>From the Elvis Costello Home
Pagehttp://www.elviscostello.info/:
Costello and the Attractions toured the UK and Europe
early in 1979 and then returned to the US for a third
time to undertake their most ambitious tour yet.
However, the pressures of life on the road, in
addition to the turmoil of Costello's personal
relationships, large amounts of alcohol, plus the
hostility of Costello and his manager Jake Riviera to
the press, all contributed to an unfortunate incident
in Columbus, Ohio in March 1979. A drunken slanging
match in a Holiday Inn bar between Costello (and the
Attractions) and members of Steven Stills' entourage
(including Bonnie Bramlett) led to both sides making
ill-considered remarks about British and American
musicians. However, only Costello's derogatory
comments about certain African-American musicians were
reported to the press. The subsequent press furore was
reminiscent of the outrage generated in the US by the
out-of-context rehashing of John Lennon's "We're more
popular than Jesus" remark in 1966. Despite his
performances at
Rock Against Racism shows in the UK, and his
anti-fascism songs "Less Than Zero" and "Night Rally",
Costello was forced to hastily convene a US press
conference and apologise for his statements. Ray
Charles, who bore the brunt of Costello's reported
remarks, certainly holds Costello no ill will, and
commented that "drunken talk isn't meant to be printed
in the paper." The tour was quickly wrapped up,
despite "Armed Forces" riding high in the charts, and
Costello did not return to the US again until 1981,
this defusing any commercial momentum he had
generated. It is likely that Columbias ultimate
decision not to release either "What's So Funny ('Bout
Peace Love and Understanding)" or "Olivers Army" as
singles in the US may well have been made in the wake
of the "Columbus Incident". Columbia certainly made no
further attempt to promote "Armed Forces" despite its
Top Ten chart placing, a decision which saw the album
fall out of the Top Ten as quickly as it had arrived
there. It is rumoured that Columbia executives even
considered cancelling Costellos contract at this
time. For once, Columbia may have been grateful for
Costellos and Riverias "No Interview" policy, as the
lack of Costellos face on the cover of any major
magazines probably helped the controversy to blow over
more quickly. Subsequent events would demonstrate that
Elvis Costello was certainly no racist, beginning with
Costellos work as the producer of The Specials, a
multi-racial band, during 1979. Their self-titled
album went on to top the charts in the UK.
LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience
http://launch.yahoo.com
