He was considered one of the best lyricists around.
Not by me.
...and not with Dire Straits at their peak.
Of course. He wrote some fabulous songs. And if he is no longer a pop star or making tons of money from his recordings and live shows (and he still makes enough), I would hardly hold that lack of commercialism against him. I also don’t mind that he outgrew his punk moment. I sure did. New Wave was always an industry confection and marketing scheme - a way to collect and categorize and sell music.
His most recent project is the Sugarcanes, doing American folky, bluegrass, rootsy music.
Before that he was exploring New Orleans R&B with Allen Toussaint.
http://www.elviscostello.com/#/news/allen-toussaint-joins-the-sugarcanes-on-the-stage/42
Bottm line is, as usual, I wish entertainers I like would just keep their traps shut on politics. But they don’t. But that doesn’t make me like the music any less.