Elvis died 30 years ago today. His overworked colon ruptured trying to squeeze out one final squirrel flavoured turd. Not really knowing or caring much about 'the king' I only know this because the news channels carried pictures of a vigil where grotesque oul' bats sweated on bandy deck chairs in the Memphis heat. They were mostly encrusted in sequins. They were all overweight. The things I associate with Elvis are bizzare and unnatural. Fat oul' ones, burgers, aliens, plastic figurines, psychics, small furry animals on baps; this is the cultural detritus that has accumulated around his memory. Most of it is the stuff that many people find repellent about America. Elvis was a totemic icon of bloated wastefulness, a walking carbon footprint the size of a small country. His head is a cliche, a universal symbol of 'weird' America, and even if his music is good I can't listen to it objectively. I can't stop seeing him and his freaky quiff and that creepy Elvis voice that sounds like an Elvis impersonation because everyone does Elvis impersonations, and some of them probably sound more like Elvis than Elvis.
The song I'm putting up here is a really interesting cover version of suspicious minds. Its sung by My Morning Jacket. The Elvis version is a ropey and bejeweled Vegas sweat-fest and I hate it. The lyrics are really interesting though, and MMJ's keening and reverb-heavy country style allows you listen closely to the lyrics without automatically visualising a fat man in a jump-suit. Its good! Maybe MMJ should do more Elvis covers so I can find out if they are good songs or not.
8/16/07
Squirrel and peanut butter sandwich
Tweet
Elvis died 30 years ago today. His overworked colon ruptured trying to squeeze out one final squirrel flavoured turd. Not really knowing or caring much about 'the king' I only know this because the news channels carried pictures of a vigil where grotesque oul' bats sweated on bandy deck chairs in the Memphis heat. They were mostly encrusted in sequins. They were all overweight. The things I associate with Elvis are bizzare and unnatural. Fat oul' ones, burgers, aliens, plastic figurines, psychics, small furry animals on baps; this is the cultural detritus that has accumulated around his memory. Most of it is the stuff that many people find repellent about America. Elvis was a totemic icon of bloated wastefulness, a walking carbon footprint the size of a small country. His head is a cliche, a universal symbol of 'weird' America, and even if his music is good I can't listen to it objectively. I can't stop seeing him and his freaky quiff and that creepy Elvis voice that sounds like an Elvis impersonation because everyone does Elvis impersonations, and some of them probably sound more like Elvis than Elvis.
The song I'm putting up here is a really interesting cover version of suspicious minds. Its sung by My Morning Jacket. The Elvis version is a ropey and bejeweled Vegas sweat-fest and I hate it. The lyrics are really interesting though, and MMJ's keening and reverb-heavy country style allows you listen closely to the lyrics without automatically visualising a fat man in a jump-suit. Its good! Maybe MMJ should do more Elvis covers so I can find out if they are good songs or not.
Elvis died 30 years ago today. His overworked colon ruptured trying to squeeze out one final squirrel flavoured turd. Not really knowing or caring much about 'the king' I only know this because the news channels carried pictures of a vigil where grotesque oul' bats sweated on bandy deck chairs in the Memphis heat. They were mostly encrusted in sequins. They were all overweight. The things I associate with Elvis are bizzare and unnatural. Fat oul' ones, burgers, aliens, plastic figurines, psychics, small furry animals on baps; this is the cultural detritus that has accumulated around his memory. Most of it is the stuff that many people find repellent about America. Elvis was a totemic icon of bloated wastefulness, a walking carbon footprint the size of a small country. His head is a cliche, a universal symbol of 'weird' America, and even if his music is good I can't listen to it objectively. I can't stop seeing him and his freaky quiff and that creepy Elvis voice that sounds like an Elvis impersonation because everyone does Elvis impersonations, and some of them probably sound more like Elvis than Elvis.
The song I'm putting up here is a really interesting cover version of suspicious minds. Its sung by My Morning Jacket. The Elvis version is a ropey and bejeweled Vegas sweat-fest and I hate it. The lyrics are really interesting though, and MMJ's keening and reverb-heavy country style allows you listen closely to the lyrics without automatically visualising a fat man in a jump-suit. Its good! Maybe MMJ should do more Elvis covers so I can find out if they are good songs or not.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
I'd like to think music enthusiasts like yourself would try and look past how other people behave after the death of someone before dismissing their life's work as not even worth a listen unless some indie band has done a cover of it. Look at Jesus, look what his followers do: they dress up in funny clothes, do bad impersonations of him and make a big deal over his birthday and the day he died (both of them), not to mention go to war, kill heretics and protest outside the funerals of dead ("fag") soldiers. Despite that, the cat had some good ideas about peace and love and shit and could probably hold a tune as well.
Seems a little unfair that if you over-indulge in food and die on a toilet you're not considered as worthy as if you over-indulge in drugs and die on a toilet (Jim Morrison; allegedly) or over-indulge in Kennedys and die on a toilet (Marilyn Monroe). Regarding suspicious minds, the over-the-top version you're thinking of is from his comeback concert in Vegas (where he's prancing about in the jumpsuit and wiping his sweat with the knickers thrown up from the crowd; well almost) and is an entertaining bit of fun, the kind of shit that frontman from Ham Sandwich (Meath band) would revel in.
The truth of the matter is that, despite the associations his music may conjure up in your head in relation to the excesses in his later career combined with public reaction to his death and how they function as a symbol for American gluttony and global commercialism, the man was an innovator, who acted as a direct influence on the evolution of modern music, through the Beatles, the rolling stones etc. all the way along to My Morning Jacket et al. You might argue that this evolution would have happened without him but it did happen and he played a pivotal road. If you can't handle the sequins check out his earlier work and his more low-fi recordings. There's some good shit in there.
"Don't discount a man on the back of his epitaph; I might write yours and I could fuck you up"
P.S. The cover-version is no great shakes: for a good cover check out Cartman singing "In the Ghetto"
Thanks for the comment there anonymous and although you raise a few daycent points there, there is much I'd disagree with. It doesn't take an indie band to cover something for me to take it seriously. Maybe my (infant) blog hasn't communicated this yet, but my musical tastes stretch far beyond indie-rock and indeed, one of my pet hates is indie-rock purism. As for Jim Morrison, I hold him in far less regard than Elvis. To me, he was an utter fake, a cod-mystic charlatan spitting out lyrics that were just dark and vague enough sounding for generations of people who should know better to consider him some sort of arch-poet. I could write viciously about Morrison all night. Marylin Monroe? Like Elvis, I find it hard to get past the myth and cliche surrounding her to know if she was any good or not. Was Elvis an innovator in popular music? Undoubtedly. But then again, maybe just maybe, the history books favour his supposed influence because he was a white guy doing black stuff, which other (black) musicians were doing better. As for Ham Sandwich. Hmm, maybe you know a little about me, otherwise I don't really see why you'd mention a band that still hasn't released an album. And once we get past the sheer random ridiculousness of comparing Elvis Presley to Podge McNamee (Don't point the finger at me! It was anonymous wot did it) I don't think fat elvis has much in commmon with the lean, mean, sometimes cringe-inducing loola who fronts that band. For a start he doesn't shoot TVs, eat squirrels, treat women like shit, spy on communists, get addicted to prescription painkillers or even sweat that much. He's a very dry frontman. But yeah he does horse around on stage.
However, I acknowledge that Elvis recorded some good stuff and my slightly OTT blog doesn't communicate that. But unfortunately, I guess I find it hard to get past the crap around him, and thats why a cover version of one of his songs made me see it in a new light.
I guess if you hate Vegas era Elvis then I guess me saying that I think "An American Trilogy" is utterly majestic isn't going to wash either but I do. In fact I love his 50's output and much of the 70's recordings too but for the most part I can't abide the 60's material.
Changing the topic to Marilyn briefly and your comments about her. Don't lie, you'd have totally tapped that shit.
yeah but Ian im talking about her acting talent. Hahaha
That lead singer from Ham Sandwich! HE OWNS ELVIS
Uh Huh
By the way, what type of person uses the term 'cat' these days?
jim morrison was shite, spot on. but he did look good, jeekers!
until he ate all the pies, drank all the jim beam, puked on himself and ate all the pies again. He was very deep you know.
Post a Comment