At Herself's urging we watched a long programme featuring Elvis Presley a night or two back.
Middle-period Elvis, before he became obese and permanently stoned on downers and uppers, you couldn't even see his corset although there probably was one.
He was a good-looking boy in an overblown way, but the clothes - white from top to bottom, with trailing tassels and stuff - were truly appalling. What's more he couldn't move and had no sense of rhythm. I'm better myself. The other bad thing was that he sang all the numbers live... the band was fine but he was utter rubbish and well out of tune.
An ecstatic theatre full of old biddies was the audience. He kept leaning down from the stage and kissing them. I was afraid his rug might fall off.
Colonel Tom Parker had a lot to answer for. I trust he's buried with a stake through his heart.
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He was good for a while...his ex is now feasting on his memory - you know the one with the plastic face..
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Parker was a Dutch rogue not proud of him really.
I liked Elvis so many good songs.Fats Domino another favourite.
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>> Fats Domino another favourite.
Now you're talking Dutchman. Fats Domino was the real thing. At the risk of sounding even more curmudgeonly, I'd say the Elvis machine was a white racist backlash, an attempt to appropriate black dance music and play down the black sources of that music (I don't mean Elvis was racist, but I bet the Colonel was).
(ducks and heads for cover)
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>> He was good for a while.
Yes, terrific when young. But the early discs were properly engineered, not recorded live. Makes all the difference.
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Like a lot of artists, Elvis was overwhelmed by his agent or record label execs and marketed as a commodity rather than being able to shine with natural talent.
Why else would he have made those godawful films.
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Elvis - MD
