Why we should cut Elvis Costello some slack - Anthony Clavane

The great man’s vocal performance was, to say the least, a bit off.

It is fair to say that the 67-year-old veteran struggled to hit some of the higher notes. Some viewers took to Twitter to demand that Elvis leave the building.

The politer tweets compared him to Vic Reeves’ excruciating club singer. One post declared: “There’s a chance my ears might never stop bleeding.”

There were many more impolite tweets that cannot be repeated in a family newspaper.

Okay, he was slightly out of tune. But can we not cut the guy some slack? Show him some respect.

He is one of the most gifted pop songwriters these isles have produced.

I’ve been a massive Costello fan since I first saw him at Leeds University back in the late 1970s.

He was supported, if I recall correctly, by Richard Hell and the Voidoids and the Bard of Salford, John Cooper-Clarke.

I later read a review of the gig which noted that “one of the stewards threatened to beat him up when he tried to get back-stage”.

There was speculation that this was in part due to his non-rock star appearance.

With his thick-rimmed glasses and awkward-looking, computer-programmer persona, the gangly Elvis was then, and remains to this day, an antidote to the strutting, macho,

alpha-male prima donnas who get their kicks throwing television sets out of hotel windows and driving posh cars into swimming pools.

He paved the way for all nerdish outsiders – whether in music or other sectors of entertainment – to make names for themselves in popular culture.

Steeped in word play, his songs are amongst the greatest of the modern rock era. And the tunes are, as the kids these days like to say, banging.

From the moment, some 45 years ago, that I first heard his debut album My Aim Is True, I was smitten.

Undeterred by his below-par performance on Norton, I listened to the latest album, The Boy Named If. Paint the Red Rose Blue turns out to be a damn fine track.

He has retained the spiky melodicism that announced itself when he crashed on to the music scene in 1977. And his way with words is as masterful as ever.

On Penelope Halfpenny, remembering a cool teacher from his school days, he recalls “her style of drama and her shape of face, disappeared with the dot of a decimal place”.

There are no classics to compare with Alison, Watching the Detectives, Pump It Up and I Don’t Want To Go To Chelsea. But, 31 albums after My Aim Is True, his wit, concision and singular take on all aspects of modern life – from sexual awakening to politics – are intact.

Talking of politics, fans will be disappointed not to hear his most famous hit when he and The Imposters head out on a 13-date UK tour in June.

For Costello has announced that he will no longer perform Oliver’s Army due to the controversy over a line which includes a racial slur.

The intention was to criticise racism, but – as he says – “people hear that word go off like a bell and accuse me of something that I didn’t intend”. It’s the right decision. I applaud his plea to radio stations to stop playing the track.

It was actually written about the conflict in Northern Ireland and, throughout his long career, Elvis has been unafraid to tackle the big issues.

It’s a shame today’s generation of pop stars appear to shy away from political matters, although not one of them possesses the talent to have written such astonishing protest songs as Tramp the Dirt Down, Less Than Zero and, of course, Shipbuilding.

It seems apt that the third single from The Boy Named If, which was released this week, is called Farewell, OK. For it’s time for me to say farewell. This is my last column for the Yorkshire Post Culture Section.

It’s been great fun these past few years. Thank you for reading me. Anthony Clavane has now left the building.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.