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Mental meanderings of an old man

A much needed guide for old farts (who still have it) about doing the wild thing past, present and future. With helpfull insight into the hurt and confusion that wasting 23 years on being married can bring.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Long live the King.

Apart from pulling my balls out at work, fixing friends computers and giving advice and comfort to vulnerable women who have reached a watershed in their relationships, I manage Eric Summers. Eric is an Elvis impersonator and tribute artist.

He is good too, actually he is very good, far better I have to say than many of the Elvis tribute artists around these days. Most think that all they have to do to become the king is to don a white jump suit, grow their sideburns and snarl sentences like “Aha, Than yu vary much and whoa moma”. Eric on the other hand has closely studied hours of video and film, listened to hundreds of the Kings recordings and spent more time in front of a mirror than Paris Hilton.

One of the sad things about most Elvis impersonators is that they actually think they are Elvis. It’s not so much an impersonation as a way of life, which is fine if that’s what you want but embarrassing for everybody else. Once at an Elvis convention/competition in Blackpool I was stood with a group of Elvis’s (Very bizarre) and they were trying to outdo each other, good fine healthy competition you might think, but some of these guys were talking in real life like Elvis. It didn’t stop when the competition was over, they spoke to everyone like that, competition organiser, hotel staff, taxi drivers, I even saw one mini king try to chat a girl up at the bar saying “Hi baby, I’m the King ya wanna be my queen”. Her reply? “F**k off tosser”.

Sometimes when people phone me to ask about Eric’s availability they ask, “Is that Elvis” I used to answer “No I’m afraid Elvis is dead, may I help you”. I stopped that though, inevitably they would be incensed that I had mentioned Elvis and death in the same sentence and waffle on for hours about how the king was not dead and never would be whilst he still had millions of enduring fans. Some even believed that he was still alive and resting somewhere free from the bustle of the entertainment industry. They didn’t hesitate to let me know either, but we have all heard of that before, many sightings of him are testament to that fact.

I sort of get it in a way, he was a one off and very unique which is one reason I suppose for his continued popularity, and if you cant have the real thing then why not the next best, an Elvis impersonator. Or as most prefer to be called Tribute artist. The latter gives it an air of authenticity that the former could never have. But at the end of the day whatever you call it, the King is dead and if he lives it’s in the hearts of his many fans world-wide who recognise what a great man he was.

Labels: Elvis presley, impersonator, rock and roll, The King, tribute artist

posted by Dave G at 3:26 pm

15 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

As someone who shares the same last name as Elvis - and who, as a result, receives a huge number of his phone calls... I can assure anyone reading this post, like I have assured all those callers, that Elvis is indeed dead.

If he was not I would be pounding his door down and ordering him to take his own damn phone calls!

3:40 pm  
Blogger Dave G said...

Lydia
It would seem you have it worse than I do, but it would have been absolute hell if your parents had Named you Elvisena.

3:55 pm  
Blogger Elaine Denning said...

There is something very wrong with people who become so obssessed, that they spend their entire lives living in a fantasy world. I know he was great and all that, but their has to be a limit, surely?

A good tribute artist though, is a pleasure to see.

Long live Holiday Camps!

6:12 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dave -

You'd be surprised how many people would actually get upset upon hearing that none of my brothers are named Elvis and none of my sisters are named Priscilla or Lisa Marie. People take it really personally!

8:52 pm  
Blogger KAZ said...

I loved Elvis (when he was young and sexy).
Aged about 13 - I copied all his tracks on reel to reel from the local butcher's LPs.
And one of my best nights was in Gorton watching an Elvis impersonator/tribute person.
Do you ever hear 'Ask Elvis' on Steve Wright's show?

9:41 pm  
Blogger Dave G said...

miss understood
Perhaps they fall short of their own ideal and see some one elses personality as a refuge, thing is they need to know that nobody deas Elvis as well as Elvis did.I never liked holiday camps as a child but I love em now, so tardy it hurts.

lydia
I'm sure your brothers and sisters are more relieved than you dear, there are however people out there that do name kids with a view to making school life hell.

Kaz

I was never a fan of Elvis during my youth though I did come to appreciate him through managing Eric and I now recognise his talent.
Steve wright I'm afraid leaves me cold, you however are a constant source of heat in my mundane existance.

12:46 pm  
Blogger KAZ said...

OO Dave - that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.

5:26 pm  
Blogger Dave G said...

Kaz
I find that hard to believe dear, I think your just saying that cos you know I'm a pushover.

5:29 pm  
Blogger Mike said...

There's a lady who lives not too far away from me who's a big Elvis fan. Every year for charity she organises an Elvis tribute night in Lichfield. Elvis tributes flock from all over the country and have even been known to come over from America. I've never been to see it because it's never really been my cup of tea but it's proven to be a fantastic and successful night. The lady is very poorly now and sadly unlikely to be organising another similar event, but I admire all her dedication over the years.

10:08 pm  
Blogger Dave G said...

Mike
Such is the impact that Elvis had on the world, its no real wonder that people want to emulate him, sadly the amount of people who fall short of their goal is legion. That’s not to say they shouldn’t do their best or have a good time doing it. But there are lots of professional Elvis tribute artists out there that give the game (As it were) a bad name, and for those that are in the game to earn money (And the money that can be earned is huge) they can at times blur the lines. It’s a shame that the lady you speak of isn’t well and can no longer stage her annual event. It sounds like she has given pleasure to many people over the years, but I’m sure there is a Colonel Parker waiting somewhere in the wings to pick up the flag when she falls. Money has that effect on people.

10:51 am  
Blogger Around My Kitchen Table said...

We have an Elvis tribute performer near where I live. He won some GMTV competition a few years back and was promised a big national tour etc, which never materialised. I felt really sorry for him as he's very good and a really nice chap - a lorry driver with lots of kids!

5:08 pm  
Blogger Dave G said...

around my kitchen table
I'm sure he is a nice bloke, but how does he find the time to be Elvis with all those kids?

11:04 am  
Blogger The British Bird. said...

Elvis, unfortunately was just a product of his enviroment and the very many "hangers on" in his conga line of so called minders. Yes he was a very talented man, and clean and sober, he would have been even more amazing, but he died on the crapper, in a pool of his own vomit. A sad end, and one many other stars with lesser talent are doomed to repeat.

2:22 pm  
Blogger Dave G said...

the british bird
Sadly I have to agree.

3:48 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

While Elvis may be dead, it's been 30 years since the passing of the King and it's time to celebrate in his honor.

Put on your rhinestone jumpsuit and join Elvises from across the nation in downtown Minneapolis on Friday the 17th. Be part of history. Imagine the media coverage. Local. National. World. Blogs. YouTube. Helicopters. Elvis fans alike will be dressed up as the King himself on Nicollet Mall in the heart of the city, competing in the Running of the Elvises (it's only 2 blocks, the way the King would have wanted it).

The event is free and you just might win a trip to Las Vegas.

Get all the details at: http://www.RunElvisRun.com

Know other Elvis fans? Please forward this on.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

3:30 pm  

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