There aren't many pop culture figures who have had as much longevity as Elvis Presley. Lilo molded Stitch into her own little blue version of The King in "Lilo and Stitch." Miley's brother Jackson dressed as Elvis and did his best impression in an episode of "Hannah Montana." A postage stamp with Elvis in the 1990s became an instant collectors' item. An insurance commercial used "A Little Less Conversation." One Direction recreated a “Jailhouse Rock” scene in their "Kiss You" music video. A restaurant in Budapest has a big framed photo of Elvis on the wall. Elvis magnets, purses, shirts, and everything in between can easily be found all over the world. The 2022 film "Elvis" directed by Baz Luhrmann propelled its star Austin Butler to international fame – and to my phone lock screen.
Some of those aforementioned references shaped my early images of Elvis while I listened to a few of his songs on my middle school iPod. I put a magnet of him in my locker at school kind of just to be funny. Mom and I watched Oprah Winfrey interviews with Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley over the years and kept an eye on big milestones like the NBC special commemorating 50 years since Elvis's iconic "68 Comeback Special." A foray into his movies - especially an involuntary flutter of my heart during "GI Blues" - and news of an Elvis biopic in the works a couple of years later cranked up the volume on a lifelong casual enjoyment. The deep dives became more and more frequent. It's a slippery slope, honey.
After two amazing Memphis trips to indulge in my music history nerdiness, I finally made an impulsive trip to this rock n roll city for at least a few days of Elvis Week. The biggest reason was to simply be around young Elvis fans. I had seen handfuls of young fans online, and I wanted to see more of them than I'd see at the few Elvis related events that occurred in my hometown. I told Mom, "I'm going to Elvis Week this August. Join me if you’d like." She said yes and we were off to the Land of the Delta Blues.
After arriving at the Graceland Guest House (the amazing and very Elvis-y hotel right next to Graceland), we immediately began seeing guys of all ages sporting the Elvis pompadour and sideburns. Pretty much everyone else was wearing some piece of Elvis merch. We went to the Guest House pool where I chatted all things Elvis with some 60-something ladies, one all the way from Wales. We saw some 20-something Elvis tribute artists performing before we went to the Fan Meet Up, where I met a shy young guy dressed in 1950s gear who was from Sweden! I told him about my upcoming trip there and he told me which city he's from. I heard some other language coming from a group at the next table too.
We then went to the Meditation Garden at Graceland, which was a way for me to actually walk through the Graceland gates and all the way up to the house instead of the bus drop-off that you get when you book house tours. Somehow, walking through the gates and along the driveway makes you feel like an invited guest rather than a tourist. As usual, fans from all over the world had left memorial items and big displays for the entire Presley family.
The next day was our Memphis bus tour, a way for me to fill in a few gaps in my Memphis sightseeing list. The tour’s hosts were frequent Elvis Week ringleader Tom Brown and VP of Archives and Exhibits Angie Marchese. I instantly recognized Angie’s name from reading articles about everything that went into the 2022 "Elvis" movie. She was excited to see my "It's my first Elvis Week" pin. Later I asked, "You got to meet Austin Butler, right?" She said yes and that they're still friends. My heart!
Among the stops on our Memphis bus tour was The Memphian, a movie theater where Elvis watched countless movies for years. It was one of few places where Elvis could escape the madness of fame and the fans who constantly waited outside the Graceland gates. We learned about how the whole theater staff had to learn what to do when Elvis was coming: Don't let anyone within a few rows of him and his invited friends. Turn the movie off and put on a different one if he tells you to. If he wants to watch a movie not currently showing, he'll get someone to ship the huge reels of film right to the Memphian. He wanted movies late late at night too, but no matter what, anyone working while he was there would get paid — plus bonuses from his own pocket. We got to see the theater's original neon sign, a back entrance that allowed Elvis to discretely slip inside, and a seat from the row Elvis always used. An employee who worked there in the 1970s told us stories about all the Elvis protocol. I doubt that when this guy began working there, he knew he'd have a role in protecting the peace for one of America's biggest icons — or that he'd still be talking about it 50 years later.
The next tour stop was Overton Park Shell, an outdoor performance venue built in the 1930s. In 1954, Elvis did his first ever public performance here just a few weeks after releasing his first song, "That’s All Right." Word had spread about this new hit song, but people definitely still didn’t know what to make of this genre-bending, pink-wearing teenager. His nervous leg shaking during these early shows accidentally became some trademark moves. This venue has seen dozens of other household names too, from the Allman Brothers to Black Sabbath. Overton Park Shell still holds free concerts throughout the year and is right next to the highly rated Memphis Zoo. There are backstage tours even when it's not Elvis Week too.
Our Memphis bus tour also drove past:
- Coletta’s Restaurant, an Elvis favorite
- The Peabody Hotel, where Elvis went to Prom and signed his RCA contract
- Hotel Chisca, former home of the WHBQ radio station that first played an Elvis recording
- St. Jude and other Memphis hospital buildings, many to which Elvis made huge donations and publicly supported alongside St. Jude founder Danny Thomas.
- Beale Street and Sun Records – read about my hyper fixations on these two places here
Toward the end of the tour, we passed by a location connected to Elvis's 10 Outstanding Young Americans award from the U.S. Jaycees, an organization for which Mom worked in the 1980s and ‘90s. This was the only award Elvis ever accepted in person despite receiving three Grammys and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He even brought the trophy on tour with him quite often. Angie played the speech for us on the bus, a speech that always makes me cry. First batch of tears out of the way.
Back at the Guest House, we went to the Fan Celebration event hosted by Tom, Angie, and Dean Z (one of the most famous Elvis Tribute Artists). In a big ballroom, nearly every table was filled at this event where fans got to participate in trivia and see some artifacts like a check Elvis signed and one of his massive rings. Two fans raised their hands when the hosts asked if anyone in the room had kissed Elvis. Both of them saw him in concert during the 1970s and got to kiss him at the shows. Later on I overheard one say she still thinks about that kiss.
The Guest House at Graceland has three special channels built into the TV guide. When we were there, one channel was always showing Elvis's "68 Comeback Special" which meant I could finally see it in its entirety before going to sleep. He performed “Memories,” during the show. Second batch of tears.
For the last day of my Elvis Week shenanigans, we went to the Graceland Soundstage for an author’s talk hosted by Tom with guests Carol Connors, Ann Moses, and Linda Thompson. Carol is a singer-songwriter who co-wrote songs for the movie "Rocky" and singer Dionne Warwick. She spoke about dating Elvis and how much she wished he could have starred in "A Star Is Born" because he would have been nominated for an Oscar. Being taken seriously as an actor was one of his biggest dreams that went unfulfilled. Perhaps filling it, Carol believes, would have saved his life. This led her to touch on the fact that Elvis’s manager Col. Tom Parker was definitely the reason why Elvis became the most famous singer in the world, but his contractual demands prevented Elvis from a nearly guaranteed career highlight in "A Star Is Born." After finding out Elvis died, Carol wrote the song, "You Loved My Night Away," and sang it for us in the crowd. Third batch of tears. Read her book "Elvis, Rocky, and Me" for more.
Ann Moses was a writer for Tiger Beat in the 1960s, a teen magazine that was in print until 2018. She got to interview and even tour with Dave Clark Five, The Monkees, and more. She was not a huge Elvis fan, given that during the 1960s, Elvis’s movie making schedule kept him from remaining in the thick of teen pop culture. But Ann got to attend the taping of Elvis's "68 Comeback Special." Not only did Priscilla Presley sit behind her in the stands at one point, but she also got invited to move down to the front row. She told us that Elvis was relaxed and personable in between songs, chatting to fans and drawing everyone in. She instantly fell in love, took photos with him, and got to see him perform multiple times in the years to come. All of these teen idol and Elvis adventures are chronicled in her book "Meow! My Groovy Life with Tiger Beat's Teen Idols."
The only person I had heard of prior to this talk was Linda Thompson, a Miss Tennessee winner turned award-winning songwriter. She wrote "I Have Nothing" about Elvis, a song that Whitney Houston later recorded. Another of Linda's you've likely heard is "My Grown-Up Christmas List." Linda talked about dating Elvis for a little over four years after he and Priscilla divorced. Among the stories she told that stuck out to me was when she said Elvis confessed to her that he was a lonely person because despite the loyal fans always outside of the Graceland gates, they didn't know the real him. Linda told him that while it is true that fans don't exactly know him, they do love him for more than his looks and talent. They know and love things like, "his generosity, philanthropy, sensitivity, his kindness." Hopefully he took that to heart at some point.
Linda didn't specifically mention many of the things that made it difficult to be Elvis's girlfriend, but any audience of Elvis Week attendees likely already knows. She did explain that she wanted a normal life. She gave herself time to form an identity outside of being the King's ex-girlfriend and time to get that normal life (which was somewhat thwarted by a marriage to Caitlyn Jenner pre-transition) before writing her book "A Little Thing Called Life: On Loving Elvis Presley, Bruce Jenner, and Songs in Between" in 2016.
While in line for these book signings, mom and I talked to some more fans. Two of them were Elvis Week regulars. I mentioned being a young fan, and one of my line buddies said the 2022 "Elvis" film brought tons from my age group to Elvis Week that year. We talked about loving other big names from past decades and how important it is for new generations to keep them alive in the present. Pop culture history goes hand in hand with history in general.
To pass the time before our flight home, we wandered through the Elvis Presley's Memphis museums. While this was our third time, each visit has been different and exhibits are always coming and going. This time around, I overheard a tour guide talking with a girl around my age and her parents. The guide said he got to meet Austin Butler and pointed out a guitar owned by Elvis which Austin played at Graceland. I walked by it twice for extra staring time.
I wanted to get pictures with at least a few of the people dressed up like Elvis before leaving, so I took one with a kid who couldn’t have been more than 15 wearing full-on Elvis regalia. When we went back to the Guest House to catch the airport shuttle, I took a picture with a tribute artist who called himself "Kid Creole." A little girl's parents called him over to say hi to her, but she almost got too shy. I took one more picture with a dressed up fan and we headed to the airport.
I accomplished what I wanted to do, which was to see young Elvis fans. I'm no stranger to liking things that most people my age don’t know much about (The Beatles, Old Hollywood, etc.), but I really wanted to have some hope that pop culture icons of the past don't have to stay in the past – or only stay popular among an aging fan base all getting around with walkers. There were kids as young as 8 and 11 at the Fan Celebration and plenty of 20 somethings even more doomed to a life of Elvis fangirling than me, but I'll still keep doing what I call reverse gatekeeping, which is where I gently nudge everyone around me to get interested in my vintage obsessions. So go listen to some Elvis music! I recommend "Burnin' Love," "Suspicious Minds," and "That’s All Right" to getcha started.
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