posted 01-10-2005 10:32 AM         

but Ed was talking about the reverence at the Vietnam memorial wall, and on another thread he was talking about Elvis's birthday and Graceland...

when I visted Graceland, and made my way outside to the bizarre swimming pool/grave yard area, there were a lot of people that stood on the steps (sort of a concrete ampitheater area) and appeared to be praying or otherwise deep in thought... I'm sorry but I wanted to crack up laughing... the whole place was so surreal and bizarre... that sort of reverence should be reserved for more appropriate places, like your church or a war memorial!

One thing I learned on the Graceland tour was that Elvis never wrote a single song. He was just a crooner. Maybe that's true of other singers. Maybe a bunch of them didn't write songs (Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, etc), I don't know. Maybe I'm just young enough (46) to have just missed the crooner era, but it's bizarre to me that Elvis was SOOOOOO BIG when really he was just a singer of songs. I'm not knocking him, I just find it interesting that he was so huge (no pun intended) while other singers remained just singers...

posted 01-10-2005 10:58 AM         

when I visted Graceland, and made my way outside to the bizarre swimming pool/grave yard area, there were a lot of people that stood on the steps (sort of a concrete ampitheater area) and appeared to be praying or otherwise deep in thought... I'm sorry but I wanted to crack up laughing... the whole place was so surreal and bizarre... that sort of reverence should be reserved for more appropriate places,..............................................................................................................

shame on you....
...I sat in the garden at Graceland, looked down at my "blue suede shoes" and shed a tear, then I opened my Elvis lunchbox and VERY QUIETLY ate my gravy covered peanutbutter and banana sandwich.....

....agree, it might be a LITTLE overdone...or maybe I am just to young(53) to have been a real Elvis fan......still, an interesting place to see....

"the Wall" is among the most moving memorials I have ever visited, but then I know many names on there ........the Korean War Memorial is also a real experience.....looks like ghosts marching up the hill.....have to see it in person to fully appreciate it ..............

posted 01-10-2005 11:25 AM         

Seriously, Graceland is done up in the best Tom Parker tradition. Elvis was a cultural icon who defined a generation and Col Tom Parker was the master of marketing.

As far as the Vietnam wall is concerned, I've been three times and still have a difficult time walking past those names and especially the mementos left at the base of the wall. For me it is not a peaceful place to visit.

On the other hand, I find the new WWII memorial quite peaceful. It was wonderful visiting with some of the WWII vets when they came to Washington, DC for memorial's opening. I'm just surprised it took this country so many years to recognize the "greatest generation."

I saw a documentary a while back on the music profession. they eluded to this with a particular singer (forgot who he was) but, anyway, when they decided it was his time, they brought in about 15 to 20 songwriters, the best music mixers and cranked out the album. All he did was belt out the tunes.

I guess it's like actors who don't do their own stunts, write the movies, or use other folks for closeups of hands, legs, etc. It's all an illusion.

Elvis is big business though. Read where Lisa Marie was selling everything but Graceland for something like $140M.
She keeps Graceland (which brings in untold millions yearly).

I also think Elvis is the highest yearly grossing dead person.....Go figure.