It was a sad day when the news came of Elvis Presley’s death. A musical genius, a legendary rocker, had passed away, never to be seen nor heard of in person again. It was August 16, 1977, and the scandals were waiting to happen. One of them surrounded the financial troubles that had nagged the Graceland property.
Bankers wanted it liquidated to clear up some of the singer’s accounts, but Priscilla Presley had a better suggestion, one that actually worked. She ordered it to be opened up to the public, and it became a US National Historic Landmark. People paid up to re-acquaint themselves with the legend, and it continues to generate money to this day. Elvis, as it turns out, wasn’t the only genius in the family.
Elvis Called President Carter
Elvis Presley was not the king of rock for nothing. He had connections, which meant power. He was granted a meeting with former president Nixon purely on the basis of a whim. Now, armed with his federal narcotics badge, Elvis had another flash of insight. He wanted another presidential audience, this time with Jimmy Carter.
His plan ended up as a telephone call instead, with President Carter on the other end, struggling to get what the slurring voice was trying to say. Elvis wanted him to pardon a friend who was undergoing legal troubles, and for whatever reason, he felt validated in making such a request. Former President Carter was patient and polite enough to listen, but that was as far as it went.
Elvis's Modest Funeral
After the king of rock’s tragic and untimely death, the world went into a state of mourning. However, at his funeral, there were no long lines of limousines nor shaded Hollywood A-listers. It was a modest, family affair. Considering what Elvis Presley achieved for himself and the music industry as a whole, how he changed the rock ‘n’ roll landscape, opening it up to mainstream pop culture, his funeral was more like that of a simpler, mildly successful man.
Three celebrities we do know attended were: George Hamilton, Ann Margret, and James Brown. It was low-key, somewhat reminiscent of the life of the boy who once lived in a two-bedroom apartment with his beloved mother.
A Very Wrong Comparison
While Elvis Presley was making history as a young and enthused musician, with all the newest ideas, and never-before-seen acts on stage, not everyone thought it was acceptable. Many from the older generation of artists wanted nothing to do with the Presley-inspired developments, as they felt they would only undermine the future of music.
The king of rock and his most ardent followers were likened to the German regime that was in power at the time and its rabid political devotees in one of their rallies. The comparison was thought to malign Elvis and his crowd for their supposed poor choice of music. A truly outrageous comparison indeed.
Elvis Always Used High Collars
It may be hard to believe that the king of rock ‘n’ roll himself would have a ton of insecurities. Indeed, he kept them well hidden, with most only revealed after his death by his ex-girlfriend, Lisa Thompson. In her 2016 memoir, "A Little Thing Called Life," Thompson revealed the reason behind Presley’s regular rocking of high collars.
She says the king was insecure about his neck and wanted it covered whenever he was on stage. He referred to it as a “skinny little chicken neck,” an impression he got from his parents when they used to tease him about it as a kid. It’s amazing the power a few throwaway words can have on a person.