Monday, May 31, 2010

Memorial Day Elvis Style

One afternoon upstairs in Elvis’ bedroom at Graceland, he and I were talking about his mother’s passing in 1958. It was the most turbulent, disoriented and confusing time in his life: drafted into the Army, leaving the career that had exploded two years earlier, uncertain what the future would bring.
 
“Man, you can’t believe what I was goin’ through back then. I mean everything was just crashing in on me at once, every dream I ever had. Just when everything was going my way, the Army calls me. My career came to a screeching halt; all the movies I was starring in, TV, my records, everything. I actually thought that nobody would remember me after I served my time, that I’d be a flash–in–the pan. You know, people would say, “hey, remember that guy, the one that used to shake his body, what’s his name?”
 
Then the first thing they do when I’m inducted is buzz my hair off!” Elvis shook his head incredulously. “Can you imagine that, Larry, my hair? Then, when I’m struggling to deal with everything, my mom suddenly died! My mom was the light of my life, my best friend; I mean, she’s the one I could always go to...man, no matter what. That’s a blow you can never really get over.”
 
“But not matter what happened and all that, I’m glad I served my country, Larry. I love America; where else can you dream the impossible dream? Believe me, no one knows better than I do. I’ve lived that dream. My mom kept tellin’ me, even when we had nothing, that I could be anything I wanted to be, if I tried hard enough.”
 
And I’ll tell you this; I didn’t have to go into the army like the way all the other guys did.  They told me that if I wanted to I could be in a special service unit; you know, represent the army and tour the other bases in the world, talk to the guys, maybe entertain and sing.  I didn’t even have to think about it.  I flat turned their offer down.  I wanted to be a role model, and let everyone know that I was just like every other guy.”
 
Elvis had a strong sense of history and was proud of his Southerner’s traditional love of country. He drew his energy and strength from the American soil and its people. “Sure, America’s not perfect, but it’s the best hope we have for this world. I mean, who else is as free as we are? People will do anything to get here; some even die. America represents hope for this world. I’m proud to be an American and I’m proud that I served my country.
 
 

Friday, May 14, 2010

Elvis and the Volcano

Elvis and the Volcano

John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
And plans we did have. Shira and I had been looking forward to our visit to the UK for many months. As the plane began its descent to Heathrow airport our anticipation grew stronger. We had left Los Angeles the day before; and even though the flight was long and tedious, we were energized by the prospect of touring England for the coming week and connecting with Elvis fans.
We were greeted at the airport by our host Mark Summers, a young talented ETA who was to perform at all the venues. I had only seen Mark’s act on the Internet; from what I had seen he looked very promising, and even emanated a quality I hadn’t really seen before. As it turned out, my expectations were exceeded the moment Mark stepped out on the stage and opened his mouth to sing. Immediately it became crystal clear that not only did he sound very much like Elvis when singing, but his speaking voice as he interacted with the audience was spot on. He was a Southern boy with every word he spoke, with no sign of his native English accent, making the whole experience even better.
We were having a great time, staying at a lovely old hotel in Clacton-On-Sea, a small resort on the English Channel. We had a view of the sea and the delightful pier and arcade just across the road. About halfway through our visit, however, we became anxious about something we never thought would have an impact on our travels. Within hours after we landed, all airports in the entire UK had been grounded, as well as tens of thousands of travelers, because of the volcanic ash cloud spreading from Iceland. By the next day the ash had spread throughout Europe, and all airspace was closed; which meant no planes in or out of virtually anywhere. Now millions of people became stranded. Oh, the plans of mice and men.
At first we thought we wouldn’t be affected; surely it would pass in a few days. But as time wore on, it became clear that the disaster was becoming ever more ominous. Hourly the BBC, Sky News and CNN issued updates; we could barely turn away from the TV and the Internet, and Shira kept checking her Blackberry for news. At one point we were told that we might have to remain in England for weeks - even months; no one seemed sure. We even thought of flying out of Spain, one of the few countries whose airspace was clear. One small problem: We were on an island, with no way off in the foreseeable future. Well, you can only imagine what we were facing. The only bright light in all of this was Mark’s performance, and my being able to interact with the fans. I told stories, answered questions from audiences whose appetite was immense. What I really appreciated was that the majority of questions asked really had some meat on them, questions that were centered upon Elvis the man, the inner Elvis.
Then, out of the blue a minor miracle happened. Shira and I were able to get on the very first flight out of England flying directly to California; our original reservation at that! It didn’t hurt that we had many, many friends around the world praying for our safe and timely return home.
Barely recovered from our anxiety overload and jetlag, we left a few days later for Palm Springs, where we participated in a weekend event at Elvis’ “Honeymoon House.”
The memories flooded me the moment I stepped into the house I knew so well. I remember the very first time Elvis and the group came there back in 1966. At first Elvis didn’t even want to visit Palm Springs, but the moment we arrived for the weekend, he fell in love with the climate and the town.
All in all, tired or not, I quickly became energized, re-connecting with Elvis fans and speaking to new ones. Kari, Cat and Darlene of Pink Caddy Entertainment helped with arrangements that weekend, and as usual did a great job. Their reputation in the Elvis world has grown leaps and bounds over the past few years; everyone who knows these special ladies falls in love with them. Their dedication to Elvis is exemplary and their energetic enthusiasm is contagious.
I thought perhaps after Palm Springs I might be able to rest for awhile. Not so. No sooner did we arrive back in LA than Shira and I hit the trail again, this time to Las Vegas to film for a Canadian documentary. I thought Palm Springs held a lot of memories, but staying at the Hilton in Las Vegas was major déjà vu. Although Las Vegas and the Hilton have changed in so many ways, it felt to me like yesterday that Elvis performed there for the very last time. So many dramatic things happened in December of 1976…but that’s for another time, another blog.