Wanting to be like: ELVIS !
Elvis Presley Inspired my musical journey in many ways.
Like most every boy I think, I went through an I -want -to- be- like- Elvis- Presley phase. It mainly started when my dad brought me home an Elvis record after he went on a business trip to Memphis. He had visited Graceland with some of his office friends and picked it up at the gift shop . A funny story goes that while touring the mansion, my dad and the other businessmen asked the cab diver to wait for them outside, and then asked the cab driver "will you remember us?" And he politely said "sure, you'll be the only guys in there with suits on". I remember kind of really being taken in by Elvis and his style. He was the epitome of cool . He wasn't like the Beatles. They didn't inspire me the way Elvis did. He had a lot of magic and soul stirring personality in his music. I strived to be like him- even though I was the epitome of uncool . I was kind of chubby and I had very few friends at all. This is about the time after my mother had died, and I was entering the 6th grade. Up til that point, I had been aware of Elvis and some of his music. But it wasn't til discovering that first album- I believe a simple "Greatest Hits" CD, that something really struck me as- wow, this guy really had it !
(Did I look like somewhat like him? More like his goofy younger brother had one fried peanut butter sandwich too many )
I started listening to Elvis classics like "Hound Dog" , "Jailhouse Rock", but I also dug the ballads such as"Can't Help Falling In Love" (with you), and would watch some of his old films as well. The startling thing is, I had no idea he was also a Gospel singer (something I would discover years later), because I would probably have had a penchant for that type of music much earlier. But as a teenager, I still was in my Elvis "like" phase- drifting in and out from time to time- even as my musical tastes grew more towards Country and Western of the old school variety. Elvis was never "Country" to me- I know he probably had some hits on the Country charts. But he was Mister Rock n' Roll. Mister Pop culture. I guess it all sparked an interest too , for my love of that 1950's lifestyle. The juke box, the drive in movie, "Leave It To Beaver"- a simpler time. Gals who were virgins on their wedding night. I bet Elvis had a lot of girlfriends. I thought maybe if I could be like him, I could also win that over. Another thing too- Elvis was a bonafide Southerner. My love of all things Southern was complete. Born in Mississippi, and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis was kind of an ambassador for the South to many. He was a real Southerner , and never forgot his roots. He loved his Southern food. He loved his "Mama". He was a Gentleman, even if of humble origin.
Elvis Presley's music and his mystique was an escape for me. I remember just thinking about how I would love to have legions of girls throwing themselves at me, as I sang on stage. Remember too, thinking how Elvis was so electrifying , he could just walk into a room and people were awestruck. And that was sort of my quest for fame and acceptance. I tried to live vicariously through Elvis. All of his successes. Through his movies. His beautiful wife, Priscilla. Graceland. The South. His music. All of it. And then I remembered- he died at 42. A pretty short life. Ironically, my need to like Elvis faded, as I started to want to find my own musical niche. I even got offended when some people compared me to him in my earlier singing days. "You sound a lot like Elvis" some one told me at a retirement home once . I almost cried. Well, not really, but I wanted to sound like me. I didn't want to be categorized. Meade Skelton had to become Meade Skelton- and well, that took another decade at least. But yes, I had an "Elvis" phase. I think I still do in some ways, but I am more careful not to make someone into an idol. Jesus is my Lord. I also loved how Elvis remembered his faith. "Never call me the King, he said. Only Jesus Christ is King".
And let it be said, I still like Elvis in all his creations. Fat, or thin. But I do think the part that resonates with me the most, is the young , sorta innocent Elvis, as he was starting out, and setting the world on fire. The Pre-Hawaiian , Pre Vegas styled Elvis. Before he became a caricature of himself. That Elvis- is the one I think most people want to remember most.
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