late June, 2006
- Eccentric obsessions: Elvis and Koizumi (and other passions of the world's leaders)
(The Independent June 29, 2006)
As Japan's premier prepares to pay homage to Elvis at Graceland tomorrow, the closet hobbies of world leaders past and present are laid bare. From pitchers to crooners, auteurs to impressionists, these are politicians with hidden passions ...
- BOJ Scandal Heats Up
By Brian Bremner
(Yahoo! News June 28, 2006)
Japan's rock 'n' roll loving Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, is a bit of an Elvis Presley nut. How else can you describe the outgoing leader when he chooses to spend part of his sayonara summit with President Bush checking out the departed singer's estate, Graceland, on June 30? Not only will Koizumi get to commune with all things related to the King, he'll be able to take a breather from the scandal at home involving Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui.
Polls say that nearly two-thirds of the public want Fukui to resign, and the melodrama has forced the Prime Minister to defend him as an ally. The witch hunt for Fukui comes after the central banker admitted on June 13 that he invested and made profits off a fund managed by Yoshiaki Murakami, a well-known shareholder activist who was indicted in early June on insider trading charges (see BusinessWeek.com, 06/05/06, "An Activist's Fall from Grace"). ...
- Irish star thinks the King was a queen
(canada.com June 28, 2006)
Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers is posthumously "outing" Elvis Presley. The star, who played Presley in a TV movie last year, figures the sparkling wardrobe was a sign that the King was a queen. In a recent interview, Meyers called Presley, "the gayest f--king thing on two legs." He said: "Anyone who lives with their mama that long and dresses up in that much spangly gold and black lacquer on their eyes has definitely got something going on."
- A gift for Japan's prime minister -- locks of Elvis' hair
By BARTHOLOMEW SULLIVAN
(Knoxville News Sentinel June 27, 2006)
Fans of Elvis Presley are lining up to present Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi with memorabilia during his visit to Memphis, including locks of the king of rock 'n' roll's jet-black hair. Tom Morgan Jr., a retired sheriff's deputy who handled security for Presley's funeral in 1977, said he's willing to hand over several locks of hair from a baseball-sized stash that the singer's barber gave him. "I have this hair and I don't know if there's any way of getting it to him, or whatever, but I would be willing to give him several locks of that hair, if he's so inclined," Morgan said.
The prime minister - who shares Presley's Jan. 8 birthday and describes himself as an Elvis "maniac" - will pay his respects at Graceland Friday, accompanied by President Bush and first lady Laura Bush. They're spending less than two hours at Graceland but will get a unique perspective on the Jungle Room with guides Priscilla Presley, Elvis' one-time wife, and Lisa Marie, his daughter.
... The Japanese press attache suggests sending such gifts to the Japanese consulate in New Orleans, but none of the gift-givers reached so far appears to like the idea. They're hoping someone on Koizumi's staff will show some initiative and get them delivered while he's still in the moment, in Memphis. ...
- Off the Beaten Path, Bush Takes a Detour to Graceland
By Sara Bonisteel
(Fox News June 27, 2006)
Elvis has left the building ... to the politicians.
The Memphis, Tenn., home of the King of Rock and Roll will host a summit of sorts Friday when President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi travel to Graceland for a personal tour of one of America's wackiest - and some may argue tackiest - tourist attractions.
While it's the first time a sitting president has taken diplomacy from the Oval Office to the Jungle Room, it's the latest in a long line of work-related sightseeing trips by the executive branch. Long before Richard Nixon admired the Great Wall of China and Ronald Reagan lifted a pint in Ballyporeen, Ireland, Theodore Roosevelt blazed a trail to Central America, becoming the first president to take a trip abroad, according to the State Department. His visit? A 1906 trip to inspect the construction of the Panama Canal. ... And yet, during his two terms in office, Bush has clocked some serious travel time to the world's wonders. He has made more excursions to national parks and monuments than any other president, according to David Barna, National Park Service chief of public affairs. Abroad, Bush has toured the Mokoldi Nature Reserve in Botswana and celebrated the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg in Russia.
The trip to Graceland, however, is a first for a president while in office, said Todd Morgan, director of media and creative development for Elvis Presley Enterprises. "We've had many foreign ambassadors and certainly our share of entertainment celebrities, but we've never had a sitting U.S. president visit Graceland," Morgan said. The first couple "look forward to introducing the prime minister to the beauty and warm hospitality of the people of the Volunteer State," White House press secretary Tony Snow said on June 13. The White House declined to comment further.
The Graceland visit is a favor to a friend, Sabato said. "[Bush] is doing it because he's been close to the Japanese prime minister and this the Japanese prime minister's choice because he's been an Elvis fan," Sabato said. By widely published accounts, Koizumi is smitten with the hip-shakin' crooner. Along with sharing a Jan. 8 birthday with Elvis, the prime minister chose his 25 favorite Elvis tunes for a charity CD in 2002. Koizumi serenaded Bush on his birthday last year with Presley's 1956 hit "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You." ...
... Still, Graceland just may be the folksiest attraction ever visited by a state leader. "The Graceland thing is a little bit over the top, but on the other hand, I've been there," Hoff said. So too have a laundry list of celebrities. While Dollywood can claim a visit by Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander and Disney World a royal nod by the late Princess Diana, Graceland boasts royals and leaders from the former Yugoslavia, Korea, India, China and France. Even a former president, Jimmy Carter, paid his respects at Elvis' grave with former first lady Rosalynn and daughter, Amy, in 1991. "Elvis and Graceland are very well on the map which is why from all parts of the world, from all backgrounds - even the high and mighty - want to come see Graceland and have the Elvis experience," Morgan said. The visit won't hurt Bush's voter base of NASCAR fans either, Hoff said.
When Bush and Koizumi enter Graceland's musically noted gates, they will be at the mercy of the King's court. Elvis' ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, and his daughter, Lisa Marie, will give a personal tour of the house, Morgan said. There's no word yet on whether they'll get to see the very private inner sanctum - the second-floor bedrooms - or if they'll linger at the display case of law-enforcement badges, including the one given to Elvis in 1970 when he met Nixon at the White House. And Graceland is gearing up for Koizumi's trip as if it were a visit, well, from the King himself. "We're really looking forward to getting to thank him in person for all the wonderful things he's said about Elvis over the years," Morgan said.
- LEE NOT A STONES FAN
(contactmusic.com June 26, 2006)
Veteran actor CHRISTOPHER LEE has never heard a ROLLING STONES song, because he doesn't think he'll like them. However, the 84-year-old's lack of enthusiasm for popular music hasn't stopped him from appreciating the talents of ELVIS PRESLEY and soul singer LIONEL RICHIE. He says, "I've only once in my life been to a disco, and I left after about ten minutes. "I think I may have heard THE BEATLES - on the radio, without realising who there were. But I have never heard The Rolling Stones. They don't seem the kind of music I would like, so why bother? "But I'll tell you one thing: Elvis was a damn good singer - he didn't just gyrate. And I saw LIONEL RICHIE give a very clever performance in Geneva a couple of years ago. He was absolutely brilliant."
- Ten spots to revel in America
(Yahoo! News June 26, 2006)
Next week marks the 230th anniversary of American independence, and while many people attach their national pride to the usual symbols (the flag, the Statue of Liberty, the Capitol) I've always gleaned my sense of patriotism from the possibilities of American travel. Indeed, my first meaningful travel experiences played out on American roads in my teens and early twenties, and - even after having traveled through over 60 countries on five continents - the United States remains one of my favorite travel destinations. Thus, in honor of Independence Day, here are 10 of my favorite reasons why America is a great place to wander.
6) Sun Studio, Memphis
Having come of age listening to the likes of Nirvana and the Pixies, I've always been drawn to rock music. Nevertheless, I feel like I was missing an essential understanding of this American art form until 2004, when I visited Sun Studios for the first time. Standing in the room where Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats recorded the first rock single in 1951 (and where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison would redefine popular music not long after), a rock enthusiast can't help but feel he's in a holy place. ...
- Much has changed in past 50 years
By TAMARIA L. KULEMEKA
(Eagle-Gazette June 26, 2006)
FAIRFIELD COUNTY -1956 was a happening year. Elvis Presley rolled onto the scene with numerous hit records. "I Love Lucy" was the most popular T.V. show. Lancaster got its first public golf course - Valley View Golf Club - and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed federal legislation creating a national highway system. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, signed on June 29, changed the roadways of America forever. ...
- Memphis a sports town
By KEITH TAYLOR
(Winchester Sun June 23, 2006)
Notes scribbled on the back of a postcard from Graceland.
Memphis is known as the birthplace of Rock-and-Roll, not to mention the home of the late Elvis Presley, otherwise considered the King of Rock-and-Roll. Although this space is reserved for a sports topic, a mention about a four-day excursion to the tip of Tennessee is worth a mention, considering the town has a knack for sports, too.
The trip to Memphis included some nice stops, with a tour of Graceland at the top of the list. The opportunity to visit Presley's home presented a unique opportunity to step back in time to an era without today's technology. Graceland offered a whole new perspective of Elvis. The man wasn't just any superstar, he was a mega-star. The awards he received for both his talents and generosity surpass human imagination. A visit to the racquetball building was the tip of the summit. The space once used by Elvis to play racquetball is now filled with music memorabilia, some of which bring tears to the eyes. Nearly 29 years after his death, Elvis continues to draw in the big bucks. His estate, controlled by his daughter Lisa Marie Presley, raked in more than $50 million last year.
The trip down memory lane also included a visit to Sun Studio, which introduced Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins to the world. The history in the place is unbelievable. While touring the studio, a chance to sit down and pose with a set of drums, one of this writer's musical talents, was among the highlights of the short visit to Sam Phillips Avenue. Of course, a visit to Memphis isn't complete without a tour of Beale Street and a heaping of southern barbeque. The street and Peabody Hotel were nice, but more impressive was the FedEx Forum, home of the Memphis Grizzlies, centered in the heart of the downtown area. The design and presence of the building helps add appeal to the city and gives the area a modern look to blend in with the looks of yesterday.
Continuing on the trail of history, the final stop was to the spot where Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. The Lorraine Motel is now part of the National Civil Rights Museum, which includes several documents on the history of the civil rights movement. ...
- A Friendship, on the Road to Graceland: In Sign of U.S.-Japan Alliance, Bush to Accompany Koizumi on Tour of Elvis's Estate
By Anthony Faiola
(Washington Post June 27, 2006)
It is not often that the Queen of England is upstaged. But at a royal gala for world leaders in Scotland last year, even Her Majesty gave up the spotlight when the curtain raised on The George and Junichiro Show. President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, officials here recalled, shook things up in Gleneagles that night with a dose of The King -- Elvis. Displaying the personal friendship that has helped bring the United States and Japan closer than at any point since the end of World War II, Koizumi serenaded an appreciative Bush -- then celebrating his 59th birthday -- with a verse from "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You."
Now, it is Bush's turn to show Koizumi the love. In one of his most personal gestures to a visiting world leader, Bush will accompany the prime minister to Memphis on Friday for a private tour of Graceland -- the estate of Koizumi's boyhood idol, Elvis Presley. The trip will come after the freewheeling Japanese leader, known by the nickname "Lion Heart," arrives in Washington on Wednesday for his last official trip to the United States. He will step down in September, after five years as prime minister. ...
- "Weird" Koizumi breaks Japan political mould
By George Nishiyama
(Reuters June 26, 2006)
He's crooned an Elvis hit with Tom Cruise, danced with Richard Gere and spoken of Viagra on TV. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has more than lived up to his image as an eccentric during his five years in office and now looks set to cement that reputation this week when he visits Graceland, home of rock'n'roll legend Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. U.S. President George W. Bush is taking Koizumi -- an avid Elvis fan -- to Graceland to thank the Japanese leader for his efforts to strengthen their alliance and to express the close friendship that sprang up between the two almost from the start.
"Prime Minister Koizumi has been a lifelong (Elvis) fan. I think they talked about doing this for years, almost from the beginning of the relationship," U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Thomas Schieffer said recently about plan for the Graceland visit. "I think the prime minister might have sung a few lines from an Elvis tune, maybe the first time they met." Koizumi, 64, is an Elvis devotee who not only shares a birthday with the "king", but selected his songs for a 2001 charity album: "Junichiro Koizumi Presents My Favourite Elvis Songs". The prime minister appears on the album's cover standing next to Elvis outside Graceland in a composite picture. Koizumi will fly to Memphis with Bush and his wife Laura on Air Force One, and according to a Japanese Elvis fan club Web site, will be greeted by Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley, the late star's wife and daughter.
Koizumi's reputation as an eccentric long predates the Graceland visit, and his appetite for the odd even prompted a close political ally to call him a "weirdo". But with an unerring instinct for voter preferences, he skilfully moulded that image into one of a reformer ready to smash the old guard's stranglehold on politics, rising to power in 2001 on a wave of public support. ...
- Hollywood and rock memorabilia up for bid
(KESQ News Channel June 25, 2006)
An original "Gone With the Wind" screenplay once owned by Vivien Leigh. A guest book signed in 1958 by Beatles James Paul McCartney and John Winston Lennon. A legal document signed by Elvis and Priscilla Presley. These and other Hollywood and rock and roll memorabilia will be up for bid in a two-day auction at Bonhams and Butterfields on June 25th and 26th. ...
- Tribute to Billy Walker
By Jack Kegg
(Cumberland Times-News June 25, 2006)
Almost four years to the day Billy Walker appeared at Canal Fest on a rainy Sunday afternoon, the nicest performer that I had the privilege of talking to was snuffed out on an Alabama highway at the age of 77.
Also killed were his two guitarists and his wife, Bettie. On that rainy May Sunday in 2002, I stood in the rain outside their camper, which the Walkers drove from Nashville. I had spoken to Billy by phone the week before, and we talked about some of his early records, and he was more than eager to share some of his stories, and was more than impressed that someone even had these records.
Billy invited me into his trailer. Bettie was more than cordial, and interviewing him was like riding in a car that drove itself and would take you anywhere you wanted to go. He first recorded for Capitol Records in 1949; switching to Columbia in 1951. He recalled a session at the Jim Beck studios in Dallas, when he waited as Lefty Frizzell recorded "Always Late (With Your Kisses)." A friend of Hank Williams, Billy was on the bill along with Homer and Jethro and Johnnie & Jack at the fateful New Yearıs Eve engagement when Hank died en route to the show in Oak Hill, W.Va. Billy told me, "The Opry knew they made a mistake in kicking off Hank. They invited him back, and I was to make my debut the same day as Hank's return; Feb. 16, 1953."
Billy was knocked out after hearing Elvis Presley's first record, "That's All Right." He related to me, "I had this guy booked to play in Texas, and I begged Columbia to sign him. I don't know what he had, but he was different and I knew he would be quite a name." As it turned out, Chet Atkins told the RCA Victor folks the same thing, and Columbia dropped out of the chase. Had they wished they would've listened to Billy is anyone's guess. ...
- LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG AND WRITE A BEST SELLING BOOK
By John Ervin
(elitestv.com June 25, 2006)
Woodstock all over again ... But it wasn't not the awe-inspiring Woodstock of 1969, the monumental Woodstock of 1994 or even the disastrous Woodstock of 1999. Instead, it was more like those Woodstocks that nobody remembers, the ones which officially commemorated anniversaries of the original event in 1979 and 1989. I was standing outside of First Avenue, Minneapolis' fabled, troubled event emporium, in a line with approximately sixty other people of varying ages and equally pale complexions. ... The reason we were herding into the [Seventh Street] Entry's tiny, suffocating performance space like sodden hippies into a brown-acid recovery tent was to witness an event so unique, not only has it never been attempted before, but it is not expected to ever be launched again ... at least not with the personnel involved this night. Chuck Klosterman, an author and journalist who could be described as rock's answer to Sinclair Lewis, would read excerpts from his latest depth-probing and side-splitting analysis of rock and roll history, "Killing Yourself to Live" his "85% true" (as he puts it, perhaps predicting the coming of James Frey) chronicle of a cross country tour of the sites where music legends gagged their last. Complimenting the excerpts would be renditions of classic tunes by those dead artists, as well as a few that are still alive, by Mark Mallman, a local impresario who can only be described as rock's answer to David Blaine.
... The author then closed his potentially depressing - but somehow still uplifting - book and offered to sign copies over by the bar. But, first, he had to let his one-time-only partner bring the proceedings to a close with that old chestnut "My Way" - the Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley AND Sid Vicious versions, to be exact. Mallman began the tune with a slow piano intro and Rat Pack warble that would have made the Chairman of the Board raise his shot glass in a toast. He then got up from the piano and bounded into a pelvic shaking strut that would have scared - or delighted - Ed Sullivan. ... As I walked down the litter-and-urine-caked street, past the homeless frustrated music stars with their palms outstretched, I realized the eternal question of rock mortality, as Chuck Klosterman, Mark Mallman and so many others (though maybe not Dirty White Boy) have postulated over the last fifty years, was not why so many rock stars die young. It's how so many of them can still be alive.
- The Mother Road: From the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean
By Brent Hopkins
(Los Angeles Daily News June 25, 2006)
This is the road that brought the Joads from Oklahoma, where Elvis stopped for chili fries, where mom and dad came west looking for new lives. It was the link, immortalized in song, between Chicago and L.A., more than 2,000 miles all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean. Conceived in 1926 and finally paved straight through in 1938, it gave life to dusty small towns and forged America's relationship with the automobile. Books, movies, television, that maddeningly catchy tune popularized by Nat "King" Cole, but most of all, personal experience cemented the route's place in national lore. "It's postwar car culture in its most innocent guise," said Matt Roth, the Automobile Club of Southern California's archivist. "There was no sense of the automobile as a contributor to air pollution, no discussion of sprawl, just this innocent talk about the '50s.
"People associate Route 66 with nostalgia before anything bad came in - cars with big fins, drive-in restaurants, technological optimism, naivet about the modern world, a '56 Chevy at Henry's Drive In ... and you can't forget the song." ... Once through Victorville, there's no choice but to take the modern interstate through a long stretch of desert; it supplanted the original pavement long ago. Right into the Cajon Pass, into the community of Oak Hills, you can fly alongside the tractor-trailers and carloads of speeding tourists beating their way back from Vegas. But not far off the freeway, on Mariposa Road, another outpost remains. The Summit Inn's claim to fame is that a young Elvis Presley once dined there and its menu looks like it would have definitely suited the truck driver turned King of Rock 'n' Roll. Though it has modern nods, such as ostrich burgers and sweet potato fries, the old restaurant hasn't changed much since Presley's day. ...
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