{"id":1610,"date":"2017-08-10T20:36:07","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T20:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/slingadventures.com\/?p=1610"},"modified":"2017-10-20T18:54:47","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T07:54:47","slug":"graceland-sideburns-sequins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slingadventures.com\/destinations\/usa\/graceland-sideburns-sequins","title":{"rendered":"Beneath the Sideburns and Sequins of Elvis"},"content":{"rendered":"Standing in the Jungle Room of Graceland. I feel the mastery and extravagance of Elvis exude from the walls. I imagine he and his entourage lounging about. Drinks and drugs are aplenty. Pioneering the rock and roll lifestyle. My audio tour headset advises me to move on, yet I want to stay and time travel to the \u201860s. Sip a drink with Elvis by the bar. Taste the bitterness of a gin and tonic in my mouth as I understand the person who defined a new music genre and endeared himself to millions.\r\n\r\nA road trip through the southern United States has brought an unintentional \u201860s theme. From JFK's assassination in Dallas, to Martin Luther King's last days at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. As a child of parents who grew up in the \u201860s, the Graceland and Sun Studio tours were obligatory stops in this Mississippi meander.\r\n\r\nI turned 40 last year. I had lived for as long as Elvis has been dead. The longevity of his legacy is impressive. I pondered how much longer Elvis and Graceland would remain relevant. As the baby boomers join Elvis in his pink Cadillac in the sky will \u201cThe King\u201d still resonate with the social crazed millennials? Can someone who once loomed so large fit in a 140-character world? In between securing Pok\u00e9mon Pikachu and busting out to Bieber will they consider the King of rock and roll? This was on my mind as I navigated the outskirts of Memphis towards Graceland.\r\n\r\nIt was late afternoon on a weekday in late fall when I arrived. The crowds had been through for the day and I had the place practically to myself. Graceland's impressive Corinthian columned entrance greeted me. Not normally a fan of audio tours, which force a scripted exploration, I felt my Elvis knowledge needed some brushing up. So I donned the headset and prepared to be schooled. It was apparent that audio tours have come a long way. Beacons placed in each room prompted the iPad-powered headsets into action at the appropriate narrative.\r\n\r\n\"Elvis initially acquired Graceland for his mother Gladys whom he loved dearly...\" piped the audio track from the front living room.\r\n\r\n\"...sadly, she died only a year after moving into Graceland,\" it continued.\r\n\r\nMoving downstairs it felt like I was entering a three-roomed man cave. Firstly, the Yellow TV room felt like the nerve centre for Elvis' inspiration and business-minded creativity. Three TVs piped in news and events from around the world. A large 'U'-shaped lounge lined with cushions was wrapped around a mirrored coffee table. Sitting on top was a white porcelain monkey whose eyes seemed to follow me across the room.\r\n\r\n