Elvis Costello comes to Hampton Court this month. And he’s bringing his oldest songs with him. Sam Walsh finds out more...
You’ve been making music for decades now. What still excites you about it?
You might as well delete the words “making music” and replace them with “breathing” or “living”. It’s what I do.
Your lyrics have always had a sharp, political edge. Where does that come from?
Political is not the word that I would use. Those songs are just bulletins: a report, a reaction or an emotional response to events, like my lyrics for Shipbuilding [the Falklands War song which was a hit for Robert Wyatt]. I never think about the government.
Is there a song of yours that means something different to you now?
Songs change for a million reasons – the hour, the day, how the wind is blowing, the way you look tonight. Sometimes they change even as you sing them. It’s a huge compliment that people still want to hear older songs.
You’ve worked with so many artists, yet you continue to collaborate...
Hmm, people must keep finding my name in the Yellow Pages. No, but if you didn’t learn something from writing with Paul McCartney or Burt Bacharach, you would have to be a fool. I’m grateful to have worked with both of them and with so many others.
Are you someone who writes every day, or do you wait for the right moment?
I have never written compulsively. I prefer to have a reason or a purpose, but ideas can arrive when you least expect them, so you have to take care not to let them escape.
What does a good day off look like for you now?
My wife and I are on the road a lot, so our time together is precious and exciting. Our lads are at college, but when they’re at home on a break, we go to the pictures, watch daft television or go to music shows you might not expect. One of my favourites was the French electronic duo Justice in a Brooklyn warehouse.
If I have a day to myself on tour, I will usually head for an art or history museum – something that puts ideas into your head and keeps beauty in view.
As your catalogue is so broad, how do you decide what makes it into a live show?
Well, this tour is called ‘The Early Songs’, which kind of speaks for itself. But it’s also deliberately lighthearted and playful. ‘The Songs Of The Late Elvis Costello’ might have sounded a little too morbid.
Mark Seliger
The music industry has changed so much over the years. What shift has surprised you most?
I am dismayed by how much of their own material young musicians are obliged to give away for the privilege of working at all. It’s supposed to help gain exposure, but putting music on streaming services would appear to be a barefaced swindle.
Some people may be seeing you live for the first time this summer. What can they expect?
The best band in the land: The Imposters. Pete Thomas and Steve Nieve have played with me for most of the past 49 years, and Davey Faragher has played bass with us since 2002.
Our special guest is Charlie Sexton, who first joined us on tour in 2021. He brings his incredible guitar playing from Texas and adds another voice to the arrangements.
Broadly speaking, we will be performing songs written between 1976 and 1987, taken from 11 albums. But we reserve the right to cheat now and again.
Hampton Court Palace is a unique setting. What appeals to you about playing somewhere like that?
Fear of being rowed away to the Tower at the end of the evening is bound to give the show a little edge and tempo.
Seriously, though, do you approach the show differently when the venue is so historic?
I’ve played church basements, nightclubs, coffee houses, dance halls, football stadiums and muddy fields. Some of my favourite venues have crumbled away, but they will always stay in my heart.
One of my fondest recollections is playing with [US songwriter]Allen Toussaint on a 40º C night at the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus, right below the Parthenon in Athens.
This time, I guess we’ll just have to put up with the unbearable modernity of Hampton Court.
Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton will perform at Hampton Court Palace Festival on June 18. Tickets on sale now via hamptoncourtpalacefestival.com
