Over the last few years alone, “Bohemian Rhapsody” thrust Queen back into the spotlight and won Rami Malek an Oscar for his portrayal of its lead singer, Freddie Mercury. “The classic version of rock ’n’ roll just doesn’t exist the way it once did, and that’s in large part because younger audiences are less interested in it.”Įnter the biopic. “To be honest, no one I know under 30 cares or knows much about Elvis,” says Puja Patel, editor in chief of the tastemaking music site Pitchfork. Michael Stipe’s Elvis impression on R.E.M.’s “ Man on the Moon,” a tribute to comedian Andy Kaufman’s Presley parody, may have been the last time Presley registered as cool. It’s been 20 years since the compilation “ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits” topped the Billboard charts, aided by the JXL remix of “ A Little Less Conversation.” It’s also been 20 years since Eminem cracked that kids were “embarrassed their parents still listen to Elvis,” which itself seemed a little outdated at the time. That era seems quite distant from the vantage of 2022. That persona - spangly jumpsuits that accentuated his increasing heft, mutton chops, karate kicks - became the pervasive one in pop culture, thanks to legions of Elvis imitators and scores of myths about Presley’s excessive appetites, stories that worked their way into movies and song. ![]() The image of the young, rebellious, lascivious rockabilly cat would eventually give way to its “after picture”: the bloated ’70s crooner. Blessed with preternatural good looks, Elvis exuded such a palpable carnal charisma that his 1956 appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” caused a sensation because of his sexy gyrations famously, the CBS censors insisted that the singer be shot from the waist up. ![]() Presley’s hold on the popular consciousness extended beyond mere records, into generational and sexual politics, the lure of Hollywood and the dark side of the American dream.
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