It is one of my earliest and clearest childhood memories…. 30 years ago today, Elvis Presley died and his death stunned America and changed popular culture forever more.
I remember watching our local TV news (Philadelphia suburbs) where the other big story that day was a state budget impasse in Harrisburg. Like now, back then our “mainstream media” didn’t seem to “get it” either — our local NBC affiliate pre-empted network coverage of Elvis’ death in favor of “Special Reports” on the state budget. As now, the media seems to think the end-all-and-be-all of America is our Government. Wrong… it is our People.
And one of our most searing American icons was one of We, The People: Elvis Presley.
Yes, he got caught up in the fame (many of our fellow We, The People have also suffered that fate throughout our history) and he isn’t exactly a role model of good living for our youth. But my goodness…. talk about the “small town boy makes it” story coming true!! The man individually changed American music and many of our current artists in many genres have been inspired by, or pay homage to, Elvis Presley.
I think there is another reason Elvis’ music and memory are linked to my childhood. My Mom was (is) an adoring Elvis fan and she introduced me to his music and life story. Thanks Mom!
So, I had to pause a moment to acknowledge this important American historical and pop culture moment. For more on “Elvis Week” and marking the “Summer of Elvis”, CLICK HERE.
Elvis Presley would have been 72 had he lived. Some say he is 72.
Long live The King.
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
Sure, Whatever.
OT: AFP follows up on its Magic Bullets photo from yesterday with another piece of pro-terrorist propaganda. 😉
Good news for Scott Beauchamp. He may be washed up here, but he has an excellent future prospect writing for the AFP or the BBC… or Al Jazeera.
And to think, now I’d (almost) be willing to give up a testicle so that I could hear “Breaking News” about a budget impasse instead of about any number of Oxygen Thieves such as Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, no [insert name of useless no talent “celevrity” here] in the MSM.
Of course, Elvis was really just on a completely different plane, wasn’t he? The King is dead! Long Live the King!
I remember Elvis’ death chiefly because he was scheduled to give a concert here in Maine. My aunt waited in line for the August 17, 1977 concert at the then brand new Cumberland County Civic Center. Elvis’ staff were already at the Sheraton hotel in South Portland. My aunt still has (as do hundreds more Mainers) the tickets for the concert that never was.
I remember when Elvis died and from the way the MSM acted (there were only 3 big networks at the time), you would have thought Ford had been assassinated.
Still, he was and still is a huge impact on American culture. I’m going to have a big peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich for him today.
RIP, Elvis.
Regards,
Peter H.
#6
Have you had the Elvis banana flavored Reces peanut butter cups?
At any rate, I was 5 when he “died” and have no memory of it. Don’t know what I was doing instead, but it probably had something to do with jumping from my desk to my bed or hanging out in my closet.
Last I saw, Elvis was the head butcher at the Clinton, MS. Kroger. I played football with his son in HS. I moved from MS 15 years ago, so I don’t know what he’s up to now.
4: Seriously, could someone tell me the difference between the “MSM” and the media conservatives approve of? I ask because it’s every media outlet that seems to lead with Britney, Lindsey, Paris and just about any bimbo getting out of a limo and showing her hoochie these days.
and Happy 49th Birthday to the reigning Queen of Pop! Yep, Madonna’s birthday is Elvis Presley’s death date.
We live in a strange world.
I saw the last Elvis concert in Detroit. It was the saddest thing. I wasn’t a huge fan, but some friends and I went more out of curiousity. But the whole thing was a sham. He didn’t finish one song. Mumbled a lot and even had others hold his guitar as he attempted to play. He had constant idiotic banter with his on stage backup singers as well. As we were leaving the one hour concert even his most loyal fans seemed stunned by the performance. I wished I’d have seen Elvis more in his prime. His impact on music I think was unmatched. My generation saw the likes of Joplin, Hendrix, Morrison and Elvis leave us much too early. I’m not sure much has changed. And few lessons were learned about abuse of alcohol and drugs in the entertainment industry.
“They drummed you out of Hollywood, so you come crawling back to Broadway. But Broadway doesn’t go for booze and dope–now get out of my way, I’ve got a man waiting for me!” Helen Lawson – Valley of the Dolls
The King could have taken some good advice from Miss Lawson, instead of dying drunk and drugged up on the privvy.
Speaking of Hendrix, Joplin etc. (and sorta on topic), Ted Nugent had a brilliant piece in the WSJ on 4 July. Here’s a snippet:
Gladly. “mainstream media” refers to all traditional media outlets (newspapers, magazines, and television news.) Conservatives don’t disapprove of all the mainstream media, just those that are unable to control their bias and report the facts. “New Media” refers to blogs and other internet news sources that are not simply an extension of the mainstream media, like a newspapers website, and talk radio, which emerged out of the need for balancee.
Study after study has shown that approximately 85-90% of those working in the “mainstream” media outlets are liberal. Further studies confirm that the vast majority of them say they went into the news business, not to report the facts, as one would hope they would say, but to “make a difference” which by definition means “activism”. And it shows.
The more their bias shows, the less conservatives trust them. Special Report with Brit Hume, for instance, contrary to the histrionics and demonization of the left, has been shown to be the more fair and balanced” than either ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, or MSNBC.
I couldnt help but laugh my ass off at a post over at Pams houseblend where they held up a Pew poll saying how people who watch Fox News are overwhelmingly skeptical of the media, and the majority of liberals who watch CNN believe everything theyre told–and she thought this was something to be proud of! “HEY everyone! we’re spoonfed mindless lemmings and proud of it!”
Conservatives on the other hand know everyone has a bias, and it takes reading the news from multiple points of view to actually get at the truth.
Liberals on the other hand are in the business to sway public opinion, deny their bias and resist any attempts to provide balance. Mark Halperin, who at the time was the Political Director of ABC News (perhaps most famous for telling his reporters and producers to favor Kerry in their coverage) admitted on the Michael Medved that the MSM is overwhelmingly liberal–and said its something they need to address. Then a caller called in and asked, if the people in your newsrooms are overwhelmingly liberal, wouldnt the best way to correct the problem be to hire an equal number of conservative journalists? …Halperin quickly replied, “oh, no, I dont think thats the solution”.
And that pretty much sums up the difference between liberals and conservatives. Liberals see news as activism and have zero interest in the facts, they form an opinion, then look for the “facts” to support it and ignore everthing that doesnt. Conservatives seek out *all* the facts and then form their opinions based on them.
Somewhat true there Will, but a little broadly painted. There are also conservatives who “see news as activism… form an opinion, then look for the “facts” to support it and ignore everthing that doesnt.”
What’s bad about the MSM is they’ve just gotten so egregious and blatant about it. As the Baby Boom (1960s, post-modern) generation has come into power in the MSM, and as new media critics have simulaneously gotten more critical and aggressive, the MSM has descended into silliness. American Thinker has a great catalog that people linked to alot yesterday, of MSM silliness.
Now, Elvis. What I came to say. Good article on TCS daily from the Instapundit himself, on how Elvis compares and contrasts to Hitler. They were both fantastic at putting on a show for the masses. But one was, well, Hitler. He sort of, well, turned people into Nazis. The other wasn’t / didn’t.
P.S. Further thought: And there is equally a LOT of silliness in New Media. So nothing is perfect. But in the blogosphere, people correct each other (or kick each other’s virtual rear ends) in real time. The arguments are more like real arguments: more visible, more acknowledged. The MSM, by and large (but not always), pretends to be unbiased… pretends it is still “the” voice of truth… etc. Ridiculous.
“As now, the media seems to think the end-all-and-be-all of America is our Government. Wrong… it is our People.”
I can’t say I remember the coverage of Elvis’s death–I was five–but a few years later, the Philadelphia media were a goldmine of good-natured, mischievous coverage of pop icons. I’ll never forget Sheela Allen Stevens’s (though I think she was still just Sheela Allen then) priceless report in which she tried to contrive a DIY Michael Jackson glove by gluing two pieces of glittery fabric together. The result looked like an oven mitt from Joan Collins’s kitchen. Or someone’s–I swear it was Cherie Bank, though I have no idea why a health reporter would be doing this–methodically explaining the streety origins of Madonna’s original lace-and-tons-of-costume-jewelry look.
And shouldn’t commonwealth residents care about the budget?
American Thinker has a great catalog that people linked to alot yesterday, of MSM silliness.
I had no idea that there was so many examples of journalistic malpractice out there. What’s staggering is the number since 2000.
That reminds me of a Mass Casualty Incident instructor I had once. He was part of the body recovery crew after that ValuJet crash in the Glades. He told us they had CNN booted for filming the remains that had been recovered from the site.
What happened to reporters going out to find the news? Now they hang out and wait for the DNC, al-Qaeda, Hizbollah etc. to write it for them. Or they just make it up. And we’re supposed to unquestioningly believe their coverage of Bush and/or Iraq based on what??
I didn’t become an Elvis fan(atic) until I joined the USMC. (Ooh rah!)
The good ole boys from the South were great Elvis fans. They listened to him constantly. I discovered his music, his life, and his legacy.
For me, his best work is his gospel music. Words fail me …
Elvis was a tool of the conservatives to distract the youth from helping the poor!!!!
Down with Elvis, up with Yani!!!
right?
🙂
#18
Sooooo…..Elvis is you excuse as to why the $1 TRILLION+ “war on poverty” is a colossal disaster?
Yawnni? That’s a liberal tool to make people commit suicide for listening to that crap. That or bore them to death.
What’s Yawnni done for the poor? Zip, Zero, Nada.
Elvis was the Tool of the Man!
Yanni = Freedom!!
#21
If there were any doubt that you’re nucking futz… well there it is.
Apparently you have to live in a trailer park to be a patriot.
elvis was the king of rock and roll and we rember him even now. no one can beat him he may have died but he still lives on, in his family and fans hearts!!!!!!!!!!!! WE LOVE ELVIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
REST IN PEACE KING OF ROCK OF AND ROLL