'The man on the radio said Elvis Presley died...'

“...it was like he came along and whispered some dream in everybody’s ear, 
and somehow we all dreamed it.” 
-Bruce Springsteen 


I was one very sad little girl on this day 35 years ago. Much to the bemusement of my non Elvis fan parents who refused to let their distraught child hop a plane to Memphis from Sydney for his funeral. Personally, I did not see the issue with this. I think they wished they had let me go in the end as I moped and sobbed around the house for WEEKS after. 

I may have refused to go to school for a little while too. I was that kind of child.  

It was another 10 years before I finally got to Graceland. I flew into Dallas, alone, and caught a Greyhound Bus up through the deep south and into Memphis. It was my first time in the States. And even though I had my wallet stolen on the bus in the middle of the night, even though my luggage busted and my clothes were strewn all over the sidewalk at the bus terminal in Memphis, and even though I had NO money, the next five days were full of adventure and discovery.

Fortunately my hotel room and Graceland tour tickets were prepaid. And, when you are 22 and wandering around Memphis with an Australian accent, many people are very happy to help you! And back then, believe me, I did not say 'sidewalk'. Or 'tomayto'.

At the bus station, I accepted a ride to my hotel on Elvis Presley Blvd some 10 miles away, from an older gentleman driving a beat up pick up truck. He was waiting for his daughter whose bus was delayed. It was no problem whatsoever for him. In fact, he wrote down his number and told me to call if I needed any help at all. He was very kind. Evidently, it never occurred to me to be afraid. I felt like I was in a fabulous movie. I still have his number some place.

My dad wired me some money through Western Union but it took a few days to arrive, since it also happened to be Memorial Day weekend. No matter, you can sit in the meditation garden at Graceland all day long if you want. And since no one knows who you are, you can also get away with having the worst 80s perm ever while you are sitting there with the departed Presleys. (Photographic evidence exists but is conveniently packed away in a box in the basement. No digital cameras back then, no internets, facebooks, instagrams or iAnythings for real-time sharing.)

I really want to go back to Graceland. This time with my husband and child and maybe just a little more cash at my disposal. I probably won't take a Greyhound bus but I will definitely take along a much deeper, richer understanding of Elvis' amazing musical and cultural legacy. Because honestly, at 22, even though you think you know everything, you really don't know that much at all.



'Bye bye Johnny, Johnny bye bye
You didn't have to die. You didn't have to die'
- Bruce Springsteen