Wide World of Elvis: A Question for the Fans Outside the US of A

[josephinebeau]

Since I am from Kentucky, which is the state directly north of Tennessee, Elvis is such a huge part of our culture I take it for granted his place in other cultures and the impact it may have. When last at Graceland I heard accents from all over the globe so I was just curious about how people outside of the U.S. are exposed to Elvis.

What is the image of Elvis like in your country, is his music played on radio, do they discuss him in the media?

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

The view of Elvis in the UK is a double edged sword, the media have slowly over the years got passed the bloated, Jump-suited Elvis but can just as easily slip back in a trashy newspaper. On the whole the UK youth has a more positive view over the last decade than in the previous decades after Elvis' death. I suppose the release of ALLC made it cool to like Elvis and the Image portrayed of Elvis from then on has been quite positive.

There are several radio stations that play Elvis songs mixed in with other songs from the same era, I suppose that is to be expected. We get the usual ritual around August where we will get a few Elvis films and documentaries around the anniversary. The UK is pretty low key on the T.V. side although there are Elvis events all around the UK from tribute acts and of course we have the Elvis exhibit at the Beatles museum in Liverpool.

I suppose the most information we have is based around the web these days.

[spanish eyes]

I've lived in the UK all my life. I first heard Elvis while on holiday in Spain on the jukebox. When I was 7 his LP Elvis 40 Greatest Hits (Camden) was advertised, during this time there was a lot of Elvis on tv but as the years pass there is less and less. I remember one time growing up my Mam put a request on the radio for my birthday i think it was the wonder of you. When I was little I wanted to see Elvis in concert, it was one of my ambitions, but unfortunately I never got the chance. So in the year 2000 when they brought the Elvis concert to England I bought a ticket cos it was the closest thing I could get to seeing Elvis. What a fantastic night I watched him on the big screen cos it was sad for me to see the lone microphone in the middle of the stage where he should have been. There was so much electricity and excitement in the air I thought wow I wonder what if would have been like if he was on the stage for real.

There are Elvis fans in the UK who visit certain places in England and have an Elvis gathering so to speak. I went to Birmingham a few years back and spent time with Elvis fans, we had an Elvis night out where we could dance to Elvis all night long and buy dvds, that was fun night.

Not so long ago I saw a real young couple with a little baby in a pram and they had called him Elvis.

[KPM]

The view of Elvis in the UK is a double edged sword, the media have slowly over the years got passed the bloated, Jump-suited Elvis but can just as easily slip back in a trashy newspaper. On the whole the UK youth has a more positive view over the last decade than in the previous decades after Elvis' death. I suppose the release of ALLC made it cool to like Elvis and the Image portrayed of Elvis from then on has been quite positive.

There are several radio stations that play Elvis songs mixed in with other songs from the same era, I suppose that is to be expected. We get the usual ritual around August where we will get a few Elvis films and documentaries around the anniversary. The UK is pretty low key on the T.V. side although there are Elvis events all around the UK from tribute acts and of course we have the Elvis exhibit at the Beatles museum in Liverpool.

I suppose the most information we have is based around the web these days.

I have a friend who was in the Navy for 22 years and he first visited England in the mid 70s, (and several times in his 22 years career) he thought UK fans had much more respect for Elvis and his accomplishments than many Americans. I have often wondered why the world seems to give Elvis a little more respect than his own country...in general.

[josephinebeau]

I have a friend who was in the Navy for 22 years and he first visited England in the mid 70s, (and several times in his 22 years career) he thought UK fans had much more respect for Elvis and his accomplishments than many Americans. I have often wondered why the world seems to give Elvis a little more respect than his own country...in general.

I have gotten that very feeling as well, that Elvis is more respected abroad than he is in the US. Honestly I have the bad feeling it is that our culture has degenerated into such a mess that real talent is seldom recognized or respected. Take for example reality shows, utter nonsense put on display and rewarded.
Also economics, technology and political situations may have made it only now possible for people abroad to just now get to know "The King".