Elvis Presley stands as one of the greatest icons of American pop culture. Almost half a century after his first songs hit the airwaves, fans are still buying his records (over a billion sold so far) and swinging to his tunes. This month Hard Rock Cafe will pay tribute to the King by hosting the release of a new CD of Elvis' 50 greatest hits, an Elvis impersonation contest and a special menu of the singer's favorite foods.
Twenty-four years after his death, Elvis still captures the imagination of people around the world. Over a million people visit the Graceland Mansion, his Memphis, Tennessee, home every year. Elvis fans also flock to the lovely little chapel where he married Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas to see his marriage photos and get a copy of his marriage license.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HARD ROCK CAFE
Mystery has also surrounded the man, with frequent sightings of him around the world since his death and suspicions that his spirit can be found in the rooms of Graceland, though only die-hard fans take these claims seriously.
The American rock 'n' roll king first achieved stardom in 1956, sweeping the US in a whirlwind of rock 'n' roll and ruled the pop music scene for two decades until he passed away in 1977.
During the peak of his music career between 1969 to 1977, Elvis performed more than 1,000 concerts. He charmed music fans not just with his music, but also his costumes, hairdo, and dance moves. His records continue to break sales records, garnering a total of more than 130 gold titles in the US.
ICRT DJ Ricky Walker, a big fan of Presley's, said Elvis was revolutionary in that he was the first person to incorporate black gospel music into American country rock-a-billy, particularly when black music could not be heard on the radio. His daring innovation kicked off the rock 'n' roll era. Elvis' influence was felt around the world, inspiring many fellow musicians such as John Lennon of the Beatles, who said that "Before Elvis, there was nothing."
Fans who want to pay homage to Elvis can find a dozen of his studio photos, albums and posters at Taipei's Hard Rock Cafe this month. They are originals imported from the US, including one poster revealing Elvis' favorite menu from home. A particular attention-getter is a guitar that the rocker used to play. Elvis' concert videos will be played too so fans can swing to his timeless songs and have a good laugh at the King's outrageous costumes.
Event Notes
For the rest of the month, the Hard Rock Cafe will offer BMG's new CD containing 50 hit songs by Elvis Presley when customers order the King's favorite meal: vegetable soup, pork chops and brown gravy and old fashion apple pie. There will also be an Elvis impersonation contest and party on July 27 at 9pm. Participants will have a chance to win a trip to Memphis, Tennessee, for a series of activities to commemorate the King. The Divas Band will be playing Elvis Presley hits to entertain the guests. To register for the contest, call 2326-8826.
May 6 to May 12 Those who follow the Chinese-language news may have noticed the usage of the term zhuge (豬哥, literally ‘pig brother,’ a male pig raised for breeding purposes) in reports concerning the ongoing #Metoo scandal in the entertainment industry. The term’s modern connotations can range from womanizer or lecher to sexual predator, but it once referred to an important rural trade. Until the 1970s, it was a common sight to see a breeder herding a single “zhuge” down a rustic path with a bamboo whip, often traveling large distances over rugged terrain to service local families. Not only
Ahead of incoming president William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on May 20 there appear to be signs that he is signaling to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that the Chinese side is also signaling to the Taiwan side. This raises a lot of questions, including what is the CCP up to, who are they signaling to, what are they signaling, how with the various actors in Taiwan respond and where this could ultimately go. In the last column, published on May 2, we examined the curious case of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) heavyweight Tseng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) — currently vice premier
The last time Mrs Hsieh came to Cihu Park in Taoyuan was almost 50 years ago, on a school trip to the grave of Taiwan’s recently deceased dictator. Busloads of children were brought in to pay their respects to Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正), known as Generalissimo, who had died at 87, after decades ruling Taiwan under brutal martial law. “There were a lot of buses, and there was a long queue,” Hsieh recalled. “It was a school rule. We had to bow, and then we went home.” Chiang’s body is still there, under guard in a mausoleum at the end of a path
Last week the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) released a set of very strange numbers on Taiwan’s wealth distribution. Duly quoted in the Taipei Times, the report said that “The Gini coefficient for Taiwanese households… was 0.606 at the end of 2021, lower than Australia’s 0.611, the UK’s 0.620, Japan’s 0.678, France’s 0.676 and Germany’s 0.727, the agency said in a report.” The Gini coefficient is a measure of relative inequality, usually of wealth or income, though it can be used to evaluate other forms of inequality. However, for most nations it is a number from .25 to .50