hadenuff1 : Please see attached; why you would choose to showcase a bigoted, drunken lout is beyond me: From Rolling Stone interview 204, referring to an incident with Bonnie Bramlett in which Costello refers to Ray Charles as an "ignorant, blind nigger". "Costello plunges into a wide range of topics. He speaks frankly, again, of the only blot on his career: the 1979 bar brawl in Columbus, Ohio, in which he drunkenly and regrettably defamed Ray Charles with a racial epithet." Bonnie punched him in the face.

Chris : Thanks for the wonderful interview. As a songwriter, it was very refreshing for me to hear what Elvis Costello had to say about the craft of songwriting and performing as opposed to the lifestyle of a successful musician.

sadiemason : i am enjoying costello's intelligence but he is rather all about himself isn't he ... sounding a bit like an arrogant snob i would say

Jasame : EC is the real deal. Warts and all. Because he his not perfect only makes him all the more. We are all better off because he came around, but never in the same manner (would never say genre!). Cant wait to see him again or buy his next album. Thanks EC! Thanks Mr. Brown!

tomL : To the previous posts, Elvis readily admits to the very public drunken mistake that he made as a 20-year-old and the remorse he felt afterward. Old news. If you know his vast body of work, his candid and wry sense of sometimes self-deprecating humor, you would NEVER refer to him as a snob... anything but. Name 3-4 other contemporary artists that have accomplished such a wide ranging musical journey and career as Elvis has. I'll give you one... Paul McCartney. Any others?

dashford : hadenuff1, everyone has done things in their lives that they've regretted -- but not many of us have to live their lives in public. I know I wouldn't want to have to be accountable for every single thing I did when I was 24, as Elvis was at the time. You can grow and mature over 30 years, or you can hold grudges -- the choice is yours.

Paul Inglis : Thanks to Jeffrey Brown for his incisive interview! To hadenuff1 - that incident you referred to happened over thirty years ago and is the only blot on Costello's career. Can you say that you've never done anything bad, or said anything you regretted, in the last thirty years? Would you like it if I characterised you by something stupid you did over thirty years ago? Or are you perfect and aspiring to sainthood? Costello immediately apologized for his comments, incidentally. If you are looking for a racist musician with the initials "EC" you have picked the wrong guy. There's another very famous musician with the initials EC who said some very racist things which he is yet to apologize for - you might want to vent your spleen in his direction instead.

ARTBULLY : Have you never said something that you regretted very much later? This incident happened about 20 years ago. He was not the person making that comment but someone in his band. On many, many occasions He withdrew these remarks with shame. Get over it. He has proved over and over that he is not raciest.

SulkyGirl : What a great interview! I've had a huge crush on Elvis for 26 years now, so to be able to sit down and watch him talk intelligently about music with passion and humor for 30 whole minutes was a real treat. A big thank you to Mr. Brown for keeping the focus where it belongs, on the music. As for Costello, I will continue to follow every path his music takes, knowing I may not love every single twist and turn. By the way, if you get a chance to see him in concert, jump on it. He's a passionate performer who obviously loves playing live. Bonus: no silly dancers, no lip syncing, no vocal gymnastics and absolutely no Auto-tune. He writes and sings his own songs and he and the band play real instruments. Sounds crazy, I know.