Right, McGrath. The later Elvis became a parody of the earlier one, I think. I think it was his unsophisticated loyalty that made him keep 'Colonel' Parker and let him so mismanage his talent. Ironic to realize how much money that he has made since his and Parker's death.

There was a vitality and drive to his songs that was very different from the Bing Crosby/Frank Sinatra era. I was just a year younger than Presley and was a big fan of his voice. We collected his records, sang the songs and danced to the tunes, but I never went to his concerts and watched only two of his movies. I thought his acting roles were awful and his acting worse.

I mourned his eventual deterioration and death. I would very much have liked him to have a happier ending than the sanctimonious Pat Boone.

One of the most revealing moments of the real Elvis to me was an outtake of a post-concertjam, where he's sitting there with 8 or 10 other musicians; all of them singing snippets of songs. Two girls come up and ask him for his autograph. He complies and they go away, squealing. In an uncomfortable voice, he says, quietly, I'll never understand it.

Through all of his bloated, druggy years, I was hoping he would be able to shake it, but he never did. He could still be alive, still singing.