"I have very little interest in Elvis Presley's music, and I have even less interest in the mythology of Elvis as a Towering Figure in American Music. What I am abundantly interested in is resurrection, which means there are corners of the Elvis narrative that, when well illuminated, I find myself hovering over with fascination, or a kind of morbid pleasure. Ellen Willis's 1969 review of an Elvis concert, the singer's first in nine years, drew me right in."
"There is no single thing that makes a writer like Willis great, but what makes her work compelling, and what most informs my own writing, is that Willis- The New Yorker's first pop-music critic-was never afraid to be overtaken by unexpected delight, even if it came at the expense of some preëxisting skepticism. Those two traits-skepticism and the potential for pleasure-exist at the intersection of Las Vegas and Elvis, especially during the summer of 1969."
"The Elvis whom Willis witnessed was, in fact, a man resurrected, not from the dead but from a long stretch of dissatisfaction with his own career path, which had led to film roles and soundtrack recordings and away, largely, from the stage. The previous year had marked a turnaround: there was the triumph of his comeback special, which was shot in June and aired in December."
A 1969 Elvis concert, the singer's first in nine years, signaled a career resurrection after a long stretch of film roles and soundtrack recordings that moved him away from the stage. The previous year's televised comeback special, shot in June and aired in December, marked a turning point. Conquering Las Vegas became the proof of a full return, with the city resembling Hollywood in its spectacle. Observers noted a mix of skepticism and unexpected delight as Elvis appeared slimmer and more energized, delivering a performance that combined renewed sexual magnetism with authentic enjoyment.
Read at The New Yorker
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