Elvis Has Left the Building

Saturday will mark the thirty-first anniversary of Elvis’ death. This event is one of my first solid memories. I was five years old and, if I’m not mistaken, August 16 was on a Saturday 31 years ago too.

6 other kids and I were ready to load into the back of a camper pickup and head to the skating rink when Paul’s mom came running out of the house, hysterical. It was Paul’s birthday and the party was at Fun Time Skateland. I remember being excited; going skating was HUGE. I remember that I had to wear long pants, even though it was August, to protect myself from the many falls that were sure to come. I remember that this was my first skating party and that after this day, that rite of passage would be complete.
The crappy ketchup pizza sauce, the dank smell of a dark room, the hot, un-air conditioned bathrooms with lockers at the entrance, the loud thumping music, the carpeted mushrooms… with great anticipation for these Earthly delights, I waited to load into the camper.

And that damn Elvis ruined it all.

I don’t know if you remember 1977, but Elvis fans were rabid. He was like a god to them and the rest of the world accepted his worship. In the 70’s “E” did a concert that my family watched. Paul’s mom sent him to our house so that she could REALLY watch it. I can’t think of a performer today who has clout on the same level that Presley did. I can’t think of a single actor, singer, or even politician whose death would rock the world and cause time to stand still for so many. There is no celebrity alive today whose passing would cause me to cancel a party. But it’s not 1977, and I’m not Paul’s mom.

Janice was prone to freak-outs anyway. She drank Tab constantly, bought peanut butter and jelly that was already swirled together, and was an alcoholic. I didn’t know at the time how unstable she was but I do recall her siding with her 7-year old son once when he told me that he had 100 grandparents. We argued, standing beneath a framed painting of a rose. Supposedly this painting was a family heirloom and the lineage of the painting had started the whole gaggle of grandparents debate. I don’t even think it was a painting. I think it was a crappy dollar-store print of a painting, but Paul insisted that this had been passed down through his family for years and had finally rested on his living room wall- gold frame and all. He swore to me that because his father was actually his step father, he had a slew of grandparents- 100 to be exact. Even with my poor computation skills, I knew 100 grandparents was unlikely. Paul called for his mother to confirm the sum of grandparents. Janice told me that if her son said it, it was true and that I was never to question him. I remember thinking then that this woman was an idiot. It’s the first time I realized adults could be stupid.

So the day of Elvis’ death we were to go to the skating rink. Instead, I was sent back home with the promise that the party would be rescheduled. It never was. I had never seen a grown up sob so intensely. I had never had the promise of a party yanked right out from under me either.

John Lennon’s assassination, the Challenger explosion, Elvis dying at a very young 42 on the toilet- these things share that same space in my brain where Muppets lurk and Pop Rocks still rule. It’s funny what we do and do not remember. I remember that Paul also had an aquarium that housed a huge Coy. He told me that the fish was 100 years old.

I knew better than to question him.

Comments(17) Posted by liz on 08/13 at 09:40 AM
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i was in germany. had no freakin clue who the hell elvis was but i could rattle off the kiss line up and sing every song on the destroyer album in order. (not sure i could do that now. lol)
anyway, some german girl walked up to me with a newspaper in her hand, bawling her eyes out. (we were next door at a guesthouse, a combo restaurant, bar, hotel, deli, butcher shop.) she kept saying she was so sorry, how sad i must be that our king has died. i told her that the united states didn’t have a king, we had a president and went back to what i was doing. asked my dad about it later and he said, oh, he was some singer. talk about your nonevent.
you should google paul. he either ended up in an insane asylum or as the head of a major corporation.
oh and pop rocks will ~always~ rule!

By heather on 2008 08 13
I worked in a bookstore, and I remember the very large number of Elvis magazines and Elvis special editions of regular magazines that came out.

By dmarks on 2008 08 13
I sort of remember when Elvis died. I was in second grade and there was a kid in my class who was a HUGE Elvis fan and he came to school crying after it happened. I asked him what was wrong and he just sobbed, “Elvis is dead.”

My mom thought Elvis was de debbil so I never got to watch him when he was on TV.

Of course, my mom also thought that ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ was too racy and risque for TV also, so I had to sneak over to my best friend’s house to watch it.

Don’t eat Pop Rocks and drink a Coke because your stomach will explode. It’s what killed Mikey from the Life cereal commercials.

~wise nod~

By Roadchick on 2008 08 13
Heather,

Germany? How cool. How long did you live there before coming to the states? That country is on my list of “do’s"- but it’s behind Switerland and Greece.

Paul got his high school girlfriend pregnant and, when I last saw him almost 20 years ago, was shelving books at the library. He actually recognized me even though we hadn’t seen each other since we were small children. I’d love to run into him now.

Dmarks,

I wonder if any of those ‘special editions’ would be worth anything today?

Roadchick,

Your mom sounds like my BFF’s mom. She was only allowed to watch Little House and a few other ‘safe’ shows. She was not allowed to watch the Dukes of Hazzard- which is cruel and unusual punishment! As far as Pop Rocks and Coke, I’m safe. I know better than to tempt fate with THAT disaster!

By liz on 2008 08 13
I doubt they are worth anything. Those “Special Collector Editions” of “People”, etc magazine were printed in the bazillions, and will never be rare. Just as bestseller novels aren’t worth anything.

I never watched Dukes of Hazzard back then. However, I can’t help watching it sometimes now when it is on the CMT network. I even saw one that had Riker from “Star Trek” in it.

By dmarks on 2008 08 14
I was in junior high back then. Just think, I’m now older than Elvis was when he died. Back then I thought 40’s was old. Now it seems very, very young.

By churlita on 2008 08 14
Dmarks,

Thanks. I may even check on Ebay or something. I’m curious now!

Churlita,

I KNOW. I have always thought Elvis was an ‘oldish’ man when he died. Hell 42 is still FRISKY!

If you’re lucky.

By liz on 2008 08 14
we were there for 2 1/2 years. didn’t live on base cause it was an army base and there was like a 5 year waiting list, which we kept getting bumped down on to make room for army personnel. (dad was air force) i think we were better off than those who lived on base though. we got to experience the country as a seperate country. not as just another setting for military families.

how cool was that! not that he knocked up his girlfriend but that he recognised you. although considering his on-stage persona, how fitting is it that he was a teen dad. lol

By heather on 2008 08 14
I was a three year old, so if it didn’t involve Sesame Street, I had no clue.

By Miss Fire on 2008 08 14
Do you remember Fraggle Rock? I had to watch it at my cousin’s house becaue I lived in the country and therefore didn’t have cable, but I loved that show.

Sorry I’ve been behind on commenting - my feed reader wasn’t updating you. To answer your questions: I did get a little weepy at Mama Mia. The scene on the cliff with the gorgeous red pashmina moved me. Yes, that turd story was true. I have my doubts about the Bigfoot story.

By Gwen on 2008 08 14
Gwen,

I do remember Fraggle Rock, but wasn’t a huge fan. But then, I lived in the CITY so my options were vast and never ending… The Brady Bunch and Gilligan reruns.

By liz on 2008 08 15
You implanted the memory of Fraggle Rock in my head when you mentioned Muppets and Pop Rocks in the same sentence, so it’s funny that someone else brought it up. It’s also eerie that you mention Gilligan’s Island, because I mentioned it on my blog today. Get out of my head, devil woman!

We had a Fun Time Skateland up the road from us (in Pearl, MS) that you described very well. It’s not the same one, is it?

We actually have a drive-in theater not far from us now. It used to just play porn on weekends. It’s playing the Mummy and Batman this weekend, though. Pity.

By Steven on 2008 08 15
Steven-

Tell me how to get to your blog. I’ll stop by for a visit!

By liz on 2008 08 15
i was born in 71 so i was old enough to remember elvis dying, but thankfully my mom didn’t lose her shit over it. dad could not have cared less about it...in fact i think i remember him bitching about him getting what he deserved because of the drugs. dad was a city k-9 cop and didn’t mind too much when not good stuff happened to those who did bad things, even if they were “good” people.

oh how i loved me some dukes of hazzard. had several john schneider t-shirts. funny that i grew up to prefer dark hair and would take tom wompat over john any day. hell, i would probably do daisy before john. yeah, i got issues. wanna make something of it? hehe

By hello haha narf on 2008 08 18
Hello,

I too am a 71er. And I’ve known folks just like your dad.

I too liked Bo best back in the day and now perfer the dark haired handsome man...But I’d still do Bo before Daisy.

By liz on 2008 08 19
daisy then against bo now?
tough call but i’m thinking daisy’s gonna win by a mile.

By heather on 2008 08 19
Oh hell. Sesame Street, The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, Dukes of Hazzard, Gilligan’s Island, Battlestar Gallactica, Buck Rodgers, Knight Rider, Airwolf, McGyver..... Like I just read the cliffnotes on my childhood or something. Remember when they played the national anthem at like 11:00 and then there was nothing but dead air until morning? You’d wake up to static and have to get up, walk across the room, and turn the TV off. Unless of course you were some rich family with a “clapper.”

*Sigh* I’ll be 32 on Monday (25th)

By rebturtle on 2008 08 22

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