Comments on August 16, 1957

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shelly
He had a truly amazing voice in addition to his showmanship.  And he wasn't a half bad actor.  Given the opportunity to perform in real roles rather than caricatures of his Colonel Parker created image he might have been an even bigger talent.  Had he lived it's possible that he could have evolved into a Frank Sinatra type talent able to hold his own in more than a single field.

posted by notapoet on August 18, 2007 at 8:21 AM | link to this | reply

notapoet, I'm not either, but like you said, his songs were good.

posted by shelly_b on August 18, 2007 at 7:59 AM | link to this | reply

Shelly
Yeah, The King did record a few good ones.  It's hard not to like most of his big hits.  Even his gospel albums were impressive -- and I've never been a gospel music fan.

posted by notapoet on August 18, 2007 at 7:54 AM | link to this | reply

All of these songs all great!

posted by shelly_b on August 18, 2007 at 6:48 AM | link to this | reply

Hi, Tony
Interesting observations about The King, and my ex.  I suspect you're right on both counts, although I never quite looked at it that way before.  I did go find your sonnet about Elvis.  I suspected I would not be the only one to note the anniversary of his passing.  Man, have I got a lot of catching up to do.  And that's just on your blog!  But, assuming I keep everything more or less working through the weekend, I should be able to make a healthy start on it.  Looking forward to catching up on all of them, particularly what appears to be a SF trilogy.

posted by notapoet on August 17, 2007 at 12:32 PM | link to this | reply

Hi, spinner
Welcome to Blogit and to my blog.  You've made a pretty impressive start.  If I remember correctly it took me more than a week to earn a dime and more than a month to make it to two bucks.  I checked out your work back to the first post.  Very interesting.  Even the non-poet (unblessed by true appreciation of things poetic) felt twinges of admiration here.

posted by notapoet on August 17, 2007 at 12:26 PM | link to this | reply

Hi Notapoet - a talented man, but outside of his talent, a bit of an empty
shell - your ex wouldn't have stayed long with him, or he with her, I suspect. Can't knock him as a singer though!

posted by Antonionioni on August 17, 2007 at 11:46 AM | link to this | reply

spinner
pretty cool / find spinner

posted by spinner on August 17, 2007 at 11:41 AM | link to this | reply

Thanks, Irish
It amazes me how much Elvis still impacts American culture.  His influence extended well outside the world of music, crossed generations, and continues to impact on those who were not even born during his brief lifespan.

posted by notapoet on August 17, 2007 at 4:47 AM | link to this | reply

Notapoet....he was the true artist....
daring to be different. Thanks for sharing.

posted by Irish3 on August 17, 2007 at 4:33 AM | link to this | reply

OTA.
My ex was not yet two when Elvis burst on to the scene, but by the time she met me, some sixteen years later, she'd memorized every Elvis song she'd ever heard.  Even when Elvis got fat and looked 50 instead of 40, she told me she would leave me for him in a heartbeat.  So his impact was hardly diminished by time or distance.

posted by notapoet on August 17, 2007 at 3:40 AM | link to this | reply

I still love Elvis. I wasn't born until 1962 so I missed the early fan frenzies. But he can sing to me anyday. ~Peace, OTA

posted by Blue_feathers on August 17, 2007 at 3:22 AM | link to this | reply

TAPS.
I remember well being puzzled by all the screaming and swooning teenaged girls, and many more quite a bit older.  Yet at the same time I didn't question the desire of so many of the guys, including me, who wanted to be like Elvis.  Fifty years later we still have Elvis impersonators, and Elvis inspired icons like the Fonz on "Happy Days."

posted by notapoet on August 17, 2007 at 2:49 AM | link to this | reply

notapoet
I was a teenager then, so you can imagine what effect he had on me with those hits.

posted by TAPS. on August 17, 2007 at 2:32 AM | link to this | reply