Postcards
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Postcards
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| postcard #1 |
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"So, I have a question that might be hard for you to answer," I said to the woman sitting behind the information counter. She paused from painting here finger nails a metallic lavender. "Where can I find an Elvis shopping bag?" As she set her polish down, her eyes got larger, as if to say, 'whach you tawkin' 'bout?'.
"You know," I said. "One of those gift bags, that have pictures on them. Like they have all kinds with Scarlet and Rhett. I'm looking for Elvis." It’s less than 24 hours away from our departure to the anniversary celebration--if you can call it that--of one of the most significant events of this century: the untimely death of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley. It was twenty years ago, exhausted of being "Elvis", the singing legend stepped into his master bathroom to read for a while when he collapsed on the floor, bloated and doped up. Almost two years of planning and research are finally coming together, and we're in the final hours. Just a few more errands, the arrival of our fellow travelers, and we're on our way. "Spencer’s," belted the Security guard with stretch polyester pants. She had been talking to the woman painting her nails. "You can get them at Spencer’s." Relief had overcome the information lady's face as she picked up her nail polish to continue. "Spencer’s is on the lower level, past the waterfall in the Rich's wing on the left," she said as she motioned towards Rich's, taking extra care not to smudge her nails. I raced off. With only thirty minutes until the mall closed, I had a lot of ground to cover. The Elvis gift bag was the final element to bring together the souvenir packet for each of our guest travelers who will be joining us tomorrow. Included in the pack is a 55-page comprehensive travel guide, highlighting the history of Memphis, Graceland, a biography on Elvis, some thoughts on his esteemed pop culture position, and a detailed itinerary of all the stops we plan to make over the next four days; a commemorative 20th Anniversary CD Sampler; a limited edition lithograph of the Viva Las Vegas Movie Poster; and an "I [Heart] Elvis" pin. Spencer’s is the type of store that every mother knows she's going to find her teenage son in when she sets him lose in the mall alone. The type of store that stocks up front and center edible underwear, and other such 'adult novelties'. "Do you have any Elvis paraphernalia?" I asked. "Yes, our Elvis section is right over here." Great! An Elvis section. I figured they would have what I was looking for. Swinging hip clocks. Elvis Presley Boulevard street signs. Elvis fridge magnets. Cedar Elvis plaques. But no Elvis gift bags. There was, however, stitched pillows with an Elvis portrait--the perfect accent for the Lisa Marie. No, not Elvis Presley's private jet with his daughter's namesake, rather the full-size, fully-equipped conversion van we've rented to whisk us across the rural South to the Mecca: Graceland. There will be five of us: Tony and me from Atlanta, Chris from Iowa, and John and Phil from Chicago. We'll be joining over 100,000 pilgrims from around the world who descend upon Memphis for the annual festivities. Our reservations are confirmed, tickets purchased, and research completed. Right now, my biggest concern is whether or not we'll get into Elvis Presley's Memphis, a new restaurant/nightclub (Hard Rock or Planet Hollywood with an Elvis theme). Since Lisa Marie and Priscilla opened the new hot spot on Beale Street in the old Lansky's department store where Elvis bought his trendy fashions, the restaurant has been doing between 4 and 5,000 transactions and has opened to lines every day. I still haven't packed and I wasn't meeting much success with the gift bag. I purchased my two Elvis pillows, certain someone will use them while aboard the Lisa Marie. And I headed to Kim's Hallmark. Elvis is in the news everywhere you look this week, and I was certain any savvy store manager would put their Elvis paraphernalia right up front. But did Kim? No. In fact, there were very few gift bags. I was beginning to get panicky. What was I going to put these travel guides in? Then it hit me. On the bottom of the shelf in the very back: a metallic gold gift bag, fit for a King. There it was. So with the gift bags behind me, it was on to the next hurdle: packing. What do you wear to the twenty year anniversary of someone's death? Is it casual? Or do you wear black? I'm still pondering that one as I type. I wonder, what would Marcia Brady do? What would Elvis do? What would Elvis want me to do? But that's part of our quest. To ponder the impoderables. To contemplate the questions we will never know the answers to. Just the five of us and 100,000 other fans. Pilgrims, they're often referred to. So as we tackle these challenges, ponder these thoughts, and meet those who are there to share this moment. Elvis has been dead (supposedly) for twenty years this Saturday. And yet, today, he continues to influence the world we live in. It's a power that some consider divine. For one weekend, we'll succumb to the power of Elvis. As it happens, we'll share our experiences with you through daily electronic postcards. On the agenda for tomorrow: We'll travel to Memphis in the Lisa Marie, a conversion van. We'll be staying at the Elvis Suites, er, Embassy Suites, rather.
Elvis forever,
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