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Elvis Costello is doing one of his favourite things – relaxing in New York.
“The vibe is very mellow,” explains the 58-year-old.
The city has been a sort of home to British-born Costello for the past nine years. He stays there when he’s working, while the rest of his time is spent at home in Vancouver with his Canadian singer wife Diana Krall and their twin sons Henry and Frank.
Now the boys, born at the end of 2006, are of primary school age, Costello and Krall have had to become a little more settled.
“Having both your parents as working musicians will mean a lot of travelling, but we have to be considerate. They’ll still get to come on the tour bus with me when I’m out and about. That’s got to be better than taking geography, right?”
It’s a busy time for Costello, who’s currently writing and recording songs for a new album that will be released before the end of the year, while once again working with master songwriter Burt Bacharach on a stage adaptation of Painted From Memory, their 1998 album. He hopes it will develop over the 12 months and end up on stage in “the next few years”.
“We’re writing new songs, so it would nice to write songs for that. I’m also working long-term on a book of my own,” says Costello. “It’s not fiction, but it’s not non-fiction either. I’m not writing an autobiography. Everyone knows that story, everyone’s an expert, so I can only tell people what they don’t know.”
Much more imminently, he and his band The Imposters – essentially the backing band of his 1980s heyday, The Attractions, with one or two different members – are touring the UK with the Spectacular Spinning Songbook tour. They play Shefffield City Hall on Saturday.
There is a special feature to the Spinning Songbook gigs – a giant wheel loaded with the names of 50 of Costello’s songs.
A member of the audience is invited to spin the wheel, and the band have to play whichever song it lands on.
Naturally, there are gasps when the wheel approaches any of Costello’s biggest hits – Oliver’s Army, Alison, Watching The Detectives, Everyday I Write The Book or Pump It Up. Often what would normally be a ‘finale’ song or form part of an encore will be chosen right at the top of a show.
“The wheel has made us play the older songs better, and we never know what to expect,” says Costello. “You have to drop into the darkest, most emotional songs without any preparation, and one of your favourites might not get chosen for five shows.”
He does, however, insist on playing Shipbuilding and Tramp The Dirt Down. The latter featured on 1989’s album Spike, and finds Costello hoping he lives long enough to see the death of Margaret Thatcher so he can find her grave and stamp on it.
Now that’s actually happened, he feels slightly differently.
“I have difficulty with this one,” he says. “Two of my family had dementia-related demises, so I would never wish that on my worst enemies. I have difficulty wishing ill on people, despite having written that song. I can’t celebrate.
“I could if it meant the death of her ideas, but they’re alive and well. That’s the difference here. There are few people in history you would wish death on, but there would be something pathetic, and beneath us, in celebrating the death of anyone.”
Secret lemonade debut of a star
Elvis Costello was born Declan Patrick MacManus on August 25, 1954 in Paddington, London.
His father Ross McManus sang the theme to the famous ‘Secret Lemonade Drinker’ adverts for R White’s Lemonade in the 1970s, while a teenage Costello provided the backing vocals.
The Spectacular Spinning Songbook will be at Sheffield City Hall on Saturday. For details visit http://www.elviscostello.com/
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