Big Orange, Elvis, and 'Anything Goes'

Here we go again.

UT's football team will trot out the "Smokey Gray" uniforms when they suit up against Florida on Saturday at Shields-Watkins Field. The last year they did this, they lost to Georgia (and Vanderbilt).

(Correction: Macon Vol buddy Dewayne Lawson reminded me that the Vols wore the alternate gray last fall and won. I was unable to watch much of the last two seasons due to illness. Thanks, Dewayne!)

This kind of thing bugs me, but then again, I still wore a tie, or at least a sports coat, when I was a regular in Section NN, south end zone, upper deck. So I'm probably not the best one to ask.

(Even Elvis knew about orange and white while he was here once...)

But, I can face facts. I'm not in the target demographic. Continuing a trend, Tennessee (and a lot of other schools) are directly playing to the iPhone generation. And, to quote Johnny Carson, "a dollar is always a dollar." I guess they think this also helps recruiting.

I know winning football games will. Autumn afternoons at Neyland Stadium do not need PR spin when all is well on Rocky Top.

This has been a strange year. Tennessee is 3-0 and ranked higher than Florida. That should be good news.

But they've looked bad for the most part, especially on offense, in close wins against Appalachian State and Ohio University, and fared a little better in the Barnum and Bailey show at Bristol. But it took awhile.

Ah, but again, this isn't a normal year. Florida's backup quarterback has to start Saturday. Tennessee is also missing players at key positions. Josh Dobbs is running for his life. Nobody can hang onto the ball. But the defense is doing well, all things considered, and the Vols go after the Gators at home. 

So who knows.

I miss a lot of Tennessee traditions. I miss the walking horse. I miss John Ward and Bill Anderson. I miss anyone with institutional knowledge.

(I don't miss "Third Down For What.")

But, in my quieter moments, I know it's all soap bubbles. Gridiron games no longer make nor break my weekends. Going through a chronic illness and living to tell the tale puts things in perspective.

I do think Tennessee should wear orange and white uniforms at home. Maybe they can get away with wearing all orange once every 10 years. I did like that one-shot black and orange jersey on Halloween.

Ah, well. To quote Cole Porter, "But now, God knows, anything goes..."

And let's be honest: If UT ends this 11-season losing streak, few will care, nor remember, what they were wearing when they did it.

(But that still doesn't mean I have to like it.)

Friends

Friends.

Isn't that a wonderful word?

If you've got real ones, you know what I mean.

Let me tell you a true tale.

Late this morning, just before noon, I pulled up to Beaver Brook Country Club for the monthly Halls Business and Professional Association meeting.

After chatting with Bob Crye, Ted Hatfield, my co-worker Shannon Carey and Sue Walker (the younger), I strolled into the dining room and saw Sue Walker (the elder). Sue the Elder is Sue the Younger's aunt.

Sue (the elder) sees me, says hello and adds, "I have something for you."

Up she comes with a bag that contains an Elvis photograph souvenir album and an Elvis Christmas candy tin.

"Do you have that?" she asks of the album. "If you do, you have two."

"Nope," I say. "Sure don't.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

"Nothing," Sue says. (Which is usually what I've done to deserve any gift.) "We're friends."

Friends. What a great word.

"Open the tin," she says.

In it were individual bags of peanut brittle.

"Did you make that yourself?"

"Yep," Sue says. "I wouldn't just give you an empty tin!"

How about that, huh? I sported a smile the rest of the day.

Not bad for a Tuesday back in reality after a three-day vacation.

Mabe in Motown

Ferndale, Mich. -- So, in a span of 20 minutes, I bought a Detroit Tigers jacket, a Jack Lord "Hawaii Five-O" bust and a book called "Elvis Died For Somebody's Sins (But Not Mine)."

That's the way Mabester rolls in Motown.

Fall has arrived in Ferndale. The temperature dropped to a frosty 48 last night. Today was terrific. Sixty-seven and sunny. Super.

I ducked into a quirky bookstore in Birmingham. Tomes were tossed to and fro, piles and piles, rows and rows. It was my kind of joint.

I was hunting "A Confederacy of Dunces" but found the Elvis book instead. Had to buy it. It's by a cat called Mick Farren. Ever heard of him?

"Within these pages you'll meet the likes of Frank Zappa, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry and Gore Vidal, and steam open correspondence between the author and Pete Townshend," writes Charles Shaar Murray in the forward. "And, much more importantly, you're about to go one-on-one with a world class raconteur..."

How can one resist that?

So, Tennessee lost to Oregon and the Tigers lost to the Royals. As Luther H. Gillis, private eye, might say, "Who cares!"

I am on vacation. Plus, that just means the Tigs will win tomorrow. See ya at Comerica Park!

Kanye karate-chopped by The King!

Guess what, Kanye? You ain't The King.

At best, you're an inflamed boil on the buttocks of society. And that's being charitable.

Elvis fans and people of goodwill everywhere breathed a sigh of relief yesterday when Lisa Marie Presley, E's daughter and executor of his estate, dispelled a rumor that Graceland is for sale in a USA Today article.

Earlier this summer, a British tabloid rag reported that West, best known for making an ass of himself at every opportunity, was interested in purchasing the Memphis mansion for (an expression I hate) his "baby mama" Kim Kardashian (another name I wish I had never heard).

Forget it. These gates are closed to you, Kanye.

"Sometimes there are rumors about it (Graceland) being sold," Presley told USA Today, "and that is NEVER going to happen. There's always a rumor. It is NOT getting sold. Graceland was given to me and will always be mine and then passed to my children," she says. "It will never be sold."

Thank God and thankyouverymuch!

I take great comfort in knowing that my nieces and godsons will still be listening to The King when Kanye is reduced to the ash heap of cultural irrelevance.

Graceland has also been named the Best Iconic American Attraction in the 10Best Readers' Choice contest, topping the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty and The White House.

Long live The King!

The King conquers New York -- again!

Yes, I always get myself a little something for Elvis Week.

Cause, well, you know.

This year's item (finally!) arrived today. It's the rereleased 40th anniversary vinyl version of "Elvis As Recorded at Madison Square Garden," taken from the June 10, 1972, evening performance, one of four shows The King performed that summer at MSG, shattering box office records at the time.

Beautifully remastered in the HQ-180 RTI Premium vinyl pressing, the show has never sounded better. It is MUCH livelier than the original release, which failed to capture the excitement of the quivering crowd.

Elvis and the TCB Band were at the top of their game for The King's first concert appearance in New York since the "Ed Sullivan Show" heyday of the 1950s. This is the best of the officially released live albums from Elvis' 1970s RCA catalogue.

From the bombastic "Also Sprach Zarathustra" straight into a hard-driving "That's All Right" to favorites like "Suspicious Minds" and a funky version of "Hound Dog," you simply can't beat it. If you are a casual fan who only wants one Elvis live album for your collection, this is it.

"Boy, the band was on its toes then and Elvis put so many songs in that set and sounded incredible," says Elvis fan and guitarist extraordinaire Ross Southerland, who knows of what he speaks.

I must also mention the CD rerelease as well because it contains a DVD of rare 8mm footage from this engagement. Don't miss it.

But, when it comes to sound and ambience, as Ross says, "Wax is where it's at, man!"

'You'll Never Walk Alone'

Thank you very much to the host of folks around the world who called, emailed, texted, and most especially listened to the WDVX-FM "East Tennessee Quiver" last night.

Special thanks to Tony Lawson and the gang for this great American(a) treasure of a radio station, to Bradley Reeves for inviting me to be a guest, to Dewayne Lawson, who listened to the entire four hours, to blogger Brian Hornback for the shout out, and to Wayne Bledsoe, Jim Childs, Bill Householder, Spencer Solomon, and Brad Walker for showing up at the studio.

We had a blast to say the least.

I'm going on three hours' sleep, so I'm too tired to wax poetic about Elvis tonight. But I think we said it all (I hope) in the music last night.

The show will be archived for two weeks at www.wdvx.com by clicking on the dates Aug. 15 and Aug. 16 and listening to the hours from 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Thanks also to all of you who have read and commented on the week-long blog tribute to The King of Rock and Roll.

As a final salute, here is a fitting song to close out Elvis Week.

God bless ya, Elvis.

'Duke and The King'

This post continues a week-long series on Elvis in celebration of Elvis Week. 

Duke Bardwell found out the hard way that more tears have been shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.

Bardwell, one heck of a talented singer/songwriter/musician, got a chance to play electric bass with one of his childhood heroes, Elvis Presley, in 1974. Jerry Scheff, Elvis' bass player since 1969, had left the TCB Band. Bardwell met Elvis' drummer Ronnie Tutt while playing on sessions with Jose Feliciano. Ronnie suggested Duke try out for the band. Duke did and got the job.

And a dream became a nightmare.

I'm at a loss to describe why Elvis rode Duke Bardwell the way he did throughout 1974. Those who want to be kind suggest The King was just displaying his usual oddball humor. Others gently suggest the King's meds played a part. Still others say Elvis wanted Scheff back and resented Bardwell's mere presence.

Whatever the case, it isn't pretty. In one concert, he introduces Duke and then says, "Is that D-O-O-K?" In another Elvis says, "He looks like a little F. That's E-L-F."

Bardwell finally had enough and left, pissed at The King and doubting his own musical ability and self-worth.

His tale is told in a documentary I'm dying to see, "Duke and The King." I hope it eventually finds a distributor. Watch the trailer here.

What's sad about the whole thing is Bardwell was a heck of a picker. Even if I don't know the date of an Elvis concert recording, I can usually distinguish Bardwell's bass playing from Scheff's. He had a unique technique and sometimes played with picks.

As my buddy and noted guitarist Ross Southerland says, "Duke's bass playing was funky, not as busy as Jerry's."

If you watch the movie trailer, you'll see a bunch of Elvis impersonators make fools out of themselves by not even knowing Duke's name.

Well, Duke, I'm here to tell you that the serious fans sure as hell know you and like your picking very much.

Bardwell also briefly played with a band that has become a cult favorite, Gritz (sometimes called Cold Gritz). Here is a fascinating story about Bardwell's background, "The Bard of the Bayou."

And, whatever you do, don't miss this cut by Gritz, a cult classic co-written by Bardwell called "Bayou Country." This bad boy simply ROCKS.

Host Bradley Reeves and I will be highlighting some of Elvis' lesser-known songs on WDVX-FM's "East Tennessee Quiver" beginning at 11 p.m. (Eastern) Thursday, Aug. 15. Listen locally at 89.9 FM, 102.9 FM or online at www.wdvx.com. Email your requests to studio@wdvx.com or call 865-544-1029 #221 or 866-946-9389 #221. The one proviso is that the song must be a non-hit.  

Essential Elvis movies

This continues a week-long series of blogs on Elvis for Elvis Week...

At the Michigan ElvisFest last summer, while listening to an Elvis tribute artist perform songs from what is generally considered The King's weakest period musically -- his movie soundtracks -- my friend David Romas leaned over and asked, "Of all those movies, how many of them would you say are worth watching?"

My answer?

"Ten." (For the casual fan, the count may be a bit lower.)

Now, I'm not counting the two performance documentaries, "That's the Way It Is" and "Elvis On Tour." Both are essential if you are a fan and interesting even if you're just a fan of American music.

But the scripted movies are another story. A handful are must sees for any Elvis fan. A few are fun. Another handful are so bad I can't even make my way through them. Most -- let's face it -- are forgettable.

So, I thought I'd list my choices of 10 essential Elvis movies. These are in no particular order, just 10 flicks I think are fun or worth seeing for one reason or another.

Change of Habit (1969) Elvis as a hip doctor and Mary Tyler Moore as a nun? You had me at hello!

A lot of people hate "Change of Habit." I'm not sure why. The songs are kept at a minimum, but what's there is great -- the title track, "Rubberneckin'" "Let Us Pray" and even -- if you're in the right mood -- "Have a Happy."

A member of Elvis' inner circle (it was either Charlie Hodge or Sonny West) said by this point Elvis knew this was his last movie and he simply had fun with it.

"If you want to see Elvis as he really was, watch that film ('Change of Habit')," he said.

Some say Elvis and Mary have no chemistry together. While sparks don't exactly explode, I think they play off each other pretty well. Both were at the peak of their physical looks. I try to watch it at least once a year.

Live a Little, Love a Little (1968) This is a guilty pleasure. It's silly, bizarre even at times, but a lot of fun. Elvis looks great, co-star Michele Carey sizzles and you're even treated to a great fight scene between Elvis and his buddies/Memphis Mafia cohorts Red and Sonny West. And it's as adult as an Elvis film is going to get. He throws a few "hells" and "dammits" into his speech and even is shown taking photos for a girlie magazine (albeit in G-rated fashion).

Several of the songs are super sweet, including "A Little Less Conversation," which would become a smash remix hit in 2002. Rudy Vallee, Don Porter, Dick "The Later Darren" Sargent and Sterling Holloway round out a good cast.

King Creole (1958) Perhaps Elvis' best film performance is captured in this dark story of a teenage rebel trying desperately to make something of himself. Shot on location in New Orleans, Dolores Hart and
Carolyn Jones costar along with Walter Matthau. The movie was directed by Michael Curtiz, who also helmed "Casablanca."

Jailhouse Rock (1957) You know why this one is here.

Viva Las Vegas (1964) Elvis. Ann-Margret. Vegas. "What'd I Say?" No need to say more.

Flaming Star (1960) A good -- not great -- western sees Elvis play a half-breed caught between a rock and a hard place. Co-starring Steve Forrest and Barbara Eden, this movie gives you a glimpse of what might have been.

Blue Hawaii (1961) This picture is fluff but fun. It's the best of the three movies Elvis shot in Hawaii and features the song that would become his concert closer, "Can't Help Falling in Love."

Wild in the Country (1961) Definitely not your typical Elvis flick, this one again gives you glimpses of the actor Elvis could have become had he been given better scripts. It co-stars Tuesday Weld, Hope Lange and Millie Perkins.

Kid Galahad (1962) This one is a bit of a guilty pleasure, but it co-stars Gig Young and Charles Bronson and I just like it, especially the movie's signature song, "I Got Lucky."

Roustabout (1964) Decent script, fun movie, couple of great songs and Barbara Stanwyck.

Five Elvis films to avoid:

If you can sit through "Harum Scarum," "Paradise Hawaiian Style," "Stay Away Joe," "Clambake" and "Easy Come, Easy Go," more power to you.

What's your favorite Elvis flick?

Host Bradley Reeves and I will be highlighting some of Elvis' lesser-known songs (although probably not many movie tracks) on WDVX-FM's "East Tennessee Quiver" on Thursday, Aug. 15. The show begins at 10 p.m. (Eastern) but the Elvis segment will start about 11. Listen at 89.9 FM or 102.9 FM in Knoxville, TN, or online at www.wdvx.com. Email us your Elvis requests (non-hits only) beginning at 11 p.m. (Eastern) to studio@wdvx.com or call 865-544-1029 #221 or 866-946-9389 #221.

"I'm Leavin''

In the spring of 1971, Elvis Presley recorded a song that should have been a smash.

Whenever anyone asks me which Elvis record is the best "unknown" track, "I'm Leavin'" is my No. 1 answer.

I first heard it on a British documentary about the singer. Its haunting lyric and unusual structure made me curious about its origins. I knew there had to be a story there somewhere.

It finally surfaced on a fan website in a fascinating 2010 interview Arjan Deelan conducted with song co-writer Michael Jarrett. Jarrett had been on the road right out of high school -- including a stint with Jerry Lee Lewis -- and finally had his fill of the lifestyle. During a performance in Portland, Ore.,  he had an epiphany, he says, that enough was enough. He was tired of playing other people's music. After the show, he picked up his guitar and left.

Resting in San Francisco, clearing his head, he happened to see that his Vegas friend Sonny Charles was singing one night. He eventually stayed with Charles for awhile in Los Angeles and ultimately wrote "I'm Leavin'" with him.

"Sonny put me up for awhile, and it was in the fall of 1970 that I took Sonny's 12 string into the shower (water off, of course) and shut the glass door and was getting off on the natural echo and the 12 string, it sounded huge!," he tells Deelan. 

"I just started singing the la la la's and was just fooling around and the first verse just happened. It was then I realized I was singing about this girl I'd left behind in Portland who really wasn't supportive of my quitting the band and taking off for parts unknown, and had said to me at one point, 'What if your songs aren't good enough'? She said this to me when I told her I wanted to go to LA and get my songs recorded, and I'm thinking, 'Gee baby, if you're my girl, why can't you dream with me?' ... well, she just didn't understand so I said, I'm leavin' and that's that, I'm not beating my chops up in the bars anymore and if you can't dream with me, then what good is it anyway.....'" 

The song peaked at a meager No. 36 on the top 40, but Elvis thought enough of it to sing it several times in concert, including at the Boston Garden in 1971 and again in 1974 and 1975.

Here it is, backed by some poignant footage from Elvis' funeral. 

Bradley Reeves and I will highlight "I'm Leavin'" and several more of Elvis' lesser-known songs on the WDVX "East Tennessee Quiver" beginning at 11 p.m. (Eastern) Thursday, Aug. 15. Tune in at 89.9 FM or 102.9 FM locally in Knoxville or online at www.wdvx.com. Call or write us with your request. Just remember: It has to be a non-hit!  

What a time to be in L.A.! Sonny put me up for awhile, and it was in the fall of 1970 that I took Sonny's 12 string into the shower (water off, of course) and shut the glass door and was getting off on the natural echo and the 12 string, it sounded huge! I just started singing the la la la's and was just fooling around and the first verse just happened. It was then I realized I was singing about this girl I'd left behind in Portland who really wasn't supportive of my quitting the band and taking off for parts unknown, and had said to me at one point, 'What if your songs aren't good enough'? She said this to me when I told her I wanted to go to LA and get my songs recorded, and I'm thinking, 'Gee baby, if you're my girl, why can't you dream with me?' ... well, she just didn't understand so I said, I'm leavin' and that's that, I'm not beating my chops up in the bars anymore and if you can't dream with me, then what good is it anyway.....' - See more at: http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/interview_with_michael_jarrett_songwriter_im_leavin.shtml#sthash.zAxqbJ1Q.dpu

What a time to be in L.A.! Sonny put me up for awhile, and it was in the fall of 1970 that I took Sonny's 12 string into the shower (water off, of course) and shut the glass door and was getting off on the natural echo and the 12 string, it sounded huge! I just started singing the la la la's and was just fooling around and the first verse just happened. It was then I realized I was singing about this girl I'd left behind in Portland who really wasn't supportive of my quitting the band and taking off for parts unknown, and had said to me at one point, 'What if your songs aren't good enough'? She said this to me when I told her I wanted to go to LA and get my songs recorded, and I'm thinking, 'Gee baby, if you're my girl, why can't you dream with me?' ... well, she just didn't understand so I said, I'm leavin' and that's that, I'm not beating my chops up in the bars anymore and if you can't dream with me, then what good is it anyway.....' - See more at: http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/interview_with_michael_jarrett_songwriter_im_leavin.shtml#sthash.zAxqbJ1Q.dp

What a time to be in L.A.! Sonny put me up for awhile, and it was in the fall of 1970 that I took Sonny's 12 string into the shower (water off, of course) and shut the glass door and was getting off on the natural echo and the 12 string, it sounded huge! I just started singing the la la la's and was just fooling around and the first verse just happened. It was then I realized I was singing about this girl I'd left behind in Portland who really wasn't supportive of my quitting the band and taking off for parts unknown, and had said to me at one point, 'What if your songs aren't good enough'? She said this to me when I told her I wanted to go to LA and get my songs recorded, and I'm thinking, 'Gee baby, if you're my girl, why can't you dream with me?' ... well, she just didn't understand so I said, I'm leavin' and that's that, I'm not beating my chops up in the bars anymore and if you can't dream with me, then what good is it anyway.....' - See more at: http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/interview_with_michael_jarrett_songwriter_im_leavin.shtml#sthash.zAxqbJ1Q.dpuf

New t-shirt

Thankyaverymuch!

A G-rated kind of guy...

So, I found out today my SI joint is inflamed. Got a shot. Got some meds. Hurt like hell. It's OK. Not a stone.

Plus, like my friend Brent Williams says, "Anything less than a dirt nap is a dang fine day, tater."

I came home this afternoon and curled up on the couch. And I watched Elvis and Mary Tyler Moore in "Change of Habit."

I had intended to screen "Paradise, Hawaiian Style," using any excuse to spend time in the islands, but I got into a Facebook discussion about Mary Tyler Moore. Plus, I'd started to watch Elvis' last dramatic film the other night and fell asleep.

So, I tried it again and it made me grin. Elvis looks great and is basically playing himself. Mary Tyler Moore is cute and perky and everything else that made me fall in love with her years ago when she played Mary Richards and Laura Petrie.

Oh, I know. Elvis movies are corny and silly. Well, that's why I like 'em. Especially when I'm sick.

Don't get me wrong. Some of them are unwatchable or downright embarrassing. But, you know, sometimes I just want to watch a fun story with a likable lead, peppered with girls and great locations, good old-fashioned fights, a song or 10, and a happy ending just as the credits roll.

Not everything has to be sophisticated seriousness, 90 minutes of Adam Sandler, or boom, boom, doom and gloom. Plus, in a lot of ways, I'll always be a G-rated kind of guy.

(Most of the time.)

He'll always be the king to me

You have your favorite singers, no doubt.

Mine is Elvis.

He'll always be the king to me.

It's a long story, but Elvis Aron Presley helped me navigate the avenues of adolescence. My peers liked other singers, other groups, other eras. I loved Elvis and wore it like a badge.

My mother and daddy loved him, too. They saw him twice. Never forgot it.

Dad says that even on May 20, 1977, three months before the music died, a sweaty, bloated Elvis sang from his soul at Stokely Athletic Center. His voice, that great gift, never failed the King until his lonely life ended on Elvis Presley Boulevard, or so the Press-Scimitar put it, that terrible Tuesday in August.

I hate that a lot of folks only know him as either Elvis the Pelvis or a bloated Southern Gothic caricature. They've missed a lot of great music. And they've missed the point.

Elvis was one of us, dirt-poor Southern boy made good, "yes, sir" and "yes, ma'am," let me make all this money so I can give it away.

He really did buy Cadillacs for complete strangers. He really did play three shows in a row at Freedom Hall in Johnson City to meet demand. He really did take his daddy on tour and love his mother with all his heart and prefer gospel music and gentle ballads to The Beatles.

And, yeah, some of that weird stuff is true, too, about the cheeseburgers and the prescription pills and the obsession with psychic phenomena.

I'm not his judge. I didn't walk in his shoes.

But I do know about the music.

Dig beyond "Hound Dog" and "Heartbreak Hotel." You'll find some other great stuff, be it from '56 or '76.

He is the only performer that can send chills up my spine just by watching him via video enter a room or hit one of those "you gotta be kidding me" high notes on "How Great Thou Art."

All these wanna bes and never wases making "music" today should remember Elvis's example about how to treat friends and fans. If the most famous person on the planet could be polite, by God you can too.

Music is subjective. Who knows why we attach ourselves to certain singers?

You have your favorites.

Mine is Elvis.

He'll always be the king to me.

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day!

Here's hoping you and yours took time to remember the fallen.

I'll be telling you about my trips in the coming days, but tonight I want to talk about a special Memorial Day tribute connected to the reel-to-reel player pictured here.

Last Wednesday, I ducked into Greg McPeak's antique store, NYA, on Market Street in Clinton. It specializes in deco, modern, pop and industrial vintage art and design. I bought several do-dads, but I froze when I saw the reel-to-reel.

"It's got a great story," Greg said. "Belonged to a guy who bought it in Saigon when he was over there during the war. He's even got recordings from AFN (Armed Forces Network) out of Saigon."

I had to have it.

Jenn and I walked up to a cafe to grab a sandwich.

"Pull it up on the Internet and see if his price is in the ballpark," Jenn said.

"OK."

And, I swear, on Google's main page was an illustration of a reel-to-reel player. A chill snaked up my spine.

"Uh, we're getting it."

A dozen or so reel-to-reel tapes came with the player. Tonight I pulled out one called "Elvis hits."

And, yeah, it was a tape of a radio broadcast on FM 104 in Gates City, Va., from Wednesday, Aug. 17, 1977, the day after The King died.

The song that just played as I wrote this sentence?

"I'm Leavin'"

The final song on the tribute show?

"You'll Never Walk Alone."

Shiver.

Happy Memorial Day.

And God bless ya, Elvis. You are missed.

The sixth sense

OK, you're going to think I'm nuts.

I don't care. Gotta tell this story.

Don't get the idea I'm a psychic aficionado or anything, but I do believe there's something to Extra Sensory Perception. ESP. See if you agree.

Submitted for your approval:

My friend Ross Southerland came to see me on my birthday. We hadn't talked about anything we'd do beyond eating at Litton's and watching some TV.



When he walked in the door I was watching my favorite movie, the 1969 John Wayne version of "True Grit." (You know, the real one.) I had also laid out a couple of "Magnum, p.i." and classic "Hawaii Five-O" DVDs to show Ross.

He looks at the TV screen, sees the Duke wearing an eye patch, looks in the corner at the stack of DVDs, and says, "You have to open this card now! I wrote this out a few days ago. I'm not kidding."



Sure enough, he had written something like "Happy birthday to Halls' version of 'True Grit'" and then made P.S. remarks about Magnum and Higgins!

We went nuts laughing. I couldn't believe it.

Fast-forward to last night. I'm up late, struggling with insomnia, when I decide to catalog some of my vinyl records. The two artists I catalogued were Elvis and the Carpenters.



When I finished, I decided to check my email. Sent 20 minutes before, while I was cataloguing the records, was an email from Ross -- ABOUT THE NIGHT ELVIS MET KAREN CARPENTER!

I was dumbfounded. Even though it was 1 a.m. I knew Ross is a night owl and would still be up. I called him.

The first words out of my mouth were, "Man, you're not going to believe this."

We went nuts laughing. Again.

Fast-forward to this morning. I'm listening to my iPod while I'm getting ready. Up pops the Carpenters' "Oldies Medley" from their 1973 "Now and Then" album.

I get to work. I tell co-worker Emily, "Hey, I went to Lost and Found Records last night and bought the rest of the Carpenters' vinyl I didn't already have," not yet mentioning my iPod experience earlier.

She says, "The album I remember most from childhood is the one with the frame cover. Didn't they do 'Fun, Fun Fun' on it?"



It was the same medley to which I'd listened this morning. Not kiddin'.

Call it coincidence. Call it the sixth sense. Call it ESP.

Whatever it is, it all happened. Just like that.

Maybe I've entered..."The Twilight Zone."

If a cigarette-holding, dressed-in-a-black-suit Rod Serling pops up and starts narrating, I'm going to the hospital...

UPDATE:After I posted this blog, I was reminded of two pieces of information that REALLY brings all this together. Duke Wayne wanted Karen Carpenter to play Mattie Ross in "True Grit." And Elvis was considered for the role that Glen Campbell ultimately played. How do you like them apples?

21st century blues

I'm tired.

Don't know if it's some sort of malaise, the wonderful effect of puke-green pollen, or just deadlines and commitments.

But, I'm tired.

Did a little work this morning then came home and slept for four hours. Sinuses drained. It rained.

The highlight of the day was Jenn bringing home two totes bought at a yard sale, filled with old newspapers and magazines, about Elvis and JFK and Mickey Mantle and Richard Nixon. Down at the bottom of one was a surprisingly clean vinyl copy of Elvis's last studio album, "Moody Blue." Alas, the vinyl was blue. I'll find the black vinyl version one day.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. One box also contained something I've never seen: The Rolling Stone issue from just after Elvis's death.

I heard today that the Elvis statue is being removed from what used to be the Las Vegas Hilton. Hearing such news on the heels of seeing the trailer for the new Tim Burton "Dark Shadows" farce made me want to crawl into a hole and hibernate.

I was born too late and I know it and sometimes it just plain sucks.

'Where No One Stands Alone'

Sorry I haven't checked in since Thursday. Been a crazy weekend.

Jenn had to go to the ER on Friday. Chest pain and spiked blood pressure. Had a stress test yesterday.

Good news is everything is clear. Heart looks good.

Just had to share a fantastic version of a favorite song, Elvis Presley singing, for the first and only time live, "Where No One Stands Alone." This is a gospel tune he originally recorded in the 1960s.

This version was performed live in concert in Montgomery, Ala., on Feb. 16, 1977, six months to the day before his untimely death.

Elvis plays the piano while J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet and Sherrill Nielsen back him on vocals.

Enjoy!

We miss ya, Elvis.

The day it all began

The greatest career in the history of popular music began, rather unassumingly, on this date on 1954.

A young truck driver named Elvis Presley had gone to Sam Phillips' Sun Records in Memphis to record a couple of tracks with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black. He really wanted to be a singer, you see.

Their first two efforts, "Harbor Lights" and "I Love You Because," weren't working out too well. So, or so goes the story, the guys took a break.

One of them started riffing on Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's 1946 blues song "That's All Right." The other two jumped in and the joint started to hop.

Phillips stuck his head out of the recording booth and said, "What are you all doing?"

Moore reportedly said, "Uh, we don't know."

"Well, whatever it is, figure it out and do it again," Phillips replied.

"That's All Right" became a regional hit on the Sun label and by 1956 Elvis had signed a huge contract with RCA and was on his way to superstardom.

All because of a little jam session on a hot summer day in Memphis...

Elvis comes home!

It was on this date in 1960 that Elvis Aron Presley was discharged from the U.S. Army. In honor of the anniversary, here is my favorite song from his return LP, "Elvis Is Back." It's called "I Will Be Home Again" and is a duet with the late, great Charlie Hodge.

Have a good Saturday! Thankyouverymuch!

Back to the future

Elvis, Batman, "Family Ties" and go, Vols, go.

File this one under "Back to the Future." Great weekend. Good times.

Where to start?

Friday afternoon old pal Ross Southerland sent me a text.



"Conway and Loretta at Memories tonight. Would you like to come, bring your girlfriend?"

Memories means the Pigeon Forge theater, Lou Vuto and friends, Elvis, Vegas style, thankyouverymuch. So Jenn, her niece Leigha and I navigated the Nissan up to the Parkway.

Traffic was terrible. Ross called about 5:45. "You're going to be disappointed," he said.

We stopped at Zaxby's in Sevierville for dinner. From there to the theater -- no more than 10 miles -- took 45 minutes.

But we made it and was it fun. "Conway and Loretta" did well. Lou sang "Suspicious Minds" and some others. It reminded me of those halcyon days in the mid 90s.

Saturday was stunning, picture perfect, gorgeous goodbye to fall. Neyland Stadium was happening, happy, homecoming. Tyler Bray found some luck. Receivers were alert. Ole Miss wasn't.

Oh, almost forgot to tell you. Found a new channel, The Hub, on the tube. Used to be called Discovery Kids.

Hub shows "Batman," the good, campy one, Pow! and Zonk!, Adam West, Burt Ward, same bat time, same bat channel. And "Family Ties," a favorite from forever ago.

"Happy Days" happens on there, too, as does "The Wonder Years" and "Fraggle Rock" and other fun.

So now it's back to work, but not before back to the future, "Blue Suede Shoes," good ol' "Rocky Top," Pow! and Zonk!, "What would we do, baby, without us?"

Not a bad weekend, huh?

There will be an answer, let it be...

I sit here tonight, John Ford's "Cheyenne Autumn" flickering from the television set, cooling myself in front of a box fan, wondering about endings.

I don't handle them well. But, that shouldn't be a shock, if you've ever pulled up a chair to listen to my ramblings. Maybe that's why this final Ford flick -- not a good one, really -- is holding my attention. The Cheyenne are trying to make their way home to Wyoming. Back to what they were promised. But, and we know this song all too well, their way of life is gone with the wind.

Movies are good when you're depressed. You can lose yourself in them. Laugh. Cry. Be marveled. Space out. Whatever you need.

I'm one of those rare people who actually likes to see movies in the theater alone. Keeps me focused. Unless, of course, your companion is a beautiful woman. Then you just pick any old thing. Save "Citizen Kane" for a solo flight.

So much of my world is changing, in rapid, seismic shifts, the way these things seem to go. I thought about Elvis yesterday, dead 32 years, watched him belt out "Unchained Melody" when he was so sick, singing from his soul, right until the end. My friend Dean says, "I don't know what's worse -- the fact that he's been dead 32 years or the fact that we're about that age."

But, what do you do? I guess you get up on your horse, pull your hat over your head, and ride off into the sunset. Thanks for the memories. Happy trails. Until we meet again.

April is supposed to be the cruelest month. But I can make a case for August.

Summer goes. Nixon resigns. Elvis dies. Good-bye "Heartland Series." And now Robinella.

Tonight, I'll watch Pappy Ford's elegy to the Cheyenne people in front of the fan while sipping on orange juice, all the while saying so long to a blissful part of my life.

There will be an answer, let it be...