This is a very interesting book, and particularly in those chapters in which Elvis Costello discusses, at some length, his musical forebears, to wit , his father and grandfather, but also the gloriously catholic assortment of musicians with whom he has collaborated. I was especially interested to hear (which probably says something about the way my hamster wheel of a mind operates) that the reference to the Quisling Clinic in "Green Shirt" does indeed refer to the former medical offices in my hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, which he saw when he played Bunky's in 1976 and stayed at the Edgewater Hotel. As Mr. Costello points out, the name "Quisling" has a different connotation for a northern European of his age, that of Vikdun Quisling, the Norwegian Nazi collaborator; indeed, the word quisling , according to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition , now means "traitor" or "collaborator." I listened to the audiobook, read by Elvis Costello himself, who does a wonderful job of reciting his own engaging prose.

5/5 ( )

I would have loved to have more about the early days and a little less about the later days. ( )

I'm giving this book 5 stars because it is amazing in its breadth and is insightful AND funny, which is a great combo. I do think it is a little long and I was not happy with the non-chronological organization. But quite simply, Mr. Costello can write. Not that we didn't already know that of course. I found myself laughing out loud at parts of this memoir but also feeling very informed about Elvis' life. Really an enjoyable book. Being reminded of all his great music is another benefit. Now I may go listen to an album to two. If you like his music at all, read this book. Even if you don't, if you are into memoirs then I think you will like this. ( )

4.5 stars!

Unfaithful Music is just short of 700 pages long. Whew! I originally checked out the audio book from my library back in December 2015, but the loan period of only 2 weeks proved insufficient to listen to the entire book. So, I got back in line for it and it finally came back in a couple of weeks ago.

I learned a LOT from this autobiography, which is my main reason for reading or listening to them in the first place. Some, like the Patti Smith one I listened to a few months back, M Train, only allow a small peek into the day to day life of the subject. I don't like that-I want to know more.

With Elvis, I learned about what happened with that racial slur incident that everyone's heard about. I'm not sure I accept his explanation, but I learned about it. I learned that I'm not familiar with even 10% of Elvis' career. I had no idea of the range of the artists with which he's worked, either writing songs for them, collaborating on songs with them, or performing with them. His relationship with artists like Allan Touissaint runs so deep-I had no idea. His love of the Blues, (a personal love of mine), and all types of music, really, was never as evident to me as it is now. I can sum it up this way I guess, I now have a huge list of music that I want to listen to-not only Elvis', but other artists too, like the aforementioned Allan Touissaint. I also need to see his show that was on the Sundance Channel I guess, (where was I when this was on?) called Spectacle.

The one thing I knew for sure about Declan McManus, which this book only confirmed, was that the man can write. Not only songs, but this book too. His narration only served to emphasize the power of his writing. When speaking about the death of his father, I was brought to tears. Maybe it's because my father's death was eerily similar, but I think it's more because of the feeling that comes through in both Elvis' writing and in his voice. Both of which help to explain why the man's career has been so long lasting.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about Elvis' life, career and music. Yes, I do feel that it runs a bit too long, but I enjoyed it just the same. I think you will too, if you're looking to satisfy your curiosity about the man. (If Your Aim is True, so to speak. ) ( )