There are many critics who have an idealised version of where my strengths lie. Elvis Costello More Quotes by Elvis Costello More Quotes From Elvis Costello Writing about music is like dancing about architecture - it's really a stupid thing to want to do. Elvis Costello musicstupidwriting [Commercial radio] is owned by one or two corporations now, and they're not in the music business. They're in the advertising business.... So let's not kid ourselves. If you want to hear music, go buy a guitar. Elvis Costello guitartwokids She said she was working for the ABC news, it was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use. Elvis Costello newsmediaart Your mind is made up but your mouth is undone. Elvis Costello mouthsmindrelationship Morrissey writes wonderful song titles, but sadly he often forgets to write the song. Elvis Costello titleswritingsong I've never had any real concern about posterity. I hope some people will be sorry when I'm not here, but I'm not playing for that. Elvis Costello realsorrypeople My family calls me Declan. But most people call me E.C. I think it comes from my dad. It's an Irish convention. You usually call the first child by the initials. Elvis Costello dadchildrenthinking We're all just animals. That's all we are, and everything else is just an elaborate justification of our instincts. That's where music comes from. And romantic poetry. And bad novels. Elvis Costello romantic-poetryinstinctanimal I've never felt British. I'm just not interested in national identity. I don't know why. Elvis Costello britishnot-interestedidentity There are a lot of things that you can like at a distance without spending a huge amount of time pondering. It's not so complicated. Elvis Costello spendingdistancecomplicated You can be addicted to misery the same way as you can be addicted to drugs. Elvis Costello miserydrugway People become so deeply attached to the sound of one period that they blow a fuse when you move on. I've heard people complain bitterly about recordings they haven't even heard. Elvis Costello blowpeoplemoving Nonsense prevails, modesty fails Grace and virtue turn into stupidity While the calendar fades almost all barricades to a pale compromise And our leaders have feasts on the backsides of beasts They still think they're the gods of antiquity If something you missed didn't even exist It was just an ideal is it such a surprise? Elvis Costello stupidityleaderthinking My ultimate vocation in life is to be an irritant. Elvis Costello musiclife-isreality It's the stupid details that my heart is breaking for. Elvis Costello greatest-lovestupidheart And I'm up while the dawn is breaking, even though my heart is aching. I should be drinking a toast to absent friends instead of these comedians. Elvis Costello comediandrinkingheart Why can't a man stand alone? Must he be burdened by all that he's taught to consider his own? His skin and his station, his kin and his crown, his flag and his nation They just weigh him down Elvis Costello flagsskinsmen I've been lucky to listen to lots of different types of music. Elvis Costello typeluckydifferent Sometimes I write notes that I have difficulty singing. And you start talking yourself out of the bold melody and start wanting to arrange it in another key or something. Maybe I just never learned my harmony part, because what everybody says sounds odd to them sounds perfectly natural to me. Elvis Costello keyswritingtalking People tend to repeat the same quotes at me that I said when I was 23. And of course, you say things then, and sometimes they're ill-advised. Elvis Costello saidsometimespeople
