No one seems to know for sure what he died of. The circumstances of Presley’s death were as mysterious as his success. He was manipulated like a boxing champion who made millions of dollars but couldn’t count. This was partly because he was often under the control of tasteless, money-grubbing managers, agents and friends. Did he vote? If so, for whom? Was he philosophically liberal or conservative?Įlvis Presley made 33 movies that were memorable only because they were so bad, they were hard to forget. If he had any opinions, he kept them hidden. Was that when he was on drugs or off them? I didn’t know he had any character, let alone depth. They talked about his depth of character. I have heard people who claim to have known Elvis Presley, speak as if he were some kind of misunderstood intellectual. In spite of all the pelvic activity, he never seemed very masculine. I can understand a young generation being turned on at first and for a short while by his sexual gyrations on stage, but it was all so fake and badly acted that I do not understand why it didn’t eventually turn them off. Elvis Presley looked like someone imitating Elvis Presley, very badly.Įlvis Presley’s performance on stage was crude and calculated to be that way. With Elvis Presley you couldn’t forget that he was up there performing. Frank Sinatra could sing a song and make it sound as if it all happened to him. Elvis Presley’s-make-believe struck a false note. There is an element of make-believe in all art. I think of Que Sera, Sera, Sixteen Tons, Mack the Knife, On the Street Where You Live, The Rain in Spain, Standing on the Corner (Watching All the Girls Go By), I Could Have Danced All Night, Bells Are Ringing (For Me and My Gal) and Canadian Sunset. The same year that Presley recorded the abominably bad Hound Dog, there were a dozen songs that were light and insignificant but delightful. On the other hand, there has been a lot of bad music that I’ve enjoyed. I include in that category some operas and symphony concerts I’ve sat through. In my lifetime I have listened to a lot of bad good music. He never learned how to fake being sincere. Elvis was phony clear through and through. Even Bing Crosby had an ingenuous charm about him that rang true. The Beatles said that they picked up some of their style from Presley but the Beatles were, by comparison with Presley, refreshingly original. His talent was comparable to the forgettable sensation of my high school years, Rudy Vallee. Music is the great divider of generations but age has nothing to do with my thinking that Elvis Presley is the most over-rated singer of all time. Elvis was not even a hound dog by Andy RooneyĪmong my more enjoyable broadcasts, is one quoting humorist Andy Rooney, in his essay about Elvis Presley, which I now quote verbatim:Įlvis Presley still lives, exclaim many fans who claim to have sighted him in various places long after he died.
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