Elvis vs MLK

I think Elvis a fascinating character. He said (and I resonate with), "Rock and roll music, if you like it, and you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me. I have to move around. I can't stand still. I've tried it, and I can't do it". He was the first American pop idol. He fused country and blues to create rock 'n' roll and is credited by many with changing the face of popular music in the 1950s. As John Lennon once said, "Before Elvis, there was nothing". His music bridged cultural and racial divides. He was a singer, entertainer, actor, sex symbol, and soldier while staying an ordinary man with faults and addictions.

But he's not going away! With many of his singles recently re-released, Elvis is now the biggest selling solo artist of all time and his albums continue to sell. BBC Radio ranked him second in a list of the greatest English language singers of the 20th century. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him third in their 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of all time. There are an estimated 35,000 Elvis impersonators worldwide. He (his estate) is worth more in death than in life, and has now become a sort of mythical quasi-religious figure with even rumours that he faked his own death and is still alive somewhere. His home in Memphis, Graceland has been turned into a shrine with over 600,000 visiting annually. Graceland's ethos is summed up by graffiti on the wall outside: "Elvis=World Peace". Paul Simon sings "I've a reason to believe we all will be received in Graceland" And all still are. This week, an estimated 75,000 fans travelled to Memphis from around the world to mark the 30th anniversary of his death accompanied by scenes which can only be described as worship.

I have to say at this point, I just don't get it! He was charismatic and entertaining. I like the music (although I don't own any albums). I've watched some of his movies and the '68 Comeback Special. I've even been to Graceland, but I just don't get it! I can't figure out why he is so revered around the world.

The day I went to Graceland, I also went to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. You might recognise it as the motel where Martin Luther King Jr was shot. I was struck by the similarities. King also died young (aged 39), (Elvis died aged 42), both in the city of Memphis. Both have memorial museums in the city. Both had large followings. But the similarities end there. Elvis Presley's later years were consumed by fame and money and he eventually died as a result of drug misuse. Apart from his great music, his legacy is a nice house and a large collection of jumpsuits. King's legacy was to inspire a revolution in America which changed many lives. While the museum is a memorial to him, it also chronicles the civil rights movement and continues to "inspire participation in civil and human rights efforts globally". He was also a great Christian preacher. I left Graceland with feeling that Elvis death (and largely his life too) was tragic and pointless. But I left the Civil Rights Museum inspired and challenged by Martin Luther King and his message of freedom and equality. I know which legacy I'd rather leave behind.