Posted on 08/16/2007 9:37:51 AM PDT by lowbridge
Elvis fans brave heat to mark his death By WOODY BAIRD Associated Press Writer
Thousands of Elvis Presley fans braved 105-degree heat as they wound down Graceland's driveway in a graveside procession Wednesday in advance of the 30th anniversary of the singer's death. The heat led to the death of a fan from New Jersey, a 67-year-old woman.
Despite the promise of another furnace-like day, some fans began lining up early in the morning for the candlelight vigil, setting up umbrellas and folding chairs on the sidewalk along four-lane Elvis Presley Boulevard. The memorial was expected to run through the night and into Thursday, the death anniversary.
The procession, with fans walking mostly single-file and holding candles, filed up Graceland's long winding driveway and past Presley's grave in a small garden beside the white-columned house. Many fans carried flowers, stuffed animals and other small gifts to leave at the grave.
The body of the woman who died was found Wednesday afternoon inside a trailer at a Graceland campground. She had chronic health problems, but the Shelby County medical examiner's office said the heat contributed to her death. The Memphis Fire Department said it also treated at least six people overcome by heat, including an 8-year-old boy who was hospitalized.
Tom Vigil, 42, of Denver was determined not to let the heat stop him even though he was missing part of a lung from recent surgery.
Decked out in a black Elvis-type jumpsuit, Vigil pulled an oxygen tank behind him with a breathing tube attached to his nose.
"I'm not in the best of health, but I wanted to be out here and be part of this," he said.
Mary Powell of Salinas, Kan., said she took up her post at 5 a.m. to be sure to get near the front of the line. "A lot of people would say I'm crazy, but this has to do with my love for Elvis. He did so much for his fans," Powell said.
The legendary entertainer, acclaimed as The King, died 30 years ago Thursday at age 42 of heart disease worsened by drug abuse.
The vigil is the most popular and solemn anniversary event in a weeklong string of concerts, dances, movie screenings and other festivities put on by Graceland.
No one keeps exact figures, but the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated up to 75,000 people would be drawn to town for the anniversary week.
Graceland draws almost 600,000 visitors a year and up to 40,000 file through the three-story white-columned house during Elvis Tribute Week.
Fans preparing for the vigil filled the souvenir shops of Graceland's sprawling tourist complex. Elvis impersonators, with karaoke accompaniment, put on a daylong show for fans packed into a large tent in a shopping center parking lot.
Workers from a Memphis hospital passed out free bottles of water and fans lining up for the vigil could take breaks to stand for a few moments in a misting tent dubbed "Kentucky Rain" after one of Presley's songs.
Abby Reeves of North Augusta, S.C., said she expected Memphis to be hot, but not quite so hot.
"We had some family here last year and they said it was only in the 90s," Reeves said.
When Presley died, his finances were in sad shape. Led by ex-wife Priscilla Presley, the estate formed Elvis Presley Enterprises, opened Graceland to the public in 1982 and solidified the legal rights to make money on Elvis' name and image.
Last year, Graceland took in $27 million in revenue, and the overall Elvis business brings in more than $40 million a year. That made him the second-highest grossing dead celebrity in 2006, behind only Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, according to Forbes magazine.
I’m an Independent Sales Representative for Avon (legal way of saying Avon lady) and we’ve got 4 pages of Elvis stuff in our current campaign book. Includes a tote bag, wallet, T shirt, fleece throw, coffee mug, and watch. Personally I don’t understand the fuss but then again he was before my time, I’m 31 years old.
I never understood the Elvis mania either. But then again I’m a child of the seventies.
You'd think it would be cooler there with all those fans...;-)
RIP Elvis. 30 years, wow.
"Get a Life!"
LOL good one!! hahahahaha
Next to Jesus Christ, Elvis brings in more $$$$$ than any other dead person in the history of the world. It is amazing how long the Elvis momentum has lasted. Priscilla was and is a shrewd bussinesswoman. She knew how to make a buck off the King. And she’s done it tastefully, along with others that work in the effort. Graceland was facing bankruptcy after EP died. She took over and saved it from the auction block. I’m glad she did. It is the single most visited place in Memphis.
I ask people what they think of Memphis. Elvis is the FIRST thing out of their mouths. After that, they are hard pressed to come up with anything second, except maybe Federal Express or Beale Street.
I love his music, but I don’t understand the obsession people have with making him into some kind of demi-god.
American Lourdes.
I would think that one “braves” something when he has no choice.
Gee....thanks. And so soon after lunch too.
Is Memphis still the headquarters of Holiday Inns?
My mother-in-law is an Elvis nut. She always says stuff like “He’s so beautiful.” I correct her tense by telling her he’s still dead. I never got Elvis and never will.
Yep, thats the guy dead from a drug overdose alright.
I was in boot camp when he died, they actually made a public announcement concerning it.
I found it odd the Navy was broadcasting the fact a guy died from a drug overdose at the time.....
Never heard that one. I always thought the winner of that dubious distinction was REO Speedwagon’s “Hi Infidelity”.
Her manager sure has a lot of facial hair for someone named “Tammy”.
I think there are even two or three volumes of this atrocity. To his credit, Elvis himself wasn’t behind these releases. It was the Colonel, who, when Elvis was no longer able to keep or complete his studio dates, had to support his gambling habit somehow, and concocted the idea of issuing Elvis’ stage patter (pretty embarassing too, as the man was stoned out of his mind most of the time), on his own label.
I have a feeling I’m glad I missed this one.
I was in Tupelo, Mississippi the night that Elvis died. I was a fisheries biology student at Mississipi State on a field trip.
We had to take nearby stream biological samples every 4 hours round-the-clock for two days. We hung out in a downtown Tupelo dive bar in between sampllings. The bar stayed open all night that night. People came in off the streets & crowded the bar to watch the TV and cry together.
Thank yah, thank ya'll, verah much...now Ah'm gonna have a fried peanut butter, mayonaise and banana samich!
!
Elvis is Everywhere - Mojo Nixon
When I look out into your eyes out there,
When I look out into your faces,
You know what I see?
I see a little bit of Elvis
In each and every one of you out there.
Lemme tell ya...
Weeeeeeeeeellllllll...
Elvis is everywhere
Elvis is everything
Elvis is everybody
Elvis is still the king
Man o man
What I want you to see
Is that the big E’s
Inside of you and me
Elvis is everywhere, man!
He’s in everything.
He’s in everybody...
Elvis is in your jeans.
He’s in your cheesburgers
Elvis is in Nutty Buddies!
Elvis is in your mom!
He’s in everybody.
He’s in the young, the old,
the fat, the skinny,
the white, the black
the brown and the blue
people got Elvis in ‘em too
Elvis is in everybody out there.
Everybody’s got Elvis in them!
Everybody except one person that is...
Yeah, one person!
The evil opposite of Elvis.
The Anti-Elvis
Anti-Elvis got no Elvis in ‘em,
lemme tell ya.
Michael J. Fox has no Elvis in him.
And Elvis is in Joan Rivers
but he’s trying to get out, man!
He’s trying to get out!
Listen up Joanie Baby!
Elvis is everywhere
Elvis is everything
Elvis is everybody
Elvis is still the king
Man o man
What I want you to see
Is that the big E’s
Inside of you and me
Man, there’s a lot of unexplained phenomenon
out there in the world.
Lot of things people say
What the heck’s going on?
Let me tell ya!
Who built the pyramids?
ELVIS!
Who built Stonehenge?
ELVIS!
Yeah, man you see guys
walking down the street
pushing shopping carts
and you think they’re talking to allah,
they’re talking to themself.
Man, no they’re talking to ELVIS!
ELVIS! ELVIS!
You know whats going on in that Bermuda Triangle?
Down in the Bermuda Traingle
Elvis needs boats.
Elvis needs boats.
Elvis Elvis Elvis
Elvis Elvis Elvis
Elvis needs boats.
Aahh! The Sailing Elvis!
Captain Elvis!
Commodore Elvis it is.
Yeah man, you know people from outer space,
people from outer space they come up to me.
They don’t look like like Doctor Spock.
They don’t look like Klingons,
all that Star Trek jive.
They look like Elvis.
ELVIS!
Everybody in outer space looks like Elvis.
Cause Elvis is a perfect being.
We are all moving in perfect peace and harmony towards Elvisness
Soon all will become Elvis.
Everything everywhere will be Elvis.
Why do you think they call it evolution anyway?
It’s really Elvislution!
Elvislution!
Elvis is everywhere
Elvis is everything
Elvis is everybody
Elvis is still the king
Man o man
What I want you to see
Is that the big E’s
Inside of you and me
That’s right ladies and gentlemen,
The time has come!
Time has come to talk
To that little bit of Elvis inside of you.
Talk to it!
Call it up!
Say “Elvis, heal me!”
“Save me, Elvis!”
“Make me be born again
in the perfect Elvis light”
That’s right!
You’ve got that Elvis inside of ya
and he’s talkin to ya
He says he wants you to sing!
Everybody’s got to sing like the king!
Like the king
Get that leg going now
Get your lip too.
Not no fool Billy Idol lip either
Everybody!
Yeah, we’re rockin now!
Elvis is with us.
He’s with us and he’s speaking to us.
He says “Peoples!”
“Peoples!”
“Everybody!”
“Everybody got to sing!”
Elvis is everywhere
Elvis is everything
Elvis is everybody
Elvis is still the king
Man o man
What I want you to see
Is that the big E’s
Inside of you and me
Elvis is everywhere
Elvis is everything
Elvis is everybody
Elvis is still the king
Man o man
What I want you to see
Is that the big E’s
Inside of you and me
Elvis!
So the only other choice would be “Elvis (Costello)”?
Cuz I'm an an Elvis imitator and I just can't stop
Imitating Elvis from the bottom to the top
Imitate the way he talked, the way he smiled
I throw away my scarf and make the crowd go wild
This imitation Elvis may not be the king
But baby I'm the next best thing
Singing Viva Las Vegas and the G.I. Blues
Won't you love me tender in my blue suede shoes
Well let me be your teddy bear, if you must
Oh baby please surrender, 'cause I need your touch
Well if you feelin' lonely, need a place to dwell
Come on down to imitation Heartbreak Hotel
We're gonna rock (rock rock rock)
Ooooh we're gonna rock (rock rock rock)
Ooooh we're gonna rock (rock rock rock)
Ooooh we're gonna rock (rock rock rock)
Yeah my gold lamee cape and my sequined suit
Pompadou haircut and my high-heeled boots
Imitating elvis is the only way
I can make it through my imitation day
I know this rocking music can't be denied
Cause I was imitating him before he died
Well I'm an an Elvis imitator and I just can't stop
Imitating Elvis from the bottom to the top
I imitate the way he walked, the way he smiled
I throw away my scarf and make the crowd go wild
This imitation elvis may not be the king
But baby I'm the next best thing
Yeah rock (rock rock rock)
Ooooh we're gonna rock (rock rock rock)
Ooooh we're gonna rock (rock rock rock)
Ooooh we're gonna rock (rock rock rock)
Well baby, it's the next, best thing
[Spoken:] Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen
Viva las vegas Viva las vegas
-----Steve Goodman by way of Jimmy Buffett
Holy smokes....wow...yipes...I’m blind now!
I saw these moving “busts” of Elvis on a morning show yesterday and I think they are just sort of hideous. No arms, just a head imitating Elvis . . and not a real good likeness of Elvis at that . . looks more like that lesbian female singer . . what’s her name ? - If you all were going to purchase one of these, don’t mind me; it’s just my opinion.
Today is also the 59 year anniversary of the death of Babe Ruth (8/16/48).
Then throw in that humidity...
I remember watching that skit in the early days of SNL. My aunt was sitting there at the time and is a Elvis worshiper. She saw the skit and then asked me where she could get tickets! When I told her it was a spoof she got mad and said: “now that’s just sick!”
"Who, me Elvis?"
And there's BIG ELVIS at Bill's Gambling Hall
(formerly Barbery Coast in Las Vegas).
IMO: Close to 600 pounds.
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