I dont watch a lot of TV but tonight was fab
The world's greatest Elvis
Elvis performers from all over the world, competing to be the best impersonator
Some of them looked so much like him that they must have had plastic surgery, but you cannot have plastic surgery on your voice.
Two guys sang so much like Elvis, it was frankly a bit unsettling.
Shaun Close - surely the winner (next week on Saturday night) (Shaun Clush? I never saw it written down)
and my second place winner would be Lee Memphis King
There were guys who cannot even speak English giving the performances of their lives.
I always loved Elvis, it wasnt anything I had to think about, it was a bit like loving my family. I just loved him, never really thought about it.
I was barely 12 when he died but my sister Maxine and I were inconsolable for a couple of days.
Time goes by and you forget. You hear the name, you know who he is, you know what he sang, you know a lot of the words and you could sing along if you wanted to. Indeed I do a pretty mean "I just can't help believing" myself, for a girl. But you forget how deeply in the world's pysche he remains. And how deeply we all still love him.
Watching these guys perform tonight focussed my mind on Elvis. And it all came flooding back. You wont know what I mean, unless you watch next Saturday night and you feel the hairs stand up on the back of your neck as you hear the man you loved and took for granted, singing all over again.
I bet none of my mates have ever heard me mention his name, I have never heard them mention his name either, but I wouldnt mind betting that given a burst of the black and white Jailhouse Rock to watch, or one of those sweaty Vegas cabarets where he gave his silk towels to the audience, it would all come rushing back to them too.
It is the way he looks, the way he moves, the way he sings, his smile, his massive charisma. The world should be glad he wanted to be a singer and not a dictator, else we would all be living in Memphis now, not Memphis Tennessee, but Memphis the world.
Apparently, according to tonight's show, Elvis played to 1 billion people by satellite in 1973 in Hawaii, a third of the world's population watched they said. I cannot believe that, it seems incredible and in any case I dont think we had a TV in 1973, so I wasn't watching, but what an amazing fact, if it is true.
As one performer said tonight, Elvis is alive and living on planet Elvis. Surely he will live there for all eternity.
8 comments:
Great post - totally agree with your comments and thought that Shaun and Lee were the best 'Elvi' as well. Great show which proved that the appeal of Elvis will never die - what a timeless entertainer.
This was brill, shaun was a double, my mom was like a young teen at 16 she now nearly 70
This was brill, shaun was a double, my mom was like a young teen at 16 she now nearly 70
Steve Preston singing I Just Cant Help Believing was great!!
on Elvis on the anniversary of his death
http://chorltonparklabour.blogspot.com/2007/08/todays-day-part-2.html
Must be something about the poor boy from Tupelo that appeals to us Labourites Louise.
Hi John, funnily enough I was trawling your blog the day before yesterday and spotted your entry with the neat record cover. (Neat? How bloody old am I?)
I cannot believe Elvis was a lefty, but I love him anyway.
Did you see my post on the Iain Dale top Labour Bloggers entry?
I gave you a name check, hope you dont mind!
Shaun was Elvis reborn!!!!!AMAZING! He took all of us, especially the ones of the same era, back to the exact moments I'm sure, when he first sang those heart rendering songs! Absolute magic!! Brings tears to my eyes...every song!
I can't believe the judges chose Gino instead of Lee 'Memphis' King when they had to narrow it down to the last two performers! Were they deaf?
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