Posted in Movies

All Shook Up

Posted on by D. Parker

I am indeed feeling all shook up these days…
Mm mm mm, mm, yay, yay, yay
Mm mm mm, mm, yay, yay, yay

I’m all shook up!

I went to the latest Elvis movie with my Mom, both my parents were huge Elvis fans and we were introduced to The King at a very young age. Baz Luhrmann isn’t always my cup of tea, but with this movie he outdid himself or maybe Austin Butler’s performance just overwhelms any “issues”.

I felt Tom Hanks (whom I generally adore) gave a choppy performance. Maybe the subject of his attempt was just too repulsive to convey. The film was lovely, but chilling with it’s overwhelming theme of exploitation.

I loved Austin Butler in The Shannara Chronicles so I knew he’d be brilliant, but this was absolutely stunning, Warning: Bring tissues. A grand movie about a talent beyond measure and exploitation beyond reason. I hope fame doesn’t chew and spit out Austin Butler the way it did Elvis.

  • My memories of Elvis begin with Saturday morning chores. My parents were young and hip, and my Dad would do a “playlist” of 45s which he’d stack on our old giant stereo cabinet. The music designed to keep us all moving so we’d get our chores done quickly to get on with the weekend. This playlist always included some solid Elvis classics.
  • I remember where I was when I heard Elvis passed. We were in Kingston visiting family, my brother and I were watching TV when the Breaking News of Elvis dying was announced. I went into the other room where my parents, aunts, grandparents were and said Elvis was dead. My Mom told me that wasn’t a funny joke. I said I wasn’t joking. My brother then confirmed it. We all went into the living room and there was a lot of crying.
  • I don’t know how many times I’ve watched Elvis movies, ironically and unironically.
  • My Mom thought my Dad looked like Elvis…my Dad was ok with that.
  • I know the lyrics to many but not all 710 songs Elvis recorded.
  • I like many but definitely not all covers of Elvis songs (though many of his songs were also covers…whoa, sounds like a cover-up to me).
  • Elvis died at 42. That sucks.

But we can learn, can’t we? I hope we can. Stop falling for the snowmen, the con men, the ones who want to take our rights, scam us, snow us, trick us, diddle us, swindle, boondoggle, flimflam, all the grifters, including the ones in fancy suits with fancy cars in fancy offices and fancy bars. Stop arguing with each other on the internet. It’s not us versus them. It’s us being pummeled and saying yes sir, may I have another.

I was crying during the Elvis movie, partly because what was done to Elvis was awful but also, because it’s being done to me, to many of us every single day. We’re being chewed up and spit out, and all we do is blame other citizens, many of who are also suffering. We need affordable, secure, hopeful housing; we need affordable, secure food; we need affordable, accessible, consistent healthcare; we need transparency; we need politicians to keep their promises; we need a basic income, and above all, to be treated with basic human dignity, all this, for all. Times change. If something isn’t working, we need to change it. If we don’t change with them, adapt, well, survival of the fittest actually means survival of the most adaptable.

And I’m all shook up and I’m screaming at the top of my lungs (in my head)
Pretending the echoes of today, tomorrow, and yesterday belong to someone (they belong to all of us).

Mm mm mm, mm, yay, yay, yay

Mm mm mm, mm, yay, yay, yay

Author:

Very me

45 thoughts on “All Shook Up”

  1. I’m with you on the need for change. Joe promised to do it but all he manages to accomplish is to blame us citizens for his ineptitude. I hope someday we get a real leader.

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      4. I’m not a fan of the heat, but I positively wilt with the humidity. Glad to hear you’re safe and I hope the furnace effect wears off sooner rather than later. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Staying cool. Hope you enjoy it when you see it, but remember my warning about tissues. I didn’t cry as much as Bohemian Rhapsody, but I certainly cried, as much for the loss as for the memories from all the music and the people in my life associated with those memories. xox

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    1. Very sad. Some of the movies are so bad they’re good…and he was always good to look at and listen to lol 😉
      Hope you’re somewhere cool and safe. 🙂

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  7. I was a kid, and my family was camping in South Carolina when Elvis died. A girl came in the bathroom, extremely distressed, and wanted to talk about it. It’s stuck with me all these years

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    1. I find it fascinating how certain moments are fixed in our minds. I would guess that girl remembers you too, even after all this time. 🙂 Hope you’re staying cool, and safe. 🙂 xox

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  8. I remember where I was too when the news came out about Elvis dying. I really couldn’t believe what I heard. I felt awful knowing I’d never get to see him now after passing up a chance to see him one New Year’s Eve. I’ll see the movie one day. Thanks for talking about it here. Hugs.

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    1. It’s funny how certain moments are fixed in our minds. I guess all we can do is be grateful for the moments we had. Let me know what you think about the movie, I’m always eager to hear about others’ experiences. Thank you, thank you very much. 🙂 xox

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  9. Loved this Donna. You hit so many nails on the head here about yes, both Elvis, and the way we are all exploited as the rich get richer because they can and us little guys are getting squeezed in a vice on every front. Thank you for speaking truth. And I will be watching that movie next week. Hugs and happy week to you. ❤ xx

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  10. Donna, you never fail to amaze me with your blog posts. Now, I have to see the Elvis movie. I watched Elvis go down the drain medically & drugged. It was like a horror show. And not totally his fault. Blame a whole cast of characters for his downfall. It’s so good to see your creative blogs. I need to get more active blogging. Just published a book and have done several marketing blog excerpts, but that’s all. Hope all is going well for you. 📚🎶 Christine

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    1. It was definitely a bittersweet experience, it was a beautiful performance but watching his struggles and what was done to him was heart-wrenching, even after all these years. I keep telling that myself about the blogging but then life goes and gets in the way. Wow, congrats on the book, that’s amazing. Hope all goes well for you also and hope this week treats you kindly. xoxo

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      1. Thanks so much, Donna. Life does get in the way, good or bad. I’m onto writing a sequel to the first book.Talk about a struggle. I’m following the “rules” and hoping for the best. Have a great week, Donna. 🎶🧡

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  11. Wow. Synchronicity alert! I had never heard of this movie until last week when the people we are house sitting for told us about it. I literally began watching the flick last night – yet to finish – and saw this published to your blog, visiting after you liked a few of my tweets. How cool.

    He was a legend. He experienced immense joy and bliss onstage performing and off stage, he suffered immensely. His story reminds me so much of Whitney Houston’s, who incidentally is buried 5 minutes from my childhood home in New Jersey. Icons whose pure joy and passion for their craft was felt by hundreds of millions. Yet their personal-private life was a hellish nightmare of victimization.

    Ryan

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