DEAD ELVIS

Yesterday was the anniversary of Elvis’s death in 1977. I suspect next year there will be more of a fuss made but this year it passed quietly.

When he died in 77 it seemed so apt. The absolute most self indulgent of self indulgent Rock Stars – lame as hell with the white cape and his singing appalling ballad after appalling ballad for god’s sake, died the year punk was tearing up England and making a weird noise in New York and LA, things were changing the world was changing. Elvis was not part of the future.

Still one Hollywood agent, with a clear mind, and flint for a heart, heard the news and said “good career move.” And so it was, Elvis dead became bigger than Elvis alive. So much so that I think it’s way the “Elvis is alive” rumors started.

By the way if you have not seen Bubba ho-tep do so. It features Elvis and JFK in an old age home in Texas fighting an evil Mummy. And it works – Bruce Campbell of Evil dead fame plays Elvis and Ossie Davis plays JFK. You have to see it, actually as wild as the concept sounds they really manage to make real movie out of it. Yeah it’s cult film but come on – what do you expect me to fricking watch eh? And it touches on some real things like how we take our old folks and shove them into these people u-store its well away from the rest of the world. It’s pretty damn horrible when you get right down to it. I’ve only seen one of them and it was a nightmare. People with Alzheimer’s wandering the halls, a TV set on all the time in the common room, I think I’d rather eat a glock than end up like that. But anyway it’s a great film. See it.

Back to Elvis – I’ve always had a fondness for Elvis junk; my kitchen features an Elvis clock with swinging hips a gift of my brother. However I regularly listen only to the Sun Session material and the stuff he made before he went into the army. After that well – while there are bits here and there (the ’68 special and so on) mostly it was a long coast down a road paved with dull movies, cheaply produced live albums and drugs until he ended up fat dead and blue on the toilet. His desire to please overcome his desire to say something to express what was inside him, not what Parker thought would sell.

My personal tribute to Elvis was done a few years ago, when I sang That’s all right Momma at a gig for a friend who is a huge fan while wearing my Mexican wrestling mask. It made sense then and still does so now.

Thank you, Thank you very much