This song is a poison pen to Bruce Thomas, as most everyone knows by now.
I actually read "The Big Wheel." It isn't what most people think it's going to be. "The Singer" is called neurotic, but otherwise it isn't terribly disparaging of Costello. It is closer to Kerouac's "On the Road," than a tell-all memoir. It mostly deals with the grind and craziness of touring with a sprinkling of funny anecdotes. (The Chuck Berry story is a killer.)
Much later I heard Thomas in an interview say he wasn't fired because of the book, but he allowed people to think that to boost interest. I imagine it was just one of a number of conflicts the two of them had that led up to a parting. Costello has since been very complimentary of Thomas's playing--and rightly so. Some of those bass lines are as iconic as anything in pop music. I think they are on friendly terms now, but with no desire to work together again. The Imposter's bassist Davey Faragher is an excellent player, and can sing too.
This song is a poison pen to Bruce Thomas, as most everyone knows by now.
I actually read "The Big Wheel." It isn't what most people think it's going to be. "The Singer" is called neurotic, but otherwise it isn't terribly disparaging of Costello. It is closer to Kerouac's "On the Road," than a tell-all memoir. It mostly deals with the grind and craziness of touring with a sprinkling of funny anecdotes. (The Chuck Berry story is a killer.)
Much later I heard Thomas in an interview say he wasn't fired because of the book, but he allowed people to think that to boost interest. I imagine it was just one of a number of conflicts the two of them had that led up to a parting. Costello has since been very complimentary of Thomas's playing--and rightly so. Some of those bass lines are as iconic as anything in pop music. I think they are on friendly terms now, but with no desire to work together again. The Imposter's bassist Davey Faragher is an excellent player, and can sing too.