The Day Elvis died - Deja vu all over again

 

The events of the past day have reminded me of the day Elvis Presley died.

I was a teenager and admittedly, not a big Elvis fan. Was not really teenage music at the time. His appeal during those years was closer to middle aged women.

But I had a good friend who was a HUGE Elvis fan. He had been to the concerts. Loved the music. Defended Elvis to all his peers. We all thought it funny.

I remember being in the car being driven to soccer practice with a few friends when we heard the news over the radio. Like yesterday the news was a little confused at first, then clarified.

When we got out of the car at Fair Oaks School to practice on their field, there was our buddy.

“Hey B, what do you think about the news?”

He had not heard.

“Elvis is dead.”

This was quite a blow to him. He had to sit down. He was in disbelief. He immediately considered the news false. A fake. A coverup. A conspiracy by Colonel Tom. Anything to avoid thinking it could be true.

Sure enough in the days and years ahead there were plenty more that thought the same way. As more details began to be released the picture surrounding his death got darker and more painful to his fans.

After the tributes came the finger pointing, accusations and fights over the money.

In a weird way the death of Mr Jackson seems to be a replay of the Elvis death. Tied weirdly through Elvis’ daughter’s brief marriage to Mr. Jackson, this will again show an abundance of conspiracy theories and other wackiness.

You can’t make this stuff up as they say.