There's now a Paypal button embedded near the top of this blog for those who have already specified their Winterlude Weekend requirements and received an e-mail confirmation from me that they can go ahead and book.
For anyone who missed the earlier posting about these events and has no idea what I'm talking about, please see here.
Hello again Mr. Gray,
ReplyDeleteI never saw my first post regarding Elvis Presley, but that's ok. I just want you to know that I appreciate profoundly the information you've shared about the origins of "That's All Right Mama" and much of Elvis's subsequent work. He was no mere "interpreter" of the "Sinatra-School" of crooners! Soon, I hope, this will be common knowlege. I'd rather not elaborate, except to thank you for laying the groundwork so that people will not be hardened against the idea. Elvis ALWAYS - to the last, worked with a blues sensibility, and you, and very few others, seem to realize this. So, I cannot thank you enough - but I will, anyway.
When you finally see what I've come up with, you may disagree with with some of my conclusions. No problem. I think we can look back today, and realize how young Elvis actually was, despite his self-inflicted physical distortion: his youth and the tragedy of his demise so long ago, was something people didn't "see" at an unusual time in history: "the baby boom" era. Also, I think Bob himself would appreciate Elvis's comeback, and post-comeback music very much, and does. Surely, Elvis did not belong in Las Vegas: in fact, some of the 60ish "high rollers" - "comp'd" in to the shows actually stuck their fingers in their ears {!}: they'd never been to a rock concert before. Elvis was livid: he told one of the Sweet Inspirations, in a rage: "maybe they've got OLD EARS!" Or maybe he should have been performing to a more comprehending crowd. He only saw it as a warmup for a world tour that never happened.
There's so much more, and surprisingly, Bob always seemed to understand. We all realize that Bob's fascinating interviews are usually not be taken "literallY" - he rarely intends that: to Bob, and to many, "Elvis" is a word, a word that means "Death." And "1968" happened in a different plane of existnce, which is true in a way. Bob would even understand Elvis's motives in "crashing the White House." It took Nixon aide "Bud" Krogh 32 years or so to realize he'd "been had." Elvis was truly desperate for that world tour, despite his problems. Bob understood the whole thing in 1978 - "No Time to Think" is incredible, it's title taken from a prominent early Elvis interview.
Anyway, I wanted to thank you, and will some more, for your understanding of Elvis's blues sensibiity and enormously important creativity.
Bob always understood it was about the music, not the "hips."
All the Best,
Robin Markowitz, Ph.D.
2010