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If I was in Memphis I'd probably go as well, just for the historical and cultural significance.

I wonder why, if I'm ever in Memphis, I'd sooner visit the National Civil Rights Museum? That place commemorates events, and is indeed itself a place, of historical and cultural significance that, I reckon, is just as great if not greater.

What I don't get are these thousands of people who show up every year and light candles on the anniversary of his death and cry like he was some sort of mystical figure. Those people are borderline insane.

I tend to agree. But isn't there the same madness outside the Dakota on the anniversary of John Lennon's death every December?

foreverfree

Oh, I'd surely visit that museum before Graceland. Part of wanting to go there is to "people-watch" and see these obsessed maniacs in all their glory.

As to John Lennon, I think it's on a much smaller scale. Talk about a whack job. He and the wife were commie loving, drug using hippie freaks. I swear, listening to her sink is like listening to animals dying slowly in a trap.

One thing I will say for John though, he was a great songwriter. Not a great perfomer or musician (that's Paul) but a magnificent songwriter. Those two were definately right for each other.

I wonder why, if I'm ever in Memphis, I'd sooner visit the National Civil Rights Museum?

Me too. Okay, Elvis was a good entertainer and he made a lot of money. Hey, that's great. But it is not like he was some hero who died trying to make America a better place. I wonder how many people visiting Graceland have even heard of the National Civil Rights Museum? The sad thing is, I bet more people recognize the name Elvis than recognize the name Martin Luther King.

There is nothing wrong with being an Elvis fan. There is nothing wrong with visiting Graceland. However, it is good to keep things in perspective. I do not understand the people who weep like he just died and he was their best friend. I kind of feel sorry for Elvis. I wonder if he had any real friends. I imagine everyone he encountered wanted something from him because he was rich and famous. There is this cult-like element that tends to follow celebrities, and it really weirds me out that people would make total fools out of themselves. It must be horrible to be hounded everywhere you go and not be able to live a normal life. What good is a mansion if it is a prison? That is what I think of when I think about Elvis. I hope the poor man is resting in peace -- he didn't have peace in this life.