Glory Glory

Graceland.

The mansion is surprisingly small to have housed such a larger than life icon. While it's flamboyantly decorated, I remember my own home in the seventies having orange carpets, and even an orange couch. Those were times of extravagant statements, and Elvis' home is forever frozen in that time. Plus, hey, it's Elvis. If anybody should be free of the beige walls and subdued tones of modern decorating, it's him.

What makes the place compelling is knowing that you are looking at the rooms he lived in, walked around, and sang in. Rooms of legend, such as the Music Room, the Jungle Room, and the TV Room. They seem very simple, almost unassuming considering how big they loom in the Elvis mythos, for they are really only rooms, not all that different from the rooms in anybody's house. So much of the drama of Elvis' life played out in this little space; they seem too slight to have contained it all.

The rooms, and the grounds themselves are really only touchstones to help one reflect on the whole story of Elvis - his impact on society, and the way he chose to seek happiness. He's a powerful figure; just walking the length of the trophy hall and the yards of gold records flanking the wall says so much.

And then at the end of it all you see his grave, the tributes of his fans, and the resting places of his grandmother and parents. Above all else, you get a strong sense of Elvis as a family man, not just his own family but those who worked for him as well. He's the poor boy who made good, and didn't forget anyone.

Good place to visit - something to take with you when leave for sure.

They had this video playing on a monitor in there. The finale, well, it's Elvis in full glory. Awesome.



Rest in peace dude.