I dug the special last week on the King of Rock and Roll. He had soul... and had it ripped out of him. He was up, had a big heart, and they beat him down. Makes you wonder if ANYONE could keep their head straight after making such an impact on this world and being so popular. I think one of my favorite Elvis songs is "Burning Love"... seriously. I mean, that base line has a groove to it that makes you want to dance. Sam.
No doubt, Man...I rip my speakers a new one everytime that song comes on!!! He WAS Rock & Roll, Baby!!!
I know what you mean Tony. But the poor dude only lived to be 42! He plumped up there at the end... but they said in '68, for his comeback tour... he was down to like 168lbs, and was ROCKIN! I think in the end, the fact that his manager ignored his desire to be creative with his music, and his desire to do some REAL acting, finally took all that he had out of him. Ya gotta feel sorry for him in some ways. Sam.
I thought he was cool when he was fat and ate shit loads of pills.To bad anything that is fun can kill you!
Early Elvis RULED. He was the KING for a reason. For me though, Elvis was dead after '70. Vegas Elvis doesn't do much for me. We went to Graceland last year and it was very inspiring for a punk kid playing rockabilly such as myself. I thought the special was very good too. That dude had Elvis NAILED!
As John Lennon said......... "before Elvis there was nothing." ------------------------------------------ vagabonds cc opossum benders
I saw Elvis perform at the Houston Astrodome in '70......I was 9, but I still remember the power in his rendition of "Suspicious Minds".....I THINK he did "Polk Salad Annie", or at least I WANT to imagine he sang it that night... The "panties" trip is a perfectly understandable fetish...... He nailed Ann Margaret.
I saw Elvis on his only foreign tour. Toronto 1957. Then again in Buffalo NY in the '70's. "Suspicious Minds" is one of the best. 'way back when, I read that he could have been as great an actor as James Dean. But Colonel Tom pushed him into making those other goofy movies.
Okay....but I'll keep it tactful and not dwell on the issue.... Elvis was a PANTYFREAK.... He (was claimed) to have immensely enjoyed watching girls wrestle with their dresses pulled up, exposing their panties-preferably white-and if anything else was visible....well,that was .....ahem....just more icing on the cake. I only elaborated on this question because Mr Iyam has been to BonneVille and I haven't....it was the polite thing to do.
A couple of my favorite pics. I sat in row 2 at his '76 concert here and row 6 in the '77 version. The coupe was at the NSRA Nats deal in Kalamazoo, MI in the mid-90's.
Been a fan since i was 7 or 8 when i got my first album, Burnin Love & US Mail were both on there & will always be two of my favourites.
Just to be clear, it was never said that he wore the panties, he liked the thrill of seeing a flash of panty especially on girls wrestling on the carpet of his sunken living room. Elvis life before he became big is just as interesting and unusual as what came after. It just wasn't nearly as weird though. His mother was the backbone of the family and they say he never quite got over mourning her death. His father was fairly useless and there were all those wonderful hangers on that Presley carried along. Tom Parker was a bloodsucking, shrewd, fraud. Too bad Sam Phillips (Sun Records) was not able to handle Elvis for a longer period of time. Of course there are good reasons that Phillips sold off Elvis contract to RCA. I used to wonder how I'd look in a gold lame' suit. Not nearly good enough. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I got the news that he was dead. Just like when I got the news Jack Kennedy had been shot. For a very short while America had President Kennedy AND The King. What do we have now? I'd like to think that we have the ability to produce people like that regularly but that just may have been special circumstances. Sorry, OT, out of line and rambling again. Take it away Johnny!
I have a Basset Hound named Elvis. I've been to Graceland, but they wouldn't let Elvis in. Suspicious Minds, In the Ghetto...
Really enjoyed that documentary.....Sad that he had all that money, but couldn't do the things he wanted.....sure makes me feel lucky to have the life I have.
Elvis was the man! Even when he was fat and that cat is the biggest pimp and the greatest! Do you think he is still alive? Josh
I enjoyed the hell out of the first part of the special, but knew the second part would break my heart. It did. I was 16 when I caught the Dorsey brothers TV show and learned about Elvis. Bought all the Sun 45's and played them until they wore down to just "white noise". Saw him in Toledo in a 1956 concert and loved his music when he was just singing his heart out. After his buy-up by RCA and the cheesy movies started coming out, I still liked his work, but it was polished and, somehow, never the same (and never as good). But to those who say that before Elvis there was nothing, hey -- you must not have been there. There were all kinds of sounds starting back then, just not one icon that brought it all together like E.
I agree he is and always will be the KING. I'm going to take the kids to Graceland next year. I have always been an Elivs fan. Even as kid my ma would let me play hookey from school if one of his movies were on. And to this day i still watch all of those goofy movies. The only thing that stopped me from naming my son Elvis was the wife. Still havent let her live it down. Anyway loved the special.
One thing I can't understand is, if Elvis was so great and an icon, why did they call him King and bury him in the back yard like the family pet. Fordnutz.
You see what it's like at the mansion - could you imagine what it would be like if he was in a cemetary somewhere? They have a hard enough time guarding Graceland. At least they didn't call him the Fido. Mutt
Always did like Elvis. I really enjoy watching his live preformances. From the waist up hounddog days of Ed Sullivan clear up to 70's he was still dropping the those crazy on stage antics like breaking out in laughter in the middle of song or toying with his backup singers or band. "Mystery Train" stirs deep in my soul. Never cared for "Wooden Heart". "Polk Salad Annie","King Creole", "Olde Shep" makes me sad. I remeber this olde indian gentlemen crying in a bar to "Love Me Tender". I like the days when it was about the Beat, then rock slowed down just a tad (Take good care of my Baby) giving way to Beatles. It had to have been harder to be Elvis.
I dig Elvis movies (the cornier, the better) and even some of his later songs like Suspicious Minds and Kentucky Rain (with full on Karate moves). He's definately an American icon, just like hot rods.
Elvis has been gone for almost 40 years and yet there seems to constantly be a new generation of Elvis every couple years. That alone is something that always amazed me. The impact that he had on music and pop culture transcends time. That fact makes it obvious that he was the real deal.
I thought that special was pretty much unwatchable.. but, of course I do love Elvis.. If you want to read a good book, it's called "Down at the end of Lonely Street, the life and death of Elvis Presley" it's really good.. lots of cool stuff in it. The Colonel was an asshole! TinyE!
Been a fan of Elvis since the very beginning. My wife went to school with Priscilla in Germany when she met Elvis. Priscilla and her parents lived in the apartment right above her. Elvis gave Priiscilla an engraved watch for Christmas and she was so excited about showing it to everyone. My wife remembers those days well and it makes it even more sad for her knowing how he was at the end, not at all like the handsome sargent that came calling for the girl next door. Frank
That was a great show but the one a week before that was kinda cheesey i thought with the other actors. I'm still a big fan and was 12 when he passed but still remember where i was when he passed.
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