Always Elvis

When he died 42 years ago this month, Elvis Presley was hardly himself.  He wasn't even beside himself.  It was more like he became a parody of himself.  That he was only 42, seems to escape us now.  Especially as we watch 75-year-olds like Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan muster the strength and endurance to keep going and doing so as good as ever.
Elvis was plagued by everything from bad diet to high blood pressure, liver disease and lots of gastro-intestinal issues.  No wonder he was found dead ingloriously on the toilet.  But for many of his legion of fans, there is no young or old Elvis, no fat or thin Elvis, there is only one Elvis, the undisputed King of Rock and Roll.
Elvis, you might remember was the kid from Tupelo, Mississippi who could "move like a black man," in the words of Sam Phillips, ergo "a million dollars."  In reality, many millions of dollars.
I saw Elvis in concert once, under interesting circumstances, and it proved to be more complicated and memorable than I could have imagined.  It was 1971 and I was working at a group home for emotionally disturbed kids in the Bay Area.  One of the kids placed there had been particularly good at improving his behavior as was thus rewarded with any concert he wanted.  Not the Grateful Dead or the Jefferson Airplane, it was Elvis he wanted. As a counselor at the home, I was asked to accompany the lucky kid.  The show was at the Oakland, Coliseum arena and just walking from the parking lot to our seats, the people watching was outstanding. I remember all ages, lots of cowboy hats, and a wondrous pair of alligator skin boots worn by a rather stout fan.
Flash bulbs clicked and fired continuously.  Elvis would have scarfs placed around his neck by assistants throughout the evening because at a whim, he'd pull them off and fling them at fans constantly trying to get near the stage.
The audience that night in Oakland was definitely multi-cultural.  Elvis had many African-American fans.  He always had the requisite black back-up singers and, of course his background was steeped in the blues.  Elvis liked Cadillacs too.  He gave them as presents.
I saw Elvis about 6 years before his death, so he was in the throes of his elder statesman stage.  There were times during the concert when he played that parody role.  Missing song lyrics, laughing sheepishly at his mistakes, and of course, sweating profusely.  But his voice was strong and he definitely delivered the goods.

I was sitting in a small East Bay cafe when I heard the news of his death.  Nobody seemed surprised, just disappointed.  A few days later, while grocery shopping, I happened upon a commemorative bottle of "Always Elvis" wine.  What intrigued me was the poem on the back label, a mawkish piece by none other than the Colonel himself.  The wine remained corked in the bottle for over 20 years when finally it had to be removed as the cork seal deteriorated.  I put the bottle online for sale a few times, but no takers.  Somewhere out there is someone who might want this artifact for their collection.  As the name of the wine suggests, Always Elvis.