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| I've reason to believe we all will be received at Graceland | | Date Created: Aug 14, 2007, 07:51 PM |
Here's a smattering of my amateur pics from the Budweiser / Elvis 30th / Brandon Bernstein / Dale Jr. extravaganza at Graceland Monday evening. Joined by several thousand of our closest friends on the front lawn of the mansion, a grand time was had by all... Perhaps it's exhaustion from constant travel and motion (if you missed it, read my Glen odyssey) or maybe too many Bud Lights, but tonight I'm only capable of constructing stream-of-consciousness scattered images, so bear with me as we re-live the highlights in short bits and bursts...
For "professional" coverage of the event, look for a major feature on ESPN's pre-race show this Sunday from Michigan. And, you can see the full story of Dale Jr. and grandma Martha at Graceland on line at Bud.TV. Watch as Junior unveils the special ELVIS paint scheme that will run at Richmond, and goes on-stage to introduce his favorite Elvis tunes. You can also check the Associated Press video feed of the unveiling. |
Memphis was HOT. Not in a wimpy 95-degrees Fahrenheit kinda way - but in an epic kiln-of-the-gods, triple-digit, sweat dripping down your butt-crack kind of hot- and that was after the sun went down... I ended up sweating through THREE shirts Monday - which was the perfect excuse to spend an excessive amount of money at Lansky's - still run by the man who outfitted Elvis in his early days and the most superb men's clothing stores I've seen anywhere - direct from the lobby of the historic Peabody Hotel. (Sorry Autumn, didn't get pics of the march of the ducks.)
Junior bringing his grandma Martha and aunt Kathy was the highlight of the night for me. A gallant gesture and Miss Martha (Ralph Earnhardt's widow) seemed to relish the visit - often completing the sentences of the tour guide on the behind-the-scenes tour of the mansion... The mansion seems much smaller and humble in person - but that may be because we've grown so accustomed to the many massive NASCAR owner and driver McMansions here in NC... the Elvis paint scheme will look great on track at night. It's a beautiful car and will be the final special paint scheme of the nine-season Junior/Bud marriage...
The comedic highlight of the event was Mike Davis nearly being shot by the tour guide for plopping down like a sack o' potatoes on the couch in the Elvis jungle room. Here's a new trivia question: Q: Who's the only person to sit on Elvis' couch in 30 years? A: Mike Davis! I'm sure Junior and Brandon won't ever let him forget it. (All of the photos above of Junior and Brandon laughing while signing autographs are primarily the two of them laughing at Davis' expense...)
I managed to entertain our group of sweaty post-show folks when I theorized we should properly refer to the many creepy Elvis look-alikes/wanna-bes that were EVERYWHERE as "ELVI." That seems to be the correct plural tense of Elvis, and is certainly more succinct and melodious than "Elvises..."
Also in the lingusitic category, I learned what I misheard as the "Cubic Shuffle" dance at the after-party on Beale Street. Seems its actually called the "Cupid Shuffle" and is nothing more than the ancient "Bus Stop" dance reborn for a new generation. I still think "Cubic" makes more sense because you essentially lope around in a square pattern... I also had a great heart-to-heart for a few minutes with Dale Jr. It's been a long while and it seems like he's prone to open up like that only after a few Bud Lights or when a reporter's mic is in his face... |
 HEY LADIES: We met some charming and lovely Memphis Belles who own an apparel company which specializes in NASCAR and racing fashion for the ladies. It's good stuff, and you should immediately get your credit card warmed-up and click to TrackCouture.com. Or click here for their non-driver-specific bitchen' wear!
Of course, I made an ass of myself by spending the night chatting with one of the Track Couture co-founders about her father, who happened to fund the making of the brilliant lil' movie "My Dog Skip," plus helped create Ardent Recording Studios in Memphis (where several of the greatest pop albums ever made were recorded), is a co-owner of the Washington Redskins and, oh-by-the-way, created a company that changed the world. She deserved better and I owe her one.. Plus, her business partner had the world's largest ELVIS earrings that were a hit with everyone. I mean these were some BAE!* (*= Big Ass Earrings) |
 Thanks to those who urged me to compile my own best-of-Elvis songlist, but I'm more apt to choose a Stax Memphis Soul/R&B list. Call me a contrarian, but I find it slighly incongruous for Elvis Presley Enterprises to choose to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his sad death, whereas I may be more viciously inclined to honor the 50-year anniversary of his real explosion on the scene - changing rock and roll and the world's youth culture forever. I always felt his induction into the army marked the apparent disappearance of his cutting-edge artistic genius. Yes, he still created an occasional musical gem after that - but his real appeal as a sexy and dangerous world-shaking talent was never the same once Col. Parker made him appear in a series of lame-ass movies and refused to allow him to tour beyond the United States... Dale Jr. and many, many others will violently disagree, but you can keep the Vegas jumpsuits, I'll take the young vibrant Elvis. Sorry. Just one man's opinion. But, did I mention the racecar is beautiful?! |
Speaking of traveling the world, I got a first-hand lesson in the impact American art and culture has on people all around the globe. I've previously discussed the political theory of our great country's hard power (weaponry and military might) versus its soft power (art and culture), and I had seen it first-hand in the 1990s when co-workers from Europe would clamor and fawn over American icons like Levi's jeans. But when I ventured to the Stax Museum this morning, I saw a vivid and stunning example of how much the rest of the world treasures our greatest American musicians and artists. (Not to mention our movies and TV shows. And, apparently, our Budweiser commercials! But, I'm getting ahead of the punchline.)
As I walked toward the entrance to Soulsville USA on McLemore Ave., I was swept into a long line of folks waiting to get in to the museum. Many of them were obviously in town for the week of Elvis events (based on their t-shirts, hats and buttons), and I was amazed to hear American southern dialects blending with German, Australian and British accents. Once inside, there was a handful of Middle Easterners, all 20-something in age and anxious to see the brief movie that explains the social and political impact Memphis soul music had on the American culture in the 1960s.
Inside the various sections of the museum, I listened to and walked among people from five to 85. Their diversity was shocking to me perhaps because I've grown used to the homogeneity of the typical NASCAR crowd. But, the topper of the entire experience was standing beside an Asian man watching an Otis Redding video when his cell phone rang. He picked it up and spoke a few words in a language I didn't understand - and then let rip with a letter-perfect "WHASSSSSSUP?!" before going back into his native tongue. Ah, the magic of American artistic creativity. We need to export more of our great culture - and a lot less sabre-rattling and war-mongering. More Guitars! Less Guns! |
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