10 Days -- 10 great live performances Elvis Costello [View all]

[Mr.Mystery]

This is the performance that got Elvis Costello and The Attractions banned from Saturday Night Live for nearly a dozen years.

Apparently, the record company wanted Costello to promote his new album by doing the single the Co. was pushing.

Costello thought the references to Oswald Mosley were too historical and obscure for an American audience, and in the spirit of punk rebellion, he stopped the song after a few bars and went right into "Radio, Radio" . . . with all its sardonic references to media manipulation and corporate control of the airwaves.

SNL Producer Lorne Michaels, notoriously opposed to any kind of spontaneity on his "live" show, was afraid the song would run long etc. and went ballistic, reportedly giving Costello the finger while the performance was on-going.

I remember seeing this on TV in a college dorm, and we all were just floored--"was this part of an act?" We didn't know, but the song came across with an extra "edge," as Costello was clearly making a statement against some kind of imposed constraint.

Here's a video of the event. Because of copywrite laws, you can't find the performance in its original form on YouTube, but this version still conveys the "in your face" feel.