Your bio information is so witty! i love it, and your writing smacks of you having some sense...except the part about elvis, because, as they say, "elvis is a hero to most, but..."
Anyway, I've not let that keep me from adding you into my LJ friend world; feel free to do the same.
About me: wow. I'm not really big on that.. mainly because I don't sum up well. I will say, since you got that pic there, that I've been told more than twice that I look a bit like Gina Torres. I've also been told that my LJ is one of the best around. Can ya dig it?
Re: *knockknock*veryschwayAugust 2 2004, 08:07:41 UTC
You know, the thing about Elvis is that I think people should really distinguish between "Elvis," the symbol of whites co-opting black music, and Elvis, the pretty sweet guy from Tennessee. I've done a ton of research and I've found absolutely zero evidence that Elvis was a racist or that he maliciously masterminded the exploitation of black artists. I might have some moral misgivings about Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records and the guy who set out in the first place to find an artist with a white face and a "black-sounding" voice. He's the one who foresaw that he could exploit black artists for a lot of money. Elvis, though, was just a dirt-poor kid who saw a way out, and I refuse to jump on the bandwagon and condemn him for that
( ... )
See? I am glad I added you. You are quite eloquent. And you've made good points.
I do dislike the heap of praise he gets for taking the songs black people sang- singing them, and because he's white people just go insane.
Then again, looking at Justin Timberlake, Emenem and Joss Stone, (and many others)I can't go and act like he's the only one, or that I don't appreciate their talents either.
Nor do I think he's pure evil, I just don't see the big deal over him. (I also don't see the big hooplah over the Beatles).
Now the Bee Gees....*grins*
I did hear when I was a kid that Elvis once said in response to his singing black music and what that meant to him that black people weren't even fit to shine his shoes. Did your research find that quote to merely be an urban legend?
(My insouciance toward Elvis is not hatred. But even if I had hatred toward him, it wouldn't mean I was unwilling to change my mind.)
Oh--I didn't think your comment suggested that you hated him. It's just that the song you quoted definitely does express a hatred toward him, and it's that vein in popular culture that I find problematic.
I've heard about that comment, too--but no one who repeats that can seem to cite a particular date or interview or source of any kind. Elvis loved the aspects of black culture that he grew up with. Of course, loving black culture and respecting black people are two different things, but there's just no evidence that Elvis did the former but not the latter.
I grew up knowing next to nothing about Elvis, and like you, really not caring (I had Michael Jackson, what did I need Elvis for? hehe). I just happened to see one of his movies (Loving You) two years ago and that's what got me started with my curiosity about him. I like him a lot as an artist, but I would never insist that everyone "acknowledge" that he was great in this respect. That has to be mostly a matter of taste. I just dislike the fact that many people act as though
( ... )
Anyway, I've not let that keep me from adding you into my LJ friend world; feel free to do the same.
About me: wow. I'm not really big on that.. mainly because I don't sum up well. I will say, since you got that pic there, that I've been told more than twice that I look a bit like Gina Torres. I've also been told that my LJ is one of the best around. Can ya dig it?
passageway
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I do dislike the heap of praise he gets for taking the songs black people sang- singing them, and because he's white people just go insane.
Then again, looking at Justin Timberlake, Emenem and Joss Stone, (and many others)I can't go and act like he's the only one, or that I don't appreciate their talents either.
Nor do I think he's pure evil, I just don't see the big deal over him. (I also don't see the big hooplah over the Beatles).
Now the Bee Gees....*grins*
I did hear when I was a kid that Elvis once said in response to his singing black music and what that meant to him that black people weren't even fit to shine his shoes. Did your research find that quote to merely be an urban legend?
(My insouciance toward Elvis is not hatred. But even if I had hatred toward him, it wouldn't mean I was unwilling to change my mind.)
Reply
I've heard about that comment, too--but no one who repeats that can seem to cite a particular date or interview or source of any kind. Elvis loved the aspects of black culture that he grew up with. Of course, loving black culture and respecting black people are two different things, but there's just no evidence that Elvis did the former but not the latter.
I grew up knowing next to nothing about Elvis, and like you, really not caring (I had Michael Jackson, what did I need Elvis for? hehe). I just happened to see one of his movies (Loving You) two years ago and that's what got me started with my curiosity about him. I like him a lot as an artist, but I would never insist that everyone "acknowledge" that he was great in this respect. That has to be mostly a matter of taste. I just dislike the fact that many people act as though ( ... )
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You must be gorgeous!
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