The
Elvis population in
Las Vegas hit its peak in the years immediately following
the King's death in
1977. In 1978 and '79, it seemed to my young self that you couldn't
swing a
cat in that town without hitting a gyrating, bespangled singer sporting vast sideburns, bell-bottomed pants, and a single name shouted from the glittering marquees - Live On Stage: ALAN!
Once the Elvis impersonator became a cliche, the numbers began to dwindle. But the real death knell for the Vegas Elvis, I think, began when these hapless entertainers became icons of postmodern irony and tongue-in-cheek hipness. Suddenly, we all wanted Elvis. We wanted to see Elvis, hear Elvis, watch Elvis jump out of a plane, be wed by an Elvis minister! C'mon, dance for us! Do the sneering thing! Suddenly the audience wasn't laughing with the impersonator anymore, but at him. Worse yet, they were laughing at Elvis himself.
Now Elvis Presley is once again revered in Las Vegas as that same generation comes to realize that the grotesque behemoth they remember from childhood was actually a brilliant, talented performer. One still sees Elvis impersonators walking the streets once in a while, but their day is done and a new era of Elvisity reigns. But who knows? A new movie in which a gang of Elvii rob a casino is coming out soon, and may invigorate the breed and cast them in a whole new light.