Top 12 things you probably don’t know about Elvis Presley (but not too hard)
A biopic on Elvis (soberly titled Elvis, not con) has just been released, so we will take the time to come back to a few points of the crazy life of the King. Because yeah, the guy still lived crazy things, more or less glorious things moreover, and it would be a shame not to talk about it. So here is a top guaranteed 100% rock’n’roll and wax in the hair.
1. Elvis was blond
Already, it blocks a corner. Because when we imagine him, the Elvis, we see him again with his very brown banana. But all of that is fake. Elvis put black wax in his veuch’ to hide his baby blonde. Afterwards, he switched to real dyes because it’s still a little less cracra than wax.
2. Elvis only played 3 times outside of the United States
And again, we were not very far from it since the performances outside the USA were in Canada. But it wasn’t Elvis’ decision. It was his manager, Tom Parker, residing illegally in the States, who did not want to leave the country for fear of never being able to return. It is also said that Parker had committed a murder in the Netherlands and that was the reason why he was afraid to leave the United States, but it has never been proven. These are just guesses. But I believe in it.
3. Elvis fans wanted to prevent his drafting for military service
In 1957, like all young men getting his age, Elvis was called up for military service. Only, the guy was already a mega star and already had a huge fan base. And the fans, they really took the news very badly, because it meant that Elvis was going to have to put his career on hold. They wrote to whom it may concern to try to have his military service canceled, but Elvis spoke out to say that he wanted to do his military service, even if it meant taking a break from music. The King had spoken.
4. Elvis popularized a vaccine
If you are antivax and a fan of Elvis, this paragraph may cause you a strong feeling of discomfort. Because Elvis campaigned for the polio vaccine. When it was released, the vaccine was not very popular, and less than 1% of American teenagers were bitten, so the health authorities had to react. They appealed to the King, who agreed to be vaccinated on TV, and that had an impact on the vaccination rate. An incidence of crazy sick even: in just six months, 80% of teenagers were injected with the vaccine. In the ass poliomyelitis. And in the ass the antivax.
5. Elvis was a black belt in karate
The guy had reached the seventh degree black belt, so as much to say that he mastered his subject well (even if I have no idea what that means). In any case, he was a real enthusiast, and people who knew him said that he managed his mother well. Look at the photo below, it can be seen that he is in control.
6. Elvis’ manager merchandised Elvis haters
Even if the King was ultra popular, he had, like everyone else, a few haters. But instead of complaining about it, his manager decided to take advantage of it: he marketed badges “I hate Elvis” (« I hate Elvis » for the more English-speaking among you) which sold well. That’s the real meaning of business.
7. Elvis’ jumpsuits weighed a ton.
Good, ok, not really 1 ton, do not look for the little beast either. But they were still very heavy, since they weighed between 11 and… 34 kilos for the heaviest of them. That’s the weight of a real style.
8. Elvis had the best TV market share in history.
For his first TV appearance, Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show where he performed one of his songs. The program had an 82.6% market share in the US (meaning 82.6% of Americans watching TV at the time were watching Elvis), a score that was never beaten again by the sequel in all the history of television. Must say that today televisions have a few more channels than before, but it’s still very strong.
9. Elvis married a much younger woman.
When he was 24 years old, Elvis fell in love with Priscilla Beaulieu and started having an affair with her. Great. Oh no, not great, since she was only 14 years old. Elvis still waited a few years before marrying her, but he spent part of his life controlling her every move (while cheating on her badly) until Priscilla finally snapped. She got tired of being Elvis’ little toy and had the presence of mind to leave him. Well done Priscilla.
10. Elvis once flew just to eat a sandwich.
The guy flew from Graceland to Denver to eat a sandwich called the “fool’s golden loaf,” a delicacy consisting of a loaf of bread with its crumb removed and filled with peanut butter, jam and bacon . A foodie, this Elvis. And a model ecologist, above all.
11. Elvis got an FBI badge from President Nixon.
The King wanted to get an FBI badge so he could travel with whatever he wanted (meaning “drugs” here), so he figured the best thing to do was ask the President directly. So he turned to Nixon, who agreed to give him a badge, but that badge didn’t provide the singer with any particular pass. Elvis still thanked him by offering him a collectible weapon dating from the Second World War. A very nice exchange of gifts.
12. Elvis died on the toilet
You’ve probably heard of this anecdote before, but did you know why Elvis died on the toilet? Well neither do we, but there are still leads. Already, Elvis was very constipated due to his heavy use of opiates, and he had a whole host of other health problems. Doctors believe that his attempt to poop would have triggered a heart attack which would have, no matter what, triggered sooner or later. Bad luck, it fell on when he was on the throne. You have to die one way or another anyway.