Elvis

Yesterday I wrote about my daughter's birthday, today is the anniversary of Elvis Presley's birth. I confess to a preference for classical music but I am not uninformed or unappreciative of popular music and culture, after all, many popular melodies found their way into major classical works.

It is interesting to note that Elvis sold more religious music than any of his contemporaries. At a time when there was no "Christian Music genre" Elvis was one of the few whites who appreciated "Negro Spirituals" and helped to spread their message.
He did the same with popular black music styles, the girations of his body were not uncommon among blacks but appeared shocking when a young white male displayed them in public. His music was condemned by self-righteous people who never understood that what he was doing would eventually help to bring more understanding of the cultural diversity of America.

Some of the same self-righteous people who criticized his style will condemn him to hell for his drug abuse, gluttony and all other excesses that he acquired after fame and fortune came to him. But his life anticipated the tragedies of Michael Jackson and others that are exploited by the Empire of Illusion. Let us remember the best and try to understand the negative side without any moralistic analyises.

Ignacio Castuera