Does Elvis need to be edited ?

wehitandrun · Post by **wehitandrun** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:23 pm

I realize that post could have saved me from an eternal scolding and possible banning... so I gotta thank you.

As for Mr Average... I'm offended.

<3,
s.

Post by **BlueChair** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:39 pm

wave a white flag
put away the pistol

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:52 pm

Jackson Doofster wrote: the Vote for your favourite EC couplet era, teenage fanclub type stuff.

Hey! I resemble that remark! (I think I was very into couplets for a bit, and I love Teenage Fanclub!)

Seriously though, this is a nice board with nice people. I've been chatting here with the Doof for a year and a half, and I have met WHAR, and he's a brilliant sweetheart.

However, I think it does matter how long you've been listening to Elvis. This is not at all to say, WHAR, that I know more about Elvis's music or love it more because I've been listening to it for longer. That's meaningless crap. What it means is that YOU will know more after 20 more years of listening than YOU do now. And you will probably have seen your opinions changed and evolved a few times, if you're like 99% of the human race (okay, 99% of the members I know well). And I reckon NORTH may resonate with you more later than it does now. But I could well be wrong!

That's all folks!!!!

Signed,

ShamelesslyConciliatoryMug

Mr. Average · Post by **Mr. Average** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 12:45 am

I unequivocally concur with Ms. Mug.

For twenty-five years I have followed this artist from the first appositions of Declans vocal cords on Welcome to The Working Week with 'Clover' to smooth the clumsy guitar sounds. Listening, and listening, and thinking, and listening induces a sort of evolution of appreciation that comes from within, and is common to only a few other artists like the Beatles, Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, Peter Gabriel, David Byrne, and Paul Simon (Rhythm of the Saints era).

I am not a bigger, or more important, or more learned Elvis Costello fan than anyone else who has purchased...even downloaded one of his songs and loves it. I don't purport to be, and there is no authority accorded to those with the most Elvis recordings acquired in the shortest time.

It is called introspection and reflection on something that is much bigger than "Pump it Up". It takes time. It incubates. The principle reason that I am genuinely enamored with this guy and his music is that recordings that I initiallly disliked...12, 15, 20 years ago I know love...retrospectively. The art was always there. I didn't force feed it. But things happened in my life that allowed elements (both lyrical and musical) of his songs to resonate with me.

I loved MAIT. Then I loved TYM more. Then I loved Armed Forces. Hell, I loved Moods for Moderns, Senior Service, and Green Shirt...my favorites at the time. But they are not my favorites now. Then I loved Get Happy.

And I love to go on incessantly to underscore my point. Bamboo needled me for it in a previous post, so I'll stop now.

Did I mention, however, that I agree with Ms.Selfmademug.

SweetPear · Post by **SweetPear** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 2:00 am

I'm skipping over all the bull~oney in the last few posts and pick up way back when Mr. Doofster commented to me on what a cool word floetry was.

And I wanted to say to you, JD, was................ Ah, so you know "floetry"?

Jackson Doofster · Post by **Jackson Doofster** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 4:11 am

...and you have it in abundance SP

Jackson Doofster · Post by **Jackson Doofster** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 4:30 am

I said earlier that how long you've listened to EC irrelevant....SMM and Mr A have made me think and I take it back.

North is not an album I would have appreciated as much when I was 21. Obviously EC would not have made such an album when he was 21 and I guess that is the point. Elvis wrote the soundtrack to my life (to date!) and each album represents an era or landmark.

He wrote GCW, B&C and North on the back of broken (and new) relationships. Yet, how very different they all are.

Despair rings out loudly in GCW as the title would suggest.
Anger, lust and venom in B&C
Sadness, acceptance and joy on North (which i adore).

I guess that age and experience has taught me to understand what 'North' is about. I'm not being smug - just realistic. I cannot deny that I enjoyed the EC/SN show at the Birmingham Symphony Hall a little more than the Imposters show at the London Astoria.

Is it because I'm getting old and no longer have the stamina for rocking for 2.5 hrs? Possibly. But i don't think so.

I think that it's because I've rocked to the likes 'Pump it Up' and '...detectives' since I was 14 and i want a new experience that 'fits' with the life I lead now. It doesn't mean i don't play TYM as loudly in the car (probably play it more). It just means that 'When it Sings' sings more to me at 38 than it would have when I was 16.

Probably the best example of this is 'Almost Blue'. In 1982 I used to lift the needle (remember those?

) and replace it on '...and in every home'. That's unthinkable to me now.

enough ranting......I have to darn my socks and change my colostomy bag...

PS. He may have pissed me off a little, but it's great to know Elvis is appealing to young whippershappers like WHAR. Us oldies do not have a monopoly on good music...

wehitandrun · Post by **wehitandrun** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 7:00 am

The difference here, however, is that I've had 28 years worth of Elvis ALREADY available to me. I've gone through the love-hate process on just about every album(maybe I'm mature for my age, but I've also gone through your Almost Blue phase) in the passed two years. From the day when I took "King Of America" for a patriotic album due to its tracknames and album name, to today when I love everything from that back to Almost Blue(the album, but song too).

I have listened to nothing but Elvis for a year. That is almost scary, considering how much music I listen to in a day(according to Listen-To= 40+ songs a day).

<3,
s.

Post by **BlueChair** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 7:31 am

wehitandrun,

I think what they are trying to explain is that, like with a lot of music, some Elvis stuff grows on you as you get older. So while it's easy for you to dismiss Elvis' mellower efforts now, you will probably come to enjoy them in a few years.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 9:47 am

For the record, I don't think it's that WHAR is dismissing E's mellower stuff; he's clearly got his own idiosyncratic take on stuff. But I do think that take will change! You may have had 28 yrs worth of Elvis to listen to already, but you haven't had twenty years to listen to it yet-- wouldn't it be depressing to think that your take wouldn't change over the course of your life?

CHeers to ya all.

You know, I lived through the golden age of Zep at more or less the perfect age (maybe a tad young). But I didn't like it at all. Now I can't live without it, whereas The Who puts me to sleep. What can you do? It's the joy of life to change...

wehitandrun · Post by **wehitandrun** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 10:19 am

Thankyou mug, for putting it in perspective while also sticking up for me.

I do get the point now, and there is no question that my Elvis flavourings will change overtime. But now that I get it, it leaves me wondering how that is relevant.

This is an ongoing cycle that could go on and on until we pull out our hair.

So, once again, I will agree to disagree.

<3,
s.

Jackson Doofster · Post by **Jackson Doofster** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 3:45 am

WHAR - It's good that we we agree to disagree.

Over the past few pages you have proved one of my points for me - regarding opening up the conversation. This has evolved into an interesting thread becasue people have disagreed.

Now can somebody (SMM???) explain to me why I always get the S and U the wrong way around when I type 'becasue' ?????? Drives me nuts and is clearly a defect in my brain

wehitandrun · Post by **wehitandrun** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 9:20 am

Heh, almost more stressful(as far as message boards go) than interesting.

<3,
s.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 10:46 am

Jackson Doofster wrote: Now can somebody (SMM???) explain to me why I always get the S and U the wrong way around when I type 'becasue' ?????? Drives me nuts and is clearly a defect in my brain

For teh same reason as I always type 'teh'. Your left hand is looking for some action and jumps the gun. Though I suppose that assumes that you, like I, type with three fingers of your right hand and two of your left...

WHAR, I must agree I am less bored by peace than the Doof! However I can handle the shake-ups over music (most of the time-- you shoulda been here for the Tower of Song, oh my that got dicey); it's the posts about.. well, other stuff, in the Annex, that sometimes get me riled. Grrrr. Must... restrain.... self....

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 11:05 am

Lord only knows what she could mean...

Elvis Costello Fan Forum

Does Elvis need to be edited ?

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