The personality quirks of Elvis Presley were contradictory. He began as a sex icon before turning into an obese parody of himself. Following a fundamental and significant shift in the direction of popular music, he spent the next ten years making forgettable movies.
Smithsonian reports that despite having a prescription drug addiction, he publicly offered his help as a volunteer in Richard Nixon’s War on Drugs.
The King’s interpersonal connections can be compared to that. He was renowned for fiercely loyal to those he loved, but he was also known for having a short fuse and little tolerance for those he didn’t get along with.
He frequently engaged in heated public debates with other famous people who somehow managed to annoy him. Some of these arguments were sparked by political differences, as well as by imagined slights against individuals and narrow-minded envy.
Here are the biographies of three famous people that Elvis despised.
Elvis Presley and John Lennon’s careers followed similar trajectories because they were both among the most well-known figures in music and popular culture at roughly the same time. Both men had been relatively large during the Vietnam War.
That the conflict caused division among the populace would be an understatement. Beyond the widely reported public protests and the anti-war musical genre, opinions on the conflict were widespread. Public figures were also eager to add their views to the discussion. John Wayne was one well-known person who supported the war, but Mohammed Ali was one who openly opposed it.
Lennon publicly expressed his steadfast opposition to the Vietnam War. Lennon despised Johnson for going all-in on the war, but Presley supported it and was a massive supporter of the president at the time, The Express reports.
Their different views on the Vietnam War were immediately apparent when the two men finally met in 1965 at Graceland.
According to author Chris Hutchins, who The Express quotes, the tension between the parties was palpable when the Beatles entered Elvis Presley’s home. The night I took the Fab Four to his house for their first — and only — encounter, he claimed, Elvis’ “disdain of the pacifist Beatle was formed”.
Lennon also made a subtle jab at the state of his host’s line of work. “John pondered what had become of the vintage rock ‘n’ roll Elvis, who back then was best known for singing the motion picture soundtracks. Although only half serious, he meant it. ”.
Despite Elvis’s laughter in response to the jab, the atmosphere in the room quickly turned icy. That evening, when the boys all picked up their guitars and started playing together, the tension in the home was momentarily reduced.
The meeting had little effect on the two’s abusive relationship. Lennon reportedly compared his joy seeing Elvis to his excitement meeting Englebert Humperdink.
Elvis didn’t find it satisfying to think about John Lennon, the Beatle’s opposition to the Vietnam War, and the slight he had experienced at home. He desired Lennon to depart. He went to the US President, in particular, to get anything done while He was outside the USA.
To set the scene, remember that Presley was not the only person who wished to silence Lennon. NPR News claims that the federal government made a valiant (but fruitless) attempt to deport Lennon due to his anti-war sentiments.
Elvis wanted the Beatles to leave as well. According to Vox, the King and President Nixon, allegedly met on December 21, 1970. Lennon begged the American president to do whatever was necessary to get the Beatles and him out while they were there.
In those days, Elvis claimed that “The Beatles had been a real force for anti-American mentality.”. When they had earned enough money, they left this country and returned to England, where they propagandized against Americans.
By speaking with a higher-up, Elvis attempted to expel the Fab Four once more in 1971. He told then-director J. Neill that the Beatles “laid the foundation for many of the difficulties we are having with young people by their filthy unkempt appearances and provocative music”. Edgar Hoover was given a tour of the FBI’s facilities.
Elvis Presley and Robert Goulet, two of his contemporaries, couldn’t have been more dissimilar from one another. The former was a boundary-pushing, antagonistic Rock and Roll pioneer. In contrast, the latter was a bland ballad singer whose appearance on “The Lawrence Welk Show” wouldn’t be unusual.
It is said that the impatient Elvis could not stand to watch Goulet on television and once shot one of his televisions when he saw the performer on screen.
According to The Express, Elvis’ estate is pleased about the incident, or at the very least, his guardians think it is a part of his past that should be recognized rather than kept a secret. Presently displayed at Graceland is the fully operational TV.
Thoughts of a fight between Goulet and Elvis may have been exaggerated. For instance, according to Lisa Rogers’ blog post, Goulet later referred to Presley as a “personal buddy.”. What about firing a gun at the TV whenever Goulet was on?
Although Goulet wasn’t as much to blame as the King’s explosive temper, Presley allegedly broke numerous TVs. In addition, he had a history of shooting the TV when notable singers like Frank Sinatra or Mel Torme were on it. The Vintage News claims that many extra TVs were kept on hand by Elvis’ assistants in case their boss unintentionally shot one.
Due to pioneers like Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, and Chuck Berry, who made a brand-new genre of music famous, teenagers were listening to Rock & Roll by the middle of the 1950s.
Famous performers like Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and others had trouble with this. Careers were in jeopardy. Concerns have been raised regarding the potential impact of the new musical trend on American youth’s morals. On the other hand, Frank Sinatra generally disparaged rock and roll.
It almost exclusively provokes young people’s adverse and harmful reactions. It has a fake, fake vibe about it. He claimed most of it is performed, created, and sung by cretinous goons through The Express.
When Old Blue Eyes called Elvis a “cretinous goon,” Elvis would not stand for it. If I remember correctly, he also followed a trend. I don’t understand how he can say that today’s youth are morally bankrupt and irresponsible, Elvis said.
Since Sinatra and Elvis shared a stage in 1960 for an episode of Frank’s TV show, they had finally resolved their professional differences.
