The Most Fun I Had Writing a Book

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be featuring some of the titles in my back catalog. The book that was, by far, the most fun to write was The Elvis Impersonation Kit published in 2006 by Black Dog and Leventhal. The volume itself is slim, highly illustrated, both practical-- if you want to take a shot at acting Elvis-- and humorous.

The humor comes from the genuine sense of pleasure and fun the professional Elvis artists expressed. I interviewed quite a few of them. As a group they were positive, warm and did not take themselves too seriously. If there are any editors out there who would like to assign me a similar project- I stand ready!

Here are some of the things I learned writing this book: You don't have to be white or male to have a career or hobby as an Elvis. Some female Elvises or Evli as they are often called, manage to sing like Evlis is a "you have to be kidding me, that can't be a woman" kind of way. There are supposedly Elvis impersonator groupies known as "sideburn chasers." Those late-period Elvis costumes are labor intensive to make and expensive to buy. I spoke to a leading manufacturer of high-quality Elvis wigs, an Elvis-impersonating minister who has an Evlis-themed church, and a dialect coach with tips on authentic Elvis stage banter. (More on Elvis talk in this old article.)

The Elvis Impersonation Kit comes packaged with Elvis glasses, sideburns, a ring and a CD. If you think you might like a kit for someone on your list, please consider ordering one directly from me. I will sign the book, and can write a dedication. Just include it in the comment box on the order form.

A Girl Named Elvis

The UPI reports that a Swedish couple was not permitted to give their daughter the first name of their choice-- Elvis.

They felt the name was "pretty and gender neutral." But the Swedish National Tax Board disagreed.

I don't know how popular a name Elvis is in Sweden. Apparently not particularly so for girls at any rate.

It's not all that common here either. As I noted in my book The Elvis Impersonation Kit:

In 1935, the year Elvis Presley was born, "Elvis" was the 798^th most popular name for boys in the country. (About .006% of the male population were Elvises.) It was only slightly more popular than Chuck (as its own name, not short for Charles) and Errol but less popular than Elwyn, Denzil, Edsel and Aloysius.

In 1977, the year of Elvis's death, the name had moved up to #598 in popularity (Between Buddy and Torrey). About .011% of the male children born in 1977 were Elvises. In 2004, it was the 694^th most popular baby boy's name.

Rather Odd Retro Records and The Elvis Impersonation Kit

You're never really done with a book when you turn it into a publisher. Whenever something comes up related to one of your book's topics you have a desire to somehow go and stick a little extra note in the margin. Blogging is good for that. (Although the pay makes it a dubious choice from a career standpoint.)

Today I came across an unbelieveable curiosity related to another of my books, The Elvis Impersonation Kit, released by Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers. I spoke to dialect coaches and Elvis tribute artists to learn every aspect of Elvis performance, including the between song chatter. Had I only known someone put out a record of just such a thing!

Way Out Junk, a blog that catalogs obscure vinyl oddities-- especially children's music-- came across "Having Fun with Elvis" a record that featured everything you would need for a full Elvis concert experience except for the songs. Yes, a live concert with the pesky musical bits removed. If you want to hear what that sounds like, you can download this bit of recording innovation by clicking the link above.