The Elvis Enigma

A couple of days ago was the 33rd anniversary of the passing of Elvis Presley. Marc Myers from the Wall Street Journal wrote an interesting article entitled, "The Elvis Enigma" and I would like to share that article with you along with some videos of Elvis to commemorate his legacy.

By MARC MYERS


Memphis, Tenn.

As Elvis Week wound down Sunday night, nearly 20,000 fans held a candlelight vigil outside the gates of Graceland. Yet the question hanging in the 100-degree heat was why so many of these same fans continue to celebrate the life of a man who died on Aug. 16, 33 years ago—before some of them were even born.

Elvis Presley

From afar, it's easy to write off the 29th annual event as a gathering of freaky Elvis Presley wannabes and silly like-minded vacationers stuck in a polyester time warp. But after a multiday visit, you quickly learn that both assumptions are unfair and completely miss the point.

Elvis Week is a pilgrimage by fans of Presley's music and his life as America's most charismatic and fatalistic phenomenon. But those who return annually seem to be on a secondary mission: To better understand why Presley is so captivating. The question is unanswerable, of course, but that doesn't stop them from trying.

"Elvis is infinitely mysterious," said June Balish, 49, a medical editor from Brooklyn, N.Y. who has attended Elvis Week for 14 years with her husband Rob. "He's the only star who touches your mind, heart and sexuality all at once—and you never really fully figure out why."

With Presley, there's certainly plenty to mull over. Like no other performer, he delivered an almost kaleidoscopic range of stage personalities. During his 23-year career, there was the country blues singer, the hip-swiveling rocker, the movie star, the leather-clad rebounder, the gospel singer, the soul balladeer, the Las Vegas headliner and jump-suited touring act. During his down time, there were nearly as many enigmatic sides—from aw-shucks innocent to pill-dependent recluse.

As a rock property, Elvis is still very much in the building. Warner Home Video just issued a remastered version of "Elvis on Tour," the powerful 1972 documentary, on DVD. And RCA/Legacy on Oct. 19 will release "The Complete Elvis Presley Masters," a 30-CD box set for $749 that includes a 240-page book with an essay by Presley biographer Peter Guralnick.

This year, an estimated 40,000 people attended Elvis Week. Many participated in the 15 organized events that included a 5K run-walk, two panel discussions of Presley's significance, an "American Idol"-like judging of Elvis tribute artists, a Sunday morning outdoor gospel concert, the candlelight vigil and a showing of the newly restored "Elvis on Tour" at the Orpheum, a 2,300-seat Memphis movie theater built in 1928.

For many returning fans, Graceland remains the first essential stop. Tours of the 38-room limestone mansion—purchased by Presley in 1957 for $100,000 and named for the previous owner—attracted an average 3,000 visitors a day last week.

"No matter how big you think Elvis is, he always turns out to be even bigger," said Barbara McLean, 64, a custom wedding-cake designer from Ottawa who has returned for the past 15 years. "Every year, I think I've finally figured it all out, but I haven't. He just keeps growing on you."

On Saturday, across Elvis Presley Boulevard, a tent show of Presley sound-alikes felt more like a family reunion than a free concert for 500. Jim Hamilton, a retired utility-plant worker, has been driving down from Baltimore with his wife in a 1959 Pink Cadillac for the past 15 years. "Elvis was complicated, so you need a lot of time to make sense of him," he said.

Friends are particularly easy to come by here. Striking up a conversation with random people lining up for events can result in the instant exchange of addresses and even generous offers of lifts around town. Everyone seemed eager to talk about Presley's appeal—if only to air their views on the King's popularity and listen to what others thought.

At Sun Studio, where Presley made his first demo in 1954, visitors receive a smart crash-course in rock 'n' roll history. Soon the tour winds up in the very studio where Presley recorded his five Sun 45-rpms. You can even hold the original Shure 55 microphone. "Many people return because Elvis is a connection to a simpler, gentler time," said Jayne White, 27, the museum's public relations director.

The week's high point was the screening of the remastered "Elvis on Tour," a film long out of circulation and a large piece of the Presley puzzle. Camera crews in 1972 had access to Presley on stage, in green rooms and in the back of stretch limos. The result was an unfettered and revealing look at Presley's rich gospel side, his sizzling performing power and popularity, and even his ongoing battle with stage fright.

"I became familiar with Elvis through my mom," said Jamie Mabe, a 32-year-old Houston attorney who has attended Elvis Week with her mother for the past four years. "You feel so close to Elvis's story here. He seems so vulnerable and sensitive, I don't think he ever felt truly loved."

And yet the question remains—what is it about Presley that compels the same people to flock to Memphis each August? Perhaps it's something else, something more. "Down here, Southern hospitality has become a tourist attraction," said Mitchell Johnson, 49, a 1970s Elvis impersonator from Vardaman, Miss. "Elvis is simply the soundtrack."

Mr. Myers writes about jazz, R&B and rock daily at JazzWax.com.

 

What else is there to say but goodnight and goodnight to you Mrs. Amore, wherever you may be