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January 28, 2005

What's So Funny 'Bout Thinking Endless Bacharach Homage is Dull?

When I was a kid, a young Bears fan growing up in North Dakota, the Vikings fans were, if anything, worse than the Vikings fans in Minnesota - "My team, right or wrong".

I used to think they were bad - until I grew up a bit, and encountered Elvis Costello fans.

Don't get me wrong; I loved everything he did through Armed Forces, and odd bits and pieces after that. I liked Spike, or maybe just "Veronica", but for the most part everything after "Get Happy" just seemed...

...dull?

It was always hard to explain, especially when trying to explain it over the fevered jeering of the true believers.

Finally - validation of a sort:

I had some new Costello, which isn’t bad – it just isn’t very interesting. I suppose this makes me one of those fans who’s not willing to follow the artist in a new direction, but I’ve never believed that you have to trot after your favorites no matter where they go. In the case of Costello, well, he’s been pushing the same cold loaf of meat through the mid-tempo grinder for too many years, and even when he gets back to his “roots” – under-produced stuff with thrashing drums and reasonably coherent melodies – it’s just a reminder of how satisfying his stuff used to be right away.
(Ducking)

Posted by Mitch at January 28, 2005 12:35 AM | TrackBack
Comments

I never liked his music and never understood what all the hollering was about, so this whole flap goes completely over my head. What I want to know is, what happened to Joe Jackson?

Posted by: Kevin at January 28, 2005 06:28 AM

Costello was strange. I loved "My Aim Is True", "This Year's Model" and "Armed Forces", but after than, I just completely lost interest.

As to Joe Jackson, I believe the quote from "VH1 Behind the Music: Joe Jackson" went something like:

"...when we return to Behind the Music; Joe Jackson's descent into Jazz and obsessive, audience-shredding quirkiness".

Posted by: mitch at January 28, 2005 08:14 AM

Joe Jackson recently sang backup for William Shatner's "Common People"(2004).

Posted by: Michael A at January 28, 2005 10:17 AM
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