Having evolved over the past 25 years from an angry young man to a well-fed totem of artistic integrity, Elvis Costello would seem to have little left to prove. He started wandering outside the perimeters of rock in the early '80s, and several years ago hinted that he was through with rock. Then, in April, he pulled a Bowie, releasing "When I Was Cruel," a collection of fierce rock songs that has surprised even those who dismissed him as a dilettante after his earlier experiments. Striking while the iron is hot, in June he embarked on his first tour with a band in six years. The name of the group, the Imposters, may have been chosen to indicate that they aren't his original band, the Attractions, even though two of the three members actually are. It could also indicate something else entirely. After Costello's concert at Akasaka Blitz on June 28, broadcast personality Peter Barakan and entertainment writer Philip Brasor got together at the Hobgoblin Pub in Akasaka to discuss it . . .
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Philip Brasor: You mentioned before the show that the first time you saw Costello you thought he was scary . . .