ELVIS: LAST CADILLAC FROM MEMPHIS
Memphis ´52: A young Elvis is hanging out at his local record store, Charlies. It´s a place which has become something of a gathering place for teenagers who are passionate about music. There´s a jukebox in the corner which plays the latest sounds and, every now and again, Elvis puts in a nickel. It´s still two years before his own debut single, That´s All Right, appears on Sam Phillips´ Sun record label, yet he´s already predicting a successful future. To local musician and acquaintance Johnny Black he says, “Johnny, someday I´m going to be driving Cadillacs.”
“It´s so weird to think about it,” Johnny later recalled when interviewed by Peter Guralnick for his book Last Train To Memphis. “We´re talking of an era when we probably couldn´t have gotten the money for a Coke between us.”
Berlin ´95: The Elvis Presley Museum has arrived in town. “Direct from Memphis, USA” boasts the poster – and here for one month only. The star attraction of this event is, for practical reasons, not housed in the main display room but instead parked at the foot of the looming Fernsehturm at Alexanderplatz. Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis Presley´s Last Cadillac! Built in 1974 and purchased by Elvis from the Madison Cadillac dealer on Union Avenue, Memphis, it is today perhaps the most photographed car in Berlin. A rope barrier stands between it and me but it´s still close enough to touch. Later, I discover the key (displayed under glass in the main room). I also remember I cannot drive!
I guess I´ve come along to this traveling museum in search of some of the spirit found in Peter Guralnick´s excellent book, which traces the rise of Elvis in the 50s. Presley´s life is re-told along the walls of the building in photos and captions, chronologically capturing each and every important date from his birth in 1935 to, er, the marriage of Lisa Marie and Michael Jackson. Only a glimmer of the magic described in Last Train To Memphis can be found here, but then even items from the later years hold a fascination (albeit in a kind of sad and bizarre way).
The first glass display case contains Presley´s red Hagstrom guitar, on which he played Trouble and Guitar Man in the 1968 Comeback Special. In the next, a blue stage costume from the 70s. The clothes seem smaller than you´d expect – or is it just the larger-than-life myth of Elvis creating an illusion here? There´s memorabilia galore: concert tickets, autographed photos, yet more stage costumes, and even a street sign from Elvis Presley Boulevard. The badge which was presented to Elvis in February 1972 when Sheriff Roy C Nixon apointed him Chief Deputy Sheriff can also be seen. Elvis carried this with him, apparently, all the time from ´72 -´76, eventually giving it to Sheriff Billy Ray Schilling as a gift. (In return, Schilling gave Elvis the Sheriff´s badge with “No.1” on it, indicating the highest rank in Shelby county!)
Scarves were always a popular feature of Presley´s later concerts and so it´s no surprise to see one on display here (as worn at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1974). Photocopies of his Last Will and Testament are also here, plus a copy of the Memphis Press-Scimitar from Wednesday, August 17th 1977 – the day after Elvis died – with it´s headline: “A lonely life ends on Elvis Presley Boulevard”. (“The King is dead”, begins the article). Original copies are still on sale here – yours for just 49DM. And then – oh no! – the karate outfits! But things get better around the corner, however, and there´s something of the spirit I´d hoped to find. An original 10” copy of I Forgot To Remember To Forget b/w Mystery Train (Sun Records 223) – Elvis´ 5th single, released in August 1955 – leads the way into a record collection boasting an embarrassment of riches.
Suddenly the Elvis Presley Museum springs into life. Dozens of rare discs are (sadly but wisely) displayed under glass – more old Sun originals plus picture sleeves from all over the world. Meanwhile, in the background, a video compilation is being screened, featuring appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show from 1956 and the 68 Comeback Special. From the corner of my eye, I can´t help noticing a kitsch Elvis doll complete with plastic guitar. The souvenir shop is also selling sunglasses, pillow cases, and spoons (yes, Elvis spoons!). Still, there´s a whole load of books and photos also on display, not to mention boxes full of rare albums and CDs (including many unofficial releases). Die-hard fans are parting with their cash as if their lives depend on it.
For many of the visitors here, this is perhaps the closest they´ll ever get to their idol without making that long trip to Graceland itself. As I leave the building, I pass again all those stage costumes. One display contains Presley´s US Army jacket (as worn between 1956-60) and suddenly John Lennon´s quote springs to mind (“Elvis died when he joined the army”). If it wasn´t for the fabulous Memphis Sessions and the Comeback Special at the end of the 60s, and a few selected moments from the 70s, I might feel inclined to agree with him. But strolling back past the Cadillac, I´m wondering what sort of material Presley would be singing if he was still alive. He would have been 60 back in January, possibly promoting his new Rick Rubin produced album, and bringing on stage Bruce Springsteen and George Harrison to strum along with some of their old faves. Or something like that.
- Clive
(An earlier version of this article, complete with spelling mistakes, originally appeared in Big Untidy issue 7, published in August 1995).
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