Elvis Costello may have come of age at a time when rock stars were supposed to kill their idols, but Nick Jonas is the kind of rock star who hugs his. Earlier this year, the 16-year-old leader of the teen-dream act the Jonas Brothers told Rolling Stone how much he admires Elvis Costello, and, like a rock & roll Make-a-Wish Foundation, we offered to get him together with his hero for a one-on-one interview. On a recent afternoon in Los Angeles, Jonas and Costello — both wearing black pants and mod-ish patent-leather shoes — met for the first time at a Hollywood recording studio, where they talked about everything from writing songs to Radiohead to teen-heartthrob status. Clearly star-struck, Jonas kept his poise as Costello, 54, sat across from him, but after they were done talking and Costello had left the room, Nick exhaled, nodded his head a couple of times and said simply, "That was awesome." Later, Costello praised Jonas as "thoughtful and curious" and "interesting to spend time with." He added, "I warned him about being better-looking than me."
