Rock’s angry man talks

Press, 12 May 1984, Page 8

Rock’s angry man talks

By

NEVIN TOPP

Ah, there’s the rub, said “The Imposter” yesterday, in answer to a question about whether his new single recording, “Peace In Our Time,” would be included on his new album. “The Imposter,” alias Elvis Costello, the top English rock musician, arrived in Auckland yesterday to start a New Zealand tour, which includes a concert in the Christchurch Town Hall with his band,, the Attractions, on Monday evening. He has been using “The Imposter” label because of some recording business problems. From being a virtual recluse, shunning all interviews and the news media, Elvis Costello has| become

quite open about what he thinks. “I realised that only by direct communication can I get my ideas across,” he said, adding that he hated -the printed word because of the ease with which it could be misquoted. This unease may be for the British press in general as his last single as “The Imposter” was “Pills And Soap,” which took the press and British social attitudes to task. The song was later included on his album, “Punch The Clock.” The man who reintroduced the snappy threeminute pop song into British rock music in 1977, likes radio the best of the news media. “Even if I make a complete fool of myself on

radio, I know I’m not going to be misquoted,” he said. Costello has been taking his recent recordings directly to influential radio

stations and the music press in London as a way of showing his sincerity about what he does. “The record companies say ‘excellent, excellent’ about all the records they are promoting, even if they are not good.” Costello said he realised he was battling cynicism because of his actions. He has just completed a 3%-week tour of North America as a solo artist, to reacquaint Americans with some of the music from his 10 albums. The tour was remarkably successful in doing this. Costello said it was nervewracking at the start just being on stage with a guitar, and occasionally using keyboards, but towards the close “I didn’t want the

tour to end.” Only the country and western album, “Almost Blue,” had not been accepted in America but that still sold 100,000 copies. “Punch The Clock” had almost gone gold after selling nearly 500,000 albums. “In the United States, I may not necessarily have made the best Commercial decisions, but it makes my life interesting and that’s what counts.” For the record, Elvis Costello was originally known as Declan MacManus, and worked as a computer operator. His father was a singer for 14 years with one of the better bands in postwar Britain, the Joe Loss Orchestra. Costello said that his Dad was still working in cabaret.