Elvis

Elvis by Memory

Are you one of those folks who can spout off baseball stats like water or recite twenty-year-old March Madness match-ups without the slightest hesitation? I've always marveled at people who can, at any given moment, recall minutea about seemingly insignificant events. It's a gift that only a classic "Seinfeld" fan could appreciate.

But, ultimately, the ability to pull out random details is about passion. If it's your love, somehow you remember the small stuff.

This is especially true for Elvis fans. We recently asked our Facebook friends to recollect their favorite images of Elvis. These passionate participants could easily pull pictures--both familiar and obscure--from their memories. It was as if they were channeling their inner sports fanatic, except instead of stats and figures, they were tapping into a collective visual archive that only existed in their heads.

Is a complete Elvis image archive really out there? Maybe. But, I bet it wouldn't have nearly as much information as the database in an Elvis-lovers' brain.

-Heather Shelton
 Writer/Editor, SITES

Who LOVES Elvis?

Short answer, everyone! The Elvis at 21, Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer has been up at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, for a little over one month, and we've been curious about who's been visiting. At first, we theorized that the majority of exhibition goers would be of the generation that witnessed Elvis' rise to stardom--those 65 or over. But, so far, statistics and visitor feedback have indicated otherwise. Over 40% of all exhibition visitors were under 35 and only 6% were over 65. Hmmm, does this surprise you?

It was eye-opening for us (and equally wonderful), comfirming that Elvis' appeal is truly multi-generational. We were even more pleased by the number of positive comments submitted by the younger audience. "I loved the exhibit. I didn't know Elvis had this affect," said one Gen-X visitor.

To date, people from 31 different countries have signed the comment book, and 41 out of the 50 U.S. states have been represented.

Go Elvis!