Elvis Lives: The Business of Being Elvis

Author: Pamela Thomas-Williams

Publisher: Pamela, Ltd.

ISBN: 0-9703882-2-5 (paperback, 216 pp.)

When I was at school (many years ago!) and our otherwise quite pleasant English master wanted to set us a particularly odious task, he would arm himself with the fire-extinguisher, get down behind his own large desk, and only then tell us what we had to do before the next lesson. I wonder if this is what I should do now, at least metaphorically, as I review "Elvis Lives: The Business of Being Elvis."

The thing is, I am not a lover of Elvis Tribute Artists, Elvis Impersonators, or anything else that starts with Elvis, other than Elvis Presley, of course. And "Elvis Lives: The Business of Being Elvis" is a book about ETAs and their like.

The book is nicely presented, with three Elvis look-alikes (well, more or less) adorning the front cover (two in jumpsuits, of course) and a further three on the back cover (only one in a jumpsuit!). I get the impression that author Pamela Thomas-Williams went to a great effort in preparing the book, interviewing many people around the world and visiting various places around the USA. Pamela stresses that she is an Elvis fan, but she also seems to have quite an admiration for ETAs, an admiration that is shared by quite a lot of Elvis fans, especially in the USA. Pamela presents numerous interviews with ETAs themselves, as well as looking at the background aspects of being an ETA -- the contests, the managers, the various organisations, even the costume makers (and the top jumpsuits cost an awful lot of money!) and even a lady who makes the scarves used by many ETAs! In addition, a list of ETA websites and other sites of interest to ETAs and their fans is included. Oh, and a few blank pages, too, for "autographs and memories" -- a nice touch!

Unfortunately, the book is very US-oriented, with nary a mention of the state of ETA-ing in the rest of the world. I can understand such an approach, as the task of examining such activities around the world would require a phenomenal investment in both time and money. Nevertheless, the book does tend to give the impression that "the business of being Elvis" is a business that is largely confined to the USA and Canada. Actually, one of the most interesting aspects that I found in the book was the information about the Canadian show "The Elvis Story," which sounds a lot more serious and a genuine tribute than the many ETA competitions that are also mentioned.

The book is well illustrated, if you like pictures of ETAs, that is! I am less enthusiastic about the use of the bold-face and italic print that is used for names and titles, which I found annoying and confusing. There are also some strange errors; an interview with Paul Dowling of WorldWideElvis ends, "...that is why I developed my website in 1977." Either Paul was a technical genius to have had such foresight, or the proof-reading missed the fact that there was no Web in 1977! A number of other apparent misprints make me suspect the latter (no offence to Paul's techincal abilities, of course!).

"Elvis Lives: The Business of Being Elvis" is not going to be every fan's cup of tea. However, the ETAs do have a considerable following and this book is going to be welcomed by many of their fans, I am sure, and deservedly so for the amount of work that Pamela Thomas-Williams must have put into it.

David Neale

copyright June 2003

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