Elvis Costello dismisses Pink Floyd as ‘dreary,’ shares unfiltered music tastes
Elvis Costello, the British singer-songwriter, has revealed his personal musical preferences in an interview, sharing the songs that shaped his career and those he can no longer tolerate, including a blunt rejection of…
Source: Guardian Music · October 4, 2026 at 9:02 PM · AI-assisted report
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KUALA LUMPUR, 5 OCTOBER 2026 —
Elvis Costello, the British singer-songwriter, has revealed his personal musical preferences in an interview, sharing the songs that shaped his career and those he can no longer tolerate, including a blunt rejection of Pink Floyd.
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The interview, published in The Guardian, offers a rare glimpse into Costello’s eclectic tastes, from his early fascination with Jimi Hendrix’s emotional depth to his lifelong admiration for Georgie Fame, whose music introduced him to a wealth of American soul and blues artists at age 11. Costello also disclosed his aversion to Pink Floyd, calling their post-Syd Barrett era "dreary," while acknowledging the band’s earlier imaginative work in See Emily Play.
His playful yet candid responses—such as dismissing karaoke as beneath his profession and naming Louis Armstrong’s Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now as his funeral song—highlight his unfiltered relationship with music.
Costello recalled that his first love for music began with The Wind Cries Mary by Jimi Hendrix, released in 1967 when he was 12. "Hendrix was known for outgoing music, but I was a romantic soul, so the emotional side of his music led to that strain in my own writing," he said.
His musical education expanded significantly after purchasing Georgie Fame’s Fame at Last EP at age 11, which exposed him to artists like Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Ray Charles, and Willie Dixon. "It was a lot of education for an 11-year-old who didn’t play an instrument," he noted.
Among his most personal selections, Costello named Cross the Green Mountain by Bob Dylan as a hidden gem, praising its vivid imagery of the American Civil War. He also confessed to secretly liking Kelis’s Milkshake, though he insisted it wasn’t a true secret.
His party anthem of choice, Double Barrel by Dave & Ansel Collins, dates back to his teenage years, while his morning alarm remains Armagideon Time by the Clash—though he admitted Good Morning from Singin’ in the Rain as a ringtone had once put him in a foul mood.
The interview also touched on his early musical influences, including his mother’s claim that he requested Frank Sinatra’s I’ve Got You Under My Skin before he could even speak. Costello’s latest album, My Aim Is True (49th Anniversary Edition), was released this month, marking a milestone in his five-decade career.
While Costello’s musical tastes offer little direct economic or policy relevance, his candid reflections underscore the enduring influence of music on artistic identity—a theme that resonates with Malaysia’s own vibrant cultural and creative industries, where local and international artists continue to shape national discourse. His blunt rejection of Pink Floyd, however, may spark debate among music critics and fans alike, particularly in regions where the band’s legacy remains divisive.
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