Amazon.com: I, Elvis: William Henderson: Books

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Twenty years after the death of Elvis Presley it would appear that he is more alive than ever, kept fresh in the minds of the public not only by his fans but by an astounding number of impersonators around the world. Theirs is a serious business that raises the king to a status of mythic proportion and proves him to be a pop cultural icon still able to draw a healthy crowd. These two works examine the phenomenon of Elvis impersonation. Rubinkowski, a reporter and journalism teacher, packs voluminous research into her book. Clocking more than 25,000 miles in her quest, she interviewed some major players, immersed herself in their world, and attended Elvis conventions from Memphis to Las Vegas. She examines the subculture of the impersonator, with its varying rules, philosophies, lifestyles, and stylistic approaches. Yet she carefully underscores each individual personality. On the other hand, Henderson (English, Univ. of North Carolina) recounts this scene from firsthand experience, donning wig and jumpsuit at age 52 to impersonate Elvis for his book. His forays into costuming, song material, body movements, props, bodyguards, background research, and even shoes are hilarious, informative, and touching in turn. He, too, meets the headliners in this most unusual pastime (for some, a professional career) and invests a not inconsiderable amount of sweat and tears into putting on a credible show. His tale and astute observations make this a page-turner. Both works provide entertaining and informative insights into a nostalgic quirk of American culture and are suitable for general circulating collections.?Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, N.J.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
A rollicking piece of gonzo journalism by a novelist whose first book, Stark Raving Elvis (1984), was a fictional take on the same subject. Gamely accepting a challenge from his editor, the 52-year-old Henderson set about making himself into a plausible Elvis impersonator: He acquired a brass-studded jumpsuit, wig, and karaoke tapes; scoped out other working Elvises; practiced the songs and the moves. A musician friend let him try out a mini Elvis set in the middle of an outdoor concert, then he entered a contest in New Hampshire (he came in last) and performed in an Elvis showcase in Jacksonville, Fla., in preparation for the grand prix of the mock-Elvis circuit, Memphis's annual Images of Elvis competition. Henderson's project actually required two visits to Memphis: On his preliminary visit to ``the holy city,'' an old pal with the immortal name of Fetzer Mills showed Henderson the highlights, including Sun Studios, Graceland, and an Elvis shrine outside of town called Graceland Too, an antebellum house crammed full of Elvis memorabilia and open 24 hours. (Fetzer, who sings rockabilly, bounces between jobs, and tries to market fat brown ``Elvis Buddha'' figurines to the local souvenir shops, is one of the best literary characters in some time, fiction or nonfiction.) Henderson captures without fuss or condescension the gut-level fandom that makes people, including himself, want to impersonate Elvis, and he is dead-on about the cultural divide, largely along class lines, that separates Elvis fans from those who have never really gotten it. (Fetzer offers another theme for the book: ``It's the generation war between the young Elvises and the mutants.'') But Henderson's great achievement is to convey, in elegantly droll prose, what it's like to imagine being a great performer--``the Elvis equivalent of flying dreams''--in the face of real-world evidence to the contrary. A jolly, sparkling trip through Elvis country. (photos, not seen) (For another look at Elvis impersonators, see Leslie Rubinkowski, Impersonating Elvis, p. 858.) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.