Amazing it is that even 32 years after his death, his voice and his spirit are still with us, marketable with continued commercial appeal. Elvis Presley was and is truly endless…
Okay updating the update: October 13th, 2009 – So I’m reading the Jerry Hopkins biography and as fate would have it I encountered the bit today where he comments that Elvis did in fact dye his hair black prior to induction into the army. So it would appear that I was wrong about that. Still, buying a dead man’s hair is pretty creepy. Authentic or not
Further to my previous post about the “hair auction” I am now convinced that this batch of hair is not Elvis’s. See the picture below that I came across today. If I am correct, Elvis never died his hair until after he came back from Germany so when he got it cut to go into the army, it should have been the same dirty blond that it was naturally. This is definitely not dirty blonde hair but is quite dark.
I loved the quote on the site where I found this picture: “…fetch the $115,000 another thatch of hair got at auction a few years ago. Well, that and the fact that anybody who’d pay that much for a dead man’s hair likely has serious social issues.” You got that right!
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Source: femalefirst.co.uk A clump of the rock ‘n’ roll legend’s locks, which were shorn when he joined the US army in 1958, will be auctioned in Chicago on Sunday October 18. Auctioneers are hoping the hair will raise at least £12,000, although in 2002 a jar of the singer’s hair made $115,000 when it was sold off. A photo of the singer’s famous hair being cut by a military barber when he joined the US forces is one of the iconic images of his career and life. A source said: "Girls mourned when they saw Elvis’ slick quiff being shaved off – this hair is some of the most famous and important in rock history." The hair is part of an auction of memorabilia relating to the star, who died in 1977, being sold by his close friend Gary Pepper. Gary was president of one of Elvis’ first fan clubs, and was given a lot of memorabilia by the singer himself. |
That’s odd. I’ve read well over a dozen books about Elvis’s personal life and not once was this Gary Pepper ever mentioned. I may have to go back and do a quick reference check but I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard that name before. Just because somebody was a president of one of Elvis’s thousand or so fan clubs, doesn’t make him a close personal friend. If that was the case, then I could claim that I too, was a close personal friend of Elvis because, damn it, nobody loves him more then I do, I can guarantee you that!
Nor have I ever heard that Elvis’s hair was collected for memorabilia purposes when he had it cut for the induction into the army. Having said that, I wouldn’t put it past that old shikester Parker in thinking of it at the time.
What I’d really like to know is how would someone go about proving the authenticity of said clump of hair. Has it been tested and DNA certified? Compared to what exactly? I heard somewhere that the medical examiners’ office in Memphis kept Elvis’s brain after his death and that it still resides in a jar in a locked vault somewhere however I don’t give much credence to that. But it seems to me that would be the only way to prove this “clump of hair” is actually Elvis’s hair. And how gross is it to imagine paying $115,000 for a clump of hair who’s owner isn’t actually known. Ewwww!
Really, I just think the whole thing is kind of creepy. What do you think?
Elvis® is returning to one of the places where it all started. As part of the 12th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival, Indie Memphis is bringing the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll back to the Levitt Shell in Overton Park with a free outdoor screening of the concert film, “Elvis: ‘68 Special,” at 7 pm, Friday, October 9. In the event of rain, the screening will be held the following Friday.
Presented by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. and co-presented by the Levitt Shell and the Memphis Flyer, the screening takes place at the site where Elvis first gained public attention by stealing the show from headliner Slim Whitman with his performance of “That’s All Right.” Many music historians call that night at Overton Park in 1954 the world’s first rock ‘n’ roll concert.
Elvis led the rock ‘n’ roll revolution in music and pop culture in the 1950s. Then in the 1960s he concentrated mainly on his movie career. By 1968, it had been more than seven years since he had appeared on stage in front of a live audience. In his first television special, clad in his now-iconic black leather suit, Elvis performs classic hits both alone and, in sequences generally regarded as the forerunner of today’s popular “unplugged” concept, with friends and the original members of his band. The concert also includes splashy production numbers and the giant red “Elvis” letters.
Usually referred to as the “‘68 Special,” the actual name of the program was “Elvis.” Taped in June of 1968 at NBC’s Burbank studios, it first aired December 3 on NBC and generated the network’s biggest ratings victory of the year and the season’s top-rated show. It stands today as one of the great moments in rock music history and as a milestone in Elvis’ career. After this triumph, Presley poured renewed creative vigor into his recording work, wrapped up his movie obligations and returned full-time to the concert stage.
Click here to view the official “Elvis: ‘68 Special” page on the Indie Memphis website, send it to your friends, and even build your own schedule as the festival lineup is unveiled!
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A new monument was revealed last weekend in Friedberg. The Elvis sculpture measures 5 meters in height and is 3.75 meters wide. The monument is placed in the middle of the roundabout near the entrance of the Capri Club in the Ray Barracks.
From now on, the first thing you’ll see if you enter the city, is a large Jailhouse Rock silhouette of Elvis. At this time, the monument serves also as a billboard for the expo in the Capri Club that ends on October 11. The monument itself will stay when the expo closes.
Translation of Script: More than Elvis – 60 years Americans in Hessen, Exhibit in Capri-Club (former Ray Barracks), August 13 to October 11, 2009
Source: www.elvisnews.com
Frankly I think it’s a bit ugly. Maybe it’s the quality of the picture but Elvis looks like he should either have a horse under him or a toilet. I do like the cut out appearance but what’s with the guitar? Looks out of place if you ask me. Anyway any tribute to the King of Rock & Roll is a good one I suppose. Art is not always pretty they say.
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