I grew up with the Beatles.
I have memories as a kid of putting on the "Hard Days Night" record with my siblings, lining the walls of the living room with mattresses, and literally jumping from wall to wall like a bunch of Beatlemania pip-squeaks.
About a month ago I was asked to dinner by a self-proclaimed psycho Elvis fan. By the end of the evening, I had three Elvis movies shoved into my hands and an order to enjoy them thoroughly.
Except....
I've been told you have to choose between the two. Beatles vs. Elvis. So I went into these movies with as much of an open mind as could be expected. Loyalties are loyalties, my friends. I had to attempt to visualize myself bouncing off a wall to "Jailhouse Rock" instead of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand". Would it, could it truly be possible?
I started out with "Viva Las Vegas". Hmm... I liked the cute song where Elvis is wooing his lady fair. I think even Elvis fans would agree, however, that the plot stunk in its proverbial quagmire. But I know, these Elvis movies weren't made for depth.
I must confess, however, that something stirred in me. And lo, I did experience a swelling of my heart, right where that new Elvis seed had been planted. There was this one scene...ooooooh baby.... and it was good enough to find rewind.
Next...
"Jailhouse Rock". I sincerely liked it. Did Elvis first start out as an actor or a singer? I'm learning Elvis 101 here. Either way, I was impressed.
"Girls, Girls, Girls". I love the title. I like that they didn't beat around the bush. Elvis' theme song had a cute line, something like "I'm just a red-blooded boy and I can't stop thinking about girls, girls, girls...." Yeah, just say it, honey! Live it up! In fact, my only criticism with the film is that there weren't enough girls for Elvis. He only got, like, two.
So here's my testimony. I like both the Beatles and Elvis now. I knew this without a shadow of a doubt by the hot song where Elvis is jumping from wall to wall. It's true. He really did. It was a sign.
5 comments:
i think if anyone, you of all people certainly have enough room in your heart for all five of those men.
Bologna. You can like both - I do. The Beatles music is clearly superior, but I like Elvis' style, his swagger, and he's a mean dancer. We're talking about the big pop stars of their time and I'd say it's all about entertainment. They both entertain at the highest level in different ways.
Love the new look of the blog and I'm so glad you're back. It was such a nice feeling when I looked and found new posts; you seem to be making up for your break by being rather prolific lately. Ahhh, just glad you're back!
Tamara... *laughing* Shall I star in a movie called "Boys, boys, boys"?
Thanks Paul. I like reading the word bologna. It doesn't happen very often.
This blog's background is my painting entitled, "Walk Barefoot Here". It's symbolic of me feeling safe again on my blog. I'll tell you the story of my process in an email.
ooo, could you forward me the email?
so so cool about the painting now being the backdrop for your blog. love it.
we had new friends who are beatles fans over for dinner last night, & i quizzed them about elvis. they're too musically inclined, i'm afraid, to compare fairly.
i think paul's assessment is fitting!
There are other Elvis fans out there? We never seem to run into one another, at least not very often. Still, I wanted to say that you probably need to see "Love Me Tender," his first movie ever made (and one that made his mama cry). And "King Creole" is pretty a much a must, if only for that horrific opening song about crawfish entitled, you guessed it ... "Crawfish"! Even the one where he was a boxer? I think it's called "Kid Galahad"? Also a very good one. Beyond that, I could recommend his most infamous concert films (including one that was reworked and re-edited that just works amazingly well) and perhaps we'd make even more of an Elvis lover out of you. At least enough for you to bounce off the walls a bit, anyway.
But, seriously. "Jailhouse Rock" is a GREAT movie. Do you agree?
Post a Comment