This Year's Bloggle

In the summer of 2020, having finally finished writing a boring dissertation that no one would ever read, I started brainstorming for a new project that might be slightly more interesting, to me at least: I wanted to write one essay about every Elvis Costello album. Then a bunch of stuff happened, and I started working on perfecting my rib recipe, and I started teaching, and I never quite got around to it. Anyway, I finally figured out the rib thing, so here we are.

Like Dante in the dark wood, halfway-ish through my life’s journey (or maybe more than halfway if I keep eating ribs three times a week), the time has come to ruminate on what’s come as a prelude to what’s next. No artist’s work has meant as much to me for as long as Elvis Costello. So, this blog is an attempt to get a bunch of ideas out of my head and think about/with the records that have shaped the way I see the world as much as anything else. Also, someday I’d like to write a book, and this seems as good a place to start as any.

Before we begin, a few notes:

• I don’t have a set schedule for these, but I hope to get to them in a reasonable timeframe.

• The pieces probably won’t be chronological, and I may circle back to write more about a particular album/song.

• I don’t intend to stick to any particular format. Some of these may be more critical/analytical, some more autobiographical, and some a combination.

• It’s very unlikely any of this will be interesting to anyone but me.

The first essay will deal with My Aim Is True and will hopefully be up soon.