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Images of Elvis Presley in American Culture 1977 - 1997: The Mystery
Terrain
Author: George Plasketes
Published in paperback by Harrington Park Press
ISBN 1-56023-861-5
Even in death, Elvis is everywhere, and "Images of Elvis Presley in American Culture..." proves it! But I had no idea to just what extent Elvis had permeated all forms of American life until I read this book. Okay, we all know that Elvis's name is mentioned now and then in television programmes, that his image is used to sell products, that he appears in all sorts of unlikely books, and that there was a great deal of fuss about the Elvis stamp, but when almost all these instances are presented in a single book, the impact of Elvis is not fully appreciated. Not, that is, unless you read "Images of Elvis Presley in American Culture..."
George Plasketes examines this enormous impact in a series of chapters, spread over 334 pages (including index), each devoted to a particular sphere of influence, some more surprising than others -- music, literature, film, art, sport, television. And as if all this were not enough, the final chapter, "From Post Office to Oval Office," is a fascinating look at the events surrounding the development and launch of the Elvis stamp and Elvis's involvement in the 1992 Presidential election -- honestly!
The hundreds of Elvis references and appearances in the sundry areas could have been presented as a rather boring list. Instead, however, Plasketes fits them all into a deliciously readable narrative, which he clearly enjoyed writing: not only is the writing style pleasant and the word-play clever, Plasketes also provides plenty of novel Elvis words. Incidentally, "The Mystery Terrain" extension of the title is a play on words, based on Elvis's famous Sun recording and title of a Greil Marcus book (one of the best books on modern music, incidentally), and is the phrase chosen by Plasketes to characterise the essence of Elvis Presley during the 20 years following his death.
Perhaps the one downside of the book is that it is devoted solely to Elvis's influence in American culture -- well, to be honest, that's what the title says, so it's only to be expected. Nevertheless, this is a highly readable and enjoyable book not only for American fans, but also for fans from outside the USA who are interested in learning the extent to which Elvis continues to influence all things American.
George Plasketes' book was published in 1997, so this review is somewhat tardy, but that's no excuse for you not to rush out and buy the book. And we can only hope that Mr Plasketes will continue to catalogue Elvis sightings so that we can look forward to a further instalment soon.
David Neale
Copyright September 2000