Elvis and Diana writing children songs?

[sweetest punch]

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertai ... inmentNews
(...)
Her marriage to Costello in 2003 united two musical forces, and the British rocker's influence seemed evident on Krall's 2004 album "The Girl in the Other Room."

Krall, 44, is best known for her interpretations of jazz standards, but "Girl in the Other Room" included some songs she wrote and composed with Costello. Purists were not completely happy because she was seen as straying from what they expected by performing material that was more contemporary singer/songwriter than jazz.

She recalled that some fans walked out of a show that year at New York's Radio City. "Some people left...(but) I think it's good to do different things because it brings you back and, like this album I've done, I wouldn't be able to do it like I did if I didn't go through this and this and this."

The Canadian singer-pianist said she might want to collaborate on a kids CD with the man she calls Elvis -- at least publicly -- rather than by his given name, Declan.

"I'm hoping to do a children's record. If I collaborated with Elvis it would be really fun, we could just go nutty -- crazy rock and he'd be writing about bugs or something."

But Krall said she has no plans to combine her talents with her husband's music on his albums. Both work independently on records, but play each other demo tapes to get their reaction.

After she records, Costello might offer ideas on sequencing of songs, effects and other post-production elements, but she notes that his genius is writing lyrics where her strength is making melodies. "I can't write lyrics for toffee!" she joked.

"That's why Elvis and I are such a match. We both have the same intensity and passion for things and want to be artists and do what we feel is right," she said.
(...)

[E*C*RIDER]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainmen ... 64553.html

After personal tragedy, the singer has found a new contentment, writes Bernard Zuel.

It's one big happy gang in this house. Between Elvis and I and our kids, it's just tremendous. I'm loving life right now."

(...)

Her mother's death inspired the songs she wrote with Costello for the 2004 album The Girl In The Other Room. To date, it is the only example of her songwriting, with Krall insisting: "I don't think I'm a writer, it doesn't come to me naturally. I'm a jazz musician, an improvising musician." However, playing happy families may be turning her in a Wiggles direction.

"I would really now like to do a children's album," she says enthusiastically. "Elvis and I have been throwing that around for the last little while. We've got something cooking up that would be really fun but it is trying to find the time. Now that I see what my kids like, everything from [Costello's] Pump It Up to [her recording of Nat King Cole's] Hit That Jive Jack to Harry Belafonte, maybe Elvis and I can come up with something that's really fun."

[scielle]

She mentions it in this radio interview as well:
http://cbc.ca/calgary/media/audio/homes ... 38_CGY.ram

And here:

http://en.chatelaine.com/english/weeken ... 776&page=2

Maryam: [...] I’m curious: If you were to repeat a collaboration now that you’re parents, what would happen?

Diana: We might repeat it doing a children’s record. I think that’s what’s in my head. If we collaborate again, though, it will be very different. The Girl in the Other Room was very important for me. At the time I made it, I wasn’t able to sing certain songs because I felt so devastated [from my mother’s death]. And now I’m not singing songs from The Other Room because I’m at a different place in my life. When you do a recording, you do it and you’re in it and when you’re finished and you look back, a big mirror is being held in front of you. Looking at what our kids are like now, well, Frank woke up this morning and he’s lying next to me – because we all, at some point, end up in the same bed – and he sings “The ants go marching one by one…” And I wonder, Frank, what were you dreaming about? A Bug’s Life? The boys run around singing all the time. They love the song “Hit that Jive, Jack.” So I think that if we collaborate, Elvis and I, we should do just a great kids record. It would be a riot.

[...]

M: Back on the homefront: Did Elvis have to adjust to living Vancouver? I imagine he loves it, right?

D: We love it here, we love Vancouver. He’s down at Ocean Park with the boys right now. We feel like part of the community. We have our neighbourhood and our friends. Elvis and I will go to this beautiful restaurant called La Regalade, a French bistro in West Vancouver. We just kind of settle into our place, where the owners know us, sit down with candles and we talk. You know, at this stage in life, it’s so easy to just get immersed in motherhood. It’s so easy to neglect your marriage in this scenario. We really make time with each other and nobody else. And when we get home, since the boys are going to sleep later, we see them off to bed and we watch a movie. And there’s your day.

[scielle]

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2009 ... ights.html

Q: Speaking of stories, there’s a rumour you’re planning to work with Elvis Costello on a children’s album.
A: Well, it was more that people are always asking, “So, will you ever work with Elvis?” And I said that if I was going to work with him — I don’t have any plans, but if I were to work with him, I think it would be really fun to do something like a kids’ album. And now I’m getting all these questions like, “I hear you’re doing a children’s album with Elvis!” No! But if I was going to do something with him, I think that would be fun.

Q: Do you guys sing a lot of songs to your kids? Have they demonstrated a preference for Daddy’s music over Mommy’s, or vice versa?
A: They like everything. They like Frosty the Snowman, this theme from The Mickey Mouse Club called Hot Dog. They like Hit That Jive, Jack, which they sing. They like Crazy Frog, which goes “bing, bing, bing-ba-bing bing bing” .… There’s this thing called the Hamster Dance, which they like. They do their own dance to it — let’s get crazy! They also like Yes We Have No Bananas. That’s a pretty good one, not too big a hit. I’ll turn on the radio and start singing a song and they just pick it up. It’s kinda scary.

The other day, Dexter was singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Frank’s singing — what was he singing? It was suppertime, and they were both singing two different songs at the same time. Itsy Bitsy Spider or something. Oh, and “Dem bones, dem bones,” they love that. We have about 10 different versions of Dem Bones, and they’ll be like, “Fast Dem Bones! Fast Dem Bones!” because we’ve got this sort of Mötörhead version. They like that. Whatever gets your motor going. They like [Costello’s] Pump It Up, too.

Q: Are they aware that their parents are stars? Have they seen either of you perform?
A: I think they do. They watched me yesterday on TV. Regis and Kelly. And they love Sesame Street. It’s all about Sesame Street. “Mommy on Sesame Street!” They sit on Daddy’s lap and watch it on the computer. Everybody's Song, they love that.

[scielle]

From a DK interview -

"When it's done, Krall the multi-tasker may take up the idea she floated when we spoke about a year ago, a children's album with Elvis "the gap-toothed Wiggle" Costello. If she can find the time."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainmen ... 96408.html

[Poor Deportee]

A collaborative kid's album could turn out to be a self-indulgent disaster, but it could also be great. I recall a Dan Zanes quotes somewhere, where he remarked that writing kid's music helped him to get his head out of his ass as a musician. There could be something simplifying and purifying in the process for EC. Interesting idea, anyway.

[Jack of All Parades]

Second that notion-there is a very primal, elemental nature in children's tales and songs-words stripped down to their essence-might very well be a wonderful way to work out of creative doldrums-always liked Dylan's version of "Froggie Went a Courtin'"-though he did not write it nor do I think it was solely responsible for his Nineties creative upsurge-when combined with the other folk songs on those two albums, "Good As I Been to You" and "World Gone Wrong" always thought it was great musical therapy for the torpor he was in at the time- surely a plausible way to recharge the creative batteries and involve the family at the same time.