Love Me Tender:The Complex Legacy of Elvis Presley
by Mark Anthony Neal
While we can lament that it was Presley’s whiteness that made him the lasting icon that he his, his legacy is much more complicated. Indeed, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and notably Ray Charles were never gonna achieve Presley’s status, in large part, because they were black and could not circulate through American culture in what was still a critically racist society. Ironically it was Presley’s embrace of rhythm and blues music that created a wider audience for it and allowed many of those aforementioned black artists to cross-over. Ultimately though, the fervor that exists over Presley, thirty-years after his death, has to do with what he represents to those who hark back to a more comforting view of American society. The young Elvis Presley is a reminder of that last moment of American innocence—before the watershed moments of the Civil Rights Movement, before the Vietnam war became the definitive generational divide, and before the End of Camelot. As America is continuously rendered as anything but innocent—and legitimately so—Elvis Presley’s legacy offers a comforting cocoon.
Read the Full Essay at CRITICAL NOIR @ Vibe.com
***
On-Point w/Tom Ashbrook (WBUR Boston)
Where Elvis Lives Now
Aired: Thursday, August 16, 2007 11-12PM ET
Thirty years ago today, Elvis Presley died at Graceland, a drugged and bloated mess. Fifty years ago this year - young and wild - the gyrating electric Elvis was at the top of his game, astonishing the country.
In between was a career that crossed racial lines, launched rock and roll, thrilled fans, broke hearts and defined 20th century celebrity in America. "Before Elvis," said John Lennon, "there was nothing." Well, not exactly.
But what about after? In the house of American culture, is Elvis still in the building?
In between was a career that crossed racial lines, launched rock and roll, thrilled fans, broke hearts and defined 20th century celebrity in America. "Before Elvis," said John Lennon, "there was nothing." Well, not exactly.
But what about after? In the house of American culture, is Elvis still in the building?
| · | Jay Sweet, Editor-at-Large of Paste Magazine |
| · | Brian Mansfield, Nashville Correspondent for USA Today |
| · | Mark Anthony Neal, Professor of African-American Studies at Duke University |
| · | Joann Smith, President of the Elvis Fever Fan Club |
Listen Here
***
Down With the King: Black Folks & Elvis
by Michael Gonzales
Elvis Presley was my nigga: forget the fact that on his dying day on August 16th, 1977, the so-called King of Rock 'n' Roll was grossly overweight and popping more pills than a pharmaceutical student. Definitely, it might be best to ignore the oft spoken truths that to this day linger like an unchained melody that define the master of hypnotic hips and unmovable hair as a momma's boy who boned teenaged girls years before R. Kelly was born, munched peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and blasted TV sets in the hallowed hotel rooms above the neon glow of Vegas.
Read Full Essay at Blackadelic Pop
No comments:
Post a Comment