Talk:This Year's Model

Article clueless of themes and references?!

Perhaps I'm off base, and I can't appropriately source this at the moment, but the article seems clueless of what I think are some obvious bases and references, i.e., modelling, fashion models, and the fashion / beauty industry.

I understand that around this time Costello dated and/or was infatuated with model Bebe Buell; her Wikipedia page says they dated. The song "This Year's Girl" certainly seems to be about a currently- but ephemerally-top supermodel / 'it girl'. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" certainly contains references to a model who had gained weight / fallen out of favor: "She give a little flirt / Give herself a little cuddle / There's no place here / For the miniskirt waddle / Capital punishment, she is last year's model / They call her Natasha / When she looks like Elsie"--that's Borden (dairy) mascot Elsie the Cow, the model is now too fat and waddling in a miniskirt.

Then there's the cover. Costello is posed behind a camera on a tripod--it appears to be a Hasselblad or similar 6x6 SLR, i.e., an upper-end professional camera, such as a top fashion photographer then used. That is, he's shown as a fashion photographer. The current text is: "the cover artwork, designed by the English graphic artist Barney Bubbles, shows Costello behind a camera placed on a tripod, emphasising his role as an observer." Maybe, but he's not just any observer, but an observer of the model(s) / their posing--and he's also documenting what's before him.

I did not invent this. These ideas have by and large been out there before. N'Awlins Contrarian 02:33, 17 March 2023 (UTC)

I unfortunately could not tell you. It's been quite some time since I expanded it and I've forgotten the specifics most of the sources went into. I know a few of the tracks are fashion related but I can't recall any of them explicitly saying that's the main theme. There's a few things I remember being asked during GAN and FAC that I didn't have any sources that answered (i.e. the title being an amalgamation of "This Year's Girl" and the "last year's model" lyric, or the original UK cover art having the missing E on the back label). In regards to Buell, yes he did have an affair with her for quite a number of years. I believe I might have mentioned her in my original expansion but removed the references during certain processes to avoid MOS:PUFFERY. If you can guide me to any of these "sources" you're describing I can see what I can do. – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 02:59, 17 March 2023 (UTC)

Its an interesting point, maybe could be expanded on in the near future if you can recover the sources. Ceoil (talk) 03:26, 17 March 2023 (UTC)

Regarding Bebe Buell's supposed influence on this album, it's speculation with no basis in fact. Buell and Costello both say the met several months after the album was released.

Costello says he was still working a full-time office job at a cosmetics company when he wrote a number of the songs on this album. Perhaps that influenced his ideas about fashion around that time. 2600:1700:1EC5:270:58A7:9C7:24FB:4B01 (talk) 21:38, 14 July 2023 (UTC)

Deleted content

It appears as the article's main author (great article!) Zmbro is claiming ownership of the article and does not allow additional content such as Costellos legendary performance at the Roskilde Festival shortly after the release of the album, and info about the different, high charting Swedish release of the album to be added to the article. It does seem that discogs.com is not considered to be a reliable source on wikipedia, but the LP itself is indeed a reliable source, and the hitparad.se source, stating that the album charted higher in Sweden than in any other country outside of the UK, is not questioned as an unreliable source in another section of the article. Also reminding that wikipedia articles should have a global perspective, not just focus on the UK and the US. Edo (talk) 18:04, 9 January 2024 (UTC)

Hey there. I apologize if I came across as claiming ownership (that's never my intention). 1) The main issue your additions had were the use of primary sources ([1]) and unreliable ones ([2], [3]). The inclusion of an event such as the Roskilde Festival would depend on its notability in relation to This Year's Model itself. Graeme Thomson mentions the performance as being the live full band debut of "Oliver's Army", which is certainly notable, but as "Oliver's Army" is on Armed Forces, I personally don't believe it's notable to be included on this specific article (certainly on Armed Forces and "Oliver's Army"). That's how I see it at least. 2) When writing these articles, I try to always include chart placements of other countries (somehow that was missed on here). I have added these here. It would be better to have a secondary source for the Swedish track listing, but I guess the liner notes can pass. I'll get that added. – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 19:01, 9 January 2024 (UTC)

How's that look? – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 19:07, 9 January 2024 (UTC)