Elvis and God
I must start by saying that I had an interesting upbringing. My parents were not religious by any common perception, but they were and are spiritual people. I don't really remember being told who god was or what he was by them. I always felt spiritual and I never felt the need for a religious icon (I did have my pop icons, you know) at any time in my life. But, when I became aware of others' belief in god, I began to wonder a bit.This is where elvis comes in. I didn't know who elvis was, either. I must have been about six or so when my god/elvis confusion began. Giving some thought to god, I was watching television. And what came on but an infomercial about elvis. "Is Elvis Still Alive?" the program asked me. An deep, ominous voice rang out in the room, silent but for the t.v. buzz, crying, "ELVIS..." over and over. And then it hit me: elvis was god. Perhaps I had an overactive imagination. Perhaps my parents were too vague in their descriptions, or too fervent in their embrace of the hippie subculture. Nevertheless, I was content for a while in the knowledge that I knew god, and his name was elvis.
Of course, after a while, I found out that elvis was not a religious figure, but a king. Of pop, consequently. But I still have an affinity for elvis, and so he is the patron saint of my Under the Influence: A Spin Through The Pop Culture Cycle pages.
Of course, this innocent religious pondering was tainted at ten, when cruel, evil girls at lunch told me I would go to hell because I wasn't baptised. Tolerance, children! When will they ever learn, Pete Seeger?
