Mid January 2004
- Cover Story: Who's breaking into the icon club?
By Shareem Amry
(New Straits Time Online, January 13 2004)
INTERNET wisdom dictates that there's a two-part test to determine if someone is a cultural icon. Firstly, can you dress like them for Halloween? And secondly, can they go by just one name and still enjoy instant recognition? That hardly sounds like a proper formula to measure something as profoundly complex as iconicity, but it works. It reveals the bare bones of what we feel for our icons: The way we're transfixed by their fame, our barely concealed desire to be like them and, sometimes, our ritual of reducing them to a derisive caricature.
To be an icon is to be both loved and envied. Your every mundane move makes headlines, sandwiched between news of war and the latest viral outbreak. It means having millions of people marking the anniversary of your death by lighting candles or maybe even issuing a stamp in your honour. It means transcending run-of-the-mill celebrity and entering a rarified airspace breathed by the likes of Elvis, Monroe and Gandhi. They were a select choice of humanity and they each stood for something, whether it was groundbreaking talent, glamorous sexuality or uncommon courage. At least, that used to be the case. Today's cultural icons are neither rare nor significant in any way, and we are anointing them faster than we can throw out yesterday's newspapers. ...
- Ted Roddy channels Elvis
By Joe Gross
(Austin American-Statesman, January 12 2004)
Much as early Christians divined redemption from Jesus' darkest moments and serious Woody Allen fans find merit in "Another Woman," Ted Roddy seeks, year after year, to celebrate Elvis Presley's oft-denigrated Vegas period. At a packed Continental Club Friday night - the first of four shows over two days - Roddy's King Conjure Orchestra insisted on treating this music not as rhinestone-laden kitsch for the large-hair set, but as music.
Roddy avoids any trappings of fat-Elvis mockery: no comic-book jumpsuit, no fake mutton chops, no accent when he's not singing. It's like watching Chevy Chase imitate Gerald Ford; it doesn't matter that the artist doesn't look like the character, so long as he nails his persona - or, in Roddy's case, The Voice.
Roddy has Elvis's singing style down cold, and his 10-piece band moves fluidly and energetically from rockabilly ("Return to Sender," "Don't Be Cruel") to the near-showtunes ("My Way," "Bridge Over Troubled Water") that sullied Presley's later work. And yes, they opened the 100-minute set by segueing "Thus Spake Zarathustra" into "See See Rider," just as Elvis did back in the '70s. But the set is not costumed tribute or a mockery. Roddy is in love with Presley's work from the late '60s, when the singer, then in his 30s, cut the Memphis-driven R&B he should have making all along. It took a few songs for Roddy (and the audience) to warm up; "Burnin' Love" and "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" were fine, but the band lit up when it hit the good stuff. Roddy is a fan of Mac Davis' work for Elvis, giving the sappy "Don't Cry Daddy" and "In the Ghetto" power and dignity. Later in the evening, a blistering, funky run at Davis' "A Little Less Conversation," got two waitresses to dance on the bar - one had already turned the crowd on, Ann-Margret style, during "Viva Las Vegas" - which in turn got the crowd moving. By the time Roddy closed with the one-two punch of "Suspicious Minds" and "Can't Help Falling in Love," the historical record had been fully revised. Happy birthday, E.
- Give kids a book a month, gov says
By Maureen O'Donnell
(Chicago Sun-Times, January 12 2004)
Instead of a chicken in every pot, he's proposing a book a month for every child. Gov. Blagojevich said lllinois would become the first state in the nation to give kids a free monthly book from birth to age 5 under a plan he unveiled Sunday. ... The proposal - to be in his fiscal year 2005 budget - would cost the state an estimated $26 million in its first year if every eligible child participates. ... Blagojevich, whose religion is Eastern Orthodox, sang along to the gospel choir's rendition of "Lead Me, Guide Me," which has been covered by his musical idol, Elvis Presley.
- Column: Another Chart Milestone for Fab Four
By Fred Bronson
(Yahoo! News / Reuters /Billboard, January 12 2004)
Trends build gradually, but sometimes there are pivotal moments in musical history where change is immediate and profound. If I had to pick the top three pivotal moments in the almost 50-year history of rock'n'roll, I would start with the ascension of Bill Haley & His Comets' "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" to No. 1 on July 9, 1955, the date many historians view as the beginning of the rock era. Then I would choose April 21, 1956, the date Elvis Presley went to No. 1 for the first time, with "Heartbreak Hotel." Finally, I would focus on the Hot 100 published 40 years ago. Dated Jan. 18, 1964, it was this Hot 100 that saw the debut of a British quartet known as the Beatles. ...
- Ghost of Elvis drops in for tea: Actress recalls Presley as studly joker
By Stefanie Holmes
(Go Memphis, January 12 2004)
It's no coincidence Suzanna Leigh held a tea party last week, so close to Elvis Presley's birthday. "The first time I met Elvis he handed me a cup of tea," said Suzanna, a British actress who appeared in movies with Elvis and Tony Curtis, among others. She and her daughter, Natalia-Charlotte Leigh, recently moved to Memphis. Suzanna was on the set of Elvis's movie, "Paradise, Hawaiian Style," in which she played a sexy aviatrix. She was sitting in a chair when she heard someone standing above her say, "I believe you drink a lot of this tea." When she looked up, she saw "a stunningly good-looking man."
... Elvis, whose birthday was Thursday, may have been at the tea party in spirit. "He played a bit of a prank here yesterday," Suzanna said. "We lost something. And everybody was saying, 'Uh-oh, Elvis doing a number.' " John Denny, former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher and a friend/business associate of Suzanna's, lost his wallet at the house. They searched everywhere. Suzanna suspected Elvis, who liked to play practical jokes. I said, "Elvis, if you're doing it again, will you not do it?" They found the wallet in a kitchen drawer. "What's really amazing about this, I went through those drawers three times," John said. "And I know she went through them and Natalia went through them." Suzanna thought Elvis might be getting her back for a prank she played on him when they made their movie together. She dressed up like a little old lady and asked Elvis for his autograph. He fell for it. "Knowing his temper, I panicked. I said, 'It's only me, really.' And he went, 'Come back here.' Then he started laughing and played "Oh! Susanna," on his guitar. ...
- A Rockin' Anniversary: Memphis seizes Elvis' debut to build golden jubilee for rock 'n' roll
By Ron Cobb
(tennessean.com, January 11 2004)
Nobody knows the exact time when rock 'n' roll was born, or the exact place. You might say it wasn't so much born as it just evolved. But Memphis has settled on one day - July 5, 1954 - when 19-year-old Elvis Presley recorded "That's All Right" at Sun Studio. It follows, then, that rock 'n' roll will have its 50th birthday in 2004. Memphis plans to mark the anniversary with a yearlong celebration. It began New Year's Eve with events around Beale Street, the city's renowned entertainment district. When Dick Clark ushered in 2004 with his annual "New Year's Rockin' Eve" on ABC, Memphis had a co-starring role, with cutaways to Beale Street, where Memphis musicians performed on a mainstage at nearby Handy Park. ...
- A Rockin' Anniversary: Memphis seizes Elvis' debut to build golden jubilee for rock 'n' roll
By Ron Cobb
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 11 2004)
Nobody knows the exact time when rock 'n' roll was born, or the exact place. You might say it wasn't so much born as it just evolved. But Memphis has settled on one day - July 5, 1954 - when 19-year-old Elvis Presley recorded "That's All Right" at Sun Studio. It follows, then, that rock 'n' roll will have its 50th birthday in 2004. Memphis plans to mark the anniversary with a yearlong celebration. It began New Year's Eve with events around Beale Street, the city's renowned entertainment district. When Dick Clark ushered in 2004 with his annual "New Year's Rockin' Eve" on ABC, Memphis had a co-starring role, with cutaways to Beale Street, where Memphis musicians performed on a mainstage at nearby Handy Park. ...
- It's good to be the King: Performers pay tribute to Presley at Star Plaza's Elvis Birthday Bash
By TIM SHELLBERG
(The Times, January 9 2004)
Myrna Smith, who with her fellow Sweet Inspirations backed Elvis Presley on vocals for more than a thousand shows in the late '60s and '70s, has seen good and bad attempts by men trying to be the King. "One thing I don't like about singing with some Elvis impersonators is that they never turn it off," she said. "They think they're the reincarnation of Elvis, and that makes me ill. When they do it because they love him and they love the music, that's great. But it's a real turnoff to us when we see them trying to act the role off stage. "(Some of the impersonators) will come up to us and do Elvis' voice, and it's as if they expect us to say, 'Oh. You must be Elvis reincarnated,' " she added. "By the way they act, I think some of them are on the road to insanity." One of six acts scheduled to perform at this year's Elvis Birthday Bash Saturday at Merrillville's Star Plaza Theatre, the Sweet Inspirations already were a vocal force before they crossed paths with the King.
... The Sweet Inspirations performed 1,128 concerts with Presley from 1969 through July 1977, right before his death on Aug. 16. Along with the gospel vocal stylings of the Staple Singers, the Sweet Inspirations performed 15- to 20-minute sets, warming up the crowd before Presley took the stage. The group also continued to pursue its own career, releasing albums and touring when it wasn't riding with the King. "But all we needed to hear was there was a call from Elvis and we canceled all of our dates," Smith said. "We really enjoyed working with him, and that's the kind of loyalty we had. He didn't demand from us, but we just wanted to give him the best performance we could. And he was the same way with us." This year marks the first time the Sweet Inspirations, consisting of original members Smith and Estelle Brown and nine-year vet Portia Griffin, will appear in the Elvis Birthday Bash. It's also the first time for Travis LeDoyt, who portrays mid- to late '50s-era Elvis. ...
- 'Diana put us in reach of a fairytale...'
By Dave Mullany
(iol.co.za / Daily News, January 9 2004)
She perished more than six years ago. Yet Princess Diana continues to dominate world headlines more than any woman dead or alive. Apart from talk of death plots hatched by the prince who once wished he was a tampon, what is it that still makes Diana so universally fascinating - even, paradoxically, in countries that have no particular love of royalty? Perhaps one British headline summed it up best: "She was royal, but she was one of us". ... She was an icon for her age; a living symbol - like Elvis Presley before her - of what even an ordinary person can achieve or become... king or queen of the world if you believe hard enough in the dream. ...
- Motown to release Diana Ross and the Supremes No 1s album
(Ananova, January 9 2004)
Motown is to release a No 1s compilation of hits by Diana Ross and the Supremes. It follows the success of similar compilations of chart-toppers by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, reports Billboard. ...
- Fans mark Elvis's birth
(Irish Examiner, January 9 2004)
Elvis Presley fans looked back to his beginnings as they gathered at Graceland to celebrate the 69th anniversary of his birth. The Elvis faithful are also all shook up this year because of another anniversary - the 50th year since he cut his first record, That's All Right Mama. "If that song hadn't been made, pop culture might not be what it is today," Briton Lee Wood, 30, of Wolverhampton, said. Yesterday, he was among several hundred fans who gathered on the front lawn of Presley's former residence, Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee to sing Happy Birthday and cut a cake. Elvis Presley Enterprises, the business arm of the Presley estate, billed the birthday celebration as the beginning of a yearlong remembrance of That's All Right Mama. The single on the Sun Records label was cut in Memphis on July 5, 1954. Within two years he was at the top of the charts with Heartbreak Hotel and on track to become the king of rock 'n' roll. Presley's estate organised a series of gatherings to mark his birth on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi. Fan meetings also were scheduled with some of Presley's former backup singers and other associates. Presley died in 1977 of heart disease and drug abuse, but new releases of his recordings still sell briskly. The Recording Industry Association of America announced that sales of Presley albums have topped 117 million in the United States, making him the United States' best-selling solo artist.
- Elvis impersonator claims world record for rock 'n' roll marathon
(ABC / Associated Press, January 9 2004)
A German Elvis impersonator has smashed a Guinness world record for singing the King's hits during a more than 40-hour rock 'n' roll marathon.
Radio station Oldie 95 in the northern city of Hamburg said 28-year-old Shezad "Shelvis" Eikmeier had crooned the tunes for 40 hours, eight minutes and two seconds starting with "That's All Right" and wrapping up with the late rocker's rendition of "My Way". Eikmeier complied with the tough rules laid out by Guinness - wearing an Elvis costume, taking only 30-second breaks between songs and pausing for 15-minutes only every four hours.
Shelvis claimed the title on what would have been the legendary hip-swiveller's 69th birthday. The previous official world record was 25 hours and 33 minutes.
- 'Cadillacs' recalls Elvis' giving
By John Beifuss
(fresnobee.com / SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE, January 8 2004)
Each year when Elvis's birthday rolls around like a vinyl platter on a turntable (the King was born 69 years ago today), I try to write about a Presley-related video release. In the past, that's meant coverage of the DVD debuts of such features as "Wild in the Country" (Elvis hits on social worker), "Fun in Acapulco" (Elvis hits on female bullfighter) and "Change of Habit" (Elvis hits on nun). This year, however, the pickings are as dubious as Colonel Parker's passport. In fact, the only Elvisesque release that's come to my attention is "200 Cadillacs," a 63-minute documentary from Image Entertainment devoted to what the DVD's liner notes describe as "the generosity of Elvis."
"200 Cadillacs" was produced and directed by Dan Griffin and "produced and conceived" by singer-songwriter Rex Fowler, who also appears at the end of the film in a musical tribute. Because of the high costs of licensing Presley's recordings, the soundtrack includes no Elvis music. Instead, we hear several Fowler songs. "He loved his Cadillacs/He gave a ton away/200, more or less/Or so the pundits say," Fowler sings in the title track. "Let's Shine a Little Light on Elvis," features these lyrics: "Yes, he got heavy/And he sang some bad songs/But he sang some great ones/Before he passed on." The movie consists mainly of talking-heads-style interviews with recipients of "the King's gift of choice, a shiny new Cadillac." If that seems a slim peg upon which to hang a jumpsuit much less an hour-plus documentary, the film also alludes to such Elvis gifts as TCB (Taking Care of Business) necklaces, mink coats, a yellow Pantera and the dog inventory at a pet store.
Larry Geller, identified as "Elvis' hairstylist and spiritual adviser," remembers that Elvis gave him an "American" Cadillac after telling him to get rid of his "Nazi" Mercedes. A former Denver TV reporter whose report on Presley amused the King testifies that a gift of a Cadillac from Elvis became "an emotional burden" because it caused his journalistic ethics to be questioned. Imagine that!
The imperfect English of Elvis's karate instructor, Kang Rhee, adds welcome spice to the rhetoric. "He thinking I am looking terrible," Rhee says of his most famous student, "so he give to me a leather jacket and many different clothing."
Linda Thompson, described as "Elvis's longtime live-in girlfriend," remembers that "Just the generosity of spirit was appreciated more than the actual gift of the car," she says.
- Elvis Presley Now Best Selling Solo Artist In U.S. History: Catalog Audit Results in 15 New Certifications
(news.com.au, January 8 2004)
With a large crowd of fans gathering to celebrate Elvis Presley's birthday, RCA Records and BMG Strategic Marketing Group, both part of BMG, with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced at a ceremony on the grounds of Graceland Mansion this morning that Elvis Presley now stands as the best selling solo artist in U.S. history. "Elvis Presley, quite simply, is an American icon," said RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Bainwol. "As such an important musical, historical and cultural figure, we're thrilled to be able to make this announcement. We will continue to work closely with BMG to make sure that there will be more exciting news about the Elvis Presley catalog in the near future," concluded Bainwol. "It is incredibly gratifying to have the certifications to back up what many have long held as an article of faith, that Elvis is the best selling solo artist in U.S. history," said Joe DiMuro, Executive Vice President, BMG Strategic Marketing Group. "I'd like to thank the RIAA and our team who worked tirelessly to complete this audit and help secure Elvis' historic achievement."
- Elvis in triplicate: Three, count'em, three full-time professional impersonators will shake up birthday Tribute
By Malcolm X Abram
(Akron Beacon Journal, January 8 2004)
Elvis Aaron Presley has been dead for nearly 30 years and though his legend has been dissected, sullied and attacked, his popularity shows no signs of waning. Sure, it takes a special kind of fan to let loose a primal scream while watching an impersonator, but it takes a special performer to inspire thousands of grown men to cultivate pompadours, curl their upper lips, don jumpsuits and sing 30-year-old songs. The Elvis Birthday Tribute Concert on Sunday at the State Theatre in Playhouse Square in Cleveland has three professional full-time Elvis impersonators who know the difference between homage and caricature and work to provide fans with as authentic an experience as possible. Each will take on a different era of Presley's career. Neil Young once sang that it was better to burn out than to fade away, and in the keep-'em-coming world of rock 'n' roll, that line seems particularly prescient. ... Jim Morrison was a bloated, tired alcoholic trying to pull himself together when he died, but it's the leather-clad mysterious, slightly dangerous Lizard King for which he is remembered. ... But only one rock legend has transcended all of those nebulous rules. Elvis Aaron Presley didn't take Young's suggestion and burn out in a blaze of rock 'n' roll glory. He managed to burn out and fade away, suffer an artistic decline, star in many bad movies and give more than a few bad performances. But the singer is not only deified 27 years after his ignoble death, but has become a cottage industry typified by the Elvis Birthday Tribute Concert. ...
- Bushfires ring Sydney
(news.com.au, January 8 2004)
BUSHFIRES erupted simultaneously today, forming a ring around Sydney as firefighters' worst fears of a flare-up materialised. Authorities had warned extreme conditions of searing temperatures, strong winds and low humidity could spark a wave of bushfires.
As winds picked up to 60kph, dozens of fire crews, tankers and an Elvis style aircrane were deployed to three hotspots around the city. Most resources were pumped into Appin, south-west of Sydney, where property could come under threat if the fire moves out of a gorge. NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) spokesman Cameron Wade said a bushfire which had threatened homes and a school at Cranebrook, near Penrith in Sydney's outer west, was contained late today and crews were mopping up.
- Still a hit: Elvis, 69, gone but not forgotten
By Frank Cassidy
(Canberra Times, January 8 2004, p.8)
Elvis Presley turns 69 today and the millions who still love him tender will be all shook up celebrating the milestone. The fact that he died 26 years ago doesn't seem to faze the King's millions, trekking to his Graceland mansion by the thousands and holding dances, wakes and birthday parties all over the world in his posthumous honour.
In Canberra the celebrations will be low key, impersonator Garry Buckley saying past celebrations suffered from poor attendances as summer beaches and holidays intervened to lure the faithful away. "This is the first time we're not doing anything," Mr Buckley said. "It's a bad time of year". But to a diehard fan like Mr Buckley, Elvis is still the King, the greatest rock 'n' roll performer of all time and he isn't finished yet. "There're only just starting to scratch the surface of how good Elvis was." According to the host of 2XX's Rock 'n' Roll radio show on Saturday afternoons, Don Fisk, Elvis is still a powerful force in popular music. "He's still one of the biggest-selling artists in the world," he said. For local Elvis fans hoping to party with the King, the annual Elvis Revival Festival at Parkes, NSW, this weekend could be their opportunity. ...
- 'Elvis Priestley' rockin' his flock
By Janet Kornblum
(USA Today, January 8 2004)
Nowhere in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer does it say "Thou shalt wear blue suede shoes," but that hasn't stopped the Rev. Dorian Baxter, aka "Elvis Priestley." This Sunday, on the heels of Elvis Presley's birthday Thursday, Baxter celebrates the first anniversary of his self-proclaimed "Christ the King, Graceland Independent Anglican Church of Canada" in Newmarket, Ontario, north of Toronto. Last year, Baxter, an ordained Anglican priest, formed his own church after the Anglican Church of Canada told him to stop imitating Elvis in his services and denied him a license to perform weddings. Baxter, 53, who croons Elvis-style hymns for services but saves the Elvis jumpsuits for receptions, has not been defrocked, something the church does only for "an extremely serious offense," says Susan DeGruchy, assistant to the bishop of Algoma, where Baxter once worked. But he's no longer part of the diocese and his church has no relationship with the Canadian Anglican Church. Since a story about him appeared in USA TODAY last year, he says he has gained legal non-profit status for his church, and currently 80 to 110 people regularly attend Sunday services. Don't let his blue suede shoes fool you. His attire may be all Elvis, but his message is conservative. Baxter disapproves of the U.S. Episcopal Church's first gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson in New Hampshire. "I uphold the traditional teaching of Christianity, which does not approve of same-sex marriage and does not approve of homosexual practice," he says.
- Cary filmmaker's fan project leads to Elvis 'Tribute'
(Gainsvillesun / Associated Press / News & Observer, January 7 2004)
As Elvis Presley fans head to Graceland to honor the 69th anniversary of The King's birth, Ken Vrana will mark the occasion by working on his own "Tribute." The filmmaker has traveled 250,000 miles over the past 3 1/2 years to collect 570 interviews for a documentary about the late rock 'n' roll legend.
As fans mark Presley's birthday Thursday, Vrana will be editing his footage. "Officially, we've completed the interviews," Vrana says. "Unofficially, I still have a wish list of about a dozen 'big' people like Paul McCartney I'll continue to chase, to insert later if I can get them." Vrana plans to release "Tribute" as an 11-hour DVD box set, with a companion coffee-table book. It's not a profit-making venture: Vrana has spent $280,000 on the project so far and says any proceeds will go to charity. He's bankrolled by his wife, Lisa, who works at IBM as a marketing specialist and is also Vrana's film editor. ...
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