When we think of Elvis Presley, we think of terms like “The King,” rock-n-roll, Memphis and stardom. Elvis has become a symbol of American society throughout the world. He is a star that has crossed borders; regardless of where you are, people know who Elvis is, like it is mentioned in Lynn Spigel’s article, “Communicating With the Dead: Elvis as a Medium,” in which she says that at the conference in which impersonators came together, there was a Mexican Elvis known as “El Vez.” Furthermore, Spiegel mentions that Elvis is what we consider to be a Popular memory, “In his afterlife, Elvis has become the West’s greatest superstar, an emblem of eternal fame.”
Although Elvis is revered in our culture, there are many elements about his persona that caused much controversy during the peak of his career. For instance, when Elvis first appeared in the Ed Sullivan show, due to censorship they could only frame his upper body since his hip gyrations were too controversial. Also, his flashy and extravagant jumpsuits were not what people would consider ‘classy.’ Gael Sweeney goes on to classify Elvis as White Trash in “The King of White Trash Culture,” in which “Elvis, with a true White Trash sensibility, saw no incongruity in meeting Nixon dressed in a purple crushed-velvet jumpsuit and matching fingertip-length cape, a huge gold-plated belt buckle, various gold chains and medallions, tinted shades, and a bejeweled walking stick” (258). Although this type of apparel classifies Elvis as White Trash, accompanied with his infamous hip gyrations, there are other qualities that do redeem and maybe even debunk this negative image of Elvis.
Although Sweeney’s argument is to classify Elvis as White Trash, Spiegel argues this as well, but also presents a counterexample, and represents Elvis as a good person, one that Americans now idolize. Spiegel says things like: “He showed a great love for his fans,” “He’s quite a religious man,” and “Remember, he was a very religious man and truly loved God himself.” This very traditional image of Elvis is what might have saved his “White Trash” image and made him acceptable in society. This image is viewed in the film King Creole, in where he saves Ronnie at the bar when a man is physically abusing her and he chooses to sing at the King Creole although it is a less popular bar, it is morally and ethically cleaner than the one he previously worked in. Although his character is morally saved at the end, throughout the narrative his character vacillates in and out of morality subjectively. For example, he makes the wrong decisions for the right reasons. He helps the hoodlums steal from the store because he needed money for his family.
From these examples then, it is evident that Elvis’ good and moral qualities are the ones that are important now. No one judges him for his hip gyrations or clothing style anymore, but people do remember his devotion to his fans and his religious mentality. This may be why many people revere him and impersonate him; he exemplifies qualities that America has always looked up to. These impersonators are trying to achieve these qualities through the identity of Elvis. All in all, although deeply analyzing Elvis as a star, there are two identities to look at, but the one that makes him the star and social ideal today is the one of a religious and fan-devoted man.
In this video we see the then controversial hip gyrations.
In this video we can see the 'good' side of Elvis.
Questions:
1. If it weren’t widely known that Elvis was actually a religious person, would he still have the popularity that he does now?
2. Do you think that Americans actually know the ‘negative’ identity of Elvis and suppress it on purpose?
3. What do you think are some of the internal reasons why people choose to imitate Elvis and attend events like the Elvis Presley Impersonators International Association Conference?
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