I've wondered why Elvis stopped doing all the moves he did in That's the way it is after 1970? Was it because of his health, or did he just get tired of it?
I personally love his moves, they are so energetic
Just an opinion but I think health had a lot to do with it. I say that because unfortinatly I got to read in the Death of Elvis the laundry list of physical problems he had and the poor guy couldn't have been at all comfortable the last couple of years. Its even more amazing to me how well he sung, or that he preformed at all after reading that.
Elvis did actually still had his best karate kicks on stage by the time of Elvis on Tour (remeber This is Elvis Footage?), and there is a You Toube video here on TCB where he gaves an impresive karate demostration around '71. (I Think is the Promised Land Edit not sure)
For some strange reason he cut the karate stuff out when he did the Aloha, but as I have read, Elvis reached his best in 1974 when it come to Karate, in fact he had this projecto for a documentary about marcial acts, and some footage of him training was took. But yes the true is that after this year his health was problem and in fact it was his heath what avoided him to complete this project (as I have read dont really know). Anyway here on the You tube section of TCB there is also some footage of Elvis doing Polk Salad Annie in 1976, which is quite impresive because despite his weight problems he manage to substitute his old karate moves with more subtle Kung Fu movements which are more gentle than the Karate one that he used around 70-72.
I dont know much about this subject, neither about martial arts, I just know Elvis was good a it, I mean, it wasnt Hollywood bullshit, neither a mere thing to look cool on stage, Elvis was serious about martial arts, and he aproached them not only as a way to excercice the body, relax or defend himself, but he understood his Kung Fu as a real philosophy of life. He even go into Zen meditation fo a while because of this kind of disciplines, something that I personaly find of much more value that his usual trips on esoterism.
Does somebody on this forum can tell us some more about Elvis and his devotion to Martial Arts?
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