early August 2007
- The Fly-by: Inflatable Elvis
Edited by Mark Cashiola
(Memphis Flyer, August 9-15, 2007, p. 9)
Every year, as Elvis Week approaches, journalists around the globe begin
reflecting on the man behind the myth. Inevitably, some of them take a
cheap shot at Presley, who was undeniably one of the 20th Century's most
compelling personalities. The cheap shots often take the form of
"fat jokes" -- whose mere presence caused teenage girls to
faint -- liked to eat.
An article in Time magazine (echoing an
article in the New England journal of medicine) recently put forward the notion that your friends can
"make you fat." As proof, the author wrote, "Elvis made
everyone around him fatter, judging by the photographs of the Memphis
Mafia -- entourage members expanding and contracting like a bellows in
time their boss."
Canadian Business online recently opined
about workplaces where older, more experienced employees report to
young, inexperienced managers who "think Elvis was born fat."
Of course, there's something inherently campy about the image of a
bloated Elvis crammed into a form-fitting suit. But, in addition to it
being a lazy writer's cliche, reminding people that Elvis was briefly
fat is a little like mocking Albert Einstein for his perpetual bed-head.
- New Elvis Action Figure 'Talking' Line Released for Sale
(PRWEB, August 3, 2007)
Elvis(R) Presley action figure toys speak excerpts from early year interviews. Each collectible doll in this newly introduced series spouts more than a dozen sound bites in Elvis' own voice.
The first two action figure toys in a series of Elvis Presley "talking" dolls were released to the public this month. Available to Graceland visitors and via shops on-line at ShopElvis.com and TalkingPresidents.com, these products stand 12 inches tall with fully posing bodies. And they "talk" in Elvis' real voice.
Before making the dolls, Talking Presidents researched all known original recordings and radio interviews from the period (1954-1961), selecting more than a dozen of the most interesting for each product. The result: collectors will listen to an intimate, thoughtful, reflective, prophetic, humorous, youthful, yet wise beyond his years Elvis.
By pressing a button on each collectible doll fans of "the King" can hear more than a dozen sound bites... but they won't hear any of his familiar songs. Instead, they hear Elvis Presley talking. He talks about cars, women, early success, his philosophy of life, telling jokes and getting serious. ...
- Don't be cruel, Elvis fans. Call us
(monroenews.com, August 3, 2007)
The 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death is Aug. 16.
At age 42, the rock 'n' roll singer died in 1977 in Memphis, Tenn. Even in his death, Elvis remains legendary in the music industry, with more than 1 billion records sold during his career.
The Evening News will be paying tribute to the rocker on the date of his death. We are looking for dedicated fans. Did you see him in concert? Do you own a collection of memorabilia? Why are you such a passionate fan?
Elvis fans can call reporter Michelle Swartz at 240-5784 or e-mail mswartz@monroenews.com.
- Let's remember the real Elvis
By Bob Stanley
(Times Online, August 3, 2007)
In the early Seventies Elvis Presley's record label, RCA, released an album of unreleased outtakes called A Legendary Performer. When it outsold his new album of maudlin country ballads the singer must have felt he had begun to lose the battle with his own myth. Trapped inside Graceland, the Memphis mansion that was half home, half prison, the humble country boy who had done more than anyone to invent teen culture became overweight and suffered severe depression. To the outside world, though, he was still the ultimate superstar, the invincible King of Rock'n' Roll.
Eighteen months before he died Elvis told his producer, Felton Jarvis: "I'm so tired of being Elvis Presley." Thirty years after the death of the man, the icon remains as strong as a crucifix.
The person behind the curling lip, the real Elvis, remains nothing as straightforward as the image. In innumerous books, he is variously described as generous, charming, sensitive, narcissistic, self-destructive and paranoid. Sam Phillips, the producer at Sun Records who first recorded him in 1954, remembered Elvis, even at the outset, as having "the greatest inferiority complex of any person, black or white, that I had worked with. He was a total loner. He kind of felt locked out." ...
- 50 greatest Elvis songs ever
(Times Online, August 3, 2007)
Elvis Presley recorded more than 700 tracks in his lifetime. So, how to pick his best song ever? It's a daunting task for our critic. Have we got it right?
- HOUND DOG
The intro explodes into your ears, and into the public consciousness, as only A Hard Day's Night and Anarchy In The UK have since. So intense, two minutes of sustained viciousness and sheer malicious glee.
- SUSPICIOUS MINDS
As a mature and supremely confident Elvis harmonises with himself, you can feel the shackles of Hollywood falling away. The shock of the middle eight ("let our love survive") will make you catch your breath.
- MYSTERY TRAIN
Singing high and free, even a runaway train can't take his gal away. Scotty Moore and Bill Black never played better, but Elvis's whoop of delight at the end takes the cake.
- HEARTBREAK HOTEL
A freaky but inspired choice of first 45 for a major label. To enhance the atmosphere of seedy desolation, Elvis chose to record the vocal at the end of the studio corridor.
- I JUST CAN'T HELP BELIEVING
Encapsulates the live, second-coming - his band never sounded better. The back-and-forths between Elvis and backing singers the Sweet Inspirations ("one more time... yeah, one more!") are the highlight.
- SUSPICION
A teenage pre-cursor to Suspicious Minds, and almost as good. Shadowed by autoharp and a sinister bassline, the victim's pained politeness explodes into paranoia at the end of the chorus: "Why torture me?"
- GOOD ROCKING TONIGHT
No less than an invitation to come join the teenage revolution. "We're gonna rock all our blues away" - the original slang usage of 'rock 'n' roll' was never more explicit.
- DOING THE BEST I CAN
From the GI Blues soundtrack, a Pomus and Shuman ballad of abject surrender. The vocal gets under your skin, keening and helpless - no wonder girls melted.
- ONE NIGHT
This snarling menace to American moral fibre had to be toned down from "one night of sin" to "one night with you," though the performance is so loaded with sexual promise they needn't have bothered.
- TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME
Cut in 1966 between some of his worst movie scores, the delicate, haunted take on Bob Dylan's song hints at a parallel Elvis universe. Dylan has since hailed it as his favourite cover version.
- CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE
Irresistibly tender. The world's favourite wedding song.
- LITTLE SISTER
Nasty and playful rocker with a burning guitar line.
- DON'T BE CRUEL
The minimal, hand-clapping groove sent this to number one in '56 for eleven weeks.
- IT'S NOW OR NEVER
Inspired by Mario Lanza, adapted for a Cornetto ad, his biggest international hit.
- POLK SALAD ANNIE
Sweaty, southern-fried highlight of his Vegas era.
- ALL SHOOK UP
Introduced the classic "uh-huh-huh" to the Presley repertoire.
- PLEASE DON'T STOP LOVING ME
Intense southern soul ballad buried on the b-side of Frankie And Johnny.
- BLUE MOON
Eerie clip-clopping reading, with Elvis already sounding like his own ghost, haunting America in 1956.
- CRAWFISH
The deepest, most atmospheric song about fishing you'll ever hear.
- A MESS OF BLUES
A whisky-soaked Elvis beats himself up: "Whoops, there goes a teardrop..."
- THATıS ALL RIGHT
A little hesitant, but this is where it all began.
- LONG BLACK LIMOUSINE
The tale of a poor southern singer gone too soon is delivered with unnerving emotion.
- GUITAR MAN
Jerry Reed's song was autobiographical, but Presley made it his, and a springboard for artistic renewal in '68.
- JAILHOUSE ROCK
DJ Fontana's granite-breaking drums deserve co-star status.
- LOVE ME TENDER
First suggestions of his Italianite leanings, this showed America the boy wasn't always a hoodlum.
- THAT'S SOMEONE YOU'LL NEVER FORGET
A graveyard ballad, though death is never mentioned directly, that could have been sung with his mum in mind.
- ANY DAY NOW
True blue-eyed soul, a beautiful song from the '69 Memphis sessions.
- BURNING LOVE
If he wanted to, he could still take the dancefloor in the seventies.
- VIVA LAS VEGAS
A minor hit at the time, a standard now.
- AN AMERICAN TRILOGY
Elvis probably never knew Micky Newbury's patriotic showstopper was ironic.
- TRYING TO GET YOU
Both the Sun original and the bellowing '68 comeback version are impossible to resist.
- A FOOL SUCH AS I
Messing about with his own myth in fine style.
- RECONSIDER BABY
The dirtiest, truest blues he ever recorded. Boots Randolph's sax break is filthy.
- TROUBLE
Ludicrous lyric with an insanely aggressive delivery over a drunken, Tom and Jerry-esque Dixieland backing.
- I'M LEAVIN'
³Tried so hard, so hard...² His most intense break-up song, this should be better known.
- ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT
Country ham (it was Colonel Parker's favourite song) handled with real emotion. That voice had an incredible arsenal.
- IN THE GHETTO
Simplistic but affecting, this 1969 number one turned his career around.
- RETURN TO SENDER
The Presley entry point for five-year olds.
- SHE'S NOT YOU
Elvisıs best performances of the early sixties usually involved a love triangle lyric this slow-dance special was the strongest.
- THE GIRL OF MY BEST FRIEND
Compelling and heart-breakingly sharp teen romance.
- I'VE LOST YOU
Elvis, King of Pain, reflects on the imminent collapse of his marriage.
- BABY LET'S PLAY HOUSE
Sam Phillips' echoed production and Elvis's hiccoughs invent rockabilly in two minutes.
- ALWAYS ON MY MIND
Regrets, he had more than a few.
- I NEED SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON
The perfect lounge jazz-blues for 3 am, from Viva Las Vegas.
- HIS LATEST FLAME
Bo Diddley beat with Latin touches, The Smiths built half their catalogue around it.
- IT HURTS ME
A soulful roar from '64, revisited to great effect in the Comeback Special.
- WAY DOWN
He bowed out sounding pretty darn contemporary, though JD Sumner's low, low bass notes take the limelight.
- LOVE ME
Written by Leiber and Stoller as a self-parody; the reading is so sincere, you'd never know.
- TOO MUCH
Constantly on the edge of falling apart but hard as nails, the archetypal tough rocker.
- YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
No matter how many times you've heard this song before, the intensity and belief of Elvis's interpretation will floor you.
- A personal Presley pilgrimage
By Scott Jenkins
(NEWS.com.au, August 3, 2007)
THERE'S a saying in the Elvis world which goes: If you're an Elvis fan, no explanation is necessary. If you're not, no explanation is possible.
How do I know this? I am an Elvis fan. There was a time when people like me felt trepidation about admitting such a thing. After all, Elvis and his fans had been the subject of scorn for so many years, that we sometimes felt ostracised by others who were into "cooler" music.
But now, 30 years after Elvis left the building and the planet, we can again hold our heads high. The days of Elvis being ridiculed for being an overweight, pill-popping, peanut butter and fried banana sandwich-eating monstrosity have been replaced with a more measured appreciation of his place in music history.
For me, Elvis Presley represents the very best - and the very worst - of the great American Dream.
The poor boy from Mississippi who conquered the world with his infusion of blues, country and gospel; the Big Bang of Rock’n’Roll tamed by Uncle Sam when he went into the army; the quaffed idol on the movie screen playing a singin', dancin'; cowboy, soldier, navy frogman, boxer or doctor; the jumpsuited King of Las Vegas; and the sad, lonely recluse who ended up dying on the toilet.
All of these are Elvis to me. Far from being a simple country bumpkin, Elvis Presley is one of the most complicated people in history. An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, wrapped in a hamburger.
I was aware of him even before I could remember. His movies were weekend staples when I was a kid growing up in the 70s. And in 1973, the moment came when I became hooked for life: in January of that year, Elvis performed his now-classic Aloha From Hawaii concert, the first musical performance ever beamed around the world live via satellite. Sydney and Melbourne took the show live. I was five years old, and I've never looked back.
His death - I won't presume to call it "untimely" - affected me, even at ten years of age. It really was like losing a friend; someone I could count on to brighten my day if I was feeling down.
Like I said, if you're not a fan, no explanation is possible. We fans are still viewed my many people as freaks. For the record, I don't believe he's alive, and anyone who does is -- well, a freak. And I think all Elvis impersonators should be hunted for sport and then left to rot in Guantanamo Bay.
Without wishing to draw any religious parallels, Elvis fans have their own version of Mecca and the pilgrimage: Graceland, the stately mansion where Elvis spent half his life. I first went there in 1988 for my 21st birthday after living in England for a year. At the time, it was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to me (okay, so I didn't have a particularly interesting life) and it gave me a greater appreciation of the man, his music and what he'd come to mean to me and millions of others around the world. I'd hoped to get back there one day, and this year I did. ...
- 'Elvis is timeless'
By Matt Jachman
(San Francisco Chronicle, August 2, 2007)
Hundreds of Elvis Presley fans heard it their way at Capitol Park Tuesday evening. They turned out to see Sherman Arnold, an Elvis impersonator who said he's been performing for more than 50 years. Arnold regularly appears at Capitol as part of the township's free Concerts in the Park series. He didn't disappoint, roaming the crowd with a cordless microphone and belting out "Blue Suede Shoes," "Jailhouse Rock," "My Way" and other favorites Elvis popularized.
"You can see the passion he has for it. It comes through," said Linda Sites of Redford, who attended with Lisa Milewski of Livonia. Sites said it was her fourth annual Arnold-as-Elvis concert at Capitol. "Elvis is timeless," she said. ....
- Elvis takes his place in island royalty
By Jeanne Cooper
(San Francisco Chronicle, August 2, 2007)
Almost 30 years after his death, Elvis Presley is still the king - or at least one of the noble ali'i - in Hawaii. Local fans, impersonators and media turned out in full force for last week's installation of a bronze statue of Presley in front of Honolulu's Blaisdell Arena, where the singer performed a televised concert in 1973.
The statue was part of a promotional campaign by cable channel TV Land, but the affection shown for Elvis - even in his heavier, jump-suited days - was very real. His films (especially "Blue Hawaii") helped popularize tourism to the islands, which he clearly loved, while the islands have always been especially fond of musicians. Like the statues of King Kamehameha and surfer Duke Kahanamoku, the Presley version already boasted tributes of several leis when I visited the day after its unveiling. ...
- WHAT'S YOUR DISH? Elvis is in the kitchen
By Donna Pierce
(Chicago Tribune, August 1, 2007)
Pull out your scissors and clip this recipe. Trust us. At least once a week we receive a recipe request for the special poundcake we printed four years ago that was attributed to Elvis Presley. Because Elvis Week begins Aug. 11 at Graceland in Memphis, it seems like a good time to reprint it. Francesco Martiradonn of Orland Park wrote with the most recent request and added this enthusiastic endorsement: "I am a poundcake lover and tried almost all ... but this is the very best."
Elvis Presley poundcake
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 2 loaf cakes, 20 servings
... [for the recipe, go to the web site]
- China's Jisco takes model approach to African project
By Alec Russell at Buffelsfontein
(ft.com, August 1, 2007)
Delegates from China's Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company (Jisco) were nonplussed by the sight ofSouth African and Chinese mine managers on a stage singing Elvis Presley's "You were always on my mind". But one member of the audience, Zhou Yuxiao, a senior Chinese diplomat, beamed with delight. He is trying to counter the impression in parts of Africa that China is engaged in a neo-colonial scramble for mineral resources.
The double act came at the launch of two ferrochrome blast furnaces in a patch of desolate scrub 60 miles west of Pretoria. The Chinese venture in Africa has seen an Australian-based company International Ferro Metals (IFM) team up with Jisco, from north-west China, to produce ferrochrome - a key ingredient of stainless steel.Analysts see it as symptomatic of a new and subtler phase of Chinese engagement with the continent. ...
- German town plans festival for Elvis anniversary
By DPA
(earthtimes.org, August 1, 2007)
Bad Nauheim, Germany - The town where Elvis Presley lived when he was a GI in Germany is getting all shook up for a festival to mark the 30th anniversary of the King's death this month. The three-day European Elvis Festival in Bad Nauheim near Frankfurt will feature a exhibitions, performances by Elvis tribute singers and a Cadillac parade, organizers said Wednesday.
Thousands of visitors from all over the world are expected to descend on the adjacent town of Friedberg when the event gets under way with a gospel concert on August 16, the day of his death in 1977.
There will also be an open-air rock 'n' roll night, guided tours and showings of the King's films said Klaus Ruppert, vice president of the Elvis Presley Society.
Elvis served with the US 3rd Armoured Division from 1958-1960 in Freiburg, but lived off base in nearby Bad Nauheim.
- Big Sky beat out the King
By Fritz Neighbor
(montanastandard.com / Missoulian, August 1, 2007)
Leaving tickets for Elvis Presley wasn't Jerry Glanville's idea. Nor was it is his idea to leave tickets for D.B. Cooper. To hear him tell it, coaching the Portland State Vikings wasn't his idea. ... Asked about leaving tickets for Presley, Glanville reminds those present that it only happened once -- ³Itıs sort of got a life of its own," he said -- and that it was Jones' idea. They were with the Houston Oilers, and were set to play an NFL exhibition game against the Patriots in Memphis, complete with a halftime show about Presley.
"We were driving to practice in a pickup truck in Texas, and it comes over the radio that Elvis was spotted at a Burger King in Michigan," Glanville said. "June says, 'Geez, we ought a leave tickets for him at the game.'" ...
- Of course we have an Elvis: County director accused of lip synching
By DPA
(Leelanau Enterprise, August 1, 2007)
What community with as many musicians and artists as Leelanau County doesn't have its own Elvis Presley "tribute artist?"
The term "Elvis impersonator" is not one that Jerry Culman of Leland Township prefers to use. Neither an "early Elvis" nor an "old Elvis," Culman describes himself as a kind of "middle Elvis." He doesn't dye his hair black or grease it up. He rarely wiggles his hips or curls his lip. But the sound is dead on. ...
JERRY CULMAN, whose "day job" is as the Leelanau
County director of facilities maintenance, strikes
a pose as Elvis Presley
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