Talk:Elvis Costello

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Recent updates to this page

I ended up with a lot of end notes on the changes I just made because I had to deal with a lot of inaccuracies that float in from less fact-checked corners of the internet, not to mention some low-quality dead-tree sources.

I have a feeling the most controversial of all the changes I just made will be the fact that Costello's full, legal name is Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus. Here's what I say, with citations embedded:

Costello was born Declan Patrick MacManus. He changed his legal name to Elvis Costello after he became successful under that stage name, according to him, to rebut the insinuations of "smartarse customs officials" and "obnoxious journalists who accused me of being a novelty act."^[1] In 1985, he changed his legal name to Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus.^[2] The extra middle name is a reference to a character played by the comedian Tony Hancock.^[3]

The statement that Costello changed his legal name to Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus circa 1985 comes from a 1986 People magazine article cited. As I understand it, People magazine from this era is considered a reliable source for this kind of celebrity news and human interest content.

Between the People article and the fact that his name was listed as Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus when he received his OBE, I'd say that settles the question.

FWIW, the 1985 Face magazine article by Nick Kent that I cite also says he changed his legal name to Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus, but I personally don't find Kent to be a consistently reliable reporter of facts, entertaining as he may be as a writer.

This seems to be a source of confusion for people, so I'll lay out the timeline of Costello's legal names:

Declan Patrick MacManus, birth until circa late 1970s to early 1980s (more accurate date not available)
Elvis Costello, circa late 1970s to early 1980s (more accurate date not available) until circa 1985
Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus, circa 1985 to present

^ Costello, Elvis (2005). King of America liner notes (booklet). Rhino Records.
^ Levin, Eric (June 6, 1986). "Elvis Costello". People. Vol. 25 (23). {{cite journal}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
^ Kent, Nick (March 1986). "The happy death of Elvis Costello". The Face. London.

DrLuthersAssistant (talk) 01:17, 31 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Related question. Is your end goal for the page GA or FA? Or just more detailed? – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 17:30, 1 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I would just like to make it a good article. If it ends up being judged GA or FA at some point, that's great. If not, also fine. DrLuthersAssistant (talk) 02:12, 2 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Good goal. If you didn't already tell I'm happy to assist in any way. :-) – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 02:29, 2 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, zmbro. I just got rid of the endnote with the dubious assertion regarding Costello's legal name. Looking at the guidelines around first mentions of names (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Biography), it looks like we're good using either "Declan Patrick MacManus" or "Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus" as the first mention. Do you have a preference? DrLuthersAssistant (talk) 01:25, 4 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

This is looking a lot more consistent and coherent now. Definitely an improvement. Pinglis (talk) 02:53, 2 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, Pinglis. It's slow going, but it's been really interesting. I think I'm going to do the Columbus incident next, so I'm going to re-read the Franklin Bruno book and as many contemporaneous press reports as I can find. Then I'll feel like I know enough to write something complete yet concise. DrLuthersAssistant (talk) 01:37, 4 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

FYI, If you want my assistance on your draft page before publishing to the main one don't be afraid to ask! – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 17:10, 4 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

[1] Costello, Elvis (2005). King of America liner notes (booklet). Rhino Records.

[2] Levin, Eric (June 6, 1986). "Elvis Costello". People. Vol. 25 (23). {{cite journal}}: |volume= has extra text (help)

[3] Kent, Nick (March 1986). "The happy death of Elvis Costello". The Face. London.

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