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Complicated Shadows: The Life and Music of Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello is undoubtedly one of the most important and challenging musicians of the last thirty years. Complicated Shadows paints a detailed portrait of an intensely private, complex, and creatively restless individual. It draws on a wealth of new research, including exclusive interviews with people from all stages of Costello's life and classmates, friends, members of his early bands, former lovers, members of the Attractions, producers, and various collaborators. Complicated Shadows unearths many previously unknown details about Costello's childhood in London and Liverpool and his early years as a struggling musician, as well as his turbulent personal life. It also reveals the circumstances surrounding his marriages to ex-Pogues bassist Cait O'Riordan and jazz singer Diana Krall, and the bitter breakup of his longtime backing band, the Attractions. Complicated Shadows contains a full examination and analysis of the entirety of Costello's vast and varied musical output, both in the studio and on the stage. Illustrated with photos.
- GenresMusicBiographyNonfiction
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 15, 2017
After finishing Graeme Thomson's Complicated Shadows: The Life and Music of Elvis Costello I needed to essentially sit with it for a week or two to process the thus-far arc of the musician I'd long enjoyed for his incisive--and often cutting--honesty and subject matter in which he successfully juxtaposed happy pop instrumentation against biting social commentary in his lyrics in such gems as "Oliver's Army."
The young and angry Elvis as he emerges from his musical crysalis that he entered as Declan MacManus, played some gigs as D.P. Costello, and from which he sometime later emerged christened Elvis Costello, is a frustrated, angry, incredibly talented, sometimes arrogant young man who seemingly--and with great frequency--cannot get out of his own way. This perpetrator of the fight with Stephen Stills' backup singer Bonnie Bramlett which is still only referred to as the "Cleveland incident" is an a-number one, phenomenal asshole. (The late Ray Charles' reaction, however, simply reconfirms Mr. Charles to have been a genuine class act and generous human being.) I recall reading a good ways through the book and my husband would check in on my progress each evening. "Still an asshole," I'd report. Thankfully, by the time I was done--which I must note only takes the reader up through 2004--Elvis had worked beyond the phenomenal levels of arrogance, frustration, and asshattery expressed in his younger days to status as an incredibly talented seeker who regrets, but isn't altogether apologetic for, both actions and words for which a better man might still be apologizing.
All told, I'm quite happy to have read this book. I discovered Mr. Costello (which, incidentally, he wanted pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable--Cos-TELLO, rhyming with Manilow--but has apparently given up on) relatively late in life (i.e., in graduate school), so was thrilled to learn of the influence on his career of such artists as Nick Lowe and T-Bone Burnett, whose work I'd long enjoyed. Best yet, I hadn't known that he didn't read and write music until around the time of his collaboration with the Brodsky Quartet on the Juliet Letters in the early 1990s.
This book is written by a British music critic and reads as such. Thus, I can now more clearly place Elvis' work in the trajectory of post-punk, new wave music. His interactions with some of my favorite musicians from Squeeze and the Pogues places his work in an infinitely more familiar (to me) context. The British slang is definitely present, and there were only a few instances that required turning to a British slang dictionary (e.g., the reference to the Pogues as "tyros in the recording process" on p. 73). While distracting, this was hardly a fatal flaw, and one of which I'm sure American English speakers are equally guilty. My only potential criticism is that there seemed to be an ungodly emphasis on reciting the playlist from every performance. All told, however, those same playlists were revealing of both Mr. Costello's musical coming of age as well as his own emotional well-being and stability (or lack thereof) at the time of that particular performance.
If one were ever teaching a class in biography, I'd definitely include this one. Among our discussion topics would be (1) placing an artist with an incredible breadth of performance styles in a particular genre or school of music, (2) writing about someone you probably really don't like as a person, and (3) how/where does the biographer insert him/herself in the writing. I think Thomson's book would be great grist for those and other conversations when considering biography as a genre.
Glad to have read it, and happy to see what comes next from this prolific artist. If the past is any indication, it will definitely be interesting.
The young and angry Elvis as he emerges from his musical crysalis that he entered as Declan MacManus, played some gigs as D.P. Costello, and from which he sometime later emerged christened Elvis Costello, is a frustrated, angry, incredibly talented, sometimes arrogant young man who seemingly--and with great frequency--cannot get out of his own way. This perpetrator of the fight with Stephen Stills' backup singer Bonnie Bramlett which is still only referred to as the "Cleveland incident" is an a-number one, phenomenal asshole. (The late Ray Charles' reaction, however, simply reconfirms Mr. Charles to have been a genuine class act and generous human being.) I recall reading a good ways through the book and my husband would check in on my progress each evening. "Still an asshole," I'd report. Thankfully, by the time I was done--which I must note only takes the reader up through 2004--Elvis had worked beyond the phenomenal levels of arrogance, frustration, and asshattery expressed in his younger days to status as an incredibly talented seeker who regrets, but isn't altogether apologetic for, both actions and words for which a better man might still be apologizing.
All told, I'm quite happy to have read this book. I discovered Mr. Costello (which, incidentally, he wanted pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable--Cos-TELLO, rhyming with Manilow--but has apparently given up on) relatively late in life (i.e., in graduate school), so was thrilled to learn of the influence on his career of such artists as Nick Lowe and T-Bone Burnett, whose work I'd long enjoyed. Best yet, I hadn't known that he didn't read and write music until around the time of his collaboration with the Brodsky Quartet on the Juliet Letters in the early 1990s.
This book is written by a British music critic and reads as such. Thus, I can now more clearly place Elvis' work in the trajectory of post-punk, new wave music. His interactions with some of my favorite musicians from Squeeze and the Pogues places his work in an infinitely more familiar (to me) context. The British slang is definitely present, and there were only a few instances that required turning to a British slang dictionary (e.g., the reference to the Pogues as "tyros in the recording process" on p. 73). While distracting, this was hardly a fatal flaw, and one of which I'm sure American English speakers are equally guilty. My only potential criticism is that there seemed to be an ungodly emphasis on reciting the playlist from every performance. All told, however, those same playlists were revealing of both Mr. Costello's musical coming of age as well as his own emotional well-being and stability (or lack thereof) at the time of that particular performance.
If one were ever teaching a class in biography, I'd definitely include this one. Among our discussion topics would be (1) placing an artist with an incredible breadth of performance styles in a particular genre or school of music, (2) writing about someone you probably really don't like as a person, and (3) how/where does the biographer insert him/herself in the writing. I think Thomson's book would be great grist for those and other conversations when considering biography as a genre.
Glad to have read it, and happy to see what comes next from this prolific artist. If the past is any indication, it will definitely be interesting.
January 16, 2023
There’s certainly a lot for the serious Costello fan to chew on here, and overall, I enjoyed this biography, with a few reservations. First of all, there are various instances where the author voices his distaste for a particular Elvis song without really elaborating. Even if there was some elaboration, I feel that this type of criticism is inappropriate for a biography. If you’re going to offer a critique of Elvis’ work, then do that. If you’re writing a biography, do that. It seems uneven and sloppy for the biographer to randomly throw these observations into his book.
Like a lot of the other Goodreads reviews I’ve seen, I found it somewhat redundant to encounter the various sections of the book that are basically “This album came out. Here’s what the critics said. Here’s how it did on the charts.” After a while, it becomes a rather predictable template.
Also – and I suppose this is more of an observation than a complaint – if you’re not British, you definitely need some sort of British/American translator handy. A-Levels? Tea boys? Taking the piss? Sticking plaster? I did a lot of Google searching for various words and phrases while reading this book.
Some topics seemed to get a lot more attention than they deserved, which I suppose is simply a matter of opinion. For instance, while I understand the significance of Elvis curating the 1995 Meltdown Festival, do we really need FIFTEEN pages covering every single aspect of this event?
Overall, a solid biography with some great new facts and trivia that will likely be new for even the most diehard fan.
Like a lot of the other Goodreads reviews I’ve seen, I found it somewhat redundant to encounter the various sections of the book that are basically “This album came out. Here’s what the critics said. Here’s how it did on the charts.” After a while, it becomes a rather predictable template.
Also – and I suppose this is more of an observation than a complaint – if you’re not British, you definitely need some sort of British/American translator handy. A-Levels? Tea boys? Taking the piss? Sticking plaster? I did a lot of Google searching for various words and phrases while reading this book.
Some topics seemed to get a lot more attention than they deserved, which I suppose is simply a matter of opinion. For instance, while I understand the significance of Elvis curating the 1995 Meltdown Festival, do we really need FIFTEEN pages covering every single aspect of this event?
Overall, a solid biography with some great new facts and trivia that will likely be new for even the most diehard fan.
August 26, 2011
What starts off as an interesting biography of one of music's most interesting musicians quickly devolves into a little more than an extravagant chronicling of Costello's discography with few gems uncovered.
March 13, 2017
A good represention of Costello's recorded performances and thankfully spares us the complicated trivia of his relationship except how they influence his music. A good read because it focuses on the man's music and how complex he can be.
November 28, 2024
Excellent musical biography
My brother bought me this for Christmas, remembering the shared passion we had for EC in the late 70's / early 80's. At that time, we'd both read Krista Reese's book , which was one of the first attempts at a biography. Written during a period when EC's air of mystery and antagonism didn't allow him to talk to journalists, she did a pretty good job considering how little cooperation she got from her subject. For example, his manager wrote trying to persuade her not to write anything at all; characteristically, the letter ended, "Thank you for including your address. If this matter goes any further I shall pop in for a visit the next time I am in New York." Nothing daunted, she published the book and included the letter as a frontispiece.
Although EC has mellowed somewhat with age, cooperation is just as sparse this time round, but that hasn't stopped Thomson from writing an excellent biography. This is partly due to the fact that his subject remains fascinating: the fearsome work ethic, the struggle to break through, the way in which fame was handled, his relationships with women, the wide-ranging musical interests and the variety of collaborations. But, of course, the main thing is always the music. Here, I'd rate at least three of his albums as totally essential, but the fact that they have widely different styles (they're "This Year's Model", "Imperial Bedroom" and "Painted From Memory") indicates the breadth of his application.
Also, Thomson is a good writer, well above the usual hack standard that seems prevalent for this sort of book. He even manages to incorporate a couple of Jamesian turns of phrase: "By the time they returned, [...] relations between Elvis and the band were on the contemptuous side of familiar.", "For Elvis, comfort probably couldn't have come any colder." Finally, he unearths some fascinating details - for example, the idea of a young EC playing a show-stopping version of CSN's "Wooden Ships" is irresistable, especially when you consider what he said to Stephen Stills during that fateful encounter in a bar in Columbus, Ohio in 1979. And while I knew that he'd been having an affair with Bebe Buell while married to his first wife, the revelation that the latter found out the former was pregnant via a misdirected letter which Bebe sent to EC's London house while he was in Japan makes you wonder how long it'll be before they turn this book into a movie.
Originally reviewed 25 April 2007
My brother bought me this for Christmas, remembering the shared passion we had for EC in the late 70's / early 80's. At that time, we'd both read Krista Reese's book , which was one of the first attempts at a biography. Written during a period when EC's air of mystery and antagonism didn't allow him to talk to journalists, she did a pretty good job considering how little cooperation she got from her subject. For example, his manager wrote trying to persuade her not to write anything at all; characteristically, the letter ended, "Thank you for including your address. If this matter goes any further I shall pop in for a visit the next time I am in New York." Nothing daunted, she published the book and included the letter as a frontispiece.
Although EC has mellowed somewhat with age, cooperation is just as sparse this time round, but that hasn't stopped Thomson from writing an excellent biography. This is partly due to the fact that his subject remains fascinating: the fearsome work ethic, the struggle to break through, the way in which fame was handled, his relationships with women, the wide-ranging musical interests and the variety of collaborations. But, of course, the main thing is always the music. Here, I'd rate at least three of his albums as totally essential, but the fact that they have widely different styles (they're "This Year's Model", "Imperial Bedroom" and "Painted From Memory") indicates the breadth of his application.
Also, Thomson is a good writer, well above the usual hack standard that seems prevalent for this sort of book. He even manages to incorporate a couple of Jamesian turns of phrase: "By the time they returned, [...] relations between Elvis and the band were on the contemptuous side of familiar.", "For Elvis, comfort probably couldn't have come any colder." Finally, he unearths some fascinating details - for example, the idea of a young EC playing a show-stopping version of CSN's "Wooden Ships" is irresistable, especially when you consider what he said to Stephen Stills during that fateful encounter in a bar in Columbus, Ohio in 1979. And while I knew that he'd been having an affair with Bebe Buell while married to his first wife, the revelation that the latter found out the former was pregnant via a misdirected letter which Bebe sent to EC's London house while he was in Japan makes you wonder how long it'll be before they turn this book into a movie.
Originally reviewed 25 April 2007
August 9, 2020
Unless you are huge Elvis Costello fan, don't even start this book. You'll be lost from the start. But if you have an interest in Elvis and a passing knowledge of his music, you might give it a shot. I found it the best of his bios or autobios. Very detailed information on his music, how it developed and how it was recorded. Good info on his business relationships with Stiff Records, Jake Rivera and Nick Lowe and his subsequent labels. His relationships and marriages are all documented although not in much detail, which is somewhat fitting since Elvis keeps his private life private. One problem with the book is it ends in 2004, thereby missing 15 years of some of his best work. And the book kind of peters outI was hoping the author would make some overall impressions of Elvis as a person, a musician and a cultural force. He did not of that. 3.5 stars
May 14, 2017
Now Costello has written his own autobiography you have to wonder ....is this book now needed?...I'm unsure as I haven't read Costello's take on things but I suspect this may act as a decent companion piece being as although biography is unable to get into the rationale of a protagonist being as the author isn't in the person's head biography can look at the wider issues and avoid the whitewashing of episodes that a biographer may chose to do.
Anyhow an enjoyable book which looks at the breadth of Costellos work..at times he comes forward as a complicated character but you do get a feeling he has enjoyed emotional as well as artistic growth.....informative and fun.
Anyhow an enjoyable book which looks at the breadth of Costellos work..at times he comes forward as a complicated character but you do get a feeling he has enjoyed emotional as well as artistic growth.....informative and fun.
May 5, 2020
A decent biography but as others have pointed out, a bit too much of the “this happened, then this happened” narrative. I would have loved more insight on the songwriting and production than the recounting of each night’s set list for 30 years of shows. I did enjoy learning about how he and Paul McCartney worked together, but would have loved much more depth there, for example. It only lasted for about 5 pages. Most telling is how the book ends. It doesn’t pull everything together, or wrap things up. It just stops.
November 20, 2025
I’ve been a long time fan of Elvis and I love understanding why music, who inspired and who he’s created with etc. I feel like a generation of mTV brought so much to life, this as with any artists gives a more intimate journey.
December 24, 2019
A good read A look at a personal favorites of mine A great songwriter always trying to do something fresh.
October 18, 2023
This book reads just like the plot to the hilarious 1989 American comedy film Uncle Buck.
Uncle Buck tells the story of a bachelor who babysits his brother's rebellious teenage daughter and her younger brother and sister while the parents are away. And Complicated Shadows tells the story of producer Nick Lowe encouraging obnoxious boyfriend Elvis while babysitting rebellious bass player Bruce, his younger 6-year-old keyboardist Steve, and drummer Pete all while the music industry are personally attacked.
Did you get all that?
Elvis Costello is basically Bug, Tia's obnoxious boyfriend that is only into her for sex. Bruce Thomas is distant and rebellious Tia. Steve Nieve is 6-year-old Maizy, the sweetest and most innocent of the three, while drummer Pete Thomas is out-spoken, vigilant, and security obsessed Miles.
Spoiler alert: At the end of the book, Nick locks Elvis in his car's trunk, then finds a tearful Bruce, who admits Nick was right about the intentions of Elvis. So then Nick opened the trunk and forced Elvis to apologize to Bruce before letting him go. Elvis then threatened to sue Nick, but Nick hit him with golf balls, causing Elvis to flee in terror.
All in all, a decent book and a great, great movie.
Uncle Buck tells the story of a bachelor who babysits his brother's rebellious teenage daughter and her younger brother and sister while the parents are away. And Complicated Shadows tells the story of producer Nick Lowe encouraging obnoxious boyfriend Elvis while babysitting rebellious bass player Bruce, his younger 6-year-old keyboardist Steve, and drummer Pete all while the music industry are personally attacked.
Did you get all that?
Elvis Costello is basically Bug, Tia's obnoxious boyfriend that is only into her for sex. Bruce Thomas is distant and rebellious Tia. Steve Nieve is 6-year-old Maizy, the sweetest and most innocent of the three, while drummer Pete Thomas is out-spoken, vigilant, and security obsessed Miles.
Spoiler alert: At the end of the book, Nick locks Elvis in his car's trunk, then finds a tearful Bruce, who admits Nick was right about the intentions of Elvis. So then Nick opened the trunk and forced Elvis to apologize to Bruce before letting him go. Elvis then threatened to sue Nick, but Nick hit him with golf balls, causing Elvis to flee in terror.
All in all, a decent book and a great, great movie.
December 19, 2015
This was quite compelling to begin with as the author has unearthed much interesting material about the early career of the subject, a period which was pretty much buried once MacManus took on the Elvis Costello moniker. Later chapters became less involving however, as the narrative got bogged down in lists of tour venues and setlists. It was all a little too detailed for all but the most obsessive fan. In this respect I found the book less enjoyable to read than Thomson's biography of Kate Bush. As Bush only toured once the book focused on her personal life and the making of her albums, which was much more satisfying.
To give the author his dues it was a diligently researched and thorough account of the subject's career up to 2004. Despite the title though there was a lack of complexity and depth, as this was a pretty straightforward telling of the story. It lacked in terms of being able to really capture the style and impact of particular records. A difficult task to pull off certainly, but it seems odd that Thomson failed to mention such obvious features as the song Party Girl's clear lift of a chord sequence from Abbey Road, although he does allude vaguely to a late period Beatles influence on the Armed Forces album as a whole. Neither does he refer to Tramp The Dirt Down's ironic borrowing of the melody of Isn't She Lovely.
There isn't a great deal on Costello's personal life; he has been married a few times and involved in a few other relationships but it seems that with the exception of Bebe Buell no one is talking about any of it. The book ends up being pretty much the musical career of the subject.
This was the first Elvis Costello biography that I have read and whilst it was a decent enough effort I can't help but feel that the essence of the man eludes the author. It was far from hackwork but failed to achieve true classic status.
To give the author his dues it was a diligently researched and thorough account of the subject's career up to 2004. Despite the title though there was a lack of complexity and depth, as this was a pretty straightforward telling of the story. It lacked in terms of being able to really capture the style and impact of particular records. A difficult task to pull off certainly, but it seems odd that Thomson failed to mention such obvious features as the song Party Girl's clear lift of a chord sequence from Abbey Road, although he does allude vaguely to a late period Beatles influence on the Armed Forces album as a whole. Neither does he refer to Tramp The Dirt Down's ironic borrowing of the melody of Isn't She Lovely.
There isn't a great deal on Costello's personal life; he has been married a few times and involved in a few other relationships but it seems that with the exception of Bebe Buell no one is talking about any of it. The book ends up being pretty much the musical career of the subject.
This was the first Elvis Costello biography that I have read and whilst it was a decent enough effort I can't help but feel that the essence of the man eludes the author. It was far from hackwork but failed to achieve true classic status.
June 27, 2008
The quintessential book on Elvis has yet to be written, I guess. While "God's Comic" was one man's attempt to explain every song lyric - too much so, in fact - this book skims the songs in favor of a journey through Elvis' life with The Attractions, his various periods of musical exploration, and his personal demons (and angels).
You leave the book pretty much like you came in - assuming he was a boisterous, drunken lout in his early days, mellowed and matured as he got older, and pretty much blamed the industry for any slow sales or commercial failures. Yet, he always comes across as a likable bloke you'd love to have a pint with. Just stop at a pint...
You leave the book pretty much like you came in - assuming he was a boisterous, drunken lout in his early days, mellowed and matured as he got older, and pretty much blamed the industry for any slow sales or commercial failures. Yet, he always comes across as a likable bloke you'd love to have a pint with. Just stop at a pint...
April 30, 2011
Knowing only the bare details of Elvis Costello's career outside of "This Year's Model" (one of my top 5 favorite albums), this was a great biography to learn more about the long and storied career of a unique artist. I enjoyed the details about the tours and show recaps, although the sheer level of historical detail in the book tends to get a bit dry. It was very interesting to me to learn that Elvis crossed over into so many other musical genres and I am looking forward to picking up some of his other releases after reading about their creation.
June 19, 2015
Very well-written and researched but as someone who's not an Elvis Costello superfan I could have stopped reading around when I mostly stopped listening ("Spike," for what it's worth). Some really good tidbits for the more casual fan though. I didn't know about his connection to the Pogues, or how much Nick Lowe had to do with it in the beginning. Nor did I know about the "Columbus incident," yikes. Easy to hear his first few albums in a new light knowing more about his first wife.
July 23, 2007
Fact-starved fans of the life and art of Mr. Declan MacManus will enjoy this slight, glorified fanzine volume, but there's not a heckuva lot more than the nuts and bolts to recommend it--no depth, no erudite criticism, no style. If you're looking for that, read Elvis' own liner notes of all the Rhino reissues of his records instead.
August 2, 2007
Right now I'm at the point where Costello's first album just came out. I can't remember which pages the bookmark is stuck between, but I can remember that those pages were pretty boring. I do plan on finishing this book one day. Maybe it'll be in a year when nothing interesting comes out and I finished all of the other books I have bookmarks in.
June 8, 2008
Whereas I hated the cat that wrote the Spectre bio, this guy was on it, useful, clever enough to be present but not in the way of the info and the book went up to 2006. If you're a fan of the Imposter, I would highly recommend a read. In fact, it has whetted my appetite for more bios. Interesting.
August 1, 2008
Another one that's still on the "to finish" list. What I've read about his early beginnings didn't deter me or anything, I just got busy. When you find out that his nerdy glasses and skinny ties were just a record company implementation, it's a little bit of a let-down. Doesn't take away from his talent, but definitely makes you think more about what's behind the facade.
May 1, 2011
This is a rock biography, with all the strengths and weaknesses of the genre, but it is a great example of the form. There is an intensity of detail in this book and a match between personal information and record reviews. The book is a straight forward chronological narrative, concluding after his marriage to Diana Krall. Fact-heavy, the musical facts are still intriguing.
June 15, 2011
After seeing him perform at the Wang Theater in Boston last night, I want to read something more about his life. It really surprised me that I didn't know much about his life although I've listened to his music since I was a teen. His dad was a musician too and when we saw him in Boston his half-brother came on stage with his band, Bible Code Sundays, to play with him. Interesting.
March 21, 2015
I couldn't finish this book. I love Elvis Costello's music, and wanted to learn more about him. Two stars for learning about his early life, his temper, etc. The rest - ugh. It was poorly written, riddled with typos and mistakes, and less compelling than I had hoped. I abandoned this years ago, and finally decided to remove it from my "currently reading" list.
January 27, 2014
Elvis story as a young man and a struggling musician is as compelling as anybody's, and is well told here. His career through the 70s is fine, but then Elvis pretty much starts doing everything--and the latter third of the book is a chronicle of who he sings with and works with. Not his fault. Not the author's fault.
June 26, 2013
Interesting if you're an Elvis fan. Would have benefitted greatly from direct interviews with Elvis and his family. Relies a bit too much at times on going over what songs Elvis played at any given show.
August 9, 2007
Fascinating biography about a complicated and brilliant musician.
February 2, 2008
Very interesting. Spoiler alert. . .Elvis is a vegan!
June 4, 2009
A thorough and captivating look at the life and career of Elvis Costello....until then.
June 30, 2009
Really, really excellent biography of one of my favorite musicians. It comes of as pretty honest and reliable so I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Elvis Costello.
January 20, 2010
Pretty good book on the life of Elvis Costello. It talks about how disfunctional of a relationship he had with the Attractions. It's definitely worth reading if you are a really big fan of his.
April 19, 2012
The first section was somewhat interesting, and then it lost me.
And even the first section seemed like an endless list of dates and facts.
And even the first section seemed like an endless list of dates and facts.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews