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Books Related to In Search of Elvis Charlie Connelly - ISBN: 0316730556
Elvis may have left the building, but.... - Rated
Elvis may have left the building but...
clearly he is still incredibly important to many people around the world. Connelly embarks on a quest to find why Elvis is such an enduring icon and of such significance for so many people. The quest takes him to such varied places as Uzbekistan, Finland, Israel and Germany and any book on Elvis could hardly be considered complete without the required chapter on Las Vegas.
I did really enjoy this book. Connelly has a great personality and his childlike glee comes across throughout (but especially when he records his own disc at Sun studios.) His sense of humour is also present and correct.
The only problem I had with this book is what it actually adds to the huge cannon of Elvis books already in existence. Connelly might say that;
'Most Elvis impersonators prefer to call themselves 'tribute artists'. If you ask me stretching the seams of a polyester jumpsuit isn't any kind of tribute.'
But, some of the best parts of the book involve him watching or meeting the 'tribute artists.' Schmelvis, the Jewish Elvis tribute artist and the Porthcawl Elvis Festival were highlights for me.
I enjoyed this book tremendously, but if you are looking for a biography or a proper dose of 'The King' himself, this might not be the book for you.
Elvis gets everywhere - Rated
Charlie Connelly sets off on a world-wide search to investigate the impact that Elvis Presley's life and music had on the world. He searches out Elvis impersonators in Porthcawl in Wales, and in Taskent, Uzbekistan. Then he proceeds to the places where Elvis actually lived and worked, starting with Tupelo, where he was born. The chapters set in Memphis include a charming description of Elvis's first recording, made as a birthday present for his mother at Sun Studios (happily still there). A visit to Graceland is a very moving experience . Much of Mr Connelly's time in Hawaii is taken up with an unsuccesful search for a shirt identical to the one Elvis wears in 'Blue Hawaii'. He searches out a clergyman who started the Church of Elvis in Canada (the church is evidently flourishing), and in Finland he meets a man who performs Elvis songs in Latin and Summerian ('don't step on my blue sude shoes' translates in Summerian into 'on my sandals of sky-blue leather do not stand'). In Germany he meets a former army colleague of Elvis who still treasures the memory of their friendship, and his final stop is the 'Elvis Inn' in Israel, where Jews and Arabs mingle with a shared love of their hero and his music.
You don't have to be a big Elvis fan in order to enjoy this book, though if you are a big fan you will probably already be familiar with much of the biographical mateial in this book (most of it was new to me). However, the author's admiration and enthusiasm for his subject makes this book an enjoyable read whether you are a major fan or not.
