40 posts tagged “elvis presley”
The Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum celebrates the joy known as ramen. It opened in 1994.
The lower floor has nine ramen restaurants from different regions of Japan. It was designed to replicate Tokyo in 1958 (Showa 33). According to the brochure:
The mood from the good old days of Showa fills visitor with nostalgia and an appetite to taste ramen. And importantly, instant noodles were invented in 1958. The invention transformed Japan into a nation of ramen connoisseurs.
There was music from the era played through the lower floor. Naturally, there was a lot of Elvis music.
On the way back to the train station, I saw this:
I must tell my evil, Elvis-hating coworker Lord Thingy about all this, so that he could enjoy it too!
While updating my page-a-day Elviscalendar, I stumbled across an interesting bit of Elvishistory.
As everyone knows, August 28th is the International Day of Unspeakable Evil. According to my Elviscalendar, on August 28, 1962, Elvis began working on It Happened at the World's Fair. Kurt Russell made his debut in this movie; he was cast as the "Kid who Kicks Elvis." When I informed my evil, Elvis-hating coworker Lord Thingy about Kurt Russell's being cast as the "Kid who Kicks Elvis," Lord Thingy replied "Oh, so he was the hero then?"
On August 31, 1957, Elvis played a concert at Empire Stadium (at the PNE in Vancouver). The concert had to be cut short when crazed fans stormed the stage.
BLASPHEMY!
May Elvis show up in Chicago and bitch-slap Blago into another dimension.
Tomorrow is August 16, which means that it's the anniversary of Elvis Presley's alleged demise. (Elvis allegedly left the building 32 years ago.) I almost forgot about August 16, because Lord Thingy didn't say anything mean about me or Elvis last week.
This is what he did on the 30th anniversary of Elvis's alleged demise:
One day I will have to visit Graceland. I want to see Elvis's house. And his cars. And his plane.
Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died today. Both of them were key figures in my misguided youth. I remember when the Farrah 'do was THE hairstyle (although I actually didn't know anyone who had one), and the poster of her in the red bathing suit. As for Michael Jackson, I remember confusing the Jacksons and the Osmonds. I also remember "Off the Wall," and yes, I used to have a copy of "Thriller."
Here's a take on the significance of Farrah's and Michael's deaths. Yes, the icons of my misguided youth are starting to die. I guess it'll really hit me when one of the Osmonds passes away.
Michael Jackson was once married to Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie. Coincidentally, he died of "cardiac arrest," the same thing that Elvis died of.
(I still think that Michael Jackson squandered his immense talent, though.)
I subscribe to Powell's Review A Day, and this is the review of the day. Advanced Elvis Course? Awesome title.
It has been thirty-two years since Elvis Presley died at age 42, a bloated victim of prescription pills and Nutter Butters...
Obviously, the reviewer is channelling Lord Thingy.
Elvis Presley is such an icon because of the many interpretations to which he has been subject. He is so entangled in history and myth that he has become virtually unknowable. On one hand, he was a pioneering rock and roll singer; on the other, he was a gifted gospel singer and by all accounts a believer. He was a symbol of sin to his contemporaries for the way he shook his hips when singing, but today's hip-hop artists regularly grab their crotches while they perform much more suggestive songs than he ever imagined. He began his career as a rebel stirring up America's youth, but he ended it as a Las Vegas lounge singer, crooning for the middle-aged masses. In short, Elvis is largely a blank screen onto which legions of fans, music critics and academicians have projected their beliefs.
And Lord Thingy's dislike is not of Elvis, but of music. Or maybe of people who like Elvis.)
It sounds like this book will cover some of the same ground covered in Greil Marcus's Dead Elvis. (Another title which Lord Thingy must have thought up.) Except in poetry form. And the author got to visit Graceland.
I will have to buy it, and pick up an extra copy for Lord Thingy so that he can enjoy it too!
Yesterday was National "Make Up Your Own Holiday" Day. If you could create any holiday, what would it be?
My friend Evil Bill and I observe the International Day of Unspeakable Evil every August 28th. Prior to that, we discuss what awful gifts we will bestow upon the Dark Lord on his special day. In 2006, I wanted to give him a copy of the French song Coup de Boule and give it to him with an actual coup de boule. Last year, I thought of giving him some Archuleta music. This year, I will give him a copy of this:
Or maybe this:Whee! Wing and Lowe are skating a tribute to Lindsay Cardinale! Hokey Gokey should take notes. THIS is how he should attempt to move to disco. (Also, I like the green pants.)
Speaking of my Elvis-hating nemesis Lord Thingy, I learned something new about him this week. He loves bowling almost as much as he loves Elvis. I forgot to tell him that Elvis loved bowling too. Elvis rented out a bowling alley for himself and his friends. Maybe Lord Thingy is disappointed that he wasn't included in Elvis's bowling soiree.
Hey, I wonder if Sanjaya ever recorded a song about bowling?
The 6-49 jackpot today was 48 million. Sadly, the winner didn't come from B.C. I bought a ticket in the hopes that I would win and use the proceeds to buy (1) the house next door to Lord Thingy's and (2) an Elvis Lives museum from eBay. The plan, of course, was to put the Elvis Lives museum in the house next door to Lord Thingy's. I will have to wait to further torment LT with Elvis.
And Lord Thingy is most deserving of torment. On Thursday, he told me that he had something to show me. He pulled out an article from 24 hours (the free paper) which said that Elvis Presley is the celebrity that people [responding to a poll] would most like to meet, despite being dead for the past 30 or so years. He really emphasized the last part. I pointed out that Elvis's alleged demise was a matter of opinion. He responded that, since Elvis's alleged demise was mentioned in print, it must be true.
He didn't believe me when I told him that I saw Elvis in a loonie store on Granville Street, either. Or that I saw Elvis campaigning to be M.P. for Vancouver Centre.
Disneyland (or is it Disney World) will be rolling out "The American Idol Experience" shortly. (Lord Thingy was away from the office this week; perhaps he and the other Death Eaters have been beta-testing it at their Winter Jamboree.) Anyways, here's what the auditioners can expect. If LT hasn't done the AI Experience, I will have to send the link to him so that he can adequately prepare to follow in the footsteps of Katherine McPhee and Archuleta, both of whom butchered Elvissongs on the show.
You don't believe that Archuleta butchered an Elvissong? He certainly did!
Here's how Elvis (The King) sang the song:
I told Lord Thingy that he should watch the awful little boy who butchered an Elvissong, and Thingy simply responded that "Elvis butchered Elvissongs." Gasp!
On this day in 1935, Elvis Presley was born (in Tupelo, MS).
Happy birthday, Elvis.
