Almost done with Elvis Costello's book. It's thick. But reads well. You might think this Elvis is a footnote to r&r history, but not many people can say they have co-written songs with Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach, and Allen Toussaint.
Elvis (Declan MacManis) is a wordsmith. He has a way with words. You can hear it in his songs, and the music of his prose. The book jumps around a bit, which to me seemed like a good thing. You get a portrait of Liverpool, of Elvis' family, a deep and moving portrait of his big-band vocalizing father.
I consider Elvis one of my r&r "discoveries." I inherited the Beatles, Stones, Dylan, but discovered Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, the Ramones, Talking Heads and Elvis. I was at the first show he ever did in the Chicago area. A tiny club. Up close and personal. I was a believer.
Certainly "My Aim is True," and especially "This Year's Model," are essential records. I kind of lost touch with him over the years. I fell for the angry young man with songs of "guilt & revenge." He sort of lost me when he revealed himself to be a "song & dance man."
As a friend of a friend once sneeringly said to a friend: "You like music, I like to ROCK." But over the years my taste has morphed, and I'd say I do like to rock, but I love music. Music of all kinds.
So now, Elvis' range of influences, projects and collaborations are quite breath-taking and impressive. There is a sadness, "unfaithful," and "disappearing" are key words in the title. There are lots of scenes and events included in a busy life. But you also get a sense that much is left unsaid, or referred to only glancingly. Lots of pain and heartache worked out in lyrics.
Think a Liverpool-raised, lapsed Irish-Catholic, prone to drink, and anger, and guilt, and revenge, and "unfaithfulness." With a love of music, and an extraordinary musicality. Yes, to take on the name "Elvis" was an act of hubris, arrogance, a joke, and a marketing gimmick. But much of his musical life has been pretty extraordinary. And music, songs, are central to all that happens in this life.