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Elvis Costello is taking his time getting ready for the next leg of his tour.
He’s spending time with his children and his wife, Diana Krall, on Vancouver Island.
The vacation will soon be over, and Costello will experience a first in his career.
“My wife and I are heading out on tour the same day,” he says during a recent phone interview. “This has never happened. I’ve got the boys with me on tour. I’ll be wearing my schoolmaster hat during the day. Then I get to grab my guitar at night and be the rock ‘n’ roll dad. They have the best part of it all. They will get to travel and see the world, all while I teach them and work.”
Costello has carved out quite an impressive music career for himself over the past 40 years.
He began his career as part of London’s pub rock scene in the early ’70s and then became associated with the first wave of the British punk and new wave movement.
On his current tour, the legendary musician is revisiting his 1982 album “Imperial Bedroom.”
Costello says he wanted to revisit the album because the entire album tells a story.
“I think the fans that first heard the album when it was released didn’t quite get what the album was about,” he says. “The album is about some kind of romantic dissolution. As we grow older, more people can recognize what the songs are about. I think this was an album that had to sit for a while before people really got it.”
Costello says he was in a darker place when he wrote the album.
“What I want the show to be is far from nostalgic,” he says. “By bringing the songs back to life, it shows my misfortune. I had gotten to those points in my life. I wasn’t writing literally of what was going on in my life. But the songs are based off of the events in it. It was the only way for me to move forward.”
After more nearly a half-century of performing, Costello still enjoys the travel and getting on stage.
“There’s a visual element to the show,” he says. “That’s what is great. Night after night, we can go down different avenues with the set. It opens up the band to new things, as well as the audience. I can’t wait to get back to Albuquerque and perform. I’ve had some really great times and shows over the years.”
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