Elvis
I was thinking about Elvis Presley the other day on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of his untimely death. I don't see Elvis through the prism of the King of Rock and Roll legacy. I see him through the looking glass of a much more meaningful legacy. One of regular man. A man who was generous, gregarious, and sometimes dark, the same as those of us who are regular men, and not the king of anything.
Elvis was raised dirt poor. So he did what he had to do to make life better for his family, within the law. We all do this on a regular basis. That is what being a real man is about. He made enough money in his lifetime to take care of 4 generations of his family. The very thing that made everyone's life better was obtained at the cost of his own. He sacrificed himself so his family could have a better life. The fame brought a life made simple, for everyone but Elvis. To gain this fame he had to do things that he probably wouldn't have done otherwise, and it took a toll on his psyche and his health. His reward was a shortened and troubled life. While I respect him for his music, I respect him more for making sure his family was taken care of, even if he wasn't. His legacy should be about his daughter and all of the generations that follow. He paid the price of fame, and the others are reaping the reward. This is what real men do.
When Elvis died we were in the midst of a hurricane and had to sand bag our house from flood waters, my father and I had been working all night and came in to the house in the early morning and the Today show was reporting Elvis had died. I remember thinking that it was messed up that he died. We ate breakfast and went back out and worked the rest of the morning. By the way Elvis isn't dead, he is hiding in plain sight as an Elvis impersonator. Just some random thoughts from the West End.
Elvis was raised dirt poor. So he did what he had to do to make life better for his family, within the law. We all do this on a regular basis. That is what being a real man is about. He made enough money in his lifetime to take care of 4 generations of his family. The very thing that made everyone's life better was obtained at the cost of his own. He sacrificed himself so his family could have a better life. The fame brought a life made simple, for everyone but Elvis. To gain this fame he had to do things that he probably wouldn't have done otherwise, and it took a toll on his psyche and his health. His reward was a shortened and troubled life. While I respect him for his music, I respect him more for making sure his family was taken care of, even if he wasn't. His legacy should be about his daughter and all of the generations that follow. He paid the price of fame, and the others are reaping the reward. This is what real men do.
When Elvis died we were in the midst of a hurricane and had to sand bag our house from flood waters, my father and I had been working all night and came in to the house in the early morning and the Today show was reporting Elvis had died. I remember thinking that it was messed up that he died. We ate breakfast and went back out and worked the rest of the morning. By the way Elvis isn't dead, he is hiding in plain sight as an Elvis impersonator. Just some random thoughts from the West End.
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