Does Originality Suck? Cue Elvis

Most of it, yes. We all know that, but we sideline that knowledge because we’re stuck with this cult of originality. Everyone’s got to do their own thing because to do otherwise would be to be an imitative wanker, right? I mean, being a wanker is bad enough, but an imitative wanker? Puhlease.

And what could be more pathetic than an Elvis impersonator? Right? I mean, you work your hair into a slick pompadour, wear a sequined jump suit, and sing Elvis songs. Lame lame lame.

That’s what I thought too. Until a few years ago when I went to a special visitors’ day at my mother’s nursing home. We gathered at tables out doors and had lunch. When we were through, an Elvis impersonator came out—pompadour, jump suit, and karaoke unit—and entertained us. Before my eyes had rolled too far back in my head, the pleasure of his performance had me hooked.

I mean, I don't know how close he got to Elvis as I don't know Elvis's music that well. The performance was good in the sense that the audience loved it, and the music was good. Not original, but, yes. good, very good.  He sang a variety of songs, sang them well, and flirted with the old ladies, and I DO mean old. They loved him and he clearly enjoyed singing to them. Not in front of them, or at them, but to them.

What more could you want from a performance?

So I got to wondering: If he can perform that well as Elvis, why not work up his own act? Why not develop his own persona?

Now, for all I know, he does have his own performance persona. But I certainly didn't get any vibe that he was doing this Elvis thing because that's what he had to do to make a buck. He was doing it because he loved acting as Elvis.

What I think is that “doing your own thing” is over-rated, or perhaps badly misunderstood. Elvis is a cultural icon, his performance style is tried and true. It works. And that's important, getting over to the audience. The fact is, working up your own persona is very difficult; hundreds of little details have to be in place for the whole thing to click. What if your REAL choice is between YOUR OWN THING that's half-baked and doesn't quite work and DOING ELVIS really well so that everyone has a good time?

When I think about what happened that afternoon, with an audience of old people who are falling apart, I think it downright churlish to critize the man for impersonating Elivis or to critize the audience (which certainly included me, sitting next to my aged mother) for responding to his performance. That was REAL and WORTHY music, doing the cultural/social work that music does.