A conversation with the iconic singer-songwriter, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio series “How to Be Creative.” Stephen DUBNER: If you would just say your name and what you do. However you’d like to describe that. Elvis COSTELLO: Hello, I’m Elvis Costello, and I am some kind of musician and a writer. DUBNER: So, let’s start with your new record, which I love. Congratulations. I think it’s remarkable. It’s rich and dense, but also gritty and funny, and it’s modern and traditional, and it’s a record that no one in the world but Elvis Costello could have written. COSTELLO: That’s a pretty good compliment. But that’s what I hoped to do, to be really truthful. I had these songs, some of them I’d written a while ago, some of them were written in collaboration, some of them were written very recently. And I knew that they were songs that would be served by my band, but they would give us an opportunity to show everything that we can do, not just one aspect. A four-piece rock-and-roll band is often just asked to be a four-piece rock-and-roll band. And that’s great fun, but it’s also great to be able to bring to anything that which you’ve learned, that which you’ve come to understand, be able to quiet yourself to the mood ofContinue Reading
Diana Krall, The World Series And Meyer’s Deli | FYIMusicNews
Photo: Bill King Diana Krall, The World Series And Meyer’s Deli Oct 26, 2018 by Bill King How does one correlate the emergence of an aspiring jazz singer/pianist with the anniversary of Joe Carter’s walk-off home run, October 23, 1993, that gave the Toronto Blue Jays their second World Series trophy? Meyer’s Deli, a once popular delicatessen at 69 Yorkville Avenue. Meyer’s, in its day, had a late-night jazz policy, one embraced by the local jazz establishment and booked by the late Dave Caplan, known to many as the “jazz tailor.” Caplan did business from the trunk of his car. He’d show samples, then take your measurements, return to his apartment and sew to a ‘not so perfect’ fit. Caplan had booked me and my piano jazz trio for the 9:30 set up against the Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies. The trio arrives to find every seat filled and crowd focused on the big screen – that early version of flat screen – the projection kind. 9:30 nears when a floor manager walks over and informs me, “no need to play until the game is over.” Nothing sweeter resonated to the ears of three baseball fanatics. Corn beef is flowing, beers hoisted, a young crowd of university/college students are in for the big bang, and its all settled in oneContinue Reading
Iman Says She ‘Will Never Remarry’ Following David Bowie’s Death | Billboard
Former supermodel Iman has opened up about the pain and loneliness following the death of her legendary husband David Bowie, who passed away January 2016 after a battle with cancer. The 63-year-old fashion icon, who was married to Bowie for 24 years, says the past two years without her husband have been difficult. One thing she hasn’t gotten used to is fans sharing their condolences. “People take pictures of me in the street, and say (touching my arm), ‘I am so sorry for your loss,’” she told fashion site Porter Edit. “I’m like, don’t touch me. You just took pictures of me, how can you be sorry?” more @ Source: Iman Says She ‘Will Never Remarry’ Following David Bowie’s Death | Billboard
Bruce Springsteen on the Stone Pony: ‘Just a Very Down-Home Place’ – The New York Times
Springsteen at the Wonder Bar for a Stone Pony reunion show.CreditBobby Bank/WireImage, via Getty Images So as I went about telling the oral history of the Stone Pony, the legendary rock club in Asbury Park, N.J., an interview with Bruce Springsteen was essential. Here’s the full transcript of what he said. NICK CORASANITI When was the first time you ever set foot in the Stone Pony? BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Well, the Pony was Mrs. Jay’s, you know? And Mrs. Jay’s had that corner spot and then right next to it was a Mrs. J’s Beer Garden. And we were down the street in a club called the Student Prince, and at some point Mrs. Jay’s turned into the Stone Pony. I don’t remember when that happened. And I guess I went up there to see Steve [Van Zandt] and Southside Johnny because they actually started at the Pony. We started at the Student Prince. So I might have went up there to see them, or to see some local bands, local guys. And so they had a regular residence at the Pony, I think three nights a week, and so we used to all go and hang out there and play. That’s my recollection of when I started to go to the Pony — basically somewhere in 1975 or 1976 orContinue Reading
Forgotten Rebels still wild, still kicking | TheRecord.com
Mickey DeSadist from The Forgotten Rebels – Courtney Michaud / Indoor Shoes The band released their groundbreaking album debut “In Love With The System” in 1980 followed by “This Ain’t Hollywood” in 1982. Most recently came DIY live recording, “Last One Standing,” in 2011. “We have a bunch of new material,” hints DeSadist. “We have not recorded anything yet but we will probably record some of it. We have nine new songs but we only play about four of them live. I wrote a few songs the other day and presented them to the guys to see what they think. They take the basic parts, fix them up and make them Rebels songs,” says DeSadist. The Rebels’ roll call features DeSadist, guitar/vocals; Jeffrey Campbell, guitar; Shawn Maher, bass; and Dan Casale on drums. more @ Source: Forgotten Rebels still wild, still kicking | TheRecord.com
Can Canada’s artistic middle class be saved?
A study by the Writers’ Union of Canada says an author’s average annual income from writing is just $9,380, a drop of 27 per cent from a decade ago. (BARRY GRAY / THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR FILE PHOTO) “I don’t know how you would make a living today as a young composer or writer,” says Quan. “They’re writing for free and putting their material on social media and in some cases don’t expect to be compensated. It’s the new normal and that shouldn’t be. That really has to change.” Proposed legislation by European Union lawmakers has given Quan and many in Canada’s creative community hope in the digital age. Source: Can Canada’s artistic middle class be saved? | The Star
A Walk Through Velvet Underground History With John Cale – The New York Times
John Cale at a new 12,000-square-foot exhibition dedicated to his former band, the Velvet Underground.CreditCreditRebecca Smeyne for The New York Times By Andrew R. Chow Oct. 11, 2018 John Cale didn’t spend very long in the Velvet Underground. Four years after he co-founded the band in 1964, Lou Reed unceremoniously kicked him out. “It was undisciplined art,” he said while surveying “The Velvet Underground Experience,” an exhibition about the famously influential rock group that opened on Wednesday at 718 Broadway. “It was very energetic and frivolous and enjoyable.” The two-story, 12,000-square-foot exhibition is finally arriving in the band’s hometown, mere blocks from the group’s original Lower East Side rehearsal space, after transferring from Paris, where it was seen by 65,000 visitors, according to organizers. Like the band, it’s unruly, with blaring concert footage competing for attention with pornographic videos and kaleidoscopic posters. Black-and-white footage flashes across dozens of screens; solemn voice-overs are nearly drowned out by throbbing live-concert audio amid towering visual homages to filmmakers, painters and classical composers. Over the weekend, Cale, the only surviving member of the group’s original lineup, walked through the still-unfinished exhibition, stopping in front of displays that triggered recollections of the whirlwind era: “There are a flood of memories.” more @ Source: A Walk Through Velvet Underground History With John Cale – The NewContinue Reading
Tom Petty’s death is still a hard reminder for aging rockers about the downside of life on the road
A year after Tom Petty died at age 66 of an accidental medication overdose, his family members, band mates and others discuss what went wrong and what, if anything, can be done to save others from the same fate. When Tom Petty was rushed to a hospital one year ago in full cardiac arrest, two words immediately sprang to many minds: Not again. Weeks later, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s report confirmed what many family members, friends and fans feared: Petty had accidentally overdosed. Among the combination of sedatives, anti-depressants and pain killers was the opiod fentanyl, the same drug on which Prince overdosed in 2016. According to his wife, Dana, Petty endured the pain of a fractured hip throughout a 40th anniversary tour with his longtime band, the Heartbreakers. “If he hadn’t gone on tour and [instead] had the hip replacement surgery, he would still be with us,” Dana said at the Malibu home she shared with the Rock and Roll Hall member, who finished up nearly six months of shows the week before he died. more at Source: Tom Petty’s death is still a hard reminder for aging rockers about the downside of life on the road – Los Angeles Times
Has 10 years of Spotify ruined music? | Music | The Guardian
Has 10 years of Spotify ruined music? The streaming service is a decade old on Sunday. So has it created a post-CD paradise for listeners – or turned today’s music into a grey goo? Our music editors argue for and against Ben Beaumont-Thomas and Laura Snapes Stars of Spotify:Stefflon Don, Daddy Yankee, BTS, R Kelly, Ed Sheeran and Drake. Photograph: Guardian Design Team more at Source: Has 10 years of Spotify ruined music? | Music | The Guardian
The Myth of Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll is Not an Excuse For Being A Terrible Person
While the music world is still yet to have its full-fledged #MeToo moment of reckoning, there have been a few instances where an artist has actually faced consequences as a result of their actions—though unfortunately, nowhere near enough. One of the reasons that rock music’s abusers and harassers remain unscathed is because the myth of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll is still often seen as an acceptable excuse for this behavior. Most recently, Chicago rock outfit, The Orwells split up amid a mounting list of disturbing sexual misconduct allegations. The victims of the three accused members of the band may never see justice, feel fully comfortable at a show again or recover from their horrible experiences, but as Paste contributor Justin Kamp reported, Chicago is now supporting organizations to prevent something like this from happening again and fans are realizing the power of their voices on social media to call out abusers, crowdsource for shared experiences and pressure venues, festivals, promoters and fellow bands to disassociate themselves with abusers. One of the most disheartening things about instances like The Orwells is a segment of their fanbase condoning the band’s actions because they think the myth of “sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll” somehow gives bands a hall pass to be terrible human beings and commit crimes against innocent victims.Continue Reading