On Elvis

Let's face it, much of the younger generations have written off Elvis and his music as outdated, cheesy, and or irrelevant. They don't recognize the sneer and swagger and soul that changed the world and began the culture war that continues to this very day.

I know what side of the war that I represent. I'm on the rock and roll team. I'm on the Memphis squad. I'm also on the soul team, especially in times of worry. Elvis may very well be the greatest gospel singer of all time. His voice captures the always reassuring spirit that lingered in his heart along with the more famous lip curl, the swagger, the thrusts and the sneer. He dialed all of that back when he went spiritual.

I saw the real Elvis twice live in my hometown of Rochester, New York. The city was electrified when news came that Elvis was coming to town. Thank God my brother Deke was first in line in a line that stretched for blocks and required an overnight sleep-in to get the tickets. Elvis was magneic on the stage, his voice still wondrous but his movements were subdued as he was now the fat Elvis. He was in his death spiral but still blew away the crowd.

He came back in 1977, He put Rochester on his schedule some say in order to get some work done at Strong Memorial hospital. He was further down the mortal road yet 77 concert was clearly better than the first one. Elvis was still in command when he was on the stage and by the time he "left the buiding" our town was shaking and reverberating in his wake in his wake.

Two months later, he was dead.

The legend of the fat Elvis took over. 

Yesterday, we went to see Baz Lurman's new film Elvis, stariin Tom Hanks as Col. Parker and Ausitn Butler as Elvis. Butler channels Elvis as we 1950's fan rememeber him. Mania...charisima, authenticity, eroticism, energy, talent, rebellion exploding in a way that changed all of us forever. 

Col Parker is one of the great villains of American culture, the way he manipulated Elvis and gradually turned him into a neurotic, drug addicted, carboholic. Fortunately, Luhrman doesn't dwell on the King's decomposition. Some people complain because they think the movie let's Elvis off easy. I'm not on that team. I need a refresher of the Elvis who influenced my life. The Elovis whose "every dream" had come true ten fold. The Elvis who helped us all to dream and to follo our dreams as much as we dared. The Elvis I considered a personal friend. That Elvis.

My daughter Mary has paid attention to me when I've told her about the music that we loved. She has as much love for Elvis as might be expected from any 30 year old who wasn't alive for the revolution. She's watched his movies which for the most part are a pale imitation of the fury he brought with him when he was shaking, rattling and rolling before getting roped into the Army. I'm thrilled to death that Luhrman captured a thunderous, arousin remnant of that energy which I hope validates to Mary and  younger generations why Half of America went nuts over Elvis while the other half thought of him as a threat (which of course he proved to be to them) as he changed the face of American culture at a moment when the baby boomers, the first generation to have teevee womb to tomb, veered away from Howdy Doody and Pat Boone into the back alleys of Little Richard, Big Mamma Thornton...heartbreak hotels and hound dogs.

Lurhman captures that spirit and moves it to Las Vegas, which Elvis also energized although he stayed too long at that particular fair and never made it to England. Every night in Las Vegas, they still play "Viva Las Vegas" and Elvis comes alive on the strip.

Butler and Baz focus on the "Christmas" special in which Elvis reintroduced himself with a vengeance to America and teevee. The highlight of that showstopping performance and perhaps my favorite of all Elvis tunes is/was/always will be "If I could dream".

Today, we're still in search of the land of which Elvis dreamed and it seems to be getting further and further away every day.

Yet, once again, we Americans are getting one more chance as we re-examine the tumult of the Trump presidency but we need to address our troubles RIGHT NOW.

I found myself in tears several times during the movie, introspecting like mad and taking the measure of my life. Have I done enough? Did I follow my dream. Have I given up? Have we? Did we take care of business.

Butler gives a startling performance. It's hard to take your eyes of the guy as he's got so many of the King's mannersims down cold. He stops time in its tracks while simultaneously reminding how much of it has passed and the sands of time wait for no man.

Hanks gives his best performance in years. It's easy to forget that this is Tom Hanks playing the Colonel. It's more like the Colonel playing the colonel and that, my friends, is acting.

Butler has the role of a lifetime and he nails it with respect and appropriate magnetism.

Lynn and I don't always agree on movies but we BOTH loved this one and equally were stunned by it. 

Finally, a great Elvis movie.

Go see it.

Watch Elvis rip it up.