Jay: “Oh man, let me tell you, Elvis Costello is my ultimate musical love! I mean, he started off as this angry young man and now he’s this bitter middle-aged man, and I just find that so fascinating. He really captures all these feelings that I have, you know? I’ve been a huge fan of his my whole life, while other artists have come and gone, he’s the one who really fills that hole in my soul. And get this, all the band members actually agree that he’s a major musical influence for us. Brett even tried to model some of our songs after his style. It’s just incredible.
As for my favorite song, oh man, there are way too many to choose from! And I can’t forget about all the amazing cover songs he’s done. But if I had to pick a favorite record, it would definitely be “Spike” from 1989. That album is just pure gold. Elvis Costello is the angriest guy out there, and I love it. His anger doesn’t have to be all screaming, it can be bitter too, you know?
Here’s a fun fact: sometimes when I write songs, they end up sounding too much like Elvis Costello, and I worry that they don’t really fit with Bad Religion’s style. But hey, that just shows how much of an influence he is on me. I would absolutely love for us to collaborate with him someday. And you know what would be a dream come true? If we could go on his show on the Sundance Channel. That would be epic.
Man, I gotta say, meeting Elvis Costello was such a surreal experience. I wish I hadn’t been such a fanboi, but I only had a brief moment to tell him how much of a pleasure it was to meet him. And let me tell you, it would be a dream come true to go on his show. We’re all crossing our fingers for that opportunity.”
References:
^ The Big Takeover #55 (2004)
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