ELVISBLOG

ELVIS COMMENTARY MINI-NUGGETS -- 10

Phil Arnold — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:52:15 -0400

Elvisauris: Did you know there was a dinosaur named for Elvis? Back in 1990, two Ohio State geologists discovered the bones of an early Jurassic dinosaur in Antarctica. The find occurred just 400 miles from the South Pole. I can’t imagine what gave them the clue to dig there. Anyway, the skull of the 22-foot-long creature has a bony crest, and it didn’t take the scientists long to notice that it resembled Elvis’ big pomp hair-do of the 50s. Soon the dinosaur picked up the nickname Elvis. In time, everyone referred to it as Elvisauris, even though its official name is Cryophosauris ellioti. Elvisauris is much better, don’t you think?

But, I’ll Be Back In May. Ohhhhhhh, Yeah: Here’s a story that is equally strange. The International Space Station circles the Earth at an elevation of 240 miles. The astronauts spend months on board, so it must get boring for some of them. I like the way Flight Engineer Carl Walz spiced up things. Somehow radio contact was set up with hundreds of Houston schoolteachers, during which Walz treated them to an Elvis impression from outer space. His song was to the tune of “Heartbreak Hotel”:

“Well, since I left my baby, I found a new place to dwell. It’s 400 kilometers in the air. It’s called Space Station Alpha. Oh, it’s so lonely. But, I’ll be back in May. Ohhhhhhh, yeah.”

In this case, I like the original words better.

So Let's Mention the Guitar Player, OK?: On June 4^th, the News link on www.elvis.com announced that “That’s All Right” was listed as #37 in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the greatest guitar songs. Here is the exact wording of the press release:

“In the June edition of Rolling Stone Magazine, Elvis Presley’s hit song “That’s All Right” was named on the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time article. The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was ranked no. 37 on the list.”

Notice anything missing? How about the name of the guitar player – Scotty Moore! After all, this is the greatest guitar songs we’re talking about. I’m not going to hammer EPE, because plenty of other folks do that on the web. But, I’m a Scotty Moore fan, and it just wasn’t right to leave his name out of the news release. They did provide a nice link to www.rollingstone.com, where you can read the whole list. Rolling Stone got it right:

“Lead guitarist Scotty Moore’s hillbilly blues has become ground zero for the last 54 years worth of rockabilly. On Elvis’ first single, the guitarist’s lusty solo matches Elvis’ vocals and rhythm guitar perfectly.”

I like that – Scotty Moore: ground zero for rockabilly music.

Watching Women Fight: One of the less inflammatory “revelations” in that horrible Albert Goldman book titled “Elvis” is that Elvis liked to watch videos of women fighting. Goldman wrote:

“The typical film opens upon a shot of a couple of tough, coarse-looking broads sitting on a sofa and having a violent quarrel about a man. Suddenly, one woman reaches over and slaps the other’s face. The second woman retaliates by grabbing her by the hair. Then they really get into it like a couple of cats, screaming and clawing.”

Albert Goldman has been accused of making up much of the stuff in his book, and I know he’s lying here. Elvis would have watched lovely babes fighting, not tough coarse-looking broads.

Do You Know Which of These Songs Elvis Sang In His Movies?:

“Vino, Dinero Y Amor”

“Wolf Call”

“Beach Shack”

“Yoga Is As Yoga Does”

“We’re Coming In Loaded”

“Steppin’ Out of Line”

“Hard Knocks”

“Barefoot Ballad”

“Five Sleepyheads”

“Drums of the Island”

And the answer is ---- all of them were in Elvis movies. No wonder he stopped making movies and went back to live concerts.

Elvis Has a Great Center of Gravity: In an August 16, 2007, article commemorating the 30^th Anniversary celebration, New York Sun columnist Pia Catton declared that Elvis was one of the great American dancers. According to Catton, Elvis had a particular quality of movement that made him a star.

“Elvis had a center of gravity that was low, á la Gene Kelly, but also set back and deep. His sexiest moves – legs lolling back and forth, smooth like jelly, hips rolling and tossing everywhere – were performed as if there were a paperweight on a string tied around his waist and hung from his lower back. (Ed. note: Can you picture that?) With his weight adjusted to the back, he could free one leg to twist, pop, and jerk while maintaining perfect balance… Elvis’ glory was in the shifting of his weight… When he gets going fast, the force of the shifts make his shoulders jerk so hard he looks like he is being electrocuted.”

OK, now we know how Elvis could do it. However, it might not be a good idea to explain it to folks at an Elvis Week party. When you get to the part about a paperweight hanging from Elvis’ butt, they’re going to think you’re a nut. When you get to the electrocuted shoulders, they’ll be trying to get away from you fast.

AN ELVIS T-SHIRT REVIEW

Phil Arnold — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:59:23 -0400

Recently, something in the mail surprised me -- the Graceland Summer 2008 Catelog: Vol. 2. I didn’t know if two summer catelogs meant EPE's merchandising business was good or bad. It didn’t matter. I immediately leafed through Vol. 2, checking out the Tee-shirts to see if there was anything new. I don't care about much of the other items in the catelogs, but I like looking at the Tee-shirts. Sadly, there were no new ones. The same Tee-shirts were all in Vol. 1, just in a different sequence of pages.

So, to console myself after reaching an Elvis Tee-shirt dead-end, I went to www.shopelvis.com, the mailorder partner EPE uses to sell all the officially authorized stuff. They had 70 Elvis Tee-shirts for men. I cruised through them for a while, and then I started making picks of my favorites. I came up with 15. So, here is the ElvisBlog honor roll selection of Elvis tee-shirts, complete with commentary and price. They are in no particular order.

Elvis Vegas: I’m surprised I like this one so much, because I am such a big fan of the 50’s Elvis. It takes a special image of Elvis in a jumpsuit for me to rank a T-shirt high, and Elvis Vegas has it. You get him on stage but with the unusual angle from the back. Elvis is wearing a cape, and he has a guitar slung over his shoulder. Note how the guitar is pulled around to the side, just like Elvis did when he was doing his stage moves. I have never seen a better T-shirt image of Elvis during the Vegas years. $24.95

Striped Jailhouse Rock: Here’s one with a classic 50s Elvis image, but that’s not what attracted me to it. In this case, it was the stripes. I like distinctive T-shirts, and you just don’t see any other striped ones around, so Striped Jailhouse Rock is a winner. I do have two minor complaints. They should have kept Jailhouse as one word, and, man, this is an expensive T-shirt. I guess you have to pay the price to be distinctive. $34.95

Elvis Blue Hawaii: If you like your Elvis T-shirts colorful, this one is hard to beat. But in addition to its use of color, Elvis Blue Hawaii has several things going for it. First, it is tie-dyed, or at least simulated tie-dyed. Hopefully, that looks as good for real as it does in the picture. But, the main reason this shirt appeals to me is that it is two-sided. It is a rare Elvis T-shirt that gives you anything on the back, and this one does it up big time. I would expect this to be more expensive, but it’s not. $24.95

Elvis Shades Royale: For some reason, I have always been drawn to photos of Elvis wearing his signature sun-glasses. I have a collection of dozens of sunglass-Elvis pictures in my files. So, it is no surprise I was attracted to Elvis Shades Royale. The best part of the design for me is the inclusion of two images of Elvis inside the gold frames. Very clever. Elvis Shades Royale is also available in white, but I always shun away from white T-shirts. Black is the way to go with this wonderful design. $24.95

Elvis American Pride: This article was written during the 4^th of July weekend, during which my wife and I dug out our patriotic T-shirts to wear for a few days. So, it is no surprise that I picked two patriotic Elvis T-shirts as favorites. Elvis American Pride has a familiar silhouette of Elvis superimposed over a waving American flag. Nicely done. Look closely below Elvis’ signature. There is a saying: “Always An Original.” I hadn’t seen that before, but it’s a good line for Elvis. I expect it will show up in other places as well. $24.99

Elvis Americana: This shirt does an equally good job of blending Elvis and the American flag, but the big thing to me is that the background is blue. How many blue T-shirts do you have? Not many. I’ll bet. So, with Elvis Americana you get Elvis’ face, a guitar and a flowing American flag, all surrounded by lovely blue. There is also the phrase “Elvis Lives,” which is fine, but this could have been extra patriotic if it had said, Elvis Lives, and So Does American Freedom.” How cool would that be to wear on the 4^th of July? $24.99

Elvis Sun Records: Here’s one I would recommend, not just because it has a great image, but also because it is a bargain (at least compared to other shirts in the ShopElvis collection). Look at that nifty young Elvis picture super-imposed over the famous gold Sun Records label. There is more gold in the guitar and the fancy script of Elvis’ name. Gold on a black background – an excellent combination. I can’t imagine why Elvis Sun Records is priced well below all the other choices, but if you are a bargain shopper, this is for you. $18.00

Elvis Memphis Gas Raglan: I love this shirt but hate the name. It should be called “Three-Quarter Sleeve Softball Shirt.” As the insert shows, the back of the shirt says PRESLEY and the number 57 -- name and number, just like typical sports team jerseys do. The front has a logo for KINGS Service Station, as though it were the sponsor of the team. So, this Elvis softball shirt appeals to me because of the theme, because it is two-sided, and because of the three-quarter raglan sleeve design. You do pay a little extra for all that. $32.99

Elvis Gold: Well, Elvis’ gold lame suit shows up everywhere, so why not on a T-shirt. They did a good job with the image. I like the gold silhouettes and the shiny gold E P in fancy script. I also like the pale yellow background because you don’t see that often. However, I guess the shirt works better on a woman than a man. If you girls want to stand out in the crowd at Elvis Week, the Elvis Gold T-shirt is perfect. $22.99

Elvis Has Left The Building: I mentioned this one as a favorite many months ago in an ElvisBlog column, and I still like it. Study that picture for a minute. Didn’t the graphic designers do a great job? I love the stage curtain pulled to the side, and the empty mic. But, it is the guitar leaning against the stool and the silhouette off to the side that makes this haunting image so powerful. They offer another T-shirt with just the words “Elvis Has Left The Building” on it. I can’t imagine why anyone would buy it, when this outstanding design is available. $22.99

Sketched Elvis: I’m not totally sure about this shirt. I like the idea of a sketch of Elvis on a T-shirt, and this is a pretty good sketch. The other reason for the pick is that the website says it is available in green. I like a selection of colors in my Elvis T-shirts, and there isn’t much available in green. However, the picture above shows white and gray choices. If Sketched Elvis really is available in green, it gets my recommendation. $29.99

Acid-Washed Elvis: The name of this shirt says it all. If you want something distinctive, something different, in an Elvis T-shirt, it’s hard to beat Acid-Washed Elvis. The image is small, but the choice of Elvis in his ’68 black leather suit works well with the unusual background. The only negative about Acid-Washed Elvis is the price. This is the most expensive shirt in my Top 15 selections. $36.99

Jailhouse Rock: This is my second pick that features Elvis’ great movie, but the design is completely different. Note that neither the movie’s title nor Elvis’ name appear on it. No words at all – just four familiar images from the movie. Another reason I liked this one is the red background. If you want to have a collection of Elvis T-shirts in various colors, there have been selections here in blue, yellow, green, and red. $24.95

The King Elvis: This is another T-shirt that they totally mis-named. Any true Elvis fan can tell you that these images are from the American Eagle jumpsuit that Elvis wore during the Aloha From Hawaii TV special. So, in spite of my general dislike of white T-shirts, this American Eagle shirt is OK because the original jumpsuit was white. Also, I like having images on front and back. It would possibly be best to see this one in a store at Graceland before buying it, because sometimes T-shirts intended to mimic other clothing items can look a little schlocky. $22.99

Elvis ’68 Comeback Special: This one is named perfectly. If you have a collection of Elvis T-shirts, one of them should have a ’68 black leather Elvis image on it. This shirt has four. I like the swirly lines and the stars and the funky font used for the word Elvis. It is dark with its blue and black graphics, making it a great T-shirt for evening wear. $24.99

There they are -- my picks of the best 15 Elvis Tee-shirts. If you are going to Elvis Week, there's still time to add to your wardrobe for the trip. Maybe this column will help you make your choices. To look at all 70 Elvis Tee-shirts, click here to go to ShopElvis.com. It's fun, even if you are just window shopping.

VIVA LAS STAR WARS

Phil Arnold — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:03:02 -0400

The following blog article is coming to you compliments of TheFilmFrontier.com. Head Blogger Honcho of the site is Tygrrius, and he is also an Elvis fan. Only a man with both these interests could have created this nifty, unique idea. Two weeks ago, Ty reproduced my review of the Elvis-themed movie Bubba Ho-Tep on The Film Frontier. Now I get to delight you with one of Ty's best articles.

Please note that the Star Wars movie referenced in his article is not the one that thrilled us back in 1977. That has now now been renamed Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Beginning. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is one of the newer prequels, and, in it, Anakin Skywalker is a little kid. Do you remember who Anakin grows up to be? Give yourself 10 points if you said Darth Vader. So, what you are about to see is a correlation between Elvis and young Darth Vader racing the hot vehicles of their days. Enjoy Ty's story.

Elvis: Viva Las Star Wars

Posted by Tygrrius @ 11:12 PM, April 28, 2008

Could Elvis Presley have been a Jedi? We may never know, but he sure raced one like one. A few weeks ago, I read an article comoparing the similarities between Elvis and Star Wars. That article reminded me of something I noticed about a year ago.

When I first saw Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace back in 1999, I remember thinking that the podracing sequence on Tatooine seemed a little familiar. At the time, there were rumors that it was based on the chariot race in Ben-Hur, so I chalked it up to that and moved on with life.

I'm a huge Elvis fan, so I'm not sure why it took me so long to figure out why the race seemed so familiar. It didn't hit me until I was watching 1964's Viva Las Vegas, Elvis' fifteenth movie, one day last year. Though some of these connections are admittedly a stretch, several of the similarities between the two races are quite striking.

In Viva Las Vegas, Elvis Presley stars as Lucky Jackson, a down-on-his-luck racecar driver who enters the Las Vegas Grand Prix race. The event takes place in the Nevada desert. Much of the Las Vegas economy is based on gambling.

In Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace, Jake Lloyd appears as Anakin Skywalker, a young slave who enters the Boonta Eve Classic podrace. The event takes place in the Tatooine desert. Much of the Tatooine economy is based on gambling.

The beautiful Ann-Margret appears as Elvis' co-star and love interest, Rusty Martin. (Incidentally, happy birthday to Ann-Margret today!)

The beautiful Natalie Portman co-stars as Anakin's eventual love interest, Padmé. I say "eventual" because Anakin is only nine-years-old in Episode I. The real romance for them doesn't start until Episode II.

As a variety of cars take their places on the starting grid, Elvis is a late entry.

As a variety of podracers take their places on the starting grid, Anakin is a late entry.

Elvis' main rival, who is favored to win the race, drives a red-orange racecar.

Anakin's main rival, who is favored to win the podrace, pilots an orange-red podracer.

Elvis' supporters take a helicopter to watch the race from the air above the desert.

Anakin's supporters take a viewing platform to watch the podrace from the air above the desert.

In his silver and blue racecar, Elvis concentrates as the race across the desert begins.

In his silver and blue podracer, Anakin concentrates as the race across the desert begins.

Elvis tries to catch up to the leader.

Anakin tries to catch up to the leader.

Elvis checks to the right, wearing a lightning bolt on his helmet. (This actually looks a lot like the TCB lightning bolt that Elvis would use as a personal emblem about ten years later.)

Anakin checks to the right, while a lightning bolt helps power his podracer.

Elvis' supporters watch the race with mounting dread.

Anakin's supporters watch the podrace with mounting dread.

Elvis finally begins to close in on the leader.

Anakin finally begins to close in on the leader.

Elvis pulls alongside the leader, who has a much bigger racecar than he does.

Anakin pulls alongside the leader, who has a much bigger podracer than he does.

Elvis' supporters can't watch, for they fear he will crash out of the race.

Anakin's supporters can't watch, for they fear he will crash out of the podrace.

Elvis' rival crashes and the rest of the field passes by.

Anakin's rival crashes and the rest of the field passes by.

Elvis' supporters celebrate as he takes the lead.

Anakin's supporters celebrate as he takes the lead.

Elvis wins the race!

Anakin wins the race!

And Elvis gets the girl! (Lucky marries Rusty.)

It takes another ten years, but Anakin eventually gets the girl, too! Anakin (Hayden Christensen) marries Padmé in Episode II.

So, there you have it. Evidence that the Force was with Elvis Presley. As for Anakin Skywalker, sure, he may have been one of the most powerful Jedi ever, but could he belt out songs like "Viva Las Vegas" and "What'd I Say"? I don't think so.

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Presented by Phil Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister

ANOTHER CHANCE TO VOTE ON ELVIS IMAGES

Phil Arnold — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:40:31 -0400

It was fun to write recently about the 1992 voting for the favorite Elvis stamp picture. There are probably many younger ElvisBlog readers who didn't have the chance to participate, and maybe there are some older ones who never made it down to the local post office to vote. Well, here's a chance for everyone to decide which Elvis image they prefer in a dozen different categories.

There is no ballot to mark, and votes won't be tabulated, but you still can have some fun making your picks.

Elvis Silhouettes: This choice follows the pattern of the stamp voting, because there is a young Elvis in white-on-black and there is a 70s Elvis in traditional black silhouette. (Ed. note: A number of easily recognizable Elvis silhouettes have shown up in fabric designs, bonus Elvis CDs on TV Guide covers, and Elvis Week advertising. Some day we need to do a story on them.)

Elvis Caricatures: We continue with the young Elvis vs. Older Elvis theme. If the smitten fan had been in the younger picture, I doubt that there would be much of a contest here. However, Elvis’ attraction to the ladies adds extra appeal to the not-so-complimentary depiction of jump suit Elvis.

Triple Elvis: It's certainly hard for me to pick a favorite here. I have always thought Elvis looked sooo baaad in that black leather suit, and the first choice has three different poses of him in it. There’s also one black leather picture in the other composite, and I really love the progression from 50s to 60s to 70s. Tough choice.

Jukebox Elvis: Both of these pictures contain familiar shots of younger Elvis. I’d like to call my vote a tie, but that’s pretty lame. OK, I’ll pick the Elvis from the Milton Berle Show. Do you know which that is and where the other one came from?

Star Trek Elvis: You have seen Spock Elvis before in Fun With Elvis In Photoshop – 2, posted last April. Since then, I discovered Kirk Elvis while surfing deep in the net. Check out the belly roll on Kirk. Your choice here will probably depend more on your preference for Star Trek characters than the Elvis faces morphed onto the bodies.

Silver Lamé Suit / Green Lamé Suit: Well, you’ve seen pictures of the gold lamé suit a million times, but here are two variations (although neither silver nor green is a cool as gold).

Really Old Elvis: These two photoshop workovers are pretty interesting. Lets face it, everybody gets old and loses their looks. How do you like the one that makes Elvis look like some sort of mad scientist? The other has a hint of Arnold Palmer, doesn’t it?

Foreign Elvis Stamps: Dozens of countries have issued Elvis stamps, or more accurately stamp sets showing six or eight different Elvis images. Here are sets form Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Although I couldn't locate either one on a world map, their stamps are just more proof of the adage presented here frequently – Elvis is everywhere.

Cartoon Elvis: Fred Flintstone and Homer Simpson as Elvis. It’s so hard to choose. (Ed. note: The Flintstone Elvis picture is a photo of a T-shirt I own. If The Simpson picture ever shows up on a T-shirt, I’m buying it.)

The Elvis Lip Snarl: I’m not crazy about either of these two images, but the different depictions of Elvis’ famous lip curl intrigues me. So, forget about the young versus old thing and just pick your favorite lip.

Elvis Statues: The first statue is in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas. I found the second picture on both French and German web sites, so I assume the statue is somewhere in Europe. However, I don’t know either language, so I couldn’t read the text that told where it is located.

Elvis Sweeties: These are two shots you haven’t seen much, if at all. For my money, these are the two sexiest shots ever of Priscilla and Linda Thompson. All I can say is “Elvis, you lucky dog.”

SOME FUNNY ELVIS STUFF IN THE NEWS

Phil Arnold — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 06:15:24 -0400

I ran into a few things about Elvis on the Internet that tickled me. One was a UPI story from Stockholm. Recently the National Tax Board of Sweden ruled:

Elvis is the first name of a masculine type.

Wow, that’s a revelation. Did you ever think otherwise? Not me.

The Tax Board has told a Swedish couple that Elvis is not an appropriate name for a girl in Sweden.

Wow, they’ve got a board in Sweden that tells people what names not to give their babies. That’s scary. But, even worse, what’s their problem with Elvis? That is a terrific name for a female. Even though I’ve always thought it was masculine, I can see the name working for a girl.

Can’t say that I’ve ever met a woman named Elvis. I wish I knew one, because I’ll bet she would be fun to be around. Hell, I’d like to meet her parents. Buy them a drink and talk about Elvis for hours.

Anyway, back in Sweden, the couple said they picked the name because they liked the sound. Well, we hear the word Elvis spoken all the time. Elvis is everywhere. And, I guess it does sound pleasant. Good name – for boy or girl.

Guess what the couple said was the most important quality they wanted in a name for their daughter? That it be gender neutral.

The mother said, “We talked about a lot of names and then Elvis popped up. We thought that it was a name that was both pretty and gender-neutral.”

She’s right. If you think about it, the name Elvis is pretty. I like this Swedish couple a lot more that that stupid Tax Board.

Or at least I did until I read, “We’re not Elvis fans at all.” Ok, forget what I said about meeting the parents.

The next funny thing about Elvis wasn’t really in the news. It was in an e-mail. My friend, Jim Lane, recently went on vacation out west, and here is what he wrote:

“At Pike’s Market in Seattle, an old guy was playing the

acoustic guitar hoping people would throw money in his

guitar case. Along came a middle-aged guy with an Elvis

belt and cape. He put down a tip jar and started in on ‘All

Shook Up.’ Before the song was over, he made more money

than that first guy had in 20 minutes.”

Well, it just goes to show you that a tip jar snags more money than a guitar case.

No, I think the cape was the trick. This wasn’t an Elvis Tribute Artist in full jumpsuit splendor. Just a guy with a big belt and a cape and an acoustic guitar – singing some Elvis and bringin’ in the dough. What a great gig.

My thanks to Jim for the story.

Back to European countries. According to www.orange.co.uk, in an article about little known Swiss facts:

“Swiss law forbids you to mow your front lawn while dressed as Elvis Presley."

No problem. Just wear a big belt and a cape.

And finally, we have two stories from a news website called The Spoof. That title gives you a clue about the veracity of their articles.

The so-called breaking news report was titled, “Elvis Had Sex With Aliens.” The source for this news was an old Elvis Memphis Mafia buddy, Lama Fyke, who supposedly said:

“Did you ever wonder why Elvis’ bedroom is off limits when you tour Graceland? It’s because he’s up there, man. I’m only revealing this because I need the money.”

That’s funny. I like that line, whether it has a ring of truth or not.

But, here is the best one of all from The Spoof:

“In a related story, a tourist on Beale Street [in Memphis] was

sighted wearing a tee shirt that read:

Elvis Is alive and living in my pants

Feel him for a quarter.’”