Graceland is a fascinating insight into a fascinating man. I’m on a business trip in Memphis, TN this week and our meeting included an end-of-day trek to the home of the King of Rock and Roll.
Elvis’ home is modest to say the least. It’s called the Graceland Mansion. In my head, I pictured immense scale, with columns outside, cavernous spaces inside, and the sorts of lavish self-indulgence you see celebrities invoke upon themselves today. That’s the not the case at Graceland. This was clearly a home first, retreat second, and not at all a palace of self-gratification.
Because he hasn’t really lived there for 30+ years, it’s impossible to know if the impersonal and meticulous appearance is truly a reflection of him, or perhaps how others would like him to be remembered.
The name in lights appears across the street where tours begin and end. But the flash and bling is a far cry from Graceland itself. Inside the residence, there are typical 1970’s color schemes, right along with typical 1970’s decor. Stepping inside is like a time warp back to my childhood. But it’s more than that. It’s really a home like any other from the period. The pool in the back yard is no larger than an average swimming pool of today. The only out-of-place spot on the property was the racquetball ball court which now hosts 20 foot walls of Gold Records, awards, and other memorabilia.
In the Living Room, peacocks adorn stained glass in a room of white carpet. There’s glass everywhere. The room doesn’t scream kid friendly, but it does speak to the formal nature of a classic Southern sitting room. The other parts of the home offer different moods for each room.
The Kitchen is quite the opposite from the Living Room. Dark carpeting resides under goldenrod appliances and linoleum countertops. Described on the tour as “a place which served as the social center of the home,” it seems like any other 1970’s house from the time, albeit suddenly frozen in time. I was beginning to think Elvis himself was very much like a movie. I have to wonder if he an ordinary man, dealing with the extraordinary circumstances of incredible fame.
The Home Theater tells a bit of a different story, but not really unexpected. The Hi-Fi-Buys-inspired color scheme hosts three televisions side by side. Rumor has it Elvis watched all three TVs simultaneously – and this in a time when there were only three channels. My bet is NBC was his favorite. Carson rolls on the middle set, and I bet the peacocks from the Living Room sneak down to watch when no one’s looking.
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