The Deep Meaning of Elvis in Australia

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When I first learned to love Elvis Presley, I was in my early 20s and was visiting Graceland on a cross country trip with a few friends. I remember watching the videos of their concerts in a dark theater there, admiring their energy and talent. Next up was Baghdad Elvis.

When I watched the war in Iraq in 2007, a photographer we worked with had mastered a near-perfect interpretation of “Suspicious Minds.” At one point, he showed up at our solidly fortified campus on the Tigris River, circa 1973, wearing a custom-made white jumpsuit and led us all to a night of karaoke loud enough to drown out the sound of shells in the distance.

And then there was Parkes, a small town in rural New South Wales that hosts the largest annual Elvis festival in the Southern Hemisphere (and possibly the world). I’ve been hearing about it since I came to Australia but this year I decided to go and take my 11 year old daughter with me.

I was looking for more than just the show, though there were plenty of them. I was looking for a heart. In the middle of a continent where Elvis never played, why are 25,000 people out to celebrate a dead American rocker?

I thought maybe there was something to be said about America that it seems to represent, a country that is more optimistic, carefree, exuberant and extreme than the more serious and angry United States we’ve seen in the past few years. Maybe nostalgia for Elvis was also nostalgia for America?

But what did I find – as you can see in my articlewith great photos Abigail Varney It was simpler and more local, if not less profound. The real issue was not America. Small-town Australia and participating “give a chance” Australia were what brought the event to life.

Australians of all social classes, political affiliations and ages were more likely to dress, sing, parade or play rugby, according to the artists who paid tribute to Elvis and to Elvis’ former tour manager returning home from the US. , all while dressing up as Elvis, encouraging each other to join in and have some fun.

The Australian festival was unique because the lines between serious and ridiculous were blurred. While Americans listened to and admired Elvis, Australians embraced him.

I’ve written a lot about Australia’s tendency to attract people to an event – it’s a big part of the opinion-driven memoir I’ve published here. “to Rip” It will be out in the US under a different title in the next few months. But there was an extra layer of enthusiasm in Parkes that only the combination of Elvis and a small Australian town could provide. My daughter loved it. Me too.

Now here are the stories of the week.