1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: the show, fellow Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so 3 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: much for tuning in. Let's hear it for the man, 4 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: the myth, the legend, our super producer, Max the Hound 5 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: Dog Williams. 6 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 2: Max Grumpy Gump, Grumpy Gus Williams. We just we just 7 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 2: called him a grump off. 8 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: We just roasted. 9 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 3: I note everyone's I note everyone. I am actually up 10 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 3: in Canton, Georgia, so I'm basically in Tennessee right now. 11 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: Hey, congratulations hollers. Yeah, what's it like at the top 12 00:00:57,240 --> 00:00:57,959 Speaker 1: of the map. 13 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 2: Or if you're in the holler at the bottom? Yeah, yeah, the. 14 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 1: Bottom is the top. That is getting a little hermetic 15 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: for us. That's none other the legendary mister Noel Brown. 16 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:10,759 Speaker 1: Knowl how you're. 17 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:12,120 Speaker 2: Feeling, you know, I'm pretty good. 18 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: Nice, I am feeling pretty good myself. We're very excited 19 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:19,960 Speaker 1: about this one. Oh, they call me Ben Bullen on 20 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,280 Speaker 1: this show because Noel. Today, we are tackling one of 21 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: the biggest figures in all of American music history. This 22 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 1: is a larger than life son of the South. He 23 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: was known as much for his off stage eccentricities and 24 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: shenanigans as he was for his on stage performances and 25 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: groundbreaking or least record breaking music. That's right, we're finally 26 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: tackling the one and only Elvis Aaron Presley. 27 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 2: A real iconic, class, real real, a real divisive figure 28 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 2: when he was first hitting the scene. Those hips don't lie. 29 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 2: He was deeded that way before Shakira ever ever, was 30 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 2: a glint in the eye of whomever birth to her. Yeah, 31 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 2: Elvis was it the Pelvis? 32 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: I like that had many monikers and nicknames, as so 33 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: many icons. 34 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:10,240 Speaker 2: King of. 35 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 1: Well, it's it's a it's kind. He was the king 36 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: dread pirate Roberts. I would argue, different people get the 37 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: title over time. Now you may be asking yourselves, folks, 38 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 1: who is that providing these amazing. 39 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 2: Last mellifluous cackle. 40 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: There's so much to get into here, and luckily we 41 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: are not venturing forth alone ridiculous historians. We are thrilled 42 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:48,519 Speaker 1: to be joined with none other than the iconic legendary 43 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: in his own right. Music journalists, writer, executive producer with 44 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:56,959 Speaker 1: us at iHeart and the podcast host Jordan Run to Jordan, 45 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: thank you so much for hopping on the show with 46 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: Possesster of quite the pell this himself. 47 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 4: Thank you, thank you very much, so good to be here. 48 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 4: Oh my god, guys, thanks for having me. 49 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 2: And while he's not in the building with us currently, 50 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,359 Speaker 2: he is in a building and presumably when we conclude 51 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 2: this podcast, he will leave the building. 52 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 4: Now it's my apartment, so I guess I'm not leaving 53 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 4: this building. 54 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 2: You're not going anywhere you got today? 55 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 4: This is it? 56 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:24,359 Speaker 1: Well, Jordan, Jordan, you are. It's weird that you are 57 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: so humble man, because we are all friends outside of 58 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: this show, and you host things like you You've hosted 59 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: so many shows, created so many shows like Off the Record, Rivals, 60 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: Music's Greatest Feuds and of course t M I too 61 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: much information? 62 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 4: Oh thank you. No, that's a fun one. 63 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 2: No. 64 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 4: I my In my my job as a music journalist, 65 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 4: my favorite stuff to write were all these like you know, 66 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 4: listicals ten things you didn't know about led Zeppelin, four 67 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 4: twenty different things you didn't know about you know, David Bowie, 68 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 4: station to station, things like that. And you know, a 69 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 4: lot of my journalist's friends would down their nose at 70 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 4: writing these you know, research trivia pieces basically, But I 71 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:06,119 Speaker 4: just thought it was the most fun thing. I love 72 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 4: diving in and you know, getting paid to learn about 73 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 4: your favorite records and share that with other people. So 74 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 4: that was kind of what TMI. The podcast was more about, 75 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:18,120 Speaker 4: just the little known, behind the scenes stories, a little 76 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,799 Speaker 4: known facts about your favorite movies, music, TV shows and more. 77 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 4: And we never got to Elvis. Actually we were gonna 78 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 4: do an episode on his house Graceland. We did Paul 79 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 4: Simon's album Graceland, but we never got to his house. 80 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 4: I had notes for that, and honestly, my notes for 81 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 4: that were something like fifty pages and I was too 82 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 4: afraid to put it together. So that's yeah, because I'm 83 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,280 Speaker 4: a huge Elvis nerd. Have you guys ever been to Graceland? 84 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 2: Yes, I have not, but I'm a big fan of 85 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 2: the Paul Simon album Graceland, and I've been watching this 86 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 2: show on I think it's on Hulu or you know, 87 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:54,840 Speaker 2: maybe Disney plus I guess they're all the same thing 88 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 2: now called Paradise, where there is a plotline surrounding Graceland 89 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 2: in a post of acalyptic environment where it serves as 90 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,920 Speaker 2: kind of a fort, and it's pretty cool. I don't 91 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 2: know if it's the real Graceland or if they just 92 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:08,279 Speaker 2: did a really good mock up of it. But I 93 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 2: know about the Jungle Room. 94 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:13,239 Speaker 4: Mm hmm, that's uh. I did a piece for Rolling 95 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 4: Stone that was just a history of the Jungle Room, 96 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:19,920 Speaker 4: which is this weird like man cave in in Elvis's home, 97 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 4: and it was like five thousand words. It was really ridiculous. 98 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 4: But it's a fascinating room. It definitely. Uh. I think 99 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:30,119 Speaker 4: there was a one journalist called it a a taj 100 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:35,040 Speaker 4: mahal to questionable aesthetic choices, which I just thought, yeah, 101 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 4: it's a beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. 102 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:43,279 Speaker 1: And to your question there, Jordan, yes, Obviously having family 103 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:48,040 Speaker 1: in Tennessee, we were all rely we were all required 104 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:51,360 Speaker 1: to go to Graceland at some point. It's like our hajj, 105 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:54,600 Speaker 1: like I had to go because if I didn't, they 106 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:58,359 Speaker 1: will legally be allowed to destroy my birth certificate. So 107 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:03,599 Speaker 1: that's part of why so many people go to Graceland. 108 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,160 Speaker 1: And it's fascinating. You guys in TMI didn't get to 109 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 1: Elvis Presley, You didn't get to Graceland. 110 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 4: No, I mean, going to Graceland was honestly the thing 111 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:14,919 Speaker 4: I always was obviously aware of Elvis and you know 112 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 4: as a classic rock lover. I was always you know, 113 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 4: I appreciated some of his work, but it wasn't until 114 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 4: going to Graceland for the first time that I just 115 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:27,480 Speaker 4: became deeply fascinated with the weirdness of Elvis Presley, because 116 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 4: I mean, the thing about Graceland and I hope I 117 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:32,039 Speaker 4: don't offend you as a as a native Tennesseean, but 118 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 4: it's it's it's not that nice about. 119 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:39,000 Speaker 1: No why we only go because our birth certificates are 120 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: under threat. 121 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 4: But that's what's about it. It's like the most American thing. 122 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 4: It's like you're mythologizing this, like not like like you're 123 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:49,520 Speaker 4: like slightly upperclass aunt's house, Like this is just like 124 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:52,599 Speaker 4: grabbed me kitchen with like an avocado. I think. Actually 125 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 4: he actually had the first Marcer wave in the city 126 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:56,720 Speaker 4: of Memphis. To believe he paid six hundred dollars for it. 127 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 4: Was just a lot of money. 128 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:00,919 Speaker 2: And it was also it wasn't exactactly known for his 129 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,440 Speaker 2: like refined taste. Yeah, you know, I mean that's kind 130 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,080 Speaker 2: of a bit of the mythology surrounding him, Like dude eight, 131 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:11,679 Speaker 2: like was it peanut butter and banana sandwiches? He carried 132 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 2: his humble roots into the most ostentatious lifestyle imaginable and 133 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 2: kind of was unapologetically garish. 134 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, nobody ever said, you know what I love 135 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 1: about this Elvis guy, his subtlety understatement. Yeah, nobody was 136 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: ever like, what nuance to this man. But this is 137 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: ne excellent set up that we're getting into here, guys, 138 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:40,560 Speaker 1: because we're talking about taste, we're talking about what some 139 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 1: may describe as the struggle of. 140 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 2: The Novu reach. 141 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: Maybe we start with the fact that Elvis Aaron Presley 142 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 1: was born into the opposite of a silver spoon situation. Right, 143 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 1: we're talking a two room house to Blue, Mississippi. It's 144 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty five January eighth, So that puts us right 145 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: in the middle of the Great Depression. 146 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 4: Yeah, oh yeah, smack in the middle. And his h 147 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 4: and then you have I mean, it seems like, I know, 148 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 4: there's so much mythology around Elvis, but his birth really 149 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 4: is I mean, you can't make this stuff up. With 150 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 4: the death of his twin brother, Jesse, and that really 151 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 4: haunted him for his entire life. And he had a 152 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 4: very good friend. His hairdresser was this guy Larry Geller, 153 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 4: and Larry was one of these guys who he was 154 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 4: an LA guy and in the early sixties is one 155 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 4: of those people that was turning them on to like, 156 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 4: you know, the e ching and all these like slightly 157 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 4: spiritual bent things that Elvis would eventually get into. And 158 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 4: he would He's given some really interesting interviews about Elvis 159 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 4: and would talk about, you know, these late night conversations 160 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 4: they would have, and Elvis was haunted by the death 161 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 4: of his twin his whole life, and he would talk 162 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 4: about how he felt this pressure to basically live for 163 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 4: the both of them, and that is really one of 164 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:56,640 Speaker 4: the motivating factors in his drive to succeed and do 165 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 4: what he did. 166 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 2: Aren't there some kind of conspiracy theories surrounding the twin brothers, 167 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 2: like burial site and like maybe like missing remains or 168 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 2: something along those lines. 169 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 4: Oh, I don't know about that. I know that I'm 170 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:15,160 Speaker 4: sure we'll touch on this later. But I know that 171 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 4: Elvis's dad, you weren't allowed to have a burial on 172 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,320 Speaker 4: a private property in Memphis, and Elvis's dad was saying, well, 173 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 4: he's Elvis. We can't just bury him in a public cemetery. 174 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 4: There's gonna be great. It was all like the lunatic fringe, 175 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 4: it's going to come out and so, and the Memphis 176 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 4: City Council didn't care, so they buried him in I 177 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 4: want to say Forest Hills Cemetery in Memphis, something like that. 178 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:41,560 Speaker 4: And Elvis's dad, Vernon, who you know, you didn't pull 179 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 4: one over on Vernon. He apparently reportedly allegedly all the 180 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:50,000 Speaker 4: disclaimers hired these like bumbling thieves through a middleman to 181 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:52,679 Speaker 4: break into the cemetery at night and steal this I 182 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:55,319 Speaker 4: want to say, like nine hundred pounds steel lined coffin 183 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:58,680 Speaker 4: that had just been buried and hold Elvis's remains for ransom. 184 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 4: And these guys show up, you know, with pick axes 185 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:04,199 Speaker 4: and shovels, under the cover of darkness, and they get 186 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 4: to the cemetery and there's like representatives from every major 187 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:10,120 Speaker 4: news network there. Vernon to tipped them off, like they 188 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:12,839 Speaker 4: got busted immediately, and so Vernon could go back to 189 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:14,760 Speaker 4: the town officials to say, look, see what happened. He's 190 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,440 Speaker 4: already people trying to steal them. So we got we 191 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:19,120 Speaker 4: got to bury him at home where we can have 192 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 4: private security. And that's why they changed the city ordinance 193 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 4: so that you know, Elvis could be buried at Graceland 194 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,959 Speaker 4: at his home, so maybe that's the story, but I 195 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:27,600 Speaker 4: don't know anything. 196 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 2: It's probably no, no, no, no, no, that's that's that's something to 197 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:31,720 Speaker 2: do with it. I'm sorry. It's also like when we 198 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 2: say conspiracy theories, there are people out there saying that 199 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,200 Speaker 2: maybe he didn't actually die, you know, maybe he actually uh. 200 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 2: I have a theory out you know, the remainder of 201 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 2: his life under an assumed name or something like that, 202 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 2: but not much credence to any of it. 203 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 4: He's an extra. 204 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 2: He shows mcaulay cooking where the lobby. That's not true. 205 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:57,840 Speaker 1: So if if he were alive today, he would be 206 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:03,640 Speaker 1: let me see, he died officially on August sixteenth, nineteen 207 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:06,080 Speaker 1: seventy seven, just forty two years old, so he'd be 208 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 1: like ninety one years old, which is possible waiting for 209 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:13,319 Speaker 1: that album. And Elvis, if you're here, thanks for tuning in. 210 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 1: We know he had a lot of financial hardship growing up, 211 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: similar to Dolly Pardon, we could say, and similar to 212 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,560 Speaker 1: so many other musicians of the time. We also know 213 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 1: that he was from a deeply religious background and Jordan, 214 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 1: one thing you pointed out that we did not know 215 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:43,240 Speaker 1: was that Elvis Presley was a natural blonde. Did he 216 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:44,440 Speaker 1: really have blonde hair? 217 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:47,600 Speaker 4: Natural blonde? There's some cute photos of him as a kid. 218 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:50,320 Speaker 4: I mean, it's so weird because he still, like very 219 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:53,080 Speaker 4: much looks like Elvis, but he's a little tow headed kid. 220 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:56,920 Speaker 4: And the theory, I mean, this was his humble beginnings. 221 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,440 Speaker 4: He apparently would color his hair black with shoe polish 222 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:01,120 Speaker 4: when he was when he was younger, when he was 223 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:05,080 Speaker 4: first starting out, which I mean, the logical question is 224 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 4: why would you Why would you do this? Apparently he 225 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,320 Speaker 4: thought that dark hair made him look cooler and edgier 226 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 4: on stage when he was just starting out. And it's 227 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 4: believed that his look, this dark haired look, was inspired 228 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,559 Speaker 4: by his love of the comic book character Captain Marvel Junior. 229 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:26,040 Speaker 4: And if you look him up, he does have this 230 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 4: like kind of swept back Elvis style quiff and like 231 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:33,840 Speaker 4: the sideburns. He's like a teenager. And later on in 232 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:35,320 Speaker 4: his career when he was in his like in the 233 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:37,680 Speaker 4: seventies era, and he had those big jumpsuits in the capes, 234 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 4: those capes look a lot like this. Captain Marvel Junior's 235 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 4: like superhero capes and even like, you know, the the 236 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,400 Speaker 4: lightning bolt symbol that Elvis had later in his life 237 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 4: that he had painted on the wall of one of 238 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 4: the media room at Graceland. I think he had it 239 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:54,840 Speaker 4: on one of his planes too. That was a symbol 240 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:58,000 Speaker 4: from this Captain Marvel Junior comic book. So it hasn't 241 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 4: been he never really spoke about it, but it's been 242 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:03,160 Speaker 4: theorized by fans that he borrowed us from his favorite 243 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:05,800 Speaker 4: comic book character. And it's so cute. His comic book 244 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:07,720 Speaker 4: collection is still in the attic at Graceland. 245 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:09,560 Speaker 2: Oh, I wonder what that's worth. 246 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:12,280 Speaker 3: Yes, seriously, So to jump in real quick, we actually 247 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 3: did talk about that in our episode for a couple 248 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,680 Speaker 3: of years back, the litigious history of Captain Marvel, which, yes, 249 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:22,960 Speaker 3: we found that very interesting that he really liked JR. 250 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm Jenmie. Gosh, we do so many of these. 251 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 2: I totally spased on that aspect, and I honestly couldn't 252 00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:53,480 Speaker 2: have told you that Captain Marvel Junior was a thing. 253 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:55,840 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, thanks for the reminder. 254 00:13:56,160 --> 00:14:00,320 Speaker 1: Please please choose tune into that one in Also, we 255 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: talked a little bit at the top of one of 256 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:09,160 Speaker 1: the most iconic pieces of Eddie Elvis performance live, which 257 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 1: was the dancing right the switch of the hips, as 258 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:18,600 Speaker 1: Noel said pre Shakira, and this became quite controversial right 259 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:22,480 Speaker 1: to the more buttoned up pearl clutching crowd. But Jordan, 260 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:27,000 Speaker 1: you told us there is a reason for his infamous 261 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,480 Speaker 1: dance moves, and it may not be the one we expect. 262 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 4: It's I mean always he was a shy country boy 263 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,720 Speaker 4: at heart, and the theory, the rumor is that those 264 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:39,800 Speaker 4: you know, hip swiveling leg shakes were actually a result 265 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:42,000 Speaker 4: of stage fright. Early in his career. He was so 266 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 4: nervous that he would start to shake and he could 267 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 4: kind of see the audience's reaction and they were into it. 268 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:50,800 Speaker 4: So he kind of leaned into it and made those 269 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:54,840 Speaker 4: weird moves his own, and he put them in future shows. 270 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:59,320 Speaker 4: But like you said, this deeply upset the pearl clutches 271 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:01,480 Speaker 4: of the nation, so much so that in I think 272 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:05,200 Speaker 4: it was August of nineteen fifty six, juvenile court judge 273 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:09,360 Speaker 4: Marion Gooding attended one of Elvis's shows in Florida, and 274 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 4: he was so horrified by what he saw they threatened 275 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 4: to have Elvis arrested and he insisted on only and 276 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 4: this is a quote limited side to side movements. 277 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:23,440 Speaker 1: Stop looking like you were doing the air guitar version 278 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:24,000 Speaker 1: of sex. 279 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 4: Is that what, yeah, Garlon was. 280 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:29,040 Speaker 2: Yes, oh wow, Yeah, you definitely could classify what he 281 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:33,040 Speaker 2: did as gyrating. Perhaps, you know, it's funny though, Jordan 282 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 2: I didn't realize the nerves angle at all, and it 283 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 2: really makes me think of an iconic sort of stage 284 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 2: presence associated with Ian Curtis Joydavision. Yeah, who had I 285 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:49,320 Speaker 2: believe epilepsy or some form of seizures, and he was 286 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:52,080 Speaker 2: known for these kind of real shaky tweaky dance moves 287 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:54,840 Speaker 2: and oftentimes it was a result of a combination of 288 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:56,360 Speaker 2: stage fright and his condition. 289 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:59,280 Speaker 4: Oh that's so true. Yeah, there's some amazing footage of 290 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:02,120 Speaker 4: him on one of those Tony Wilson shows, like the 291 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:05,760 Speaker 4: local Manchester Cable Access, where he's performing She's lost control 292 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:09,160 Speaker 4: and it's like it's really jarring, but it's it's yeah, 293 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 4: arresting is the word. Yeah. Yeah. 294 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:16,760 Speaker 1: We also know another theory that often gets brought up 295 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 1: right by analysts and music historians, which is they're going 296 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:27,240 Speaker 1: to argue that Elvis was appropriating right music culture and 297 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: even dance moves of the time. So if we were 298 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:35,560 Speaker 1: to ask you, Jordan, which, uh, which of those arguments 299 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:38,600 Speaker 1: you fall more in favor of, would you say stage fright, 300 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:41,760 Speaker 1: nerves or would you say appropriation? 301 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 4: I would say in terms of the dancing, I would 302 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 4: say nerves. I I do believe that does feel. And 303 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:53,440 Speaker 4: it was honestly those around him that kind of are 304 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:56,680 Speaker 4: those sort of that stood to gain from that attention 305 00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 4: that would kind of put him up to it. I mean, 306 00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:00,440 Speaker 4: there's the famous story of when he went on the 307 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:03,400 Speaker 4: Milton Berle Show in June of fifty six, and that 308 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:05,040 Speaker 4: was like his first real big I think it was, 309 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:07,119 Speaker 4: I can't remember it was his first national appearance, but 310 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 4: it was certainly is the first really truly big performance. 311 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:13,359 Speaker 4: And he spent most of the show with a guitar, 312 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:16,639 Speaker 4: which kind of limited his ability to move around. And 313 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:19,640 Speaker 4: then when he started singing a hound Dog Burrow, the host, 314 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:22,320 Speaker 4: Milton Burle, a comedian, uh, told him to take the 315 00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:24,480 Speaker 4: guitar off and said, let him see your son was 316 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,800 Speaker 4: the advice, and he have known what he was doing. 317 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,400 Speaker 4: And that was you know, the big like national. 318 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:34,359 Speaker 2: Furor or all these good television right Yeah, Milton got it. 319 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:35,439 Speaker 2: Uncle Milty got it. 320 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 1: Also Milton had a hog again himself. 321 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:39,399 Speaker 2: Yes, yes, he had a hog. 322 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 1: Yes, and you know exactly what I mean, like he 323 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:44,440 Speaker 1: had a Lyndon Johnson level jumbo. 324 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:46,560 Speaker 2: Oh that I did not know. I'm sorry, I didn't 325 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 2: know that about Uncle Milty. 326 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:49,359 Speaker 4: It was this story where they were at like he 327 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:51,439 Speaker 4: was at a yurinal with like Groucho Marx and Gratcha 328 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 4: was just like, you better feed that thing or it's 329 00:17:53,119 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 4: liable to turn on you. 330 00:17:54,480 --> 00:18:01,119 Speaker 2: That's very funny. No, sir, ree Bob staying in now, we're. 331 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:02,639 Speaker 3: Actually gonna cut it from that spot for at the 332 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:03,120 Speaker 3: very start. 333 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:08,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, everything all right, fast forward past the foreskinting jokes 334 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:10,440 Speaker 1: since we're talking about cutting hog. 335 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:14,080 Speaker 2: Must if we must. You know, it's interesting though, because 336 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:17,320 Speaker 2: we're talking about appropriation. You know, he grew up in 337 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 2: rural the rural South. Uh, he was directly influenced by 338 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:26,800 Speaker 2: black culture and black music, gospel music, A lot of 339 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 2: stuff like that was just happening around him. So then 340 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:35,560 Speaker 2: the question becomes is he the appropriateur is he? Or 341 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:37,680 Speaker 2: is he just kind of taken in what was around him? 342 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:41,159 Speaker 2: And then his handlers sort of pushed him to that 343 00:18:41,359 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 2: level that might be considered appropriation, Like what even is appropriation? 344 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 2: Like it's it's I don't mean to make some sort 345 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:50,879 Speaker 2: of like gotcha question or hot button debate here, because 346 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:52,879 Speaker 2: I think we kind of know what it is. It's 347 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:56,399 Speaker 2: when you maybe unjustly take something from a culture that 348 00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:58,480 Speaker 2: doesn't get credit for it and then crink claim it 349 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:00,840 Speaker 2: as your own. Was he doing that or was he 350 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 2: just sort of in turn because I believe he gave 351 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,040 Speaker 2: a lot of love and respect to many of the 352 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:07,680 Speaker 2: artists and people that he was surrounded by, but then 353 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:10,600 Speaker 2: got so into drugs and sort of out of it 354 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:12,879 Speaker 2: that his handlers were sort of the ones basically propping 355 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:14,919 Speaker 2: him up and you know, pushing him out on stage, 356 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:17,280 Speaker 2: and he maybe didn't have the agency to do some 357 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:19,399 Speaker 2: of that, make some of those connections or give some 358 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:20,640 Speaker 2: of that credit. I mean. 359 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:24,880 Speaker 4: And he would say, this was what I grew up with, 360 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 4: This was what I am, a reflection of what was 361 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:31,400 Speaker 4: around me. That is what he would say. Was he 362 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 4: held to a completely different standard and had opportunities that 363 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:36,840 Speaker 4: these other artists did not. Of course, yeah, absolutely, but 364 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 4: he you know, and people like Big Mama Thornton deeply 365 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 4: resent to the fact that you know, he covered her 366 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:44,000 Speaker 4: songhound Dog and he made it, you know, made a 367 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:45,119 Speaker 4: gazillion dollars off of it. 368 00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:46,760 Speaker 2: Well she did, and she didn't get she didn't get 369 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:48,200 Speaker 2: any any residuals for either. 370 00:19:48,359 --> 00:19:52,600 Speaker 4: Well there's this is a bad example, but they're famously 371 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:55,080 Speaker 4: I need to check on this. I don't think in 372 00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:59,200 Speaker 4: that case that was this. This occurred, but when songwriters 373 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 4: would submit so to Elvis, his label insisted that he 374 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:06,040 Speaker 4: get a writing credit on it, like that was part 375 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:07,600 Speaker 4: of the deal when writers would. 376 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 1: See even though he didn't actually write in the song. 377 00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:13,199 Speaker 4: No, he recorded something like seven hundred songs in his 378 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:16,760 Speaker 4: career and he he was not a songwriter, but he's 379 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:19,359 Speaker 4: credited on songs like all Shook Up and Don't Be Cruel. 380 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:24,000 Speaker 2: Which we also know that the largely white record industry 381 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:28,680 Speaker 2: was infamous for taking advantage oh, you know, black artists. 382 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:31,760 Speaker 2: So that's why I'm not trying to give Elvis a pass, 383 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:33,919 Speaker 2: but I'm just saying it seems like was it the 384 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:36,800 Speaker 2: kernel and all the people that were sort of handling 385 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:38,679 Speaker 2: him in the record company, they were more of the 386 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:42,359 Speaker 2: ones turning the screws and making those bad deals to 387 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:44,679 Speaker 2: your point about the writing credit, that's hogwash. But I'm 388 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:46,800 Speaker 2: certain that Elvis wouldn't have pushed for that himself. 389 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:49,639 Speaker 4: I don't think he was very involved with any of that. 390 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:50,439 Speaker 4: I don't, I mean to be. 391 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:53,960 Speaker 2: He's very nicie, right, That's what I meant. 392 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:57,600 Speaker 1: But he wasn't a business guy. He wasn't a business 393 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:01,640 Speaker 1: and development shark. He wasn't out there redlining contracts. 394 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:04,240 Speaker 2: He was frankly not super bright. No, I mean, I 395 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:06,080 Speaker 2: don't mean to be a but like he was, he 396 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:08,879 Speaker 2: was taking advantage of himself. Oh yeah, because he was 397 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 2: just all those. 398 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 1: Those Jordan, could you tell us a little bit about 399 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:16,120 Speaker 1: the colonel and the so called Memphis mafia. 400 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:19,760 Speaker 4: The colonel was, I mean, my favorite story about the 401 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:22,359 Speaker 4: colonel was that he he was not a colonel. That 402 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 4: was just the name of. 403 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:25,680 Speaker 2: L Rod. 404 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 1: He started calling himself the admiral. 405 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:32,480 Speaker 4: The admiral, stolen valor in the highest he was. He 406 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 4: illegally came to this country from I want to say, Copenhagen. 407 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 4: And the reason Elvis famously never performed a concert abroad, 408 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:43,600 Speaker 4: and the Colonel would always give him these like fictitious 409 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:45,879 Speaker 4: business reasons why, like, oh yeah, it's a bad idea like, 410 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:48,040 Speaker 4: you don't want to you don't want to perform anywhere 411 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 4: but right here. 412 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:51,800 Speaker 2: You will hold you hostage in Vegas the rest of 413 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:52,280 Speaker 2: your life. 414 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:54,960 Speaker 1: You could go as far west as what But he 415 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:56,680 Speaker 1: was because only in the movies. 416 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,000 Speaker 4: He couldn't leave the country. He couldn't he and so 417 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:02,439 Speaker 4: which is so fun. So that's the level of just, 418 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:05,160 Speaker 4: you know, Elvis, just a blind trust in this guy. 419 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:14,399 Speaker 4: What I was talking about earlier about the writing credit 420 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:17,240 Speaker 4: thing that I mean, it seems on the surface like 421 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:19,520 Speaker 4: a good business move. Oh yeah, you want Elvis, who's 422 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:22,399 Speaker 4: gonna make whatever song records a massive hit? To record 423 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:25,000 Speaker 4: your song? Cool, give us a you know, fifty percent cut. 424 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:28,919 Speaker 4: Our brill building artists are brill building songwriters, and you know, 425 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:34,080 Speaker 4: pro songwriters out of Nashville stopped offering him their best stuff, 426 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:36,119 Speaker 4: which is why in the sixties, I mean, one of 427 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:38,840 Speaker 4: the several reasons why his career started tanking in the sixties, 428 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,639 Speaker 4: he just wasn't getting good songs. And I mean, one 429 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 4: of the most famous examples of this is that Dolly 430 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:45,600 Speaker 4: Parton wrote I Will Always Love You in the early 431 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:47,520 Speaker 4: seventies and she was still kind of on the rise 432 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:50,679 Speaker 4: as a soul artist herself, and Elvis deeply wanted to 433 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:53,639 Speaker 4: record it, and Dolly was so thrilled, and then Colonel 434 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:56,000 Speaker 4: Tom Parker said, well, you know, you got to you 435 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:59,399 Speaker 4: gotta sign over the I think get a co write 436 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:03,000 Speaker 4: credit and at least half of the publishing rights. And 437 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:05,920 Speaker 4: Dolly said, you know, no, I can't. That's my you know, 438 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:09,720 Speaker 4: those publishing rights belonged to my it's my family's financial feature. 439 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 4: I can't just sign that away. 440 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:12,880 Speaker 2: And so she's and that's one of the many reasons 441 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,640 Speaker 2: that Dolly is a badass, just absolutely rules. I mean, 442 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:21,480 Speaker 2: because that in those days, you know, being a woman songwriter, 443 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:24,040 Speaker 2: you would have already been like relegated to a certain 444 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:27,160 Speaker 2: level of dismissed kind of attitude, you know, from the 445 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:31,440 Speaker 2: patriarchal and white run record industry, and you wouldn't have 446 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 2: had the luxury of saying no to a thing like that. 447 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 2: And she really did stand her ground and stick to 448 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 2: her guns and other you know, cowboy related metaphors. 449 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:41,480 Speaker 4: I mean, two stories about Colonel Tom Parker, one that 450 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,520 Speaker 4: illustrates just his viciousness and one that illustrates the fact 451 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 4: that he was not as smart as he thought he was. 452 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:50,040 Speaker 4: There's a famous story that Larry Geller, guy the Elvis's 453 00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:53,919 Speaker 4: hairdresser who became his really close friend, tells the story 454 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:56,720 Speaker 4: a lot. Where I think it was during the Elvis 455 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 4: residency was sometime towards the end in the seventies, and 456 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:05,640 Speaker 4: Elvis was just comatose. He was not in any condition 457 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:07,919 Speaker 4: to perform. It was maybe like an hour or two 458 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:17,560 Speaker 4: before showtime. Yeah, And he calls the colonel and tells 459 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 4: him to come to helvis a suite and thinks that 460 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:22,040 Speaker 4: he's gonna, like, you know, okay, you know, the old 461 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 4: man is here. He's gonna set everything right. He's gonna 462 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:27,480 Speaker 4: see what's going on, and he's gonna put a stop 463 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 4: to it. He's gonna get Elvis the help he needs, 464 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,440 Speaker 4: Like you know, Dad's here and he's gonna like fix everything. 465 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:35,920 Speaker 4: And he sees Parker go in, and he sees him 466 00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:40,480 Speaker 4: shove Elvis's face into a champagne holder face with the 467 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:43,840 Speaker 4: ice bucket. Yeah, shove his face in there, pull it out, 468 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 4: pull him out by the air, shove him back in, 469 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:48,640 Speaker 4: pull him out by the hair. And Parker just looks 470 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,080 Speaker 4: at this guy, Larry Galler, and says, the only thing 471 00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:53,879 Speaker 4: that matters is that bat Man gets on stage tonight, 472 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:58,199 Speaker 4: that is the only thing that matter. It was chilling, 473 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:04,159 Speaker 4: So that's that's the vish bousness. Parker started a. Elvis 474 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 4: was signed to RCIA Records famously, but he started the 475 00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:10,480 Speaker 4: Parker started the subsidiary label. I don't fully understand the 476 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:14,240 Speaker 4: specific stuf. It doesn't really matter. But he wanted to 477 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:17,760 Speaker 4: release an album on that label so that he personally 478 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:20,320 Speaker 4: could just profit from it because he owned this label himself. 479 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:23,639 Speaker 4: And so he thought, wait a minute, RCA owns the songs. 480 00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:27,399 Speaker 4: What if I have Elvis release a spoken word album? 481 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:31,919 Speaker 4: Those are those aren't songs? And so he put just 482 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:35,240 Speaker 4: did it even dumber. They recorded a bunch of his 483 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:37,919 Speaker 4: live shows and then they just spliced out all of 484 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:38,280 Speaker 4: his on. 485 00:25:38,359 --> 00:25:41,280 Speaker 2: Stage the stage speech, and. 486 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:43,560 Speaker 4: It's called having fun with Elvis on stage. 487 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:46,160 Speaker 2: And then maybe so is that a novelty record? Now? 488 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:48,360 Speaker 2: Is that? Like they did? They not make many of them? 489 00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:51,800 Speaker 4: No, he was gonna sell it just at concerts as 490 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 4: like a like a momentum. And then was like, no, 491 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,479 Speaker 4: you idiot, Elvis's voice on record. We own all of that, 492 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:02,080 Speaker 4: not just songs. He missed the boat on that, so 493 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:04,119 Speaker 4: he wasn't as smart as he No, he was not 494 00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 4: as smart as he thought. So he was kind of 495 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:07,600 Speaker 4: evil and not as smart as he thought. 496 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:09,800 Speaker 2: Now, now that does raise a question for me, Jordan, 497 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:11,080 Speaker 2: and maybe you don't know the answer to this, but 498 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:14,960 Speaker 2: I mean, do they own his speaking voice? Like? To 499 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:19,199 Speaker 2: what degree does a record label own an artist? Like? 500 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:24,200 Speaker 2: I guess their likeness, their their their whatever. Life rights? 501 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,800 Speaker 2: There so many different angles of that, right, that's fascinating. 502 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 2: I'd love to We need to do another episode at 503 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,360 Speaker 2: some point, Ben on something like life rights. Yeah, yeah, 504 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:33,680 Speaker 2: I think that would be interesting. 505 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a great call because if I if I 506 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:41,520 Speaker 1: understand correctly, you know, RCA was such a huge monopolistic 507 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:44,920 Speaker 1: force at the time. They had the best lawyers, so 508 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:49,080 Speaker 1: they could drag people through court, uh just making their 509 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:52,160 Speaker 1: opinion fact. So it does make sense that a group 510 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:57,160 Speaker 1: as litigious as RCA would say nope, everything this guy 511 00:26:57,240 --> 00:27:01,639 Speaker 1: says auto Yeah uhr. 512 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:05,639 Speaker 2: Was Edison right? I mean literally the first y Yeah, 513 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:09,320 Speaker 2: they owned the medium of like recorded music, They invented it, 514 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 2: and then eventually more or less right and then they 515 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:12,920 Speaker 2: had it on lockdown. I would love to talk a 516 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:16,479 Speaker 2: little bit about that aspect of it for a second. 517 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:18,679 Speaker 2: I know, I know that you're into all aspects of 518 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,480 Speaker 2: recorded music, but that's fascinating, always been fascinating to me. 519 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:24,679 Speaker 2: You're picturing the dog listening to the Victrola, just the 520 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:28,000 Speaker 2: branding around that, and that being literally RCA being first 521 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:32,040 Speaker 2: to market on the concept of recorded music. 522 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 4: And televisions too. I mean, of course, and Il was 523 00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:38,120 Speaker 4: famously uh he loved his TV and he had something 524 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:39,800 Speaker 4: like fourteen TVs at his house. 525 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:44,119 Speaker 1: Toxic relationship for television sets Georgian. 526 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:46,639 Speaker 4: Yes, he liked to shoot them just like because he 527 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:48,359 Speaker 4: knew that because he was with RCA, they would just 528 00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:50,240 Speaker 4: send them free ones whenever he wanted. 529 00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:52,400 Speaker 1: A lot more TVs. 530 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:55,760 Speaker 4: Yes, yeah, so he he he would like do it 531 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:58,399 Speaker 4: just to like be funny, like if there's somebody like 532 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:01,119 Speaker 4: the famous story of uh, the singer Robert Gulay was 533 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:02,840 Speaker 4: on the TV and he was like watching it with 534 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:04,879 Speaker 4: his friends, and I think I think there was some 535 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:07,399 Speaker 4: like weird love triangle thing with guli I don't remember 536 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:09,800 Speaker 4: why he hated him so much, but he just said 537 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,919 Speaker 4: that guy's got no heart and shot the TV. And 538 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 4: when Ola was on. 539 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:21,200 Speaker 1: Dude, what a what a hip hop level flex to say? Oh, 540 00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:24,040 Speaker 1: I don't turn channels. I shoot the television and then 541 00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:27,199 Speaker 1: RCA sends me a new TV. Are you so broken 542 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:30,639 Speaker 1: that you have to change the channel? You reuse your TV? 543 00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:36,600 Speaker 2: Heitary he was kind of the first bad behaving rock 544 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:41,280 Speaker 2: star guy, and like TV damage and destruction became a 545 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 2: trope kind of further down the line. But Elvis was 546 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 2: the og of the unhinged, you know, megalomaniacal musician, right just. 547 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:52,560 Speaker 4: With his own stuff. He wasn't like Keith Moon level 548 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 4: trash and hotel room, but with his own stuf, he 549 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 4: had a He definitely had a much more cavalier relationship 550 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,000 Speaker 4: to Also, it gets back to that and I say 551 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 4: he was a he was a lovable himbo, like like 552 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:08,760 Speaker 4: you love that I have. You've heard about his fireworks battles. 553 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,240 Speaker 1: Let's talk about the firework battles before we get back 554 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:14,360 Speaker 1: to the Memphis Mafia, because they don't want to miss 555 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:17,280 Speaker 1: that one. We do have to explain that on drug Well. 556 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:20,680 Speaker 4: So so Memphis Mafia, I mean, was his ever expanding 557 00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:24,800 Speaker 4: crew of guys. And every year on New Year's Elvis 558 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:27,920 Speaker 4: would drop like two grand on fireworks, which in sixties 559 00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:29,880 Speaker 4: money is I don't even want to know, it's probably 560 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:32,840 Speaker 4: like twenty thirty grand these days. And he and some 561 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:36,840 Speaker 4: of his friends they would wear like bomber jackets, like 562 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:41,520 Speaker 4: thick you know, motorcycle leather jackets, goggles and gloves and 563 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:46,400 Speaker 4: would shoot Roman candles at each other as one does. 564 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:51,479 Speaker 1: I'm Southern enough to have conducted similar escapades, but uh 565 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:56,560 Speaker 1: not with not with thousands of dollars worth of fireworks, 566 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:59,120 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Everybody gets one and then 567 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:00,800 Speaker 1: we count down before it's time to run. 568 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:03,000 Speaker 3: Bend is jump in here. I'm Southern enough to have 569 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:05,240 Speaker 3: done the same thing, except not with the bomber jacket. 570 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:11,160 Speaker 1: You were just relied on your dexterity and your agility. 571 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:14,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, I've certainly heard of like roman candle wars. You know, 572 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 2: people get oh yeah, it must be a Southern thing 573 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:21,520 Speaker 2: or just it's just the height of drunken red neckery. 574 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:24,720 Speaker 4: You know, it's stupid, so did it? 575 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:25,400 Speaker 2: And fun? 576 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,240 Speaker 1: A lot of stupid things are fun, But did a 577 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:29,400 Speaker 1: lot of fun things are stupid? 578 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:29,760 Speaker 2: Yes? 579 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:34,800 Speaker 1: And fellow ridiculous historians, we are going to pause the 580 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:39,040 Speaker 1: conversation in media arrest. This is part two of our 581 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:43,160 Speaker 1: Bizarre soaka of Elvis Presley, and we just can't thank 582 00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:44,760 Speaker 1: Jordan Runtaw enough. 583 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:49,920 Speaker 2: He's our pal, He's a true friend inside and outside 584 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:52,080 Speaker 2: of the show, and we were both kind of astonished 585 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 2: to realize that he hasn't been on the show before. 586 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:57,160 Speaker 2: And it's largely because I think we both spent time 587 00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:00,560 Speaker 2: together and separately with our boy Jordan, just chatting about 588 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 2: this kind of stuff. So I just sort of felt 589 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:04,480 Speaker 2: like we'd done it before, but that was just real life. 590 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:06,600 Speaker 3: And to jump in here, he kind of has been 591 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:09,120 Speaker 3: on the show as he's written episodes, but so we've 592 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:11,360 Speaker 3: had him in a different way. 593 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 2: In spirit, just like christ frasiotis. 594 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:15,800 Speaker 1: Need to Jeff Coates and big big thanks for our 595 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:19,160 Speaker 1: super producer, mister Max Williams. Big thanks to our composer 596 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:22,160 Speaker 1: Alex Williams who made this slap and bop, as well 597 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:25,360 Speaker 1: as aj Bahamas, Jacob's aka the Puzzler. 598 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:29,080 Speaker 2: And Jeez Louise Ben. Thanks to you you got me 599 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:29,719 Speaker 2: all shook up. 600 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 1: And big big thanks of course to Jonathan Strickland ak 601 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:36,120 Speaker 1: The Twister, because every show like ours needs a kerdle 602 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:36,600 Speaker 1: of its own. 603 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:47,160 Speaker 2: Let's see you next time, folks. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 604 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 2: visit the iHeartRadio, app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen 605 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 2: to your favorite shows.