Seven Elvis What Ifs...

Surprise!  Its Elvis Week!

Are you excited?  Don't be. I am beyond nervous.  I have a very big thing for Elvis A. Presley.  I don't know how to describe it.  I'm not sure I love him.  I'm not sure I adore him.  I know I can't get enough of his music.  I know I am morbidly fascinated with his entire life.  I know I know more about him than most people my age.  I know I read anything and everything I can get my hands on about him.  I know I have a shelf or two full of assorted Elvis paraphernalia.  I know I can talk about him for days, but writing blogs about him and making sure they are just right and perfect and pay the right kind of respect to this man. 

I have been to Graceland.  It was one of the best days of my life.  I saw everything and I can't wait to go back.  They do Elvis week two times a year.  Once in August over his death-iversary.  Another time in January over the 8th, since that was the birthday of America's King and his twin.  

I brainstormed hundreds of blog topics for this week and psyched myself out a few times.  I just really wanna do it right.


Then I picked the posts I wanted to focus my efforts on and left the rest.  I turned them into this post.  Its a random list of questions and rambling train of thoughts.  I hope it gets you thinking.  I could just ponder and wonder about this for days.  Have at it!

Seven Sets of Related Questions and What Ifs About Elvis:
 
Drugs/Alcohol/Demons - Would he have ever kicked drugs and alcohol and the demons that plagued him his whole life?  They were his downfall twice in life. Once it led to him being fat and the next time he died...poor man.
 
Family/Children - How many more children would he have fathered by now?  Let’s be honest now, this is not a ridiculous question(if my family didn’t read this blog, I’d tell you I would have had a kid by Elvis).  Would he have been the greatest grandfather ever to Lisa Marie’s kids? (I mean good luck, as I happen to have the two greatest grandpas EVAH.)  Even further, would Lisa Marie have had such a tumultuous life?  He was always such a family man.  Adored his mother, idolized his father, he even had them live with him!  Like dominoes...so crazy that all things are connected like that.  
 
Modern Music - What would he think of modern music? Pop music, rock and roll’s evolution, country music these days, would he have been a fan of rap?  Would he have liked Eminem’s shout out in “Without Me”(I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley/to do black music so selfishly)?  What about Michael Jackson’s music(and death?)?  Would he have let his daughter marry him like that? I could go on and on and on...
 
Current Activities - What would he be doing these days?  He would be 76 this year...would he still be involved in music?  Stashed away in hiding at Graceland or some other new compound? Would we, the public watch him deteriorate due to some disease?
 
Money - Exactly how rich would he be now?  Touring bands and artists pull in loads of cash.  They release albums and singles and merchandise and just sit back and watch the money pour in.  Elvis had to work a little harder for his money back in the day, but would he have continued to be a hard worker?  He makes more money as a dead legend than he probably ever would have as a living pioneer.  
 
Views/Thoughts - What would 9/11 have done to him?  What else since 1977 would have affected him?  Would he have taken his religious beliefs and gone off the deep end at another point in time?  Would he be a crazy member of the NRA? Would he have changed into someone I would be less keen on?(yes it is all about me...my blog!)
 
What if he had never died? - Graceland would never have become the tourist destination it is now!  I would never have gone to Memphis all those years ago, I would not have 1000s of pictures from my day at his mansion.  I would know so much less about this guy.  I would probably not adore him like I do now.  He would never have had the legacy he has now though, because he essentially went out on top without releasing crappy music or trying to transition to some other genre.