#摇滚故梦# （5/22）【皇帝】
4 The Emperor/Elvis Presley
皇帝/埃尔维斯·普雷斯利
“Let’s rock, Everybody, let’s rock”
Elvis是毋庸置疑的摇滚之王。皇帝牌象征了权力与孤独，光荣与胜利。Elvis从靠抖臀舞征服无数春心的摇滚坏男孩到一呼百应的全球明星也就几年，无疑得到了惊人的胜利。有些人说他偷师了之前Little Richard等黑人摇滚先驱的成就，也有些人说他结合了不同的音乐品类，开启了摇滚的新时代。那段时间他经常出现在电影里客串，也主演了几部电影，大家光是为他的名头就愿意涌进电影院里，宛如皇帝一样统治了流行文化的方向。Elvis的声音低沉并具有能量，从温柔的情歌到有节奏的嘶吼都能驾驭。虽然兵役短暂打断了他的职业生涯，回来后也难以企及之前的人气，但他的影响力在披头士英伦入侵之前依然无可替代。
这张结合了他早期的飞机头造型和后期维加斯驻唱的经典表演服，背景是68年他录圣诞回归特辑时背景舞美里跳舞的人影。之前在电影节看了猫王的电影，虽然演员长得完全不像，但电影很有沉浸感，尤其是开头他在教堂里沉浸在音乐共鸣的场景。我一直觉得他挺可惜的，在维加斯表演到最后，像一只被锁在金色鸟笼里的夜莺，错过了他本可拥有的全球巡演和更广阔的舞台。
Elvis Presley was, without doubt, the sole king of rock and roll. The Emperor Card symbolizes power and solitude, pride and victory. From hip-shaking bad boy to global superstar, it only took Elvis a few years to rise to fame and glory, gaining an undeniable feat of victory. Some say that he stole the light from black artists like Little Richard, while others say that he created a distinctive style that started a new era for rock music. Over the course of the fifties, Elvis made cameo appearances in many films and starred as main leads in a few. He ruled over and guided the direction of pop culture like a ruler, people rushing into theatres just to see and hear him. Elvis had a deep, soulful voice, shifting effortlessly from raw rock to smooth ballads. Although his service in the military briefly interrupted his career at its height, he remained to be the most influential rock star before British invasion.
This painting combined his earlier, iconic hairstyle with the signature costume of his later Las Vegas residency. The background was inspired by the stage setup of his 1968 comeback special. I watched the Elvis movie at a movie festival last year, the actor did not resemble him much, but the scene of him resonating with soul music in the church was memorably immersing. I always thought it was quite a shame that he spent the last of his years staying at Vegas, instead of going on global tours like he initially had in mind. He was like a nightingale locked in a gold cage in a way, missing out on a bigger stage that he could have had.