Sunday Music: Elvis Costello and the Attractions

The girl wearing the purple pants on the left is me, circa 1980. I was attending art school in Columbus, Ohio at the time. The photo is copied from a blog set up by one of my former classmates. It won't mean much to any of you, but if you'd like to see lot of regrettable hair and some very good drawings (not mine!), you can check it out at: http://ccadclassof1981.blogspot.com/

I'd like to pretend that my musical tastes at the time were cutting-edge, but honestly, like a good small-town girl, I was a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. I even drove all night with friends to see him in Indianapolis, possibly the only time I've ever been to the city. I had classmates with more sophisticated taste. My friend Jon even talked me into buying the single Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division, a decision I've never regretted.

The party was outdoors, probably in the back yard of one of those remnants of residential neighborhood just east of downtown. A subwoofer was probably propped against the screen of the back porch, blasting the kind of ambiance that nearly always brought a visit from Columbus' finest. After the cops left, the volume would just creep up. Along with 70's big-arena rock, a few records reflecting the punk and new wave explosion (so far from Columbus) were ending up on the turntable. I'm sure one of them was Elvis Costello and the Attraction's 1979 album Armed Forces. Man, I know I wore my own copy out. Here's Oliver's Army, as performed on a Brit pop show.