My little brother just reminded me that today is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the tenth anniversary of Elvis Presley's death—which is to say, twenty-five years since I drove him and eight of his closest friends, some of whom we'd just met at an "Elvis is Still Dead" party, from Nashville to Memphis for an impromptu crack-of-dawn celebration of the life and death of the King of Rock n Roll.Didn't quite work out that way—the atmosphere was decidedly more funereal than joyous—and maybe if weren't a dyed-in-the-wool Beatles man I would have anticipated that, but the true story of the trip itself would rival Kerouac's On The Road (or The Hangover II, if that reference skews too old for you). If I ever get around to writing it.
Well, someday.
In the meantime, a little Elvis:
Postscript: My brother tells me a more accurate image from that trip would be this one from Ralph Steadman. Certainly it's a better likeness of the Monkey himself ...
its amazing we survived - I actually had the number "14" stuck in my head for the number of people in that van but you were sober, I definitely was NOT, so maybe it was eight. I do remember some guy from England just wandering up, asking if he could go and we all said "Sure - jump in". I'm not sure who was more insane - him for jumping in a van for a 500 mile round trip with people he didn't know or us for letting him.
ReplyDeleteActually Tom S. was the most insane - and its not even close.
Though I won the award for "Best Dressed" on that trip.....
Just remember - don't feed the Elvii
By the way - WHERE THE F*** IS GRACELAND?
From my journal, I have the guest list as you, me, Tom S, Tom M, Lisa P, Ellen, Brent, Jay, Mark and the English guy we didn't even know was in the van until we got to Jackson, Tennessee. I remember when he climbed out, I said, "Who's that guy?"
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, I don't know who Ellen, Brent, Jay and Mark were either. But I least I got their names.