Elvis Presley Articles by Paul Simpson
Read the latest articles about Elvis Presley by Paul Simpson. 
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www.elvis.com.au ... 'this is one of a handfull of sites which are truly essential with news, interviews and reviews'. From the book - Rough Guide To Elvis by Paul Simpson.
Hollywood's exploitation of Elvis
In Hollywood, there is a genre of film called the exploitation movie, an umbrella term describing a movie where quality is sacrificed for cost and the moviemaker appeals to his audience by bizarre themes (drug use, wanton violence, kinky sex), adherence to a formula (as in beach party or zombie films) or the exploitation of a popular act, character or personality – for example Tarzan, the Norwegian ice skating queen Sonya Henje or, for that matter, Elvis Presley ... These films exist primarily to make a profit.
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson
Is The Trouble With Girls Elvis' most underrated movie?
For reasons I cannot entirely fathom, I have been increasingly drawn, in the past year, to The Trouble With Girls on DVD. One of Elvis' late, neglected movies - released in the U.S. on a double bill with a cheesy horror flick called The Green Slime - it was shot when his hopes of being the next James Dean had been virtually extinguished. Yet the King seems more animated than usual on celluloid - certainly more engaged than he is, in, say Paradise Hawaiian Style - and utterly at home in this small town period piece.
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson
The mystery of Jesse
The second greatest known unknown about Elvis - after the enigma about why he, a soft spoken Southerner tolerated the faux Colonel Tom Parker - is his relationship with his still born twin, Jesse Garon Presley.
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson
Why Elvis? By Paul Simpson
Sometimes, the simplest questions are the hardest to answer. Laura Viddy, interviewing me for a forthcoming TV special, asked one two word question which floored me: 'Why Elvis?' I came up with ten reasons.
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson
The trouble with the movies
If there's one question that divides Elvis fans even more than Colonel Parker's legacy, it is the vexed question of movie soundtracks. I know many ardent Elvis fans who started out drawing a metaphorical line in the sand - King Creole and no further - but have, almost against their will, been dragged into a quagmire where, after a while, they find themselves humming the infuriatingly catchy chorus of Harem Holiday.
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson
The interpretation of dreams
'One day things will be different' - Elvis Presley. We know a lot about Elvis Presley. But the most significant of the many things we don't know about him is how, when and why he came to believe that, as he vowed to himself when he was a skinny, poor, boy in the poorest state of the union, one day things would be different.
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson
The enigma of Suppose
Suppose is not the greatest song Elvis Presley ever recorded but it is, for me, one of the most underrated. At a time - the mid 1960s - when you can almost hear the self-belief seeping from him on some recordings, Elvis was unusually intrigued by this quiet chilling ballad. Some fans have suggested this song may have inspired John Lennon's utopian anthem Imagine. Suppose was recorded in the summer of 1967, Imagine was recorded - and released - in 1971.
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson
Elvis the Singer
Elvis Presley is still vastly underrated as a singer. His vocal technique is often reduced to a quiver of the lip and an 'uh-huh-huh' by some, while many still insist that he didn't have the phraseology of a Sinatra.
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson
The Shock of Elvis
Bruce Springsteen once famously said that Elvis Presley freed people's bodies, the way Bob Dylan freed people's minds. Loathe as I am to argue with The Boss, this tribute doesn't accurately measure Elvis's impact.
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson
Passion and Soul: A Little Less Conversation, a Lot More Fans
Two things happen to almost everyone who discovers Elvis Presley. Our first impulse is to talk Elvis over with someone who has already made that discovery. Our second reaction, which comes slightly later, is to introduce someone else, usually a friend or a colleague, to Elvis' world.
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson
The King of Pain!
Was Elvis' musical output in the 1970's aimless, obsessive or something else? In his latest article for Elvis Australia, Paul Simpson, noted author of The Rough Guide to Elvis, provides a thought provoking analysis of an emotionally distraught singer and how it affected his musical recordings.
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson
The Elvis Mystery
Elvis's stepbrother David Stanley admitted the other day that even he found it hard to explain why his big brother was so enduringly popular. What is that Elvis has that other's don't?
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson
Elvis: a star is torn
Most people's lives appear simple when you're not living them. Even a life as controversial as Elvis Presley's as told by most biographers fits a fairly simple graph.
Elvis Articles,
By Paul Simpson