The news that Elvis Costello has canceled his shows in Israelbecause he feared that people might think that performing there would be thought of as supporting Israeli Government policies toward the Palestinians saddens me deeply. Many of you know that I am or should say I was a huge Elvis fan, but in light of his comments and actions I have decided not to listen to his music, attend his concerts, look for his clips onYouTube or watch his show on the Sundance Channel (This last one wasn’t so hard as I didn’t really like the show to begin with).
Had I not taken these actions, I feel would have been guilty by association with his views.
In the past, I have held my tongue and pen when for example, he played for Mrs. Clinton at her 60th birthdayparty to raise money for her failed bid for the Presidency, but I can no longer stay silent. I do not want to be thought of as a someone who supports the position of terrorists; therefore, I am removing Elvis Costello songs from my I-pod and trashing my CD collection. I will not be listening to the tunes that got me through high school, college and beyond any longer.
Also, for the record, I have asked my high school to remove my page from the 1989 year book, I used a quote from“Less Than Zero,” the song, not the book. I have also thrown away my fishing glasses and ticket stubs and have decided to put the television on mute when any Elvis song is played during The Sopranos’ reruns and, of course, during that scene in Godfather III.