This article is ratedC-class on Wikipedia'scontent assessment scale. It is of interest to the followingWikiProjects:

Biography:Musicians This article is within the scope ofWikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Wikipedia's articles about people. All interested editors are invited tojoin the project andcontribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to thedocumentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography This article is supported byWikiProject Musicians (assessed asHigh-importance). LondonLow‑importance This article is within the scope ofWikiProject London, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage ofLondon on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can jointhe discussion and see a list of open tasks.LondonWikipedia:WikiProject LondonTemplate:WikiProject LondonLondon-related Low This article has been rated asLow-importance on theproject's importance scale. New Wave music (inactive) This article is within the scope ofWikiProject New Wave music, a project which is currently considered to beinactive.New Wave musicWikipedia:WikiProject New Wave musicTemplate:WikiProject New Wave musicNew Wave music Rock musicTop‑importance This article is within the scope ofWikiProject Rock music, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage ofRock music on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can jointhe discussion and see a list of open tasks.Rock musicWikipedia:WikiProject Rock musicTemplate:WikiProject Rock musicRock music Top This article has been rated asTop-importance on theproject's importance scale. Veganism and VegetarianismLow‑importance This article is within the scope ofWikiProject Veganism and Vegetarianism, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage ofveganism andvegetarianism on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can jointhe discussion and see a list of open tasks.Veganism and VegetarianismWikipedia:WikiProject Veganism and VegetarianismTemplate:WikiProject Veganism and VegetarianismVeganism and Vegetarianism Low This article has been rated asLow-importance on theproject's importance scale.

Find sources: Google (books ·news ·scholar ·free images ·WP refs) ·FENS ·JSTOR ·TWL

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:

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 1985Face magazine article byNick 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

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 theFranklin 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]

It’s briefly touched upon in the article, but, not fully described nor noted in the “as actor” section. It was more than just an appearance. He appears as himself, but, he also sings a full on parody of “The Angels Want To Wear My Red Shoes” as a duet with Elmo called, “A Monster Went And Ate My Red Two”. I’m not 100% sure, but I don’t believe this ever got an “official” c.d. or vinyl release. ( Unlike his other parody, “I Throw My Toys Around”, which did.)99.196.176.254 (talk)18:34, 30 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Was he "acting" there? Or just performing a parody duet?Martinevans123 (talk)20:23, 30 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Biography articles of living people
• C-Class biography articles
• C-Class biography (musicians) articles
• High-importance biography (musicians) articles
• Musicians work group articles
• WikiProject Biography articles
• C-Class London-related articles
• Low-importance London-related articles
• C-Class Rock music articles
• Top-importance Rock music articles
• WikiProject Rock music articles
• C-Class Veganism and Vegetarianism articles
• Low-importance Veganism and Vegetarianism articles
• WikiProject Veganism and Vegetarianism articles

• Noindexed pages