Friday, August 25, 2017

Long live the King

As someone who knows embarrassingly little about Elvis, listening to Episode 20 of Sounding Bored was a revelation, as it pitches regular guest and Presley fanboy David Cox in conversation with host Rob Langham for a fascinating journey through the King's life, focusing on five key moments: his birth into poverty in East Tupelo in 1935; the release of 'Heartbreak Hotel', his first single for RCA, in 1956; the death of his mother and his entry into the US Army in 1958; the legendary 1968 "Comeback Special"; and his death in 1977. The episode was recorded on the fortieth anniversary of that tragic and much mythologised event, and is a worthy tribute to someone who, as David and Rob agree, remains culturally omnipresent if not always clearly visible.

The news items under discussion relate to the beef between Martin Shkreli and Wu-Tang Clan and the recent incident in which Belle & Sebastian left their drummer at a Walmart in only his pyjamas. The episode ends with the pair struggling to find positive things to say about Arcade Fire's widely maligned new LP Everything Now. They're not alone...

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