{"id":4865,"date":"2014-07-06T07:00:53","date_gmt":"2014-07-06T06:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=4865"},"modified":"2014-07-06T07:00:53","modified_gmt":"2014-07-06T06:00:53","slug":"elvis-is-in-the-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=4865","title":{"rendered":"Elvis is in the building…"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The King – but when I first saw him, he was a totally different person.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

I can remember the day Elvis died.<\/p>\n

I was a teenager, the most junior reporter at a TV news station in Australia. When the news broke, my boss immediate scheduled the Elvis story as the lead item for that night\u2019s news.<\/p>\n

I was confused \u2013 the idealistic, university-student me thought news was about politics and world events and \u2018important\u2019 things. Not the death of some has-been singer.<\/p>\n

Now I have been to Graceland \u2013 and I understand a lot more about why Elvis was important.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Elvis I remembered as a young teenager was Elvis in the latter part of his career, \u2018Fat Elvis\u2019 if you will. His drug addiction and lifestyle had taken its toll and he had become almost a caricature of himself.<\/p>\n

There are songs of his I have always loved, but it seemed to me people got too carried away with the legend.<\/p>\n

Graceland is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the US \u2013 and I expected it to be pretty tacky \u2013 lots of neon and souvenir stalls etc\u2026 It was, and it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

You arrive\u00a0 in a parking lot on the other side of the road (called \u2013 you guessed it – Elvis Presley Boulevard) from the mansion itself. This is where you buy your ticket for the tour of Graceland itself.<\/p>\n

This is also the place where you get your photo taken in front of a painting of the famous gates of Graceland (because there are guards to stop you doing it at the real gates).<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>
I didn’t want a photo in front of the fake Graceland gates – so instead, here I am at the tourist entrance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This side of the road has the souvenir shops \u2013 lots of them, each with a different theme \u2013 Elvis at the movies, Elvis at home \u2013 and yes \u2013 kid\u2019s Elvis. Elvis Presley Enterprises is a big business.<\/p>\n

\"You<\/a>
You can buy replica costumes for $2,000. I guess they must get a few Elvis impersonators through the door.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are the cars\u2026<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This is the iconic pink Cadillac that he gave to his mother.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And not one \u2026 but two private planes\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The larger plane had a comfortable living area and yes – the bathroom was gold.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But the tour really starts when you take the shuttle bus across the road \u2013 there are traffic lights on the Boulevard just to let the shuttle\u00a0pass\u00a0and go in through those gates. Once out of the bus, there\u2019s an introduction from a guide, but you can then walk through the mansion at your own speed \u2013 listening to your audio guide as you go.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The front of the house is quite unassuming.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My first impression was \u2013 the mansion is very small. Well, all right, compared to my house it\u2019s huge. But for a superstar like Elvis \u2013 it is really quite small.<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>
I could easily picture Elvis playing the piano.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We were there on a Friday afternoon \u2013 so the crowd was fairly small \u2013 but I should imagine at certain times of the year, the crowds must be hell.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The walls AND ceiling of the billiard room were covered with fan-folded fabric.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In places, the decor is \u2013 well, not to my taste. Very OTT. But then, Elvis was a bit OTT too. The tour, however, is tastefully done, even when it deals with his later years and the way he died.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The stairs lead to Elvis’ bedroom – but tourists are not permitted in the upper floor of the house. Officially it is out of respect, but I suspect crowd control problems may have something to do with it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The audio guide keeps noise levels down \u2013 no-one talks much and the crowd was remarkably respectful. There were many displays \u2013 including some of the famous suits he wore.<\/p>\n

\"It<\/a>
It was sad to see how the costumes got so much larger in the last years of his life.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But the thing that impressed me most \u2013 the vast numbers of gold and platinum records that adorned the walls.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The walls of what was the squash court are covered with gold records.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is too easy to forget, amid the glitz and showmanship that surrounds the legend, that it all began with a 19 year old kid who really could sing. Unlike some of today\u2019s so-called celebrities, Elvis earned his place in people\u2019s hearts through talent and hard work.<\/p>\n

By this time, my Mississippi road trip had me totally immersed in 1950s America \u2013 the civil rights movement was just beginning. Radio and television were helping the spread of social change \u2013 and into the middle of it all came this southern boy who could sing like an angel and shake it like the devil.<\/p>\n

The music playing as we did the tour was just astounding \u2013 it reminded me what all the fuss was about in the first place. A great voice and a musicality that crossed race and gender and social status.<\/p>\n

\"Millions<\/a>
Millions of fan letters and gifts passed through this modest office at the rear of the house.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The paintings sent in by fans are scattered liberally around Graceland. Some of them aren\u2019t very good \u2013 if you look at them purely as art. But they say a lot about Elvis and his place in musical history.<\/p>\n

\"It's<\/a>
It’s quite a personal tour – and ends at the place where Elvis and his parents are buried.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I remember the day Elvis died. It was the first item on our news bulletin that night. Now I understand why.<\/p>\n

\"Just<\/a>
Just a working class kid from Tupelo, Mississippi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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