Friday, April 04, 2008

Ahhh to Ewww

Nostalgia. Who doesn't like a bit of nostalgia in their day? This question is what moved me to watch the PBS special airing the "Elvis Live: The 25th Anniversery Concert Event". If you haven't seen this concert it really is quite amazing. His old band, back up singers and musical director has put together a real live concert where they have taken footage of Elvis in concert, in which they were all involved, and put Elvis on a huge screen doing the singing. Then through technology they removed the old audio recording of the musicians and back up singing off the track and instead they are all there live, on stage, playing the music and singing. So it's a "live" concert with the king of rock and roll himself singing his songs. Well everybody but Elvis himself is "live". Is this mega-confusing to explain or what? Do you all get it?


Anyway, the whole thing sent me tripping down memory lane. I grew up on Elvis. My Mom and Dad took us girls to a few of his movies. When I was about 8 (I think) I recieved this album for having a good report card. My Mom chose this particular album because it had the song "Teddy Bear" on it. She loved that song. And I think she thought it cute for an 8 year old. I loved this album! What 8 year old couldn't have fun in her bedroom rocking out to "Jailhouse Rock" or "Hound Dog" or singing into her hairbrush to "Love Me Tender", "Don't Be Cruel", or "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" with all the emotion that age group could muster about something she didn't have a clue about?





Yes, this album started me on the road to the "Elvis" love of my childhood. That is until "Donny" love of preteenhood entered the picture at around age 11. Then all bets were off, but that is a whole other post and has nothing to do with the point of this rambling disclosure.


Anyway, when I was in grade 7 I had a best friend whose family were Elvis fanatics. True blue Elvis fans. Put my "cheating" heart for Elvis to shame. I remember watching his televised concert at their house (the one where he wears the funky white jumpsuit) and my friend and her mom swooning and sighing while the dad was all techy recording it on those big reel to reel things they had back then. Who better to take me to the theatre to watch an Elvis concert on the big screen complete with crooked smile, heartfelt singing, tears and choreography huge and in your face?

If you're still with me, now here is the real reason for this post. Fast forward back to real time. As I was in the midst of the nostalgic moment, I noticed on my TV screen that Elvis in concert was bending down toward all the upraised hands reaching out to him. The "it" happened. The thing that made me sit up and go "Ewww, gross! I don't have that in my nostalgic memories." "It" being he took one them big old silk scarf things he was fond of wearing and wiped the sweat off his forehead and chest, yes his chest people, and gave it to one of the quivering hands reaching out to him. Squeels of delight and jumping up and down followed. On the part of the girls, or should I say women, not Elvis. I was stunned. Horrified. Grossed out. If that were me there, and I was the one he handed that to, I would have drawn my hand back in horror and let the scarf flutter unceremoniously down to the floor as I stared at it. Not even thinking for one moment one day in the future it probably would be worth a passel of money on EBay. Ewww.




Now here's what I'm wondering: Who of you would want a sweaty ole scarf as a souvenir? C'mon fess up. Does that gross anyone out but me? And really, if you own one of these "treasures" I want to know who you are. So I can ask you why? Please explain it to me. Because apparently, compared to those women, I have "sweaty stuff" issues.

9 comments:

Faith said...

Ewww....is right! Ick. then again, I just never was an Elvis fan...donny at age 12 yes, elvis, no.
However, I am betting that my 14 year old wouldn't mind a sweaty anything from Sac Effron of HSM fame. (sigh)

Beck said...

Heee. I guess because it would smell like him, but unless he has special peanut butter and banana scented sweat, I still don't see what's so grand about that. NAsty!

GiBee said...

Yuck! That pretty much grosses me out, too... I don't care HOW cool, or cute, or popular he was!!!

Laura said...

Grosses me out but I'm somewhat of a germaphobe so most things do. Yuck, yuck and more yuck!

Barb said...

If I had a pair of tongs handy, I'd so grab that sweaty scarf and I'd march right over to eBay and get rich. Very, very rich.

You know, they did a thing with Elvis on American Idol last season, where it looked like he was standing right on the stage, singing with Celine Dion, and I swear, it made me weepy. I grew up with Elvis too and sometimes I just flat out miss that man.

There'll never be another Elvis.

Girl Raised in the South said...

Put my name on the grossed out list. I don't care whose chest sweat it is, it's yucky.

Barbie @ Mamaology said...

I'm right there with you:)ewww!

Hope you are doing well! And that your weather up there in Canada is getting better! It is finally Spring here:)

Shawna said...

I grew up listening to Elvis & remember the day he died. I remember him doing that with the scarves & probably would've taken one like a giggly school girl, although it is gross.

I saw that American Idol Barb was talking about & loved it, except I thought Celine Dion was entirely the wrong person to perform "with him." Sorry, I thought she kind of ruined it.

Hen Jen said...

eeek! That would have been a Monk moment for me, I'd be frantically looking for a wet wipe.

we went to Chucky Cheese for a birthday party the other day...I kept making my kids use hand sanitizer.

yuck.