Two Musical Motion Pictures Coming Soon
May 30, 2022 12:36 PM Subscribe
Two musicians born on January 8 -- David Bowie has a documentary coming out, with full cooperation by his estate, directed by Brett Morgen: Moonage Daydream trailer, 1m30s. Elvis Presley has a biopic coming out, directed by Baz Luhrmann: ELVIS extended trailer, 4m35s.
Supplemental: Brett Morgen Cannes 2022 interview [6m] Baz Luhrmann & Austin Butler interview [6m]
Supplemental: Brett Morgen Cannes 2022 interview [6m] Baz Luhrmann & Austin Butler interview [6m]
Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, especially.
Given Elvis' prominence in modern American culture and an apparent widespread fondness for Elvis in conservative circles, I wonder at the Venn diagram of "loves Elvis" and "knows Tom Parker was an undocumented immigrant."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:23 PM on May 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
Given Elvis' prominence in modern American culture and an apparent widespread fondness for Elvis in conservative circles, I wonder at the Venn diagram of "loves Elvis" and "knows Tom Parker was an undocumented immigrant."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:23 PM on May 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
I think of Elvis as being in a lacuna between the music my siblings and I were interested in, and the music our parents were interested in. He was always a mystery to me.
posted by Bee'sWing at 3:25 PM on May 30, 2022
posted by Bee'sWing at 3:25 PM on May 30, 2022
I can hear Tom Hanks saying "We must all have waffles, forthwith."
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 3:25 PM on May 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 3:25 PM on May 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
The trailer for the Bowie doc looks suitably epic.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 4:47 PM on May 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by paper chromatographologist at 4:47 PM on May 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
Given Elvis' prominence in modern American culture and an apparent widespread fondness for Elvis in conservative circles, I wonder at the Venn diagram of "loves Elvis" and "knows Tom Parker was an undocumented immigrant."
Probably more than you think. Although it's been somewhat forgotten, Albert Goldman's biography of Elvis is probably the best-selling book about him, and it spent quite a bit of time on Parker's undocumented status. (Too bad that the rest of the book is wildly uneven, a mish-mash of well-known facts, half-truths, and utter bullshit and speculation, with Goldman's overweening contempt for his subject slathered all over everything like sausage gravy. As with Goldman's book on John Lennon, he found the closest member of Elvis' entourage (the Memphis Mafia) with the biggest grudge against him--in Elvis' case, Lamar Fike--and used them as his primary source. If you can find a copy of Greil Marcus' Dead Elvis, which details Presley's postmortem fandom/cult, it includes his review of Goldman's book for the Village Voice, which is a much better and rewarding read than Goldman's book itself.)
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:04 PM on May 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
Probably more than you think. Although it's been somewhat forgotten, Albert Goldman's biography of Elvis is probably the best-selling book about him, and it spent quite a bit of time on Parker's undocumented status. (Too bad that the rest of the book is wildly uneven, a mish-mash of well-known facts, half-truths, and utter bullshit and speculation, with Goldman's overweening contempt for his subject slathered all over everything like sausage gravy. As with Goldman's book on John Lennon, he found the closest member of Elvis' entourage (the Memphis Mafia) with the biggest grudge against him--in Elvis' case, Lamar Fike--and used them as his primary source. If you can find a copy of Greil Marcus' Dead Elvis, which details Presley's postmortem fandom/cult, it includes his review of Goldman's book for the Village Voice, which is a much better and rewarding read than Goldman's book itself.)
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:04 PM on May 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'll gawk at anything that Baz presents. Another plug for 'The Get Down' on Netflix if y'all ain't seen it yet, it's awesome.
posted by ovvl at 6:11 PM on May 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by ovvl at 6:11 PM on May 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'm not a Luhrmann fan and think the trailer looks like the movie will be terrible, but who knows.
My favorite fact about Elvis is that, with the exception of three concerts in Canada in 1957, he never once performed outside the USA.
posted by dobbs at 6:12 PM on May 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
My favorite fact about Elvis is that, with the exception of three concerts in Canada in 1957, he never once performed outside the USA.
posted by dobbs at 6:12 PM on May 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
David Bowie was a big fan of Elvis. At short notice, he crossed the Atlantic on a plane to attend an Elvis concert in New York in 1972, even though he had a strong fear of flying. “The Ziggy Stardust Companion” printed this quote that Bowie made in 1996 concerning the Elvis concert he attended. -via
“[Elvis] was a major hero of mine. And I was probably stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something. I came over for a long weekend. I remember coming straight from the airport and walking into Madison Square Garden very late. I was wearing all my clobber from the Ziggy period and had great seats near the front. The whole place just turned to look at me and I felt like a right idiot. I had brilliant red hair, some huge padded space suit and those red boots with big black soles. I wished I’d gone for something quiet, because I must have registered with him. He was well into his set.”posted by fairmettle at 7:21 PM on May 30, 2022 [8 favorites]
Although it's been somewhat forgotten, Albert Goldman's biography of Elvis is probably the best-selling book about him, and it spent quite a bit of time on Parker's undocumented status
Ah, there you go. I read the Goldman book on Lennon thirty-plus years ago and I recall nothing from it but a vague bad taste. I never read his Elvis book and to be honest, I had totally forgotten it existed.
Still, maybe they make an exception for this one mentally ill undocumented immigrant who fled one country to avoid military service and joined the army of his adopted country, only to become a deserter. He’s one of the good ones, you know.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:34 PM on May 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
Ah, there you go. I read the Goldman book on Lennon thirty-plus years ago and I recall nothing from it but a vague bad taste. I never read his Elvis book and to be honest, I had totally forgotten it existed.
Still, maybe they make an exception for this one mentally ill undocumented immigrant who fled one country to avoid military service and joined the army of his adopted country, only to become a deserter. He’s one of the good ones, you know.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:34 PM on May 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
Peter Guralnick's two-part Elvis biography is a masterwork, especially compared to Goldman.
posted by aquanaut at 5:30 PM on May 31, 2022
posted by aquanaut at 5:30 PM on May 31, 2022
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posted by Bee'sWing at 1:21 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]