12.13.2020
THE EARLY ELVIS COSTELLO
91.3 WYEP: Mike Sauter: November 30th 2020
Elvis Costello has had such a long and varied career, it’s interesting to remember where it all began for him.
In the mid 1970s, Elvis Costello—born Declan MacManus—was working as a computer operator at the cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden in West London. He was described by The Guardian in 1977 as a “bespectacled 22-year-old computer operator from Hounslow who looks like a cross between Buddy Holly and Woody Allen.” He said that in his day job, he was “just an operator, sticking computer tapes on and taking print-outs off.” Looking after a 1970s mainframe computer gave him a lot of downtime to jot down song lyrics, so it was the perfect job for an aspiring songwriter.
In 1973 and 1974, Declan was a big fan and an occasional roadie for Brinsley Schwarz, the band which featured Nick Lowe as singer and bass player. The band is perhaps best-known for their 1974 track “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding,” written by Lowe and later covered by Costello. During this time, Costello and some other Brinsley Schwarz afficionados formed their own band which they dubbed Flip City.