Long Live The King

Today is the 35th Anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. Few stars continue to resonate with music lovers of all ages quite like Elvis. He has fans from 8-80, which is why the anniversary of his death was one of the first stories on Google news. Even all these years after his passing, he carries enough cultural significance that some people still think the date should be considered news. At least, it's new to the people who believe he is dead which, as we know, isn't everyone. For years the big joke was that Elvis lives and even today there is a large group of people who contend that the King is alive, well and living in hiding somewhere. (I blame the number of Elvis impersonators out there. They're just confusing people.) Now, I have no idea as to why all those people think Elvis would need to fake his death, considering I'm pretty sure celebrities got away with a lot more bad behavior back in the day. Admittedly I wasn't around at the time, but from all the stories I have read on the subject I think cops were a lot more willing to look the other way at legal infractions when the person was a star and the media wasn't going to report on gossip because it might get them kicked out of the next after-show party. So, even if Elvis had some shady dealings in his private life, my guess is he would have come out the other side just fine. Still, I think this phenomenon speaks to a larger question, which is why do certain people refuse to believe some news but quickly accept the rest?

It doesn't matter the topic, there are some people in this world who will refuse to believe it. Whether it is birthers with questions about where President Obama was born, the people who trek through the mountains looking for Bigfoot or the alien enthusiasts driving through Nevada looking for Area 51, there are always going to be doubters. And I'm not denying that the occasional conspiracy theory can be fun to kick around. Personally, I have questions about the NBA draft lottery. But what you don't want to see is someone who crosses that line from being curious or mildly amused that something happened the way it did to letting a personal investigation take over all their free time. Once that happens you are dangerously close to standing on the sidewalk and handing out leaflets to confused tourists who just want directions to the nearest museum. (I've found the best trick is to not engage with those people. Honestly, these are the kind of people who don't like things such as facts, so trying to present them with actual evidence is only going to make them dig in deeper. Simply smile, move on and make sure they don't have your email address.) Just be aware that if you produce a "newsletter" and the circulation is less than 50 people, you have made a wrong turn somewhere on life's path.

But, it is the people who doubt celebrity deaths which fascinate me the most. Given the way that most stars take up bad habits in excess, can you really be surprised when they die? You can't even say this skepticism is an age thing, because even today people from my generation make jokes about Tupac Shakur getting ready for his big comeback tour. Most of them say it as a joke, but you can always see the tiniest glimmer of hope behind their eyes. When Michael Jackson died a lot of people were on TV the next day, theorizing that he was faking his death to escape massive debt and legal troubles. You can't argue with their logic that artists are often more profitable once the musician is dead. However, that argument fails to take into account the addictive nature of fame. If you have ever seen pictures of Graceland or Neverland Ranch you have to ask yourself this question: do the artists who decorated those places honestly seem like the type of people who would quietly step away to a life where no one recognized them? I don't care how much money they could make by faking their own deaths, it wouldn't make up for the fact that they would have to go back to being a regular member of society. If you take nothing else away from the people who sacrifice their dignity to be on a reality show, just see how desperate they are for a little attention and ask yourself if anyone would give that up willingly.

I'd like to think that as plugged in as we are these days that the conspiracy theories like this would start to fade away. Between Facebook and Twitter people can't keep little secrets anymore, so what are the odds of a big one slipping through the cracks? There is always one person who can't wait to spill the beans just to look important. The average group of people can't pull of a surprise birthday party without someone messing it up, so does anyone really think a celebrity could slip away to a foreign country without someone at the airport live-Tweeting their landing? Given that, you would think people would demand proof going the other way, but that isn't how it happens. In the end I'm sure people's unwillingness to acknowledge certain celebrity deaths has to go back to the basic psychological principle that some fans see stars as larger-than-life and just don't want to accept they are mortal because it means we are all mortal and that is a depressing thing to think about. It is a lot more fun to think Jim Morrison, Elvis and Jimi Hendrix are off having a jam session somewhere. Also, I would totally buy that record. I'm not saying I think those guys are alive, I'm just saying that if they are, they should know it would pretty much dominate the charts.