Left: The american Eagle jumpsuit, worn during Aloha From Hawaii Right: Blue starburst (1973-74), the ‘Wing’ long-fringe suit (197071) and the red Phoenix jumpsuit (1975-76)
He never performed an encore. So when the announcer would say ‘Elvis has left the building’, he was literally already in the car on the way to the airport
King in the flesh. Though G.I. Elvis was stationed in West Germany during the war, he never toured outside the United States –“We have letters of request from the 1970s sent from all over Europe, urging him to visit,” Marchese confesses. “We’re looking to bring that excitement of being on the road to The O2, as a follow-up to the previous Elvis exhibition and to give guests a taste of what it was like to be at an Elvis show.” The Graceland director of archives is fond of revisiting his live performances on film, to see “the interaction and engagement he had from the stage with the fans, making each show different and personal; he loved the excitement that the audience gave him, and was just as excited to see them, as they were to see him”. Meanwhile, the creature comforts the performer relied on to keep his spirits up were, “always travelling
with a chunk of books,” Marchese says of the avid reader, “and a lot of friends served dual roles as backstage hands or lighting guys, so his close group of friends were always with him, which made travelling with Elvis a lot of fun.” Then, towards the end of the 1970s, Elvis used his private jet to travel in luxury across the nation: “The Lisa Marie, a plane named after his daughter, was know as his ‘Flying Graceland.’” Once home from tour, the bricks and mortar Graceland was an embodiment of Elvis’ success – and attests to his lack of ego. Rather than rename it something crass like Elvisland, for example, he respected the title bestowed on the estate by Dr and Mrs Thomas Moore, in honour of her Aunt Grace Toof, the original landowner. The beloved abode is where he lived and, exactly four decades ago
this year, where he met his maker in untimely fashion. Out of respect, the upstairs family area where he passed away is strictly off limits to tours. It’s a concession even the most hardened Preselyite can honour: because it’s practically the only part of his life that is off limits. Elvis never once shortchanged his devotees, even penning an open letter to thank them for continued support during his army hiatus. He respected the process that placed him on a pedestal. “The fans want the shirt off my back,” remarked an onthe-rise Elvis, when pressed about fan frenzy for an interview with Illustrated in 1957. “They can have my shirt,” their ever-accessible hero humbly added. “They’re the ones who put it there.” Elvis on Tour: The Exhibition is at The 02 in London from 3 November. theo2.co.uk/elvis-on-tour 67