Elvis is STILL dead.

[Snagg]

But I may be able to get him rotating in his grave like a wind turbine, if this post generates half the attention that I think it could,,,

What did that guy mean to you, anyway? I see him mainly as the perfect encapsulation of what's wrong with the American Dream: That the American Dream is NOT set up for the well-being of the American citizenry themselves, but solely for the financial gain of a select few. No matter how revolutionary your idea, no matter how enlightening or inspiring you may be, your Brilliant Concept will already have been analyzed, focus-grouped, demographed and shunted down a narrow, pre-determined pathway, where it's end result will be a carefully-packaged, watered-down, K-Mart Blue-Light Special while you yourself will be celebrated, feted and set up as a God among Men - Until the sales slip .0005 %, and then you're declared a washed-up failure, a has-been, and it's off to the Late-Nite Infomercial / Glue Factory with you, Sport.

While, of course, the guys who finagled the rights to your Bright Idea will just keep raking it in. You, for your trouble, will be presented as a National/Global Laughingstock, if for no other reason that it's a handy way to contaminate any possible jury pool if you decide to try any kind of legal action. Just Take What They Offer and Run, Chum, 'cause you'll never beat the Machine.

After all...It ate up Elvis and spit him out, didn't it? Maybe there wasn't a whole lot to chew up in the first place with the Pelvis, a hick kid from the swamps of Memphis, but he had his moment - and got devoured for it. Human beings aren't built to handle that level of fame and success...And that's exactly what the Machine's been designed to do. To generate public hysteria, channel that into a consumer frenzy, and set up the next icon...Food for the Beast.

And people wonder why I despise "American Idol"....

[CaliforniaNow]

Yeah, you're right, but that's not now.  He is so over that and doing something else now.  Whatever or wherever you believe.  (Everbody's gotta be somewhers.)  He's not fussed about it. 

[Snagg]

A funny thing...My fiancee's dad actually knew Elvis. They went to grade school together, and had two classes together. 'Said he dressed like a pimp even in the fourth grade. Also that he was remarkably polite, well-mannered and conceding to others. But definitely Weird, with a big fat capital "W". Freaked everybody out by completely ignoring the racial divides that were expected back then, and not in any rebellious or defiant way - If anything, he was just plain fascinated by black culture, and seemed hellbent on absorbing every detail and nuance that he could observe...

[Ubu]

Have you been reading Greil Marcus again, Snagg? He was the American dream come true. The poor boy that made it big. He was the perfect package, so to speak, to promote the "new" sound and to bring in the bucks. He had the looks to keep the girl populace in suspense. Suave enough to impress the dudes. It's hard to say if he would have made it today. It would all depend on who was promoting him, etc. He tried to keep up the image he was to personify on stage but like many other celebrities his private life didn't match and it finally got the best of him. Even he realized that the image he was portraying was all just a facade.

[Snagg]

Huh?

Who's judging Elvis?

Not Me, Old Sport.

At least not here. That'll come later. I'm just soliciting opinions on the guy. (Anybody else were think that it's quite possible that if he showed up out of nowhere today, that Elvis wouldn'tve been able to pass the auditions for "American Idol"? He'd be just another white kid pretending to be black...)

[Joe Underpants]

He was a great talent. We used him up and spit him out. No one walked in his shoes to know what it was like to be him. Who are we to judge?

[ZenDog]

I never really liked Elvis . . .

but I can't stand American Idol . . .

[Quinn]

Human beings aren't built to handle that level of fame and success

I agree. Somewhat. But, he knew what he was doing. Much of his behavior was choices he made. I guess we could argue that the choices he made were forced upon him because of his celebrity...
Celebrities live a Catch-22, don't they?
Maybe average americans should be content to experience and appreciate the talent of the star and not care so much about what they do or say outside of the music studio or outside of the movie/television set or off of the playing field.
When and why did celebrity watching become a hobby?