Elvis and religion
- Bigger Than Jesus: Elvis was a hero to most
By Greg Stacy
(Orange County Weekly, September 26-October 2, 2003)
You don't hear much anymore about Elvis sightings, and I don't think it's so much that people have stopped seeing him (or imagining they've seen him) as that the media - even the tabloid rags - just got fed up with giving this peculiar phenomenon so much ink. After the King expired in a particularly undignified manner atop his commode in 1977, hillbillies across the land were so grief-stricken that, for a good 15 years or so, they simply refused to believe the man was truly gone, and regular reports surfaced that Elvis had been seen bowling in Atlanta or pounding down chicken and biscuits at anonymous roadside eateries. Would that it were true; there is something wonderfully romantic about the idea that Elvis, fed-up with the sorry, drug-addled mess his life had become, decided to chuck it all and start afresh, that someday soon he may elect to step from the shadows and return to us, strapping on his guitar and shaking his arthritic hips one more time to show all these talentless pissants cluttering up the modern media landscape - your Eminems and your Nellys and so on - how this shit is really done.
A few years back, I came across a wall of Elvis kitsch in some store in Santa Ana, and it stopped me cold. This was not ironic Elvis swag - there were no ashtrays or Elvis dolls with bobbling heads. No, this was the expensive Elvis crap - copper busts and that sort of thing. I probably wouldn't have paid it all much mind had it not been for the lenticular portraits, those spooky things in which the image changes as you walk past them. Just a few feet away from an Elvis with sad, gooey eyes that followed you, there was an almost identical lenticular of a Jesus with sad, gooey eyes that followed you. Inspecting the store's Jesus swag, it was remarkable how many products were nearly identical to the Elvis stuff; if you were of a mind to set up side-by-side Jesus and Elvis shrines in your living room - as more than a few Americans have surely done - everything you would have needed was right here.
John Lennon got himself and his band mates into some serious trouble decades ago when he commented that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus. The Beatles aren't quite bigger than Jesus, but Elvis is by almost any measure. Unless you live a particularly hermetic lifestyle, the odds are you usually don't go more than a few days without encountering Elvis in some form, whether it's one of his songs on the radio, or his image on TV, or a bobbling Elvis head in the rear windshield of somebody's car. By contrast, when was the last time you saw a representation of Jesus? Unless you're a regular churchgoer, I'd wager you see the King about twice as often as you encounter the King of Kings. Elvis worship is growing every day around the world, and there are already jokey Elvis churches out there. Sometimes it seems only a matter of time before somebody starts one for real. Nowadays our pop cultural image of Elvis is dominated by the campy later days, the era of spangly jumpsuits and chemical excess. But look past that, to his early days, and you'll soon realize why Elvis has influenced nearly every prominent musician since, whether they were aware of it or not.
The show at UC Irvine next Thursday - "Elvis In the Third World: An Afternoon with Peter Nazareth" - offers the chance to get reacquainted with the early Elvis at the same time it explores the bizarre impact the man and his music have had around the globe. Nazareth (the Jesus ties grow!), a critic and University of Iowa professor of English and African-American World Studies who grew up listening to Elvis, presents a screening of Flaming Star. It's a dramatic 1960 western starring Elvis as Pacer, a half-breed forced to side with the Indians against his white brother. It's universally hailed as Elvis' finest performance, and it's certainly a world away from the giddy goofiness of later pictures such as Clambake. Thai Elvis impersonator Kavee Thongprecha will also be on hand to belt out a few songs, and it promises to be an unforgettable evening. Elvis is dead; long live the king.
"Elvis In The Third World: An Afternoon With Peter Nazareth" at UC Irvine Film and Video Center, Humanities Instruction Bldg., Campus & W. Peltason Drs., Irvine, (949) 824-7418; www.humanities.uci.edu/fvc. Thurs., Oct. 2. Lecture, 4 p.m. Room 135; Screening/ Performance, 7 p.m. Room 100. $5.
- Area's 1st Elvis festival rocks Zenobia:
Artists, fans gather to pay tribute to the king
By TOM HENRY
(Toledo Blade, March 16, 2003)
... let's try to figure out why 1,200 people - most from within a 250-mile radius, but some from as far away as California - spent part of their weekend paying tribute to an artist who has been dead since Aug. 16, 1977. Elvis, of course, was not just any artist to them or any musicologist worth his or her salt. More than 25 years after his death, millions of his albums are still being sold each year. His Graceland mansion - as well as his gravesite behind it - remain among America's most popular sojourns. Without getting into a long discourse about Presley's impact on rock history, we'll yield to a theory touted by Michelle Rosencrantz: That Elvis was a near-religious experience for his ardent fans. She counts herself among them. "He drew some people to God with gospel music who might not have otherwise been drawn," she said. "It was almost like religion. I know it's a strange thing to say, but it's true."
Mrs. Rosencrantz, 39, is president of a newly formed group in Toledo called Elvis Presley's Sweet Sweet Spirit Fan Club. It organized the festival as a fund-raiser for The Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center, The Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation, and the Shriners Hospitals Transportation Fund. She recalls being wooed by Elvis' deep, soothing voice at the tender age of 3, while listening to an aunt's 45 rpm singles. When she was 5 - or maybe even the worldly age of 6 - she saw photos of him for the first time and developed the inevitable girlhood crush. Ironically, by the time she was swept off her feet in 1995 by her future husband, Bob Rosencrantz, she was - unbeknownst to her - dating a longtime Elvis imper .. well, ok, let's call him a longtime Elvis Tribute Artist. Robert Rosencrantz entertains loyal followers of Elvis at Toledo's first and fully Graceland-sanctioned Elvis festival at the Zenobia Shrine this weekend. About 1,200 devotees came from across the country to attend. Elvis died Aug. 16, 1977.
One of the biggest hits was an hour-long performance by D.J. Fontana, Presley's drummer from 1954 to 1968. ... Mr. Fontana said he has been trying to figure out the Elvis mystique for almost a half century. He said he remembers Presley as a polite, affable singer who was respectful to others and commanded respect without getting overly excited. "You could feel it in the air when he came in," he said. Actress-singer Julie Parrish of Santa Monica, Calif., agreed. "There was an electric feeling around him," said Ms. Parrish, a one-time Toledo and Tecumseh resident who starred with Presley in his 1966 film, Paradise, Hawaiian Style. ... Mr. Rosencrantz agreed with his wife that being an Elvis fan is a near-religious experience. He said he is impressed by how today's youth is attracted to his legacy. "Elvis was put here for a reason, and I think it was to bring people together," he said.
- The gospels according to Elvis
By DOUG NYE
(The State.com, March 8, 2003)
When Elvis Presley, wiggling hips and all, arrived on the scene, he outraged many - from sociologists and music critics to teachers and preachers. You can imagine the surprise of those preachers when they heard Elvis doing a number of gospel songs. They were puzzled. How could a guy they were convinced was the devil's agent sing with such deep spiritual conviction? The 90-minute special "He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley" examines the King of Rock 'n' Roll and his love of the Southern gospel tradition. Interviews with friends and other performers talk of Elvis' determination to keep gospel part of his repertoire. He supposedly once angered Ed Sullivan by insisting on performing "Peace in the Valley" despite Sullivan's instructions to perform one of his rock hits. Among some of Presley's best-loved gospel tunes included in this documentary are "You'll Never Walk Alone," "Where Could I Go," "How Great Thou Art and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." 6:30 p.m., PBS, WRLK-35, cable ch. 11.
- CULT WORSHIPS ELVIS PRESLEY AS GOD
(uncoveror.com, date unknown, found March 3, 2003)
A new religion is springing up throughout America, and in other parts of the world. Mainstream faiths dismiss it as a cult, but the numbers of its faithful are growing. The Presleyite Disciples, who are also sometimes called, "Elvites", worship Elvis as their god. We spoke to a Minister of the Presleyite Disciples about his belief system.
"It has been twenty five years since our Lord and Savior, Elvis Presley, ascended into heaven. He is now sitting on his holy throne, looking down upon us." Our reporter asked him if he was joking, and he insisted that he was perfectly serious. He went on to tell THE UNCOVEROR more about his cult, and their rituals. "I was one of the original twelve who witnessed the vision of Elvis. On the first anniversary of The King's passing, we gathered together at Graceland. We were the first, and last, tour group ever to be allowed upstairs. As we shared our stories of how he remembered him, we began to weep. A woman named Jessica exclaimed 'Elvis! If only you were here with us, we could' ... " He explained that before she could finish, a strong wind blew into the room, a haze formed in front of them that brightened to a blinding light, then The King appeared before them.
[Continues in similar facetious vein.]
- Why the King of Rock 'n' Roll died for your sins
By David Sutton
(Fortean Times: the Journal of Strange Phenomena, January , 2003, pp. 42-47)
Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, 16 August, 2002: the normally traffic-choked state highway has been transformed into something quite different from its workaday self. Candles flicker in the darkness, the rain pours down, and some 40,000 people keep their night-long vigil. It's a bizarre scene, like some kind of Bergmanesque, mediaeval pilgrimage transported into 21st century America, with tears and laughter, celebration and mourning mingling in a tableau of devout humanity. You have to ask yourself: what's going on. ... Graceland certainly has the aspect of Lourdes transplanted to America's South. ... But cross the road, go through the famous gates ... and you have passed over from the secular into the sacred, transported to the shrine proper. There's no doubt that that's what it is, and the endless parade of pilgrims, the young and healthy and the old and infirm alike, all seem to feel it. ... I'd been prepared for a circus; this was unexpected and far more interesting.
But why does Elvis still attract such devotion, such longing to connect with his departed presence? Sure, there's the music - a then-explosive mixture of white country and pop, black R&B and deeply-felt Southern gospel. And there's the almost incalculable cultural impact on behavours and social mores that Elvis had ... There's no denying these things, but there's still a mystery here. There are those who revere other dead rockers, of course: Lennon, Morrison, Cobain or Hendrix each have their mourners, though mostly of a secular persuasion, mostly just mourning the passing of the "great men" of rock 'n' roll. Elvis is different; you can tell just by looking at the tide of absolutely commonplace humanity around here at Graceland; these aren't musos, fanboys or fixated would-be stalkers, they're "just plain folks" of every kind ...
And if, in the end, it all turned to the Christ-like loneliness of an increasingly self-tortured, hermetic life and a death that achieved utter bathos, that's precisely what rounds out this American tragedy and leaves the 40,000 pilgrims outside Graceland wanting more. It's a great 20th century story about broken dreams, the nightmare of celebrity and the excesses of the very rich, and written between its lines is another, timeless one that is almost gnostic in its insistence on the divine spark, trapped in the wracked, fleshy body, that just wants to go home.
- Elvis-impersonating preacher rocks Canadian church
By TOM COHEN
(nj.com / Associated Press, January 5, 2003)
In the Christ the King Graceland Independent Anglican Church of Canada, "Rockin' Reverend" Dorian Baxter presides with the sideburns and singing of Elvis Presley to attract the wayward to Jesus Christ. Equal parts entertainer, activist and preacher, the 52-year-old Baxter -- who also goes by Elvis Priestley -- does it his way, singing Elvis favorites with a Christian twist. "Well it's one for the Father, two for the Son, three for the Holy Spirit and your life has just begun," he starts to the tune of "Blue Suede Shoes," wrapping up the chorus with: "You can do anything but don't turn Jesus away." His church is labeled independent because Anglican church elders frown on the Elvis-themed antics, and Baxter held Sunday's inaugural service with 200 supporters in a Newmarket veterans hall, on the northern fringe of the Toronto metropolitan area. While not defrocked, Baxter was forced out of one Toronto-area church and denied a license to perform Anglican weddings, with Bishop Ronald Ferris of the Algoma diocese calling the mix of Elvis and church functions in poor taste.
- The Tao of Elvis
[Book review]
(Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, December 23, 2002)
Rosen, David. New York: Harcourt , Inc. 2002. 200 pp. ISBN: 0156007371. $12.00 USD (PB).
[1] This volume, written by psychiatrist and Jungian analyst David Rosen, is an analysis of Taoist characteristics that the author - clearly an Elvis fan - identifies in the life and wisdom of Elvis Presley. Intended to evoke thoughtful reflection about Taoist qualities for which Elvis was a model, Rosen notes that the volume is "a psychological and philosophical work in that it is about the phenomenon and the experience of Elvis as well as his (and our) pursuit of purpose, spirituality, and wisdom" (xiv).
[2] The format of the book is rather simple, if not repetitive. After a brief introduction, each of the forty-two chapters (one for each of Elvis's years alive) begins with an epigram intended to illustrate that chapter's theme (which include such topics as "love," "virtue," "beauty," and "destiny"). For example, for the chapter titled "Madness and Illness," the quote is from Deng Ming-Dao: "Which is worse? The madness of following Tao or the madness of an existence without awareness?" (141). On the second page of each chapter there are four quotes from various classic Taoist writers and philosophers, followed by a page of quotes by or about Elvis, intended to illustrate parallels between the King and the Tao. On the fourth page of each chapter, the author explains how the theme is illustrated by Elvis's life, deeds, or words. And so it goes for two hundred pages. Epigram, Taoism quotes, Elvis quotes, Rosen analysis.
[3] Interestingly, many of the epigrams at the beginning of the chapters are taken from such decidedly non-Taoist authors as Kahlil Gibran (identified as Elvis's favorite author), but this seems to be in keeping with the somewhat perennialist attitude of the author, who presents Taoism not as if it were a specific religio-philosophical tradition with the same kind of history and particularistic integrity as, say, Christianity or Judaism, but as a universal truth to be found everywhere, and in the face of which all other religious traditions disappear. The clearly Christian (and even purported Jewish) connections to Elvis are glossed over, and even as eminent a Protestant theologian as Paul Tillich is identified simply as "Existential philosopher" (163). The topics of each chapter are vague enough to guarantee that someone, somewhere, said something about Elvis that relates to something said by some Taoist philosopher somewhere. And Rosen's analysis at the end of each chapter only reinforces that ambiguity. Of course Elvis was the perfect example of Taoist principles. How could he not be?
[4] This book is not nearly as effective in illustrating the principles of Taoism as Benjamin Hoff¹s The Tao of Pooh (Penguin Books, 1982), and not nearly as interesting as the myriad of books or chapters on Elvis¹s religious interests or the religious aspects of the Elvis phenomenon (for example, "Dead Elvis as Other Jesus," by Mark Gottdiener, in In Search of Elvis, edited by Vernon Chadwick [Westview Press, 1997]; or "Saint Elvis" in Elvis Culture, by Erika Doss [University of Kansas Press, 1999]). Because of this, it is never clear for whom it is intended. Sincere Elvis fans may find the various quotes from (or about) their King to be inspiring, but many of the more devoted "Elvis as King" variety may be offended by the implication that Elvis was anything other than thoroughly grounded in a Christian world view, interests in Asian philosophy notwithstanding. On the other hand, even they will have to admit that Elvis was quite enticed by non-Christian religious teachings and practices. But no matter; Rosen nowhere suggests that Elvis was particularly interested in Taoism. He is simply making the side-by-side comparison of the teachings of various Taoist masters with the things said by or about Elvis.
[5] There are great books about Taoism and popular culture, and there are great books about Elvis and religion. This one is neither. David Rosen has created a work more devotional than illuminating, more self-involved than probing, and thus less useful than hoped. Almost entirely untheorized, it is of virtually no use as a critical source, and scholars (even scholars specifically interested in the by-products of the cult-of-Elvis phenomenon) likely will find this book disappointing.
Eric Michael Mazur, Department of Religion, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837 U.S.A. (mazur@bucknell.edu)
- In another world - Elvis the preacher
BY Peter Rhodes
(Express & Star, December 23, 2002)
If things had turned out differently, says Madeleine Wilson, a greying, slightly paunchy preacher would today be preparing his Christmas services in the Deep South of the United States. His name was Elvis Presley and his destiny, says this Black Country housewife, was to become a man of God. Unfortunately for the Church (but luckily for rock and roll) the dark-eyed man with the quiff became not Elvis the Pastor but Elvis the Pelvis. And the rest is hysteria. Elvis became a sex symbol for two generations of women around the world, a helpless adulterer and a chronic over-eater. He died, a bloated, washed-out wreck of a man, on the toilet on August 16, 1977. And yet for all the broken vows and the sordid death, Mrs Wilson of Old Fallings, Wolverhampton, believes The King "maintained a sweet spirit to the end." That is why she became founder and president of the Elvis Gospel Fan Club. That is why she marked the 25th anniversary of his death this year by publishing her personal tribute, Prayers of Elvis. And that is why she is staging a remarkable exhibition, Christmas With Elvis, in Wolverhampton city centre. She says: "His problem was that he was not fulfilling his destiny. Sometimes it breaks your heart to know how unhappy he was. Elvis should have been a preacher. He knew what he was meant to do, but the pressures on him were so great."
Her pilgrimage into the life and times of Presley began seven years ago. Watching a TV programme on Elvis, she was suddenly overcome with grief. A fervent Christian, she became convinced that this was a sign from God that she should study the life of Elvis and use it in the fight against evil. She believes that, for all the pressures on him, Elvis preached to the world through his gospel songs. "From talking to gospel singers who sang with him, I know that he was planning a full gospel concert when he died," she says. And if he gave way to temptation, at least Elvis never shook off one of the better habits of his early years which has helped in creating an exhibition which traces his Christmases from early poverty to global acclaim. Mrs Wilson explains: "Elvis never threw anything away. He gave a lot away - money, clothes and cars - but he kept invoices, letters, receipts, photos and much of his furniture, clothes and jewellery." Graceland, the superstar's home in Tennessee, has warehouses full of such ephemera, copies of which are on display at the Wolverhampton event. Madeleine Wilson, a regular visitor to Graceland, has tracked down receipts for Christmas items and her exhibition includes photos of the enormous festive-lighting display at Graceland and a selection of Elvis's Christmas albums. "We have had a lot of fun putting it together," she says. "I think it will tell people a lot about a man who was searching for his destiny."
* Christmas With Elvis is in the display cabinets at Wolverhampton Central Library, Snow Hill, until January 5. The Elvis Gospel Fan Club is at the website: www.elvisgospel.com.
- The Ministry of Elvis, Donut Optimism, Turn Down the Orchestra [First item]
(Online Journalism Review, September 26, 2002)
The Ministry of Elvis: A Canadian minister who officiates at weddings and funerals dressed as Elvis is under fire from church officials, reports Heather Sokoloff in Canada's National Post. Reverend Dorian Baker arrives at weddings wearing a flashy Elvis jumpsuit, says Sokoloff. He changes into priestly vestments for the ceremony, then transforms back into the (earthly) King to put on what he proudly calls "a bang-up good show." "Often requested is his version of Blue Suede Shoes," writes Sokoloff: "One for the Father, Two for the Son, Three for the Holy Spirit and your life has just begun." Not so surprisingly, Anglican Church officials aren't fans of Baker's act: they've yanked his license to perform weddings (Baker kept going, bringing a Unitarian or Baptist minister along to supervise) and banned him from the pulpit where he used to preach. Still, Baker refuses to resign from holy orders. "I have led tens of thousands of people to Jesus through the music of Elvis..." says the hip-shaking holy man. "I've told the bishops all they need to do is buy a few of his CDs. I don't know what they are complaining about." A traveling collection of Elvis jumpsuits and other memorabilia is bringing fans to their knees, writes Michael Wilson in The New York Times; the writer strains to include as many Elvis lyrics as possible in the article.
- Canadian vicar under fire for dressing as Elvis
(Ananova, September 24, 2002)
A Canadian Anglican priest who dresses as Elvis Presley for weddings and funerals is under fire for his actions. High-ranking Canadian bishops have objected to Reverend Dorian Baxter for combining the Anglican gospel with the words of Elvis. The National Post says the 53-year-old has been singing Elvis songs to sinners since his first ministerial posting in 1984. Often known as Elvis Priestley, Reverend Baxter was recently banned from the pulpit of an Ontario church and has been stripped of his licence to perform marriages. Reverend Baxter says his unusual style is the best way to lure wayward Christians back to the Church and is threatening to form his own Anglican group supportive of his Elvis persona. "I refuse to resign from holy orders. I have led tens of thousands of people to Jesus through the music of Elvis. This man sung gospel better than anyone I know. I've told the bishops all they need to do is buy a few of his CDs. I don't know what they are complaining about," he said. Ronald Ferris, the bishop of the Diocese of Algoma, where Rev Baxter used to be a part-time minister, said: "The mix is in poor taste." Reverend Baxter says he has largely tried to ignore condemnations from bishops, although he says Church officials who attempt to discredit his ministry have never attended one of his weddings or funerals.
- Religion course is all shook up
(Scotsman.com, September 7, 2002)
ELVIS is being given top billing in a college course created to encourage students in Wales to study the word of God. As well as the Rock of Ages course, Trinity College, Carmarthen, runs a Holy Hollywood course in which films are studied for their Christian content.
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