Late August 2002
- Kissinger, Hitchens, Springsteen, Haggard and Presley
By Alexander Cockburn
(CounterPunch, August 29, 2002)
Was Presley A Racist? (4th item)
On the occasion of the recent 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death I read a truly stupid piece in the London Guardian, "He Wasn't My King" by Helen Kolawole, to the effect that Elvis stole songs like Hound Dog from black folks, that Willie Mae (Big Mama) Thornton wrote Hound Dog and sang it better and that anyway Elvis was a racist, noted for having said, The only thing Negro people can do for me is to buy my records and shine my shoes.
Wrong on every count. Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, white men, wrote Hound Dog and Big Mama Thornton's version is markedly inferior to Presley's, made three years after her's. Peter Guralnick, in his Last Train to Memphis, The Rise of Elvis Presley (1994), cites a good story that appeared in Jet magazine on August 1, 1957.
"Tracing that rumored racial slur to its source was like running a gopher to earth", Jet wrote. Some said Presley had said it in in Boston, which Elvis had never visited. Some said it was on Edward Murrow's on which Elvis had never appeared. Jet sent Louie Robinson to the set of Jailhouse Rock "When asked if he ever made the remark, Missisissippi-born Elvis declared: 'I never said anything like that, and people who know me know I wouldn't have said it ."
Robinson then spoke to people "who were (itals) in a position to know" and heard from Dr W. A Zuber, "a Negro physician in Tupelo" that Elvis Presley used to "go round to Negro 'sanctified meetings'; from pianist Dudley Brooks that he "faces everybody as a man" and from Presley himself that he had gone to colored churches as a kid, like Reverend Brewster's and that "he could honestly never hope to equal the musical achievements of Fats Domino or the Inkspot's Bill Kenny." "To Elvis," Jet concluded in its Aug 1 1957 issue, "people are people regardless of race, color or creed."
Visiting Memphis, Ivory Joe Hunter was invited by Presley to visit with him in Graceland and Ivory Joe was worried about the stories of prejudice that had been circulating about Elvis through the spring of 1957. Presley received him with warmth and admiration, sang his composition "I almost lost my mind" with him, and they hung out for the day singing. Hunter said later, "He showed me every courtesy and I think he's one of the greatest."
If you want to look at some great photographs of Elvis in black locales and with black musicians in Memphis in the 1950s, get Daniel Wolff's wonderful edition of Ernest Withers' photos, The Memphis Blues Again.
- Whitney, Christina, Rolling Stones and Elvis among fall's big releases
By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, August 29, 2002)
This fall looks to have plenty of blockbuster releases from some of music's biggest acts - on paper, that is. Whether Whitney Houston, Justin Timberlake or Santana can match their previous multiplatinum efforts is among many question marks hovering over the recording industry. ... The industry remains mired in a slump; album sales this summer are down about 10 percent from last summer. ... This year, among the albums eagerly anticipated by retailers are a greatest-hits disc from the Rolling Stones, containing four new tracks; Santana's follow-up to his Grammy-winning "Supernatural"; Faith Hill's follow-up to her multi-platinum 1999 "Breathe"; and a collection of Elvis Presley hits that some believe could be as successful as the multi-platinum "1" from the Beatles two years ago. "These are records that will bring people to the record store who maybe haven't been to the record store in a long time," said Bill Wilson, vice president and general manager of AOL Music.
- Ian Anderson talks of Elvis, Aqualung and longevity
By JAMIE PERKINS
(Foster's/Citizen Online / Showcase Magazine, August 29, 2002)
Interview with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. ... Question: "Still, it must be a good feeling to know that people are buying your albums in, say, Holland or the Ukraine, that your music actually reaches people in more obscure markets." Answer: "Well it is, but we're being told that Elvis Presley is the biggest selling recording artist of all time, and frankly, 90 percent of what the guy did, and forgive my humble opinion, was crap! I think most Elvis fans would have to put their hands on their hearts and say look, the guy made just rotten movies. He was a showboater. But Elvis was Elvis, because he was the guy who appeared to have created rock and roll. And Elvis was a great man. He was a great man when he had that one burger too many, and the fat b*****d fell off his toilet. He was a great man even there. And you know, I and everybody owe a huge debt to this man, but he was a flawed creature, from a musical and artistic perspective, and I think most of it was junk. And to be told that this guy is the biggest selling person of all time, and apparently still outsells virtually everybody? And you start thinking, is this the mark of greatness, how many records you've sold, when palpably most of them are awful?
Comments to: jamieperkins@hotmail.com
- Elvis is spotted in Paisley!
(Paisley Daily Express, August 29, 2002)
HUNDREDS of Elvis fans were left all shook up after a special show in Paisley. Stewart Duff - who scooped the top prize on televisionıs Stars In Their Eyes competition - played to a packed house of around 300 in the townıs Tannahill Centre.
- Elvis is on the Lawn
(Wellsville Daily Reporter, August 29, 2002)
Elvis may have passed away 25 years ago this month, but the spirit of the King is alive when Terry Buckwald dons a gold lame suit. Buckwald is an Elvis impersonator, starting several years ago while working for a car dealer installing controls for handicapped drivers. He said he donned an Elvis suit for Halloween one year, and the rest is history. He became so successful at impersonating the King of Rock and Roll that for the last three years he's been doing it almost full time.
- Elvis impersonator wows local fans, helps raise funds for KMB
By Suzanne Le Breton
(Covington News Banner, August 28, 2002)
Just recently the world memorialized the 25th anniversary of Elvis's death. But Saturday night the King was alive in the Mandeville Community Center. Debra Lala, newly appointed director of Keep Mandeville Beautiful, organized the -and [sic] one-half hour performance, which served as the first fund-raiser for the local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. The fund-raiser included a performance by Brandon Bennett, a Ponchatoula native recently named the 2002 International Images of the king World Champion. He was crowned The King of Kings on the Ricki Lake Show in January.
- Diana may lose icon status to Elvis
By Andra Varin
(ABC News, August 28, 2002)
Five years after her tragic death in a Paris car crash, the princess who was once the most-photographed woman in the world is slipping from the public consciousness, and her status as a cultural icon is waning fast, experts say. "She did a lot of work for charities and she touched a lot of people, but socially and culturally, I think she has been forgotten," said Rob Turnock, author of Interpreting Diana. ... "It's interesting how her anniversary comes at the same time as this big anniversary of Elvis' death," said Robert Thompson, a professor of media and popular culture at Syracuse University in New York state. "A quarter of a century after Elvis' death, he is still going strong. It's not like people have forgotten Princess Di - but one can already see the fade begin to set in." ... If a celebrity is going to move from mere stardom to legendary status, he or she can't afford to lose the limelight. "Their image has to be repeatedly disseminated over and over again for new generations," said Joshua Gamson, associate professor of sociology at the University of San Francisco. ... In some sense, Steinberg said, Diana never became a legend because her story simply stopped. "What happened after the fairy princess story went all wrong? The story didn't continue." Nevertheless, Steinberg believes Diana is "still a reference point." Much of her platform - the humanitarian causes she supported and her attempts to open up the stuffy establishment - have been adopted by others, Steinberg said. "Those kind of values she seemed to embody and be attributed with, a lot of that has actually been taken up by the current government" ... "Diana even in death has affected the royal family. They have become much more mainstream," said Emerson's Payne. "They became much more aware of PR." Diana has another legacy - her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. ... "Diana was this well-meaning princess, a woman who got herself caught up in politics and it ultimately killed her. She's got this martyred status," said Thompson. "William is her issue. If ever anybody is lined up to become part of world myth, he seems to be the guy."
- Elvis fan Daly back to defend title at BMW Open, where he shot record low score
(Yahoo! News, August 28, 2002)
John Daly shot 27-under par last year in winning the BMW International Open, which would have tied the PGA European Tour record if preferred lies weren't in operation. The American scored a blistering 261 for his four rounds -- and he may have to shoot close to that again when the tournament kicks off Thursday [in Munich] just to defend his title. But Daly, in addition to playing, had some other things on his mind besides the dlrs 2.77 million (2.82 million euros) BMW Open. The 1991 PGA and 1995 British Open champion said Wednesday he was involved in the construction of an Elvis Presley theme golf course in Memphis, one which will include a replica of the White House. "It's going to be beautiful. It will have a studio, concerts in there and a couple of hotels. I'm really excited about it," Daly said. "Elvis still has 50 million fans. I've got pretty much all his albums and my 3-year-old loves Elvis, he is trying to dance like him now," he added.
- Review [of Elvis The Concert]: Elvis is in fine form at the fair
By Jon Bream
(Star Tribune, August 28, 2002)
Elvis lives. He does. I saw him perform Monday night at the Minnesota State Fair. I know most reports indicated that Elvis Presley died 25 years ago this month. But you might have a hard time convincing the 4,352 diehards who were at the grandstand Monday. The woman two seats over believed that Elvis winked at her. Too bad she left before he started handing out silk scarves to the ladies. And I swear that when I was in the backstage restroom at intermission, those white boots and the bottoms of that jumpsuit in the stall behind me, they could only belong to the King.
Frankly, watching a video of Elvis in concert from the early 1970s on a giant screen accompanied by live musicians wasn't much different from being at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday and watching Carlos Santana on the giant live video screen from halfway back in the arena Let's be honest: At the grandstand, if you're not in the first 20 rows in front of the stage, you're probably watching the show on the big screens anyway. Elvis was in good voice. The band was top-notch, the backup singers first-rate and the orchestral arrangements splendid. This may have been the best concert that Elvis never gave -- at least in the final years of his career.
OK, you may not buy into the creepy/kitschy concept of "Elvis -- The Concert," as it is billed. The Elvis footage comes from two concert movies and one TV special from the early '70s. The band and the backup singers are the same ones who accompanied the King back then. You could see a long-haired, brown-bearded drummer Ron Tutt on the video screen; then in front of the screen, silver-bearded Tutt was pounding away, rolling his head just like on the video. And James Burton may not have had the same guitar he did in the video but he was sporting the same pinkie ring, and his notes nicely complemented Elvis' singing whether it was rockabilly, gospel, country or pop.
The performance had energy, both on the screen and on the stage. And the ever-playful Elvis injected some humor, including a spontaneous bit -- well, it was spontaneous when it was filmed -- when his microphone went dead; he tested four new ones at once to see which worked. The Elvis footage from the 1973 TV concert "Aloha from Hawaii" was him at his best. In video from the other two concerts, his face looked bloated and his eyes looked stoned. But he was in good voice for the most part. Highlights of the 31-song, 100-minute performance included a dynamic, turbo-charged "Suspicious Minds," the gospelly country ballad "Just Pretend" and "An American Trilogy," which earned him a standing ovation. After the traditional closer "Can't Help Falling in Love" Elvis exited, the band played on and the emcee announced: "Elvis has left the building." And the fans -- wink, wink -- started laughing.
Comments to: popmusic@startribune.com
- Madness is Alive in Toronto
By Tamsen Tillson
(Yahoo! News, August 27, 2002)
The Toronto Film Festival (Sept. 5-14) on Tuesday presented its offbeat Midnight Madness slate of pictures about slashers, sex and, of course, Elvis vs. the Mummy. ... Find out what really happened to Elvis in the Canadian premiere of "Bubba Ho-Tep," from Don Coscarelli, in which Elvis and JFK take on an Egyptian mummy plaguing the residents of their seniors' home.
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