Dangerous Amusements: the Elvis Costello playlist Stu Arrowsmith

Photographer Tony Sacchetti has been taking pictures of
Elvis Costello onstage and off it for more than 40 years.

His shots have appeared everywhere from Costello fanzines and his fantastic Instagram page to official Elvis album booklets.

Tony tells me about the art of music photography, covering memorable Costello gigs and his interactions with Elvis over the years.

And, of course, Tony adds six of his favourite EC songs to
the playlist.

Jeremy Dylan is an acclaimed film maker, record producer, artist manager and journalist.

He's also a huge fan of Elvis Costello.

We chat about Jeremy's love of Elvis's music and his experience of interviewing the man himself for a documentary film.

Along the way, Jeremy shares fascinating insights into working with a host of key Costello associates, including Pete Thomas, Davey Faragher, Nick Lowe, Jim Lauderdale and Jim Keltner.

Jeremy also hosts the terrific My Favourite Album podcast.

BBC broadcaster Becky Want has interviewed a host of illustrious names during her career in radio and television, including her hero, Elvis Costello.

In this episode, Becky recalls her experiences of interviewing Elvis and having the opportunity to ask him about her favourite album, Painted From Memory.

She tells me about some of her favourite Costello gigs and picks six terrific EC tracks to add to my playlist.

Singer/songwriter and musician Jeff Slate joins me ahead of the release of his new album, The Last Day of Summer.

We chat about his love of Elvis Costello's music and its influence on his own songwriting. Jeff recalls the many and varied Costello gigs he's attended over the years and picks out some of his favourite EC songs.

Jeff tells me about recording Imposters and Attractions, his album of music inspired by Elvis, which also featured a couple of Costello covers.

Also an acclaimed music writer and broadcaster, Jeff looks back on his different Costello interviews and features for Rolling Stone and Esquire, among others.

Check out Jeff's new single (Broken) Without You and look out for his new album in May 2024.

My guest is writer, editor and podcaster, Courtney E Smith.

The host of Songs My Ex Ruined discusses her love of Elvis Costello’s music and selects some of her favourite EC tracks for the playlist.

Courtney recalls meeting Elvis during her time at MTV and shares
her memories of some incredible Costello gigs, including VH1’s Decades Rock Live and his performance with the Roots at the Brooklyn Bowl.

Something a bit different to kick off 2024.

This is a mini episode reflecting on how a stunning duet by Elvis Costello and Elton John introduced me to the wonderful music of David Ackles.

They performed a beautiful version of Ackles' Down River on Spectacle, backed by James Burton, Allen Toussaint, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher.

In this episode, I look back at that performance and the career of David Ackles, who released four fine albums between 1968 and 1973.