Poor man wants the oyster
Rich man wants the pearl
But the man who can sing
When he hasn't got a thing
He's the King...
...of the whole wide World..
Me 'n' Elvis
Here are a few things I've written about Elvis over the last few years -- most originating as posts to newsgroups -- that highlight my interest in a few aspects of his professional and off-stage life
Elvis and the martial arts
One of the legacies of Elvis' two years in the US Army was his introduction to the martial arts, which became a lifelong pursuit. Quite some time ago I wrote a little treatise on Elvis and the martial arts that and posted it to rec.martial-arts (a newsgroup I eventually abandoned because of all the pre-adolescent posturing going on there... a trait it had in common with most of the other newsgroups I've ever perused) in response to a thread about Elvis that was filled with misinformation. I wrote this entirely from memory, and there are a couple of minor factual errors I'm now aware of, but -- until I get around to writing a "real" version -- here it is.
Photos and more information about Elvis Presley, the martial artist
I recently added an additional section to the martial-arts page that includes martial-arts-related photographs of Elvis with copious additional notes that fill in some of the blanks.
Film footage of Elvis Presley, the martial artist
Even more recently, I added something along similar lines that incorporates well over 100 brief video clips that show Elvis in action.
A bit of trivia from the movie years
Elvis' Hollywood career included some incredibly bright moments, and many (characteristically) under-rated performances, but can ultimately be seen as evolving into something detrimental to the way he was perceived in terms of being a "legitimate" artist (who really cares?) and, more importantly, drove him to distraction at times. On the positive side, apart from the fact that most of the movies are enjoyable on some level -- even the ones that fall considerably short of brilliance -- being a prisoner of Hollywood during the '60s at least kept Elvis' bills paid while he bided his time and ensured that he'd be raring to go when he returned to live performing at the end of the decade. I've put together a bit of movie trivia as homage to his celluloid career -- an influential body of work in its own right, particularly as younger film-makers gain power in today's industry, and one that reached out and introduced Elvis to at least a couple of generations of new fans (including this one).
Songs that Elvis is rumored to have performed or recorded
For all the songs that Elvis recorded over his remarkable career, there seem to be as many that he is rumored to have recorded or performed live. Some of the titles may be wishful thinking, but other long-rumored songs have appeared in recent years, so you never know what's coming around the bend.
Unusual songs that Elvis did on stage, 1969-77
In the '70s, Elvis was backed by an incredibly talented group of musicians, who were able to follow his lead as if by telepathy. Elvis would often hit them with a "one-off" song from out of left field, or segue from one song to another, and they followed as valiantly as they could. I've compiled a list of some of the songs that Elvis did live during this period that were either not part of his regular repertoire or that were songs he'd never done before, live or in the studio.
Elvis' coolest jumpsuits
Direct from the 1970s, check out (what I think are) Elvis' coolest stage get-ups...
Prehistoric birds and sundials
Elvis' later problems with jumpsuit selection
Photo montage -- concert at the Los Angeles Forum, November 14, 1970 (evening show)
Speaking of cool...Elvis' appearances in Los Angeles on this 1970 tour were particularly so.
A brief introduction to Elvis' life (Elvisology 101)
Elvis links
 | [ Previous | Next | Next 5 | Random site ]
| 
|