Elvis Has Been Asked to Leave the Building

On this day in 1977, the Sex Pistols were supposed to be the music guests on Saturday Night Live (SNL). Unfortunately, they were denied entry into the U.S. So the SNL producers had to scramble, first trying to grab local favorites the Ramones (who declined the gig).

So they turned to an up-and-comer on the British New Wave scene. Elvis Costello and the Attractions.

Months away from releasing his second album, This Year’s Model, Costello agreed to be the musical guest (he was touring the U.S. in support of his first album My Aim Is True.

He was expected to play the song “Less Than Zero” which Costello wrote about British fascist Oswald Mosley. Unfortunately, audiences in the U.S. didn’t understand the song. He stated, “It was just some rock and roll music with a fashionable-sounding title.”

However, after playing just a few bars of the song, Costello stopped the band with the famous line, “I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but there's no reason to do this song here,” and promptly launched into the lead single off his second album, “Radio Radio”.

A blistering attack on radio stations that had become homogenized and profit-driven. It was an early indication of how Elvis would defy the media in the interest of his art. The stunt got him banned from SNL until 1989 when he returned (promoting his latest album Spike).

Ten years later, on the 25th anniversary of SNL, he interrupted a performance by Beastie Boys with the same line he used in 1977, leading Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock through a kick-ass version of “Radio Radio”.