The King and I
Elvis Aron Presley came into this world 73 years ago today. In his 42 years, he changed the course of American popular culture with a sneer, a hiccupping vocal style and a shake of his pelvis. Yet today he is widely regarded as a camp figure. When people think of Elvis Presley, they don’t think of the rebel who was only filmed from the waist up on The Ed Sullivan Show. They don’t imagine the Greek God in the black leather suit tearing through “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” on The ’68 Comeback Special. The prevailing image of Elvis Presley today is a fat clown in a white sequined jumpsuit.
If you have followed my writing over the last few years, the latter paragraph might seem familiar to you. Every year I write a column about Elvis’ birthday. I suppose that it is redundant to wax philosophical about Elvis every January 8, but I can’t help it. I do it because our generation doesn’t appreciate the impact that he had on our society. The Beatles, Dylan and Frank Sinatra are treated with the respect and reverence that they deserve, but Elvis is nothing more than a bloated recluse who died on a toilet.
I shouldn’t have to explain to people why I am an Elvis fan. Liking Elvis should be a fundamental part of human biology. However, some people just don’t get it. I understand it to an extent. Some Elvis fans are completely out of touch with reality. To them, every single song he recorded was a masterpiece. Every film was worthy of an Oscar, even Roustabout, in which he portrayed the life of a carny. Some people even claim that he is living in Duluth Minnesota under the name Rory B. Bellows.
I am not one of those fans. Elvis recorded a lot of bad music, especially towards the end. I’ll never understand why his estate feels the need to put “Polk Salad Annie” on just about every greatest hits compilation. His movies range from great (Jailhouse Rock), to painful (take your pick, I hate Clambake). He is six feet under in the Meditation Garden at Graceland.
I don’t buy into the iconography of Elvis, which is what turns most people off. I am an Elvis fan because when he was motivated, nobody on Earth could come close to him. Elvis is my favorite male vocalist of all time, because you can’t categorize his style. His voice was such a remarkable instrument, a combination of baritone and tenor. When he walked into the Sun Studios for the first time, he told secretary, Marion Keisker, that he didn’t sound like nobody, and he was right. But Elvis’ voice is only part of the equation. He never wrote a song in his life, but few people could interpret a song the way he could. “In the Ghetto” could have been condescending, but Elvis turned it into a heartfelt plea for social change.
Even towards the end of his life, when he had become a sad parody of himself, his talent never betrayed him. One of his final shows was filmed for a CBS special. His final song that evening was “Unchained Melody.” He was terribly overweight and drenched in sweat. A member of his entourage held the microphone for him as he sat at the piano. It doesn’t look like he will be able to perform the song, but he belted out the song with a fire that he hadn’t shown in years. It’s hard to watch Elvis in that state, but when he hits the high notes, everything disappears. You forget the fact that he’s probably wearing a girdle underneath his suit. You forget that he is drenched in sweat despite the fact that he has barely moved. You forget about the lethal cocktail of uppers and downers circulating through his system. For those few minutes, it’s 1956 and he’s the Hillbilly Cat. For those few minutes, it’s 1968 and he’s in that black leather suit. For those few minutes, he is the King of Rock n’ Roll once again.
Elvis Presley was a man with many flaws that was given an unbelievable gift. He chose to share that gift with all of us. When Elvis Presley sings a song, you are the only person in the room. Give Elvis another shot. Listen to a song or two, watch Viva Las Vegas on Turner Classic Movies, and eat a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. Pay the King some respect, he deserves it
Happy Birthday Elvis. Thank you very much.
