his '78-'84 rush of classics with his great band the Attractions; genre adventures ranging from 1981's all-country experiment, ''Almost Blue'', to last year's ravishing, confessional suite, ''North''; songs and albums made with artists as diverse as Burt Bacharach, Johnny Cash and No Doubt. In October, Costello releases two very different albums on the same day: the visceral Southern-gothic opera ''The Delivery Man'', cut with his current band the Imposters over a single weekend in Mississippi; and his symphonic bow, ''Il Sogno'', performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and originally written by Costello as a ballet score. | Costello is, in fact, wearing a suit. He also looks very much as he did, if not as rail-thin, when ''My Aim Is True'', his 1977 debut on Britain's Stiff label, announced the arrival of the most original voice of the punk era. Costello aspired to more than that, however. His discography is a staggering library of confidence and daring: his '78-'84 rush of classics with his great band the Attractions; genre adventures ranging from 1981's all-country experiment, ''Almost Blue'', to last year's ravishing, confessional suite, ''North''; songs and albums made with artists as diverse as Burt Bacharach, Johnny Cash and No Doubt. In October, Costello releases two very different albums on the same day: the visceral Southern-gothic opera ''The Delivery Man'', cut with his current band the Imposters over a single weekend in Mississippi; and his symphonic bow, ''Il Sogno'', performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and originally written by Costello as a ballet score. | ||
"It's the same person, the same voice," Costello says of the new albums, humming a soprano-sax figure from ''Il Sogno'' as melodic evidence. "I think you can recognize that, if you have the ears for it." His refusal to acknowledge limits or deny his impulses is a recurring theme in this interview. In more than six hours of conversation in July, the week after his three triumphant birthday concerts at New York's Lincoln Center, Costello plunges into a wide range of topics. He speaks frankly, again, of the only blot on his career: the 1979 bar brawl in Columbus, Ohio, in which he drunkenly and regrettably defamed Ray Charles with a racial epithet. He talks at greater length, with candor and color, of his early, turbulent stardom; his musical upbringing; the emotions and methods inside his songs; and his recent collaboration with his new wife, jazz singer-pianist Diana Krall, on her album The Girl in the Other Room. | "It's the same person, the same voice," Costello says of the new albums, humming a soprano-sax figure from ''Il Sogno'' as melodic evidence. "I think you can recognize that, if you have the ears for it." His refusal to acknowledge limits or deny his impulses is a recurring theme in this interview. In more than six hours of conversation in July, the week after his three triumphant birthday concerts at New York's Lincoln Center, Costello plunges into a wide range of topics. He speaks frankly, again, of the only blot on his career: the 1979 bar brawl in Columbus, Ohio, in which he drunkenly and regrettably defamed Ray Charles with a racial epithet. He talks at greater length, with candor and color, of his early, turbulent stardom; his musical upbringing; the emotions and methods inside his songs; and his recent collaboration with his new wife, jazz singer-pianist Diana Krall, on her album ''The Girl in the Other Room''. | ||
"It's a provocation to the imagination," Costello says, at one point, of the sound and structure of ''The Delivery Man'' — a perfect description of his entire life in music. | "It's a provocation to the imagination," Costello says, at one point, of the sound and structure of ''The Delivery Man'' — a perfect description of his entire life in music. | ||
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Anyone who will listen. When I was a teenager, I didn't just listen to rock. I remember being smitten with some girl and listening to the Supremes and Temptations doing "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me." But I also liked [singer-songwriter] David Ackles. He didn't sound like a kid. He sounded grown-up — there was Percy Mayfield and Kurt Weill in there. | Anyone who will listen. When I was a teenager, I didn't just listen to rock. I remember being smitten with some girl and listening to the Supremes and Temptations doing "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me." But I also liked [singer-songwriter] David Ackles. He didn't sound like a kid. He sounded grown-up — there was Percy Mayfield and Kurt Weill in there. | ||
I was born, coincidentally, when rock | I was born, coincidentally, when rock 'n' roll started. But my imagination about music doesn't start in 1954. I'm not exclusively thinking about rock 'n' roll. When I made My Aim Is True, my favorite record was Randy Newman's first album. Punk was supposed to be the Year Zero. I didn't buy it: "We're sweeping it all away." When the Clash ran out of the motor of those first two albums, what was the next thing they did? London Calling. You have New Orleans music and ska. The Joe Strummer record collection came into view. | ||
''Were you more honest in displaying your roots than the punks around you? | ''Were you more honest in displaying your roots than the punks around you? | ||
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''"Button My Lip," "Bedlam" and "Monkey to Man" seem to be more about current events, like radio broadcasts: Here's the news of the day, and it isn't good. | ''"Button My Lip," "Bedlam" and "Monkey to Man" seem to be more about current events, like radio broadcasts: Here's the news of the day, and it isn't good. | ||
The world is tapping on the window. And it's not tapping; it's roaring. It's my picture of a small society — the people in this tale — assailed from outside, by the larger worries of the world. One of the reasons Neil Young's best record is [1974's] On the Beach is because it captures disenchantment so well, that period when people just wanted to turn the lights out. That's because you had a crook in office and you were ashamed. | The world is tapping on the window. And it's not tapping; it's roaring. It's my picture of a small society — the people in this tale — assailed from outside, by the larger worries of the world. One of the reasons Neil Young's best record is [1974's] ''On the Beach'' is because it captures disenchantment so well, that period when people just wanted to turn the lights out. That's because you had a crook in office and you were ashamed. | ||
''One of my favorite lyrics about the music business is in "Radio, Radio": ''"I wanna bite the hand that feeds me / I wanna bite that hand so badly."'' It sounds as relevant now, in the age of Clear Channel, as when I first heard you play it with the Attractions on the '77 tour. Were you pissed about anything in particular when you wrote it? | ''One of my favorite lyrics about the music business is in "Radio, Radio": ''"I wanna bite the hand that feeds me / I wanna bite that hand so badly."'' It sounds as relevant now, in the age of Clear Channel, as when I first heard you play it with the Attractions on the '77 tour. Were you pissed about anything in particular when you wrote it? | ||
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Between five and sixteen, I lived in Twickenham [in London]. The Rolling Stones were playing nearby, at the Station Hotel in Richmond. The Who were at Eel Pie Island. The Yardbirds lived in the next street. They had a van with YARDBIRDS written on it. I'd see [Fleetwood Mac guitarist] Peter Green in this record shop I used to go to — looking like Jesus in his rugby shirt and long hair. | Between five and sixteen, I lived in Twickenham [in London]. The Rolling Stones were playing nearby, at the Station Hotel in Richmond. The Who were at Eel Pie Island. The Yardbirds lived in the next street. They had a van with YARDBIRDS written on it. I'd see [Fleetwood Mac guitarist] Peter Green in this record shop I used to go to — looking like Jesus in his rugby shirt and long hair. | ||
I was living in rock | I was living in rock 'n' roll central, although I didn't think so at the time. I was into American stuff and the Beatles. I never paid attention to the Who after "I Can See for Miles." I've never heard ''Tommy''. I don't own a copy of ''Who's Next''. I don't own any Led Zeppelin records. I liked Jimi Hendrix singles — the ballads like "Little Wing" and "The Wind Cries Mary," because they were like Curtis Mayfield songs. "Rocking Horse Road" [on 1994's ''Brutal Youth''] is a cross between a Curtis song and a Hendrix ballad, with a bit of Small Faces thrown in. | ||
''Did you always envision yourself as a singer as well as a songwriter? | ''Did you always envision yourself as a singer as well as a songwriter? | ||
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''I've heard demo tapes you made in the mid-1970s with your band Flip City. Some of them sound a lot like '72 Bruce Springsteen. | ''I've heard demo tapes you made in the mid-1970s with your band Flip City. Some of them sound a lot like '72 Bruce Springsteen. | ||
That's who we were copying. When Bruce came to London for "the future of rock | That's who we were copying. When Bruce came to London for "the future of rock 'n' roll" gigs in 1975, we were like, "Who are these johnny-come-latelies?" We'd been digging him for years. I loved ''The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle''. The songs are so operatic. Then he narrowed it down. I learned something from that. When he wanted to get over, he wrote "Born to Run." | ||
''How did you end up at Stiff Records? | ''How did you end up at Stiff Records? | ||
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''Was there a real-life Alison? | ''Was there a real-life Alison? | ||
It's a hybrid of several people. The song is about a person growing up and realizing life isn't going to be ideal: "I know this world is killing you." You're not going to be this innocent girl that I first knew — and it's me that's doing it. There's not a huge distance between that and "There's a Story in Your Voice" [on ''The Delivery Man''], where I'm singing about a character at a similar moment in later life — and she is realizing that the guy is a liar. | It's a hybrid of several people. The song is about a person growing up and realizing life isn't going to be ideal: ''"I know this world is killing you."'' You're not going to be this innocent girl that I first knew — and it's me that's doing it. There's not a huge distance between that and "There's a Story in Your Voice" [on ''The Delivery Man''], where I'm singing about a character at a similar moment in later life — and she is realizing that the guy is a liar. | ||
''Many of your songs are crammed with words and images, sung very fast. When do you know enough's enough? | ''Many of your songs are crammed with words and images, sung very fast. When do you know enough's enough? | ||
I threw away five verses of "Pump It Up" — it was amphetamine nonsense. Other times, there is a point to the sheer weight. "Tokyo Storm Warning" [on 1986's ''Blood | I threw away five verses of "Pump It Up" — it was amphetamine nonsense. Other times, there is a point to the sheer weight. "Tokyo Storm Warning" [on 1986's ''Blood & Chocolate''] is a travelogue; it's about claustrophobia. There are different ways to write. A lot of the ''Imperial Bedroom'' songs make no sense. They sketch things: "Beyond Belief," "Man Out of Time." That's the way I felt. My life wasn't certain. The first excitement of success had run its course. Those are very tortured songs, like "Almost Blue." Some are disguised. There's the song about the day John Lennon got shot: "Kid About It." I didn't want to believe the news. But I didn't want to write some John-is-gone song. It had to be more subtle, to have any meaning. | ||
''What is a typical songwriting day for you? | ''What is a typical songwriting day for you? | ||
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''Has that changed the way you write for yourself now? | ''Has that changed the way you write for yourself now? | ||
Not so much in the songs as in the freedom I feel. When ''North'' came out, I was reluctant to attach the songs so directly to the circumstances in my life. The specifics are there for private reasons. But if the record came out now. . . . [Pauses] It would never be easy to say it: "Like my record, because it's about my life" [laughs]. | Not so much in the songs as in the freedom I feel. When ''North'' came out, I was reluctant to attach the songs so directly to the circumstances in my life. The specifics are there for private reasons. But if the record came out now. ... [Pauses] It would never be easy to say it: "Like my record, because it's about my life" [laughs]. | ||
''How many songs do you have lying around right now, waiting to be recorded? Your productivity is such that people assume the number is in the hundreds. | ''How many songs do you have lying around right now, waiting to be recorded? Your productivity is such that people assume the number is in the hundreds. | ||
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But you know what? [Smiles] That jazz girl loves ''The Delivery Man''. | But you know what? [Smiles] That jazz girl loves ''The Delivery Man''. | ||
{{cx}} | |||
{{tags}}[[Declan MacManus]] {{-}} [[My Aim Is True]] {{-}} [[The Attractions]] {{-}} [[Almost Blue]] {{-}} [[North]] {{-}} [[Burt Bacharach]] {{-}} [[Johnny Cash]] {{-}} [[No Doubt]] {{-}} [[The Delivery Man]] {{-}} [[The Imposters]] {{-}} [[Il Sogno]] {{-}} [[London Symphony Orchestra]] {{-}} [[Diana Krall]] {{-}} [[Diana Krall: The Girl In The Other Room|The Girl In The Other Room]] {{-}} [[She]] {{-}} [[Charles Aznavour]] {{-}} [[Notting Hill: Music From The Motion Picture]] {{-}} [[Nashville]] {{-}} [[Almost Blue]] {{-}} [[The Beatles]] {{-}} [[Geoff Emerick]] {{-}} [[Imperial Bedroom]] {{-}} [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]] {{-}} [[Royal Albert Hall]] {{-}} [[Robert Kirby]] {{-}} [[The Supremes]] {{-}} [[The Temptations]] {{-}} [[David Ackles]] {{-}} [[Percy Mayfield]] {{-}} [[Kurt Weill]] {{-}} [[Randy Newman]] {{-}} [[The Clash]] {{-}} [[London Calling]] {{-}} [[New Orleans]] {{-}} [[Joe Strummer]] {{-}} [[The Modern Lovers]] {{-}} [[The Velvet Underground]] {{-}} [[Waiting For The End Of The World]] {{-}} [[Motown]] {{-}} [[The Band]] {{-}} [[Button My Lip]] {{-}} [[Heart Shaped Bruise]] {{-}} [[Ryman Auditorium]] {{-}} [[The Juliet Letters]] {{-}} [[The Brodsky Quartet]] {{-}} [[Watching The Detectives]] {{-}} [[My Dark Life]] {{-}} [[Songs In The Key Of X]] {{-}} [[Button My Lip]] {{-}} [[Bedlam]] {{-}} [[Monkey To Man]] {{-}} [[Neil Young]] {{-}} [[Vanity Fair, November 2000#Neil Young|On The Beach]] {{-}} [[Radio, Radio]] {{-}} [[Martin Scorsese]] {{-}} [[Hollywood High School|Hollywood]] {{-}} [[Robbie Robertson]] {{-}} [[The Band]] {{-}} [[Sam Cooke]] {{-}} [[The Mamas & The Papas|Lou Adler]] {{-}} [[Rockpile]] {{-}} [[Ray Charles]] {{-}} [[Elton John]] {{-}} [[Anaheim]] {{-}} [[Ross MacManus]] {{-}} [[Lee Konitz]] {{-}} [[Someone Took The Words Away]] {{-}} [[The Rolling Stones]] {{-}} [[The Who]] {{-}} [[Fleetwood Mac]] {{-}} [[Peter Green]] {{-}} [[Led Zeppelin]] {{-}} [[Jimi Hendrix]] {{-}} [[The Wind Cries Mary]] {{-}} [[Curtis Mayfield]] {{-}} [[Rocking Horse Road]] {{-}} [[Brutal Youth]] {{-}} [[The Small Faces]] {{-}} [[Spain]] {{-}} [[Flip City]] {{-}} [[Bruce Springsteen]] {{-}} [[Vanity Fair, November 2000#Bruce Springsteen|The Wild, The Innocent And The E Street Shuffle]] {{-}} [[Stiff Records]] {{-}} [[Jake Riviera]] {{-}} [[Elvis Presley]] {{-}} [[This Year's Model]] {{-}} [[Alison]] {{-}} [[There's A Story In Your Voice]] {{-}} [[Pump It Up]] {{-}} [[Tokyo Storm Warning]] {{-}} [[Blood & Chocolate]] {{-}} [[Imperial Bedroom]] {{-}} [[Beyond Belief]] {{-}} [[Man Out Of Time]] {{-}} [[Almost Blue (song)]] {{-}} [[John Lennon]] {{-}} [[Kid About It]] {{-}} [[The Girl In The Other Room (song)]] {{-}} [[Narrow Daylight]] {{-}} [[My Thief]] {{-}} [[Burt Bacharach]] {{-}} [[Painted From Memory]] {{-}} [[This House Is Empty Now]] {{-}} [[I'm In The Mood Again]] | |||
{{cx}} | {{cx}} | ||
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{{Bibliography notes}} | {{Bibliography notes}} | ||
{{Bibliography next | |||
|prev = Rolling Stone, April 15, 2004 | |||
|next = Rolling Stone, May 5, 2005 | |||
}} | |||
'''Rolling Stone, No. 959, October 14, 2004 | '''Rolling Stone, No. 959, October 14, 2004 | ||
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{{Bibliography images}} | {{Bibliography images}} | ||
[[image:2004-10-14 Rolling Stone pages.jpg| | [[image:2004-10-14 Rolling Stone pages.jpg|380px|border]] | ||
<br><small>Pages.</small> | <br><small>Pages.</small> | ||
<small>Photo by [[Martin Schoeller]].</small><br> | |||
[[image:2004-10-14 Rolling Stone photo 01 ms.jpg|border]] | [[image:2004-10-14 Rolling Stone photo 01 ms.jpg|border]] | ||
<small>Cover.</small><br> | |||
[[image:2004-10-14 Rolling Stone cover.jpg|x120px|border]] | [[image:2004-10-14 Rolling Stone cover.jpg|x120px|border]] | ||
{{Bibliography notes footer}} | {{Bibliography notes footer}} |
Latest revision as of 04:10, 7 October 2019
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