Mid September 2002
- Introducing ELVIS!
Sure, he was the King in his day, but the name doesn't mean a thing to youngsters. A campaign is on to change all that.
By Jim Abbott
(Orlando Sentinel, September 23, 2002)
Tell us, children, everything you know about Elvis Presley. "He died on the toilet," says Jesse Edwards, 15, a freshman at Orlando's Edgewater High School. "He was 300 pounds." The girls standing next to him giggle in genuine disbelief. "Jesse! Did he really?" exclaims classmate Ruth Milcarsz, 14. "He is dead. I know that." "A lot of people say he's still alive," offers Brittany Dunn, 15. "I know that his daughter was really pretty." "She married Nicolas Cage," Jesse adds. Ruth raises her eyebrows in astonishment: "Jesse! How do you know that?" In the four decades that have passed between Ed Sullivan and Eminem, the King no longer reigns in the target demographic. In the midst of a $10 million publicity push for the new Elv1s 30 #1 Hits -- due in stores Tuesday -- he's a fuzzy historical character, like Amelia Earhart or Buffalo Bob, to the nation's most coveted music buyers.
"Most of the kids come in with the impression that Elvis was some sort of clown," says Bill McKeen, rock historian, author and chairman of the University of Florida journalism department. McKeen challenges that perception in an honors-program class in rock history that he teaches annually. His weapon is the music. "Images of thin Elvis and fat Elvis have dominated the pop culture," McKeen says. "When they hear the music of thin Elvis, they realize why fat Elvis has stayed around so long." Now, there's a new image of Elvis being crafted by RCA and Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), the company that manages his estate. They want to connect to younger listeners with the music and by putting his cultural impact into perspective. "Do you know why television has censors?" a voice intones on elvisnumberones.com, the album's Web site. "Do you know why women throw their panties up onstage? Do you know why Britney played Las Vegas? Elvis is why. . . . Before anyone did anything, Elvis did everything!" ...
- Neptunes, Digweed, Crystal Method Imagine Elvis Remixes
By Gil Kaufman
(mtv.com, September 23, 2002)
Elvis Presley is expected to top the album charts for the first time in 25 years with the release Elvis Presley's been dead longer than Avril Lavigne's been alive. But despite more than two decades of decease, Presley recently scored his 18th #1 hit in England, which puts him 18ahead of Ms. Lavigne. Who said dead men tell no tales, or, better yet, shake no tails? ... Anyone who has bought the single ["A Little Less Conversation,"], which features the surprisingly funky original version, knows that JXL didn't have to do that much to freshen Elvis' sound for the Xbox generation. Which got us to thinking: what if we asked a bunch of today's hottest remixers - from hip-hop junkies the Neptunes to techno talents John Digweed and the Crystal Method - what they would do to make the original king of bling a little livelier for today's music fans? "As a producer, you really want to dig in the crates and find that overlooked song and try to flip it and make it hot," said Chad Hugo of the Neptunes. ... "I'd take 'Hound Dog' and have Snoop drop in and hit a verse on it," he said. "That's a no-brainer." ... He might be one of the most popular progressive house DJs on the planet, but John Digweed, who has remixed tracks by Underworld and New Order, saw no point in another remix of the man who topped this year's Forbes.com Top-Earning Dead Celebrities list with $37 million. I don't think it would be cool to hear another Elvis tune in a nightclub," ... Ken Jordan of the Crystal Method didn't need Dr. Evil-like numbers to play ball, though. Not only did he have a track in mind ("Suspicious Minds"), he'd already figured out the beats per minute rate to use and dredged up some fond memories of the King. ...
- Kenny Chesney Would Have Done 'A Lot Of Things Different'
(Yahoo! News, September 20, 2002)
Kenny Chesney's new single, "A Lot Of Things Different," speaks to the subject of lamenting certain actions and decisions one makes in life. According to Chesney, he was drawn to the song, which was co-written by Grand Ole Opry star Bill Anderson, because he felt an instant personal connection. ... Chesney says he relates to more than one line in the song. "For me, I've got a little bit of all those things, even down to the Elvis line. Elvis Presley came to Knoxville, Tennessee in 1976, and I was eight years old, and I wanted to go see him and Momma said I couldn't, and so I relate to that song from the Elvis line to losing somebody that I loved. This song is so much me, and I think there's a little bit of everybody in this song, somewhere or another."
- Deck The Walls to Sell Toon Art(TM) Collectible Prints and Lithographs
(Yahoo! Finance / PRNewswire, September 20, 2002)
National art and custom framing retailer Deck The Walls today announced an agreement with Toon Art, Inc. that will allow its stores to carry the popular line of lithographs and collectibles featuring classic cartoon and television shows, as well as popular entertainers, movie stars and athletes. The announcement was made in Atlanta at the Deck The Walls Fall Forum, an annual gathering of franchisees. Among the images to be carried at the 130 Deck The Walls locations nationwide will be licensed collectibles from: Hollywood Entertainment: fine art editions feature Lucy, The Three Stooges, The Andy Griffith Show, Elvis Presley and many more.
- Madonna Tops the List as VH1 Counts Down Music's '100 Sexiest Artists' In Five-Hour, Five Night Special, Premiering September 23-27 at 10:00 P.M.
(Yahoo! Finance / PRNewswire, September 20, 2002)
What is sexy? How do you define it? What exact combination of sex appeal, confidence, beauty, class and attitude are needed to make it? VH1 has voted Madonna as the sexiest artist of Rock and Roll. Whether she's provocatively posing for her SEX book or successfully combining motherhood and her career, Madonna still has that "Je ne sais quoi" that leaves us mesmerized.
Now, VH1 adds it all up and counts down music's "100 Sexiest Artists" in a new five-hour, five consecutive night special. Premiering Monday, September 23, each special airs at 10:00-11:00 p.m. ... From Elvis' pelvis to J.Lo's backside, pop stars have always been known for more than just their ability to carry a tune.
- Psychiatrist Who Claims He Treats Elvis On Probation
By Robert S. Morrison
(Yahoo! News, September 20, 2002)
A local psychiatrist who claims Elvis Presley is his patient is now on probation with a state medical board, KMBC's Martin Augustine reported. "I know that I am helping Elvis Aron Presley," Hinton told KMBC in an interview earlier this year. Hinton's been making that claim public ever since he wrote a book with the help of a man he purports to be Elvis. ... Hinton's medical license is now under probabtion for writing improper and excessive prescriptions for a patient in another state, apparently leading to that patient's continued dependence on the drug.
- `The Green Book' - 35,000 songs, 1,800 categories - popular with industry pros, music geeks
By JIM PATTERSON
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, September 19, 2002)
It happens every time Jeff Green and his wife go out to listen to music. They hear an unfamiliar song, exchange a look, then pull out notepads and pens. "Some people collect cuckoo clocks," Green said. "Some people collect movie posters. We collect songs, and then classify them."
Green and Lauren Virshup publish "The Green Book of Songs by Subject." It's a more than 1,500-page monument to obsession that's as fun for music fans to breeze through as it must have been tedious to produce. We're talking more than 35,000 songs divided into more than 1,800 categories. Love songs alone take up 147 pages, sorted into subgroups such as "Crushes" and "Don't Want to Break Up." ... "The Green Book" was born the day the king of rock 'n' roll died. Green was at the microphone at KSFS radio station at San Francisco State University on Aug. 16, 1977. "Word came over the wire that Elvis Presley had passed away, and we only had one record of Elvis in the college library," he said. "I found a greatest hits album, and after I played it I still had another hour and a half to go. "So I started thinking about everything about Elvis: Vegas and Memphis and Cadillacs and doughnuts and songs that people had done about Elvis. I played everything I could think of, and then ... people started calling in and making suggestions. I was able to find a number of those songs."
- Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum to Showcase Precious 'Jewels' In American Originals Exhibition September 27, 2002 Through January 5, 2003
Source: Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
(Yahoo! Finance / PRNewswire, September 19, 2002)
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum has been selected as the only venue in the Southeast to host "American Originals: Treasures from the National Archives," an exhibition of the nation's greatest documentary treasures. Atlanta is one of only eight stops the exhibition makes on a national tour. Scheduled to run in Atlanta September 27, 2002 - January 5, 2003, the traveling exhibition will allow visitors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view rarely seen historical documents. ... "This is probably the finest collection of major documents to leave Washington since the Freedom Train of 1949," said Jay Hakes, Director of the Carter Library. "With subjects ranging from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to John Wayne and Elvis, I think people will be stunned by the variety of this exhibition."
- Graceland Introduces the Official Elvis Collectors Club
By Robert S. Morrison
(Yahoo! Finance / BUSINESS WIRE, September 19, 2002)
Collectors of Elvis artifacts and memorabilia from around the world are joining together to create a community of collectors through the all-new Official Elvis Collector's Club being offered by Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Introduced in early August before Elvis Week 2002, more than 3,000 people joined the club in the first month. The members-only Web site at www.elviscollectorsclub.com features a message board that has received more than 12,000 posts in the first month of existence. In addition to the Web site, only members are allowed to purchase unique pieces from the Elvis Presley archives. Eight assortments of items used to promote Elvis' Las Vegas concerts sold out in the first week. Future archived items offered for sale to members include movie and concert memorabilia, promotional materials and personal items belonging to Elvis.
Members also receive a membership kit that includes a membership pin, personalized membership card and binder for the quarterly newsletters.
Another popular Collector's Club benefit is the 10% off all purchases, tours and souvenirs members receive at Graceland, Elvis Presley's Memphis restaurant/nightclub, Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel and online at Elvis.com. The 12-month membership fee is $29.95.
- Obituaries in the News (Second item)
By Robert S. Morrison
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, September 18, 2002)
Character actor James Gregory, who played Inspector Luger for eight seasons on the TV show "Barney Miller" in the 1970s and '80s, died Monday of an undisclosed illness. He was 90. Gregory also appeared in 25 Broadway shows, including a stint as Biff in "Death of a Salesman." Among the actor's 30 film credits were the Elvis Presley vehicle "Clambake" in 1967 and the 1965 western "Sons of Katie Elder" with John Wayne and Dean Martin. In 1962, Gregory played Sen. John Iselin in the acclaimed "The Manchurian Candidate."
- Tiesto To Remix Elvis' Burning Love
(Q4MUSIC, September 18, 2002)
DJ Tiesto has begun work on a remix of the Elvis Presley track Burning Love. Leaping on the Junkie XL-driven Elvis remix bandwagon, Tiesto hopes to get an official release for the tune if Elvis's family give him their blessing. Apparently the track has a breakbeat flavour, something of a departure for Tiesto's trademark skyscraping trance. The Dutch don will be heating up the hot plates at Cream's closing party in Ibiza this week, alongside trancer-in-crime Paul van Dyk. Skill!
- Tiesto remixes Elvis track
(Ananova, September 17, 2002)
Tiesto has revealed he is working on a remix of the Elvis Presley track Burning Love. He says it might get an official release if Elvis's family agree. The DJ is playing the closing party of Cream in Ibiza this Thursday, along with Paul Van Dyk and Jo Mills. Tiesto told Radio 1: "It's quite good because it's something completely different than I used to produce. It's more breakbeat - it's very good." "In England the record company really likes it, but the family of Elvis decides if it's going to be released or not. So I haven't had an answer yet if they like it."
- PETA's 'Don't Be Cruel' Campaign Upsets Elvis Fans
By George Knapp
(KLAS-TV Home, September 17, 2002)
Elvis fans are in a tizzy over an unusual campaign that began in Memphis, the home of Graceland. The animal-rights group known as PETA has begun a tour of what it calls the nation's fattest cities. And it blames the death of Elvis on his notorious eating habits. As George Knapp tells us, Elvis fans think the animal folks have gone too far. As the line goes, you can knock me down, step on my face, but don't you mess with the memory of The King. Members of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [PETA] have ticked off a lot of Americans over the years with their aggressive tactics. Simply put, they don't want the rest of us to eat animals. In their defense, they've exposed plenty of animal cruelty cases, have unveiled what really goes on in slaughterhouses, and helped convince millions of people to go vegetarian. But slamming the memory of Elvis? Low blow. In a recent news release, PETA announced its "Don't Be Cruel" national tour, which kicked off in Memphis, complete with an Elvis impersonator and a likeness of the throne that Elvis died on. PETA says that it was all those cheeseburgers, crispy bacon sandwiches and milkshakes that killed Elvis before his time, that his diet was to blame for the transformation from svelte young sex god to bloated jump suited Vegas fixture. The message: Don't be cruel to a cow that's cool. They want us to try Boca burgers and fakin bacon instead of meat and dairy and eggs. Bottom line: Viva Las veggies.
- Carroll welcomes superintendent
By Yamil Berard
(Yahoo! News / Star Telegram, September 17, 2002)
What do Elvis, Roy Orbison, the Beatles, Celine Dion and Gary Mathews have in common? Impersonators brought the King and other celebrities to life Saturday as Mathews, appearing as himself, made his first public appearance, at a fund-raiser for the Carroll Education Foundation.
- I'm Elvis. Get me out of here!
(This is Southend / Evening Echo, September 16, 2002)
Screaming housewives chased an Elvis lookalike through the streets of Canvey to launch Castle Point Council's arts week. The performance by the Natural Theatre Company was just one of many events at the Knightswick Shopping Centre. The BP-sponsored event, which will run until Friday, will focus on the Queen's jubilee and celebrate art over the last 50 years.
Caption: Elvis took refuge in a phone box as his housewife fans scoured the streets at the start of the week.
Picture: TERENCE BUNCH
- Elvis and the wonders of marketing
By CARL STROCK
(Daily Gazette, September 15, 2002)
I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but the other day, when much of the world was engrossed with President Bush's speech to the United Nations about Iraq, I was scrutinizing a collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia in a converted tractor-trailer parked at the Sheraton Hotel in Saratoga Springs. I had entrusted myself to the care of people who were eagerly promoting an entertainment company, I think it was, or perhaps just a record store, or maybe even a gambling casino, or possibly a combination of all those things, but whatever it was, the imminent release of a new CD by "the King" was central to it. Not a new CD from beyond the grave, I was relieved to learn, but just a repackaging of old material - all of Elvis's No. 1 hits, I think. ... I can be enthusiastic about Elvis Presley's early music without encouragement, since I was a teenager when he was singing it, which I believe is what counts, but I do need some prompting to get excited about a shirt that he wore for a particular movie scene or a box of crayons that he used in third grade, not to mention a repackaged recording. ... The tractor-trailer, called Mobile Graceland, is making a national tour to promote the new CD and not incidentally to raise the profile of the entertainment company that is selling it. ... I'm of course aware that Elvis Presley achieved in death a standing above the standing that he enjoyed in life, which was already pretty high. "Cult" is a word often used loosely to describe his posthumous followers, who weep at the entrance to his Graceland home, in Memphis, Tenn., and who yearn to touch anything that might have been his.
- Dr. Phil Is Big Draw At Indy Convention Center
(Yahoo! News, September 14, 2002)
In the moments leading to his speech at the Indiana Convention Center Friday, Dr. Phil the psychologist might as well have been Dr. Phil the rock star. Once the doors to the Sagamore Ballroom opened, audience members hustled to get the best seats they could. Dr Philip McGraw, who has appeared often on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" -- was clearly a hot ticket. "It was almost like waiting for The Who, or Elvis, or somebody like that", an audience member told RTV6's Sarah Fraidin. "It was mass hysteria behind the door (in the lobby)."
- Toronto Film Fest Offers Fair Fare
By DAVID GERMAIN
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, September 14, 2002)
Plenty of decent - but not great - movies were the rule at the 27th annual Toronto International Film Festival, which ends Saturday with audiences and critics finding the overall lineup a bit lackluster. ... "Bubba Ho-Tep": Yes, it's another horror comedy about old fogey Elvis Presley ( Bruce Campbell) battling a bloodthirsty Egyptian mummy in a seedy retirement home with help from a man who thinks he's JFK (Ossie Davis). Director Don Coscarelli delivers a goofy, giddy piece of camp that should live on in cult-video sections as long as there's still Elvis sightings. Thank you, Don, Bruce and Ossie. Thank you very much.
- Football: Elvis v Pelvis: Pressley and McFadden top Tynecastle bill
By Neil Mcleman
(Daily Record, September 14, 2002)
HEARTS v MOTHERWELL. The future of Scotland goes head to head at Tynecastle tomorrow when Elvis takes on Pelvis. In the maroon corner stands Hearts defender Steven Pressley, whose uncompromising display against Rangers at Ibrox on Wednesday surely did enough to merit a place in the Scotland squad to face Iceland. In the amber corner stands Motherwell forward James McFadden, whose swivel-hipped peformance left Celtic chasing shadows at Fir Park on Tuesday and must also have impressed the watching Berti Vogts.
- McCartney, Lennon & More Featured On New Elvis Tribute Album
(Yahoo! Launch, September 13, 2002)
Paul McCartney and John Lennon are among the artists featured on A Tribute To The King, an Elvis Presley covers collection due out October 22. Drawn from the EMI Records vaults, the 13-track album includes Lennon's in-concert rendition of "Hound Dog," McCartney's version of "All Shook Up," Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", and Canned Heat's boogiefied version of "That's All Right Mama."
- Knock twice if your name is Elvis
By ROB DAVIES
(Express and Star, September 13, 2002)
Folk who announce they have spooks down the cellar struggle for credibility at the best of times. When the ghost in question is allegedly Elvis Presley, that really is stretching it. Certainly, the ghostbusting team from West Midlands Ghost Club felt distinctly underwhelmed when told by bosses at Wolverhampton's Atlantis nightclub that Elvis could be down their cellar. A daft publicity stunt? Possibly. But nonetheless, club members Nick Duffy of Willenhall and Darren Simpson of Bilston duly turned up at Atlantis one bright sunny morning this week. ... Andy clarifies: "He hasn't sung anything, but one of the staff heard a sort of huh-huh-huh noise which sounded very like Elvis." For fans who cling desperately to the belief that the King still lives, I'm pleased to report that I saw no signs of his ghost while at Atlantis nightclub.
- No Elvis and even the pies were off!
By MATT BOZEAT
(Leicester Mercury, September 11, 2002)
Among the forthcoming attractions advertised in the Hull Daily Mail last night was an Elvis impersonator. At least the locals will be familiar with such masquerades because this was a pale imitation of a cup tie during the opening half-hour. ... Everything changed when Hull levelled, however. It was as though somebody had decided to liven up a particularly dull fifth-form disco by spiking the punch with huge quantities of gin because the home terraces were suddenly awash with passion and a boisterous rendition of "I Can't Help Falling In Love with You.'' They just can't get enough of Elvis in Hull - but some of the travelling contingent had had quite enough of the Worthington Cup by the interval.
- 'When I snap my fingers, you're Elvis'
By Jason Hagey
([Tacoma] News Tribune, September 11, 2002)
A year after he set a record by hypnotizing 812 people at once, Travis Fox is back at the Puyallup Fair, once again putting people into trances and getting them to dance on stage like idiots. ... The so-called "Prince of Sleep" is now the star of Hypnomania, a traveling stage show that attempts to blend the choreographic and production elements of a David Copperfield magic show with the visceral energy of a rock concert. Over the course of the Puyallup Fair, an estimated 150,000 will see his show. The performances, held on the Coca-Cola stage, begin when Fox bursts onto the stage, dressed in black pants and a black leather jacket.
- 9/11 Victims Stretch to Irish Hamlet
By SHAWN POGATCHNIK
(Yahoo! News / Associated press, September 10, 2002)
TIPPERARY, Ireland - It's a long way from here to Ground Zero, but the horror of Sept. 11 broke hearts in Tipperary too. The Coughlan family pub displays a poster of the World Trade Center and a plaque reading "in memory of Martin Coughlan: Journeyman, Carpenter, Trade Unionist." They are reminders of the boy born in an upstairs bedroom in 1949, who perished in the Twin Towers attack. ... They recalled a boy whose favorite game was cowboys and Indians, a teen who idolized Elvis and plucked away on his guitar, a man who in his 30s finally acted on his dream of traveling to America.
- Elvis' fans knew it all along
By Nicole Brodeur
(Seattle Times, September 10, 2002)
The line of people was long, the week had been longer, and it was dang hot in Memphis. I was feeling less than charitable. ... Then I glanced at my watch and saw the date: four days to Sept. 11. Thank God I had come to Graceland. I didn't quite know it, but the place would make a better American of me. For those of us not here to see Elvis Presley when he first changed the world with a swivel of his hips, The King was a hard concept to grasp. The sideburns, the jumpsuits, the doughy, the sweaty face ... what was the appeal? Then, last weekend, I flew to Memphis. I walked through Sun Studio, where Elvis made his first record, "My Happiness." He said it was a gift for his mother's birthday, but it turned out to be a cultural rebirth for the whole country. Elvis shook us up for more than 20 years. And in the process, he became one of the most famous people in the world. So famous, more people tuned into his "Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite" special than man's first walk on the moon. So famous, he couldn't leave his house. Now that he's gone, folks can't stay out of it. Some 600,000 people pass through Graceland every year. And they may just be the best of us. ... Elvis also left a fan base that wore a certain reverence for God and country. ... I thought I would laugh at Graceland. But now it makes all kinds of sense. It showed me when America lost its innocence in the best way it could: while watching a singing, swiveling, stunning man from Memphis.
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