Elvis Doth Protest Too Little

One of the most startling patterns exhibited by Elvis Presley was his propensity to acquiesce to nearly everyone.  He seldom, if ever, stood up for himself, put his foot down, or told anyone “No, I’m not going to do that.”  Elvis set broad goals for himself, like staking out the movie career he had dreamt of and returning to live performing in 1969 with a totally new sound, but he left most major decisions to his manager, Colonel Tom Parker and almost always simply did what he was told.  Elvis’ music and wild performing style frightened middle America and he was quickly seen as a threat when he emerged onto the national scene in 1956. Yet, behind the scenes, he was a perfect southern gentleman, raised to show respect and courtesy to everyone.  While admirable, Elvis’ defaulting to this pattern, regardless of what was asked of him, surprised old show business hands who worked with him in the early days and expected even a rising star to make at least some demands. Elvis consistently showed such deference even when he was uncomfortable with material given to him.

When Elvis’ wild performance of “Hound Dog” on Milton Berle’s television show resulted in a media uproar and personal lambasting of Elvis as a vulgar entertainer, Colonel Parker impressed upon his boy the need to tone things down on stage and television.  The immediate outcome was seen on Steve Allen’s show about a month after the Berle debacle.  In order to prevent a repeat performance by Elvis, the TV comedian chose to outfit the rocker in white tie and tails and have him sing the same song to a real basset hound, a somewhat desperate attempt at parody that could fit into his comedy hour.  Elvis’ appearance on Allen’s show was topped off with a comedy sketch called “Range Round Up,” in which Allen, his cast, and Elvis were duded up in cowboy outfits and performed a rather silly routine based on TV western clichés.  Although Elvis played along and, more to the point, never voiced a bit of objection during rehearsals, he actually hated and resented Steve Allen’s staging and concept.  He railed against them to his inner circle, all of whom urged him to simply tell Steve Allen (politely and respectably, to be sure) that he would prefer something different.  After all, Elvis was already a household name, a figure of controversy and, therefore, a star.  He had every right to put his oar in where his image was concerned.  But the King chose to acquiesce instead and went along, doing as he was told. He even talked up his scheduled appearance to his concert audiences prior to the show.

When it came to career moves Elvis gave near-total control to Parker and abided by his choices.  Presley told everyone that he and the Colonel had made a deal that left business decisions to Parker and creative control to Elvis -- and a deal was a deal.  That, too, is admirable and in fairness to the Colonel the arrangement worked well and paid off handsomely for years, but eventually harmed the King’s career.  Not long after returning from army service in 1960, Elvis departed for Hollywood, where he would devote most of the next decade to starring in a series of increasingly banal formula musicals and did very little else. Parker focused entirely on the bottom line and found it far more profitable to tie Elvis’ record releases to the film productions, minimizing costs and maximizing income from Presley’s films.  It looked great on the balance sheet, but as the social upheaval of the sixties gave rise to a new world of rock and protest music, Elvis looked and sounded increasingly irrelevant. In a recorded 1972 interview, Elvis explained that his movie contracts typically ran for four years and, while they obligated him to turn out a prescribed number of films in that time, gave him no veto over scripts or artistic control of his films.  It is difficult to imagine any other big Hollywood star signing such contracts.  More typically, a star who excelled in both music and movies, such as Frank Sinatra, would not only maintain script approval, but might seek out scripts on his own that provided first rate material.  And Elvis was aware of the decline in the quality if his films and music, complained of it privately, but again did nothing about it.  Presley may have thought that his deal with Parker gave him creative control, but when the Colonel made short-sighted decisions like this they had a devastating impact on Elvis’ artistic output and reputation.  Perhaps Elvis was too easily persuaded by the Colonel’s insistence that they would not make the kind of money from serious work that they were taking in from the lightweight films and their soundtrack albums.  Maybe he believed that the Colonel knew best.  In any case, Elvis failed to take the reins of his career firmly in hand.

Elvis only pulled himself out of his Hollywood quagmire by throwing himself into his 1968 television special, known ever after as the “Comeback Special.”  His collaboration with producer/director Steve Binder marked one of the few times Elvis brushed the Colonel aside, albeit gingerly, and pushed his own agenda.  Binder was often at odds with Parker, but found a key ally in Elvis, who shared his vision.

It is difficult to tell how much of the Colonel’s meddling in this legendary special was simply calculated to remind everyone that, ultimately, he was in control, and how much it reflects his genuine cluelessness regarding artistic creativity.  From the start, he wanted Elvis to do a traditional Christmas special, à la Perry Como, with the King singing a dozen or more holiday standards and bidding viewers a Merry Christmas.  Although that was quickly nixed by all involved, Parker persisted and demanded that the special end with a traditional Christmas song, which was no more appealing to Elvis, Binder, and the rest of the production team than the Colonel’s original idea.  Again, Parker gave in, suggesting that he was up to something other than getting an Elvis Christmas special on the air.  As a final fallback demand, clearly intended to reestablish his uber-control of Elvis’ world, the Colonel insisted that at least one Christmas song appear in the show and that demand was met when Binder was able to cull a decent rendition of “Blue Christmas” from the impromptu live sessions that formed the heart of the special.

Despite Presley’s general acquiescence to the Colonel, this was a rare example of Elvis directing his own destiny by trusting his artistic instincts.  The result was a truly magical television event and a miraculous resuscitation of Elvis’ career within a single hour. It also reveals a rare instance of the Colonel backing off and trusting others, at least to a degree, because it was a rare moment when he, too, was somewhat desperate.  Income from Elvis’ movies was drying up and he could not think of any other way to reverse the downward spiral. With few options, Parker gave Binder a freer hand than anyone else would ever receive from him, but even then he was not about to become a mere spectator and he weighed in when he felt the need to, much to Binder’s dismay.

The following excerpt from Channeling Elvis: How Television Saved the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, reveals the kind of behind-the-scenes maneuvering and posturing that underscored this classic television special and how, despite their zeal, both Elvis and Binder had to tread softly around Colonel Parker.

“When Parker saw Binder’s rough cut, he was livid. There was no Christmas song, despite all of the concessions he had made. He had abandoned the idea of an all-Christmas special, agreed to the inclusion of only one holiday song, then backed down from his demand that the show end with a Christmas song and went along with the choice of “If I Can Dream” instead. Now, there was no Christmas song at all. The Colonel was particularly angered because he had called Elvis and Binder into his office early in the editing process to put his foot down on the issue. Binder remembers the meeting vividly, which gave him a unique inside view of the relationship between Presley and his manager. ‘Elvis was, for whatever reason, in real fear of the Colonel and whatever power he wielded over him, and Elvis was, you know, jelly when it came to confronting the Colonel. We walk into the office and . . . Elvis was standing with his arms crossed over his crotch, with his head bowed down like a five year old being told he did something naughty. The Colonel said “It’s been called to my attention that there are no Christmas songs in the special, and Elvis wants a Christmas song in the special. Isn’t that right Elvis?” and Elvis mutters, so you can hardly hear him, “That’s right, Colonel.” “And so what are we gonna do about it, Bindle?” [employing his personal take on the director’s name] and I said, “We’re gonna give Elvis a Christmas song. I would never make an artist do something they didn’t want to do. If he wants a Christmas song on the show, we’ll get a Christmas song in the show. That’s fine with me,” and I meant it. I would have figured a way to do a Christmas song. The Colonel said “Okay, that’s resolved. You heard him Elvis, he’s putting a Christmas song in the show,” and Elvis nodded. He [the Colonel] said “That’s all, you can go back to work.” We walked out of the office, we close the door, we start walking back towards the set, Elvis jabs me in the ribs and says, “Fuck him. We’re gonna do whatever we want to do.”  I think, in all honesty, Colonel had the power to fire me every step of the way. I think his instinct said, “Elvis’ career is basically over unless something happens, and something’s going on that I don’t really know what’s going on, and I’ve gotta let it keep going on,” and he didn’t fire me.’” *

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*Taylor Hackford interview with Steve Binder, videotaped January 31, 2006, on Directors Guild of America website:  http://tinyurl.com/ln6lhoz.

Channeling Elvis: How Television Saved the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll is available from Amazon in the U.S. http://tinyurl.com/mhyaouz & the U.K.: http://tinyurl.com/kyolbnm

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The New World of Self-Publishing

The world of self-publishing to mushrooming rapidly and may be destined to take over a huge portion of the book publishing industry.  Channeling Elvis: How Television Saved the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll is my fourth book and the first that I have self published.  I chose to publish through Amazon’s CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing companies, but there are a growing number of online companies that will provide this service.

Having dealt with four “traditional” publishers and several New York literary agents, I found a few notable differences between going that route and publishing a book myself.  Most aspects of publishing were easier and more pleasant online, although the most notable downside is the initial financial cost to the author-publisher.  Traditional publishers pay the costs of printing and distributing books, including books that are sent out for review.  They also may absorb at least some of the costs of licensing photographs and other images.  As a self-publishing author I had to pay these costs myself as well as fees for professional editing and indexing, cover design, and copyright registration.  Today’s legal environment also motivated me to purchase an umbrella liability insurance policy and form a Limited Liability Company for my own publishing imprint.  These costs will vary with the needs of each author, but can run several thousand dollars.

All promotion is the author-publisher’s responsibility.  This is another area where traditional publishers have typically played a role, but my personal experience showed very minimal efforts in this area.  I had to hustle on my own to arrange book signings and obtain space at book festivals.  For one book, my co-author and I hired a publicist, who did get some additional press for us, but at an additional cost and with minimal result.  Since much marketing and promotion is now done digitally, gaining a good working knowledge of social media alone can be, for some, a better investment than hiring a publicist.  There are, of course, still printed publications that review books and it is certainly worth shipping review copies to them in hopes of a good notice that will spur sales.  Be sure to include a press release that has the name, email address, and phone number of a contact person, a brief, punchy summary of the book’s strongest points, excerpts from any blurbs or reviews the book has already received, and a bio paragraph about you.

Digital marketing involves researching websites and Facebook pages that are related to your topic and likely to be used by people who share an interest in your topic.  Also find online discussion forums that deal with your subject or those closely related to it, and join in.  Tell participants about your book and include a link to the online sites where it can be purchased.  Also include links to your Facebook page, Twitter handle, and your blog.  More important, join in the conversations on these forums to establish your knowledge of and genuine interest in your subject, rather than simply asking people to buy your book.  They are more likely to buy it if they get to know you a bit and see that you have a passion for the subject. 

Some digital publishers enable authors to monitor sales of their books throughout the day and provide a running tally of royalties in all currencies, something no mainstream publisher will do.  Thus, you can roughly track spikes in sales to various blogs or items that you’ve posted on the web. 

Another downside to digital self-publishing is the refusal of most bookshops to arrange book signings or other promotions for you in their stores.  I have been left with the impression that there exists a deep resentment toward digital publishers among book store owners, who may view such online companies as competitors. However, in this rapidly evolving landscape, traditional publishers and book sellers must find a way to survive within this new paradigm, just as authors are trying to do.

Channeling Elvis: How Television Saved the King of Rock 'n' Roll  is available from Amazon:  http://tinyurl.com/mhyaouz

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Elvis and the Birth of Rock & Roll

Elvis Presley didn’t invent rock ‘n’ roll, nor was he its first star, although there is a common belief that both things are true.  In a way, they are true because the phrase “rock ‘n’ roll” and Presley’s name became nearly synonymous in the minds of most Americans by the end of 1956, when rock and roll music had begun to overtake the music charts. 

As early as 1951, Cleveland, Oho, disc jockey Alan Freed coined the phrase “rock and roll,” long before Elvis arrived on the scene, and several other rock ‘n’ roll artists scored major hit records before Elvis did.  In 1954, Billy Haley and His Comets recorded a hit cover version of Big Joe Turner’s “Shake Rattle and Roll,” albeit somewhat sanitized, and racked up three more Billboard top 20 hits in the following year, including “(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock” in 1955, Haley’s only number one hit.  It was actually released a year earlier as the B-side of Haley’s “Thirteen Women (and Only One Man in Town)”, but caught public attention when it was heard over the opening and closing credits in the film “Blackboard Jungle,” which hit theaters in March 1955.  By May, the song was a major hit and many of that generation’s teenagers remember it as the first rock ‘n’ roll record they heard or danced to, as it played over and over on juke boxes across the United States.  In July, Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame” reached number 10, while Pat Boone’s cover version hit number 1 at the same time and, by August, Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene” reached number 5.  That was a year after Elvis had recorded his first songs for Sun Records, including his genre-busting up-tempo versions of “That’s All Right” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” which attracted only regional attention.  Neither ever reached Billboard’s top forty, but are still regarded as among the most important moments in the birth of rock and roll.  It was in those sessions that Elvis distilled all the forms of music he had absorbed since childhood – country & western, gospel, blues, and R&B – into something completely new.  At first called rockabilly, it was later reshaped into something new that became known as rock ‘n’ roll, which was dominated by Elvis’ voice and image in its formative years.

Those earlier rock ‘n’ roll hits were pop chart aberrations among the greater number of mainstream hits of the period, which featured older artists from an earlier era like Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Patti Page, The Fontaine Sisters, and popular novelty songs, including several different versions of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett.”  Hit rock songs remained the exception through much of 1956 as well – until Elvis began his meteoric rise through that spring and summer.  His switch from Sun to RCA Records and its vastly broader distribution and promotion capabilities, coupled with the sensation he created in his first national television appearances, translated into a quantum jump in Billboard hits.  Between the release of “Heartbreak Hotel” in March and the end of the year Elvis charted ten top twenty hits, five of them reaching number one and another peaking at number 2.  These included the two-sided blockbuster “Hound Dog”/“Don’t Be Cruel,” which remained at number one for a staggering eleven weeks, a record that stood until the 1990s. 

Although other rock & roll artists charted that year as well, they were still outnumbered by older acts and none ever came close to Elvis’ level of dominance, which contributed to the blending of the Presley name with image with rock ‘n’ roll music, making them nearly inseparable at the time.  By 1957, in the wake of Elvis’ one-man revolution the previous year, the charts saw a significant shift toward rock & roll with number one hits by The Platters, Pat Boone, Paul Anka, Jimmie Rodgers, Sam Cooke, The Everly Brothers, The Crickets (with Buddy Holly), and Elvis himself.  Although Perry Como and Andy Williams also reached the top of the charts, their music was now in the minority as rock ‘n’ roll surged forward.  The trend continued in the years that followed and it had all begun with Elvis, who remained the single most iconic symbol of the music and the lighting rod for all the controversy that surrounded it.  Elvis also was a more dynamic performer and singer than other new rock stars who swept onto the charts in his wake.  Although his uninhibited performing style would soon be curtailed and Elvis tamed to some degree, his vocal expressiveness, passion and the power he brought to his songs, whether performed live or on records, could not be suppressed or matched. 

Elvis put his own unique brand on this new music and came to personify what became popularly known as rock 'n' roll the moment he bolted onto the national scene. He became a one-man vanguard who redefined popular music and those who followed him were part of an irreversible march that he started.  So, Elvis didn’t “invent” rock and roll, but he was its most important and influential founding father and came to define the music.  John Lennon confirmed how much every rock star owes to the King when he said “Before Elvis there was nothing.”

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Channeling Elvis: How Television Saved the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll is available from Amazon in the U.S. http://tinyurl.com/mhyaouz & the U.K.: http://tinyurl.com/kyolbnm

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