Where Were You?
My parents and their generation all seem to know exactly where they were and what they were doing when JFK died.
For me, it's Elvis.
The first gift I ever bought for somebody else with the sole intention of using it myself was the "G.I. Blues" L.P. I got my Mum for her birthday and then proceeded to wear it out on my record player.
I adored his movies, I liked most of his songs and I thought he was the epitome of handsome-cool in his pre-jumpsuit days.
And the day he died? I was playing stingball in my cousin's front garden in Ilfracombe, North Devon.
My Mum and Auntie came outside in tears, distracting me long enough to take a wet tennis ball at full speed on my bare thigh. I joined in their tears, but only as a result of the red welt my cousin inflicted on my leg - boys didn't cry over dead celebrities back then, no matter how cool they'd once been.
Anyway, I saw this somewhat cheesy, somewhat emotional duet with Elvis and Lisa-Marie and felt like sharing my favorite ballad by the King, during this anniversary period.
The movies may not hold up to much scrutiny any more but the songs will live on forever.
5 comments:
Let us assume, and we shall, because YOU said so, that "boys didn't cry over dead celebrities back then". Do you think anything has changed since? Is it acceptable for a boy to NOW cry at the death of a celebrity? Have, you, Mike Davis, ever cried (without being welt-induced) at the passing of a beloved celebrity?
Yes, I ask questions? What, this surprises you?
When I first heard the news of the death of Elvis, I was sitting on the sofa with my boyfriend of the month (don't judge me, I was young). We were....chatting...yes, that's it, and listening to the radio. We stopped chatting and gasped in shock. Then we continued chatting (again, don't judge me I was young). Only later did it hit me how big this loss was.
Agreed: Elvis was the "epitome of handsome-cool in his pre-jumpsuit days."
I'm not so sure it's any more acceptable now, but I know that personally it's become much harder to control.
Only last year, the untimely passing of Chris Penn and Steve Irwin both had me blubbering excuses about dog hair in my eye and hay fever.
As the years roll on the tears seem to well up that much easier. So while today I may come close to tears at the passing of celebrities, twenty years from now I may have the same response to the passing of gas!
That's a nice tribute, Mike. I enjoyed the video as well. Elvis was just a little before my time, but there is no question who still wears the crown...
The King of Rock & Roll
Michele sent me,
Mike
Thanks Mike, but how can Elvis be before your time when I'm younger than you? Unless I was listening to the wrong music when I was 10. Which is a distinct possibility!
I vaguely remember Elvis dying because my mom was really into him, but I certainly don't remember what I was doing. For me that seminal 'what were you doing' event would be first the Challenger shuttle accident and then, of course, 9/11.
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