Content area
Full Text
NOW THAT the collective memory of the punk-rock years has been flattened out into a few iconic sounds and images, it's easy to forget how broad a church punk originally was. How else could the era have found room for a geeky-looking hornrimmed soul boy-cum- country fan backed by a band of ex-pat American country musicians? The transformation of Declan MacManus into Elvis Costello was one of the success stories of 1977: his spiky revenge-of-the-victim persona, short sharp songs and aggressive stage presence rendered him eminently punk-friendly, while his melodic musicality and dense, allusive lyrics made him attractive to more staid souls not quite ready for the Damned.