Chris' Person of the Month: Elvis Presley

To me, there are three artists that transcend every other music act that came before and after them. Artists that were, for lack of a better word, perfect. They were unparalleled in their ability to entertain, and the art they made has influenced every person that has ever picked up a musical instrument or a microphone since: Michael Jackson, The Beatles, and Elvis Aaron Presley.

For one thing, Elvis was at the forefront of the Rock music movement, so you can essentially thank him for popularizing the genre that gave you bands like The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Nirvana, and so on. If you ask artists like Dr. Dre, Bad Charlotte, or Lady Gaga, I guarantee you they would cite Elvis as an inspiration.

Rock wasn't the only thing he was good at... he helped revolutionize a new type of music, now known as "Rockabilly" (a rock/country/R&B hybrid), which is still played by many bands throughout not only the south, but the entire country. My favorite band, Drive-by Truckers, owe a lot to Mr. Presley.

Elvis also loved gospel music, and his recordings from that genre won him his only three Grammy Awards. His 1968 comeback special was the highest-rated television broadcast of that year. His concert Aloha from Hawaii is still the most viewed musical performance in history, with approximately 1.5 billion people tuning in. All told, he's the best-selling solo artist in the history of music. And he made a few decent movies. There's a reason for that: he's the fucking King.

Because of his meteoric rise in popularity, he helped to foster an appreciation of the black culture's music in a time when blacks were still fighting for their equality. This, amongst his other accomplishments, not only makes him one of the greatest musical acts in the history of the world, it makes him one of history's most important cultural figures.

And, after all, who else has ever been worthy of having thousands of people earn a living by impersonating them?

I just happened to be visiting Graceland when they were releasing his US postage stamp, and my mother was even interviewed for the local Memphis news about it. When I got the stamp, it was a transcendent moment in my life. After all, I was at the man's house. How much more close can you get to chilling with someone posthumously as you get a postage stamp with their face on it? It may sound silly, but I felt like I was a part of history, like The King and I shared a moment.

Michael Jackson may be my favorite entertainer of all-time, but the other half of my heart will always belong to The King. Like Mia and Vincent talk about in a deleted scene from Pulp Fiction, I'm an Elvis man.

BEST ALBUMS:
Instead of going through his vast library of releases, I'll just list the two best compilations you can get. They're both extensive collections of his best work, and I personally own them both: ELV1S (2002) and 2nd to None (2003)

BEST FILMS:
Jailhouse Rock (1957), King Creole (1958), Kissin' Cousins (1964), Viva Las Vegas (1964), Girl Happy (1965), Elvis on Tour (1972), This is Elvis (1981), *Bubba Ho-tep (2002)

QUOTES:
"Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine."

"Every time I think that I'm getting old, and gradually going to the grave, something else happens."

"From the time I was a kid, I always knew something was going to happen to me. Didn't know exactly what."

"I don't think I'm bad for people. If I did think I was bad for people, I would go back to driving a truck, and I really mean this."

"I happened to come along in the music business when there was no trend."

"I knew by heart all the dialogue of James Dean's films. I could watch Rebel Without a Cause a hundred times over."

"I like entertaining people. I really miss it."

"I never expected to be anybody important."

"I'm so nervous. I've always been nervous, ever since I was a kid."

"I'm trying to keep a level head. You have to be careful out in the world. It's so easy to get turned."

"More than anything else, I want the folks back at home to think right of me."

"People ask me where I got my singing style. I didn't copy my style from anybody."

"Rhythm is something you either have or don't have, but when you have it, you have it all over.

"The colored folks been singing it and playing it just like I'm doin' now, man, for more years than I know. I got it from them."

"The image is one thing and the human being is another. It's very hard to live up to an image."

"There are too many people that depend on me. I'm too obligated. I'm in too far to get out."

"Too much TV hurts movies."

"Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away."



* - Obviously, Bubba Ho-tep didn't star Elvis, but it contains a loving recreation by my main man Bruce Campbell. Hail the the King, baby.