Yes, tonight is the eve of the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death. They say everyone remembers what they were doing when they heard that Elvis was dead. I definitely remember what I was doing, but I will not say, because it will date me!
I was never much of an Elvis fan. That may be heresy for someone from Tennessee, but remember I am from Nashville, not Memphis. Tomorrow in Memphis it will be wild, I am sure, as the loyal followers will make their annual pilgrimmage to their Mecca--Graceland. I even know of some people who have come to Tennessee from abroad to go to graduate school to be near Graceland, and I betcha they have come back since graduating.
I have been to Graceland once. By today's standards, the mansion is not so big. Before Elvis, it was owned by a doctor and was considered a stately home in a nice area. I know someone who grew up in that area, and he said that people were upset when Elvis bought the house, and rightly so, I guess, as the neighborhood went down after he bought it.
But I do think it is worth it to go to Graceland. Plus there are other fun things to do in Memphis: Beale Street, Peabody Hotel with its ducks in the lobby, a riverboat ride on the Mighty Mississippi, and the Rendezvous, with its fantastic ribs.
I still wonder what Elvis would have said if he were alive when his daughter was married to Michael Jackson. Maybe he would have felt the need to "take care of business." But more than that, I wonder why Priscilla's parents went along with that wierd arrangement when she was 14--that she could go live at Elvis' house. Today that would be considered very strange, not appropriate at all. I have never heard anyone talk about the strangeness of that at all. Maybe I am the first!
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