Somebody once told me that every single day of your life, there will be a reference to Elvis Presley. Wanting to know if this was true or not, I started writing down every occurence of Elvis that I would see, every single day, for one whole year.
Jump to diary
April
29 Today, I'm in the RCA library and I'm still wondering if I'm gonna write all the Elvises down or not. Maybe it's not such a good idea. I see the spine of a book called "PANIC", in a random section. It strikes me, so I pull the book out and on the cover I see two photos of Elvis! It was a sign! I had to do this project!
May
3 I'm listening to an Serge Gainsbourg CD "L'homme a la Tete de Chou". Track 9, the lyrics go "Marilou ecoute Presley" (Marilou listens to Presley).
9 I'm listening to Jazz Fm, and I hear "Elvis", but not the rest of the sentence.
10 I'm reading my old notes from last year's RCA dissertation, and I see that I've mentioned Elvis in my research about Andy Warhol.
I'm listening to Mos Def CD. Track 10 "Water", the lyrics are "Elvis Presley ain't got no soul".
11 I'm sitting on my terrace with my flatmate. We're talking about scientology and she tells me "Lisa Mary Presley is part of it".
In the afternoon, I go to Urban Outfitters on High Street Kensington, and they sell this book "The Rough Guide to Elvis Presley".
12 I'm on Ebay, and while I search for blank audio tapes, I get a page selling Elvis tapes.
I'm listening to NTM CD, and on the "La Fievre" track, the lyrics are "Mon voisin du dessus en bon fan d'Elvis passe ses week-ends a foutre a fond des lives de Memphis"(translation: My neighbour from above is a good fan of Elvis and spends his whole week-ends playing loud Lives from Memphis)
13 My friend Natalie from college asked me to bring some old newspaper that I've been collecting. I look through one of them (Daily Mail, 27 March 2003), and there's an article about Elvis and Lisa Mary.
14 I'm at the Tate Modern, and I knew I would see Warhol's "Double Elvis". But before I see it, I see a picture by Chris Ofili, "Double Captain Shit and the Legend of the Black Star", which is a direct reference to "Double Elvis" which is mentioned on the captions.
...then I see the real "Double Elvis" a few minutes later.
16 I give some book to Michal (my then-boyfriend) so he can bring them back to Paris for me. I see that one of those books is about Andy Warhol, and on the cover, it's "Double Elvis".
19 I'm having lunch on my terrace when the radio plays the song "Walking in Memphis, in my blue suede shoes". I forget who sings it.
Later on, I go to Top Shop, and I see a belt with an Elvis buckle.
Then, back on the terrace, I borrow my flatmate's Glamour, and there's an article with a photo of Elvis and Priscilla's wedding.
20 I'm on Piccadilly, and I walk into HMV where I see an "Elvis Encyclopaedia".
22 My friend Jo, who knows about this project, sends me a text saying that she saw en Elvis on the tube. Technically, I think this doesn't count because it's not a "natural" reference.
23 I'm looking for a cookie recipe in Nigella Lawson's book "Nigella Bites", and I see a recipe called "Presley's fried peanut butter and banana sandwich".
26 I'm tidying up my room, and a see the Phaidon book "Century", I look through it and page 624, year 1958, there's a photo of Elvis being weighed before his military service.
27 I'm back in Paris and I look at magazine "20 ANS", which mentions a cheesy French singer called Dick Rivers, and, as the magazine says, he's considered the French Elvis.
I'm in the waiting room of Doctor Blanchet, and in a magazine, there's a caricature of a 50's rocker who really looks like Elvis.
30 I'm on the internet, looking at works from French graphic designer, and one of the projects has a photo of Elvis.
In the afternoon, I walk along the river with my friend Sophie, and I see a vintage poster of an Elvis concert.
June
7 Finally! I 'm in London, and I go to HMV to buy the latest PJ Harvey CD and I see a whole Elvis section.
13 I'm looking through my old magazines to see if I can throw them away. And in Graphics International, there's an article about a brand identity for some Norwegian pot noodle "Mr Lee" and the logo looks like a Chinese Elvis, and underneath, it says "King Size".
15 I have this book about 60's design, and there's a photo of Elvis inside.
18 I'm in Soho, and in the window of a trendy bookshop, there's a book called "Elvis Fashion".
21 I'm waiting for the bus to go to college in Piccadilly, and there's a souvenir shop selling Elvis calendars.
22 People from my year are typing up a schedule for the moving image showreel of our exhibition, which includes a film by Harvi Sahota, which summary mentions a singer from Alabama called Black Elvis.
23 I'm watching the films at our exhibition, and in Harvi's film, the subtitles say that Elvis Presley was born at that time (I don't remember the time of what).
24 The staircase in Urban Outfitters has a series of Warhol-style paintings that includes one with Elvis.
25 "Jailhouse Rock" musical advert on the back of a bus, at Knightsbridge.
26 Virgin Megastore on High Street Kensington has collector DVD called "Elvis-that's the way it is"
28 HMV on Oxford Street, a whole bunch of CD singles are on special, for 99p: one of the singles if by Elvis.
29 My friend Vera tells me she saw some Elvis earrings in Brick Lane.
30 On a bus stop in Notting Hill, there's a Valentine's Day poster saying "Love me Tender".
On bus 31, a guy sitting in front of me is reading the daily mirror in which there's an article about Elvis.
July
2 HMV again, there's a whole section of Elvis CDs on special. I wonder if those CD shop Elvises should count...
Then, in Tower Records: an entire section with a huge Elvis sign.
Virgin Megastore in Piccadilly: on the window, there's a poster for "Jailhouse Rock" with an Elvis silhouette.
Then finally, I'm in my Dad's hotel room who came over for my graduation, and while he's getting ready, I read one of his business magazines "Capital" where there's an article about the worth of huge stars, and Elvis is worth 60 million dollars.
3 A guy is sitting beside me on the tube's Central Line, and he's reading the Daily Star in which there's an article titled "Elvis in tender moment".
4 I'm watching TMF, a musical channel, and there's an advert for an Elvis DVD collection.
Then, on my way to Natalie's house, I see a huge poster above a pub advertising Elvis nights in that pub.
5 I'm on Brick Lane with Jo, and I see the Elvis earrings that Vera was telling me about.
We're in the Royal College of Art Summer Ball, and there's this band, and before they start singing, the singer talks about Elvis.
Then, the DJ plays an Elvis track.
6 There's an ad on VH1 Classic, about a CD "50 years of Rock'n'Roll", which includes Elvis, of course.
There's another ad for a compilation called "Kings of Rock'n'Roll" which included Elvis. It seems like there's a Rock'n'Roll trend at the moment.
Then, there's a Simpsons episode where Homer shows his Elvis stamps.
7 In the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street, I see the compilation that was advertised yesterday, on a huge stand.
My flatmate Lucy told me that her dad, who used to be a producer, released an Elvis compilation right after his death.
8 I look at some photos taken at the RCA last year, and on one of the photos, there's a poster for an Elvis night at the Artbar (the RCA bar)
11 On VH1 Classic, there's a whole program about the 50 craziest moments of Rock'n'Roll, and inevitably, there's a whole sequence about Elvis, when he's fat and on drugs.
After that, there's a show called "Top 5 Elvis".
12 In a vintage shop in Camden, there's an Elvis doll, and some Elvis stickers to hide light switches... whatever.
In another Simpson episode (either the one where Bart is in a boy band, or the one with the bowling team) someone shows a photo of Elvis.
On VH1 Classic, a woman talks about Tom Jones and says that he's got "a sort of Elvis Presley kinda thing".
13 On Trouble channel, there a show called "Celebrity" in which Justin Timberlake says that he admires Elvis.
In "Who wants to be a millionaire", on of the questions is "Who played in the 1957 movie "Jailhouse Rock"", and we know the answer.
In the beginning credits of the Jenny Jones show, there's a guy dressed as Elvis.
15 Shop in Soho with Elvis souvenirs.
There's another shop that has in the window a case for glasses with Elvis.
Michal tells me that Leonard Cohen went to Memphis with his guitar, following the steps of Elvis.
16 In the window of yet another Soho shop, there's a t-shirt that says "Elvis Loves You".
17 Camden's Virgin, there's a huge Elvis picture.
We arrived in Paris. On M6 channel, there's a music video by Sono (some kinda band I don't know and I'm glad I don't) where some guys are dressed as Elvis.
18 In Beaubourg, there's a newsstand that sells Technikart, a magazine, with a guy dressed as Elvis on the cover.
19 In Etapes, a French graphic design magazine, there's a photo of guys dressed as Elvis... Is it an epidemic or what?
On a bus in St-Michel, there's a poster for a show called "Elvis Story".
21 In the FNAC (a huge "cultural" shop) there's a listing of concerts, which includes "Elvis Story".
22 On M6, the same show with Justin Timberlake who says he admires Elvis that I saw in London is shown with French subtitles.
We are in an Indian Restaurant around Oberkampf, and in the loo, there's a sticker on the ceiling, with a picture of Elvis, saying "Elvis Hurts".
25 I'm in Berlin with Olga. She takes me to a cool flea market, and I see an old Elvis record.
28 After Berlin, I go to Szczecin, Poland. In the "Empik" bookshop on Wojska Polskiego a CD "ELV1S number one" is sold there.
29 From Szczecin, we drive to the seaside, in Miedzy Zdroje. On the way, there's a billboard with an ad for Polish Ferries "Poloni" with a picture of a guy dressed as Elvis...
30 In Miedzy Zdroje, in my Aunt's and Uncle's flat, I hear a Shania Twain song, and Kasia (my cousin) tells me that she just sang "Thank you Elvis", but I didn't hear it.
August
1 Still in Miedzy Zdroje, I read a Polish magazine called "Zwierciadlo" where there's an ad and an article about an Elvis DVD.
In the evening, we're back in Szczecin, and I read another Polish mag called "Pani". There's an article about a woman who fell in love with a Cuban guy and went to live there with him, where she was completely cut from the western world and her guy didn't even know who Elvis Presley was.
3 We're in a bar in Szczecin with Michal. On the wall, there's a collection of photos of celebrities, including Elvis.
4 We're chatting about 50s music with my Aunt Monika, and she says something about Elvis.
5 Back in Berlin, this time with Michal. We go to this artist squatt, and there's an A4 photocopy of Elvis stuck on the top of a wall.
On Oranienburg Strasse, there's a chip shop that has a big poster of Elvis behind the counter.
6 On the way back to Paris from Berlin, we spend the night in a Ibis hotel. We watch a documentary on MTV about Outkast, and I think they mentioned Memphis and Elvis.
7 In the car, we're listening to a radio show about Prince, whose production label is called something about Elvis, "Presley", or something like that.
Michal mentions Elvis: he wants to sell tours of Paris in a Cadillac driven by a driver dressed as Elvis.
8 We're at Michal's parents and we're watching the NBA Channel, where's there's a musical sequence alternating basketball players and scenes of Elvis singing.
I have Rybczynski's Tango on a VHS tape, and I'm fast forwarding the tape to find it, but instead I find Eminem's video "Without Me" where there's a guy dancing dressed as Elvis.
10 Elvis is played on the radio.
13 We're in Spain now. We're having breakfast in Satillana del Mar. Michal is reading the paper and there's an article about Elvis.
14 We're in a shithole on the sea called Colunga. In the hotel bar, there's a local paper called "Voz de Asturias" with an article about Elvis. Who would have thought...
15 On an Asturian radio, there's a show about Elvis and they're playing covers of his hits.
16 We're listening to the same show, and today, they're talking about this Mexican singer who is considered to be the Mexican Elvis.
We arrive in a motel in Luarca. On TV, there's a dumb show with a Spanish guy dressed as Elvis and moving his hips stupidly.
On another channel, they're showing the best moments of the day of the Athens Olympics, on an Elvis soundtrack.
17 On the road to La Coruna, Elvis's "It's Now or Never" is playing on the Radio.
In La Coruna, in the window of a shop, there's an Elvis CD.
18 We're stopping at a big supermarket where they sell cheap Elvis CD's.
22 We're in Comillas. We're doing a run to the beach with Michal. On the way, we see in a parked car that has a small plastic Elvis hanging from the rearview mirror.
24 In the car, on the way back to France, we're listening to a Sonic Youth CD "Goo", and in Track 2, Elvis is mentioned (along with Janis)
In a bar in Santander, there's a TV showing MTV with yet another guy dressed as Elvis.
25 Arriving in Paris, we see a black Cadillac with a plastic Elvis hanging from the rearview mirror.
26 In a magazine called Zurban, there's an article about an Elvis shop in Paris!
In the metro, line 4, in every single station, there's an ad for the show "Elvis Story".
28 On rue des Halles, there's a posh clothes shop for men, and in its window there's a framed photo of Elvis.
29 In a mag called "Nouvel Obs", there's a California special, and there's a story about dog psychologists, and one of the dogs who goes there is called Elvis.
September
2 In the FNAC at Ternes, they have a collection of DVD about the story of Elvis (played by actors). Looks cheesy.
3 I went to see a French film called "Et il se marierent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants" with my friend Karen, and the soundtrack is Elvis's "I can't help falling in love with you".
4 In Bercy shopping centre with Michal, and there's a men's shop called "First Madison" in which there's a photo of Elvis in the window.
Nearby, there's a book shop, where I flick through the NME book "the Best Singles Ever" very very quickly, and I still manage to see an Elvis.
5 Channel Canal + show a trailer for the French movie "Podium" and there's a whole bunch of Elvis look-alikes.
In the Pompidou Centre bookshop, I look inside an art mag, and there are more guys dressed as Elvis. I'm getting sick of it.
6 In the "Star Academy" show, the participants are being introduced, and one of them says he's a fan of Elvis.
8 On the beginning credits of a very dumb music show "Hit Machine" on M6, there's a picture of Elvis.
9 Article about Elvis in Nova magazine.
13 On TF1 there's this game show "Zone Rouge" and one of the questions is "what is the name of Elvis Presley's residence?", the answer was "Graceland".
15 Elvis is playing on radio Nostalgie, in my Dad's car.
17 Kasia is at my house looking at the book "Fruit", about Japanese fashion victims, and she says that one of them looks like Elvis.
18 In the Creole restaurant next to my building, there's a photo of Elvis on the wall. (the place is called "King Creole")
22 In my Dad's restaurant, I notice an Elvis cd on the desk behind the till.
25 A radio show presenter compares some French singer to Elvis.
26 Elvis postcards in a card shop in Les Halles.
28 In a bar in the Bastille area, someone has an sweat shirt with an Elvis picture on it.
29 On the "Star Academy" show, the presenter sings a bit of "It's Now or Never".
October
2 I'm reading my book about New York, and there's a photo of a shop with an Elvis in the window.
4 Article about Elvis in an English newspaper sold in an English book shop in Paris.
13 In the Palais de Tokyo, a contemporary art gallery in Paris, there's a shop that sells t-shirts with a cloud on it that says "Elvis sees everything".
14 On radio M FM at 9:25pm, Eddy Mitchell (a French "rocker") sings "Sur la Route de Memphis" (On the Road to Memphis).
With Michal, we're watching a DVD about Antoine DeCaunes (the guy from Eurotrash) and in one sequence, he's dresses as Elvis.
17 It's Sunday afternoon, and Radio Nova plays an ad about "50 years of fashion" where a girl asks "and who designed Elvis's suit?"
19 I don't know how, but I ended up on a website cozytone.com, where there's a caricature of Elvis on the homepage.
21 I'm in London, and on the way to Natalie's house, I see that poster again, above that pub which has Elvis nights.
November
1 On TV channel France 2, there's a show about the 40 th anniversary of France 2, and there's Johnny Halliday (another old French "rocker") singing "Blue Suede Shoes".
Same show, someone says that Michel Drucker, the presenter, is the "King" of presenters. (When you say "Le King" in French, it's definitely a reference to Elvis)
2 I'm looking for the BMI airline website and I end up on the BMI music website where Elvis welcomes me.
7 An event in Bercy Village is announced on FIP radio: "Rock throughout fashion: Elvis's banana (the French name of his hairdo) often imitated, never equalled".
12 On rue Lepic, a sticker that says "Elvis Hurts" is stuck to the wall.
13 A big promotion on Elvis DVDs at the FNAC.
14 On TV, there's an add for an Elvis compilation.
18 Rue des Martyrs, there's an Elvis stencilled on a wall.
21 On a show on Canal + called "Le Vrai Journal", there's a sketch where Nicolas Sarkozy turns into the King and sings "Blue Suede Shoes"
22 I discover a website: lesliehall.com, where there's this girl wearing a t-shirt that says "I've seen Elvis"
23 In the Virgin Megastore on the Champs Elysees, they sell vintage Elvis Cds.
24 I'm looking for more blank audio tapes on ebay, and again, they try to sell me Elvis Christmas tapes!
27 Michal notices that on the Roots album "Phrenology", there's a small Elvis drawn in the guy's brain on the Cd cover.
28 In the magazine "Creative Review" there's images of old Time Out issues including one with Elvis on the cover.
In the American Cosmo there's an article about twins. It says that Elvis had a twin brother named Jesse Garon who died at birth.
December
2 In Lemonde.fr, I read an article that says that Bob Dylan compares to Elvis Presley rather than some kind of prophet of his generation…or something like that.
3 My Dad asks me if I have any Elvis cds.
5 On a music tv show, they're a guy dressed as Elvis in the credits.
6 My friend Karen tells me she has a friend who loves Elvis.
8 In a magazine, there's a picture of a girl dressed as Elvis.
10 My cousin asks me how is my Elvis project going. (this counts because it came naturally)
13 In a vintage shop in Etienne Marcel, they have an Elvis t-shirt. Maybe I should have bought it but I don't even like Elvis!
15 In the FNAC, there's a collectors box of Elvis Cds.
16 Rue d'Argout, there's a shop called "Le Shop", and in its window there's a collage that has a photo of Elvis.
18 There's a tiny article in a newspaper about Elvis's Graceland.
20 I arrive in Berlin after a night on the train, and in the Ostbahnhof station, they have magazines in German with Elvis on the cover.
22 I'm back in Szczecin, Poland. I read a magazine "Twoj Styl" with an article about all the women in Elvis's life.
23 We're in the car, on the road to Ingatorp, Sweden. Elvis is playing on the Radio.
We've arrived in Ingatorp. My Aunt Irena shows me photos of her in a wax museum (like Madame Tussaud), where she stands next to an Elvis wax statue.
24 Michal sends me a text message where he writes that he saw an Elvis pinball machine in a bar.
25 I turn my head for a second to see what's playing on television, and I see Elvis written in a sentence (it was in Swedish so I don't know what it said).
26 We're in a Swedish supermarket where they sell discount Elvis Cds.
27 I don't understand Swedish, but in a documentary about Michael Jackson, they show him with Lisa Marie Presley and I hear the name Elvis.
28 In a Polish supermarket, along with kitten and horse calendars, they sell Elvis calendars.
29 In Empik, a polish music and book shop, I see a book with pictures of celebrities on the cover, including Elvis's.
January
1 We're back in Berlin. Olga had a German magazine with an Elvis photo inside.
2 In a German Time Out type of magazine, an Elvis musical is listed.
3 We go to the cinema (still in Berlin) with Sophie, Olga and Theo, to see "Team America World Police", and in the cinema, there's this board with the birthdays of all the celebrities born in January. And…there's Elvis's birthday, January 8 (with a picture).
4 We're back in Paris. We go to this bookshop near Saint-Michel, rue Saint-Andre-des-Arts, and they have this cool Elvis calendar.
5 We (when I say "we" it means Michal and I) go to McDonalds in Pigalle ( I didn't choose to go to McDonald's), and they have these black and white photos of celebrities on the wall, including Elvis.
8 In this bar around Bastille, celebrity caricatures are hung on the walls, and there's an Elvis, of course.
10 A clothes shop in Republique has in its window a leather jacket with an Elvis head on it.
11 Elvis calendars sold in a shop.
12 There's a quick thing about Elvis's clothes in the news on cable.
16 Elvis "Blue Suede Shoes" is played on an oldies radio.
20 I look through an old English Glamour magazine that has a picture of Lisa Marie Presley, along with an article talking about her father.
23 In a graphic design shop in Paris, I flick through a book about 60s record covers, and there's an Elvis record.
26 I go the shop called "Le Shop", and they still have this Elvis collage in the window.
27 I know I saw a picture of Elvis this morning in a magazine, but I looked at so many mags today that I don't remember which one it was.
28 In the car, Elvis is playing on the radio.
29 On FIP radio, plays a song by bobo singer Jean-Louis Murat, and one of the lyrics is Elvis something.
30 In WH Smith on rue de Rivoli, there's a mag with Elvis on the cover.
31 Arte Channel: show about Hawaii, which shows a video of Elvis dancing Hawaiian style.
February
1 On the 8 o'clock news on France 2 channel, they talk about Michael Jackson's trial, and they mentioned that he'd married Elvis Presley's daughter.
2 TV show on TF1 "C'etait mieux hier": a photo of Elvis is shown when the theme of old celebrities come up.
5 Someone who used to live in London was saying how only in Camden you can see colourful shops with a big Elvis head on it.
7 In a tv show on Canal +, they were talking about the new plucking eyebrows trend, saying Lisa Marie Presley was into that new trend, along with Madonna and Jennifer Lopez.
I was on bus 74, and I saw an Elvis pinball machine in a café on rue Richelieu.
11 We were playing a board game called Cranium, and one of the tasks was to imitate Elvis Presley singing "Love Me Tender".
12 We were playing Trivial Pursuit at Michal's parent's place. I went to the bathroom, and on my way back, I heard someone say "Elvis Presley" in the living room.
14 A famous club owner Cathy Guetta was invited on TV and was saying how she wanted to name her son Elvis.
16 I see a book in a graphic design bookshop called "Elvis and Marilyn: Immortal"
17 I dream that I see 2 Elvises! In my dream, I'm in a shop, where one girl has a "Elvis Hurts" t-shirt, and another girl has a "Elvis is Alive" jacket!
20 On rue Lepic, there is a gadget shop that sells ceramic figures of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.
21 I'm looking at a book I got for Christmas called "Let's Entertain", and on page 91, there's a photo of a book called "Elvissey, a novel of Elvis past and Elvis future".
In the same book, many pages later, there's another art project featuring Elvis.
24 We drive past a theatre that has an "Elvis Story" show poster outside.
27 We drive past a "kiosque" covered with an "Elvis Story" poster.
28 At "Les Cesars", the French equivalent of the Oscars, the winner of "Best new female performance" was Sara Forestier whose speech was for her director: "For classical music, there was Mozart, for rock there was Elvis Presley, for cinema, there is you"
March
2 Music TV show on M6 channel, they talk about crazy Elvis fans.
5 In a bookshop, book about Elvis.
8 Glamour magazine, Elvis’s film “Blue Hawaii” is mentioned as a fashion inspiration.
11 Grafik Magazine: January 2005 issue: on page 53, there’s an image of the cover of Frieze magazine on which there’s a picture of Elvis.
12 An Elvis song is played on the radio in the car.
14 On rue du Faubourg Montmartre, there’s a toy shop and in the window, I see an Elvis mask.
22 El Al flight Paris-Tel Aviv. I’m reading the International Herald Tribune, and one of the first sentences of an article starts with “… I give him sexual favors because he once dated a girl who dated Elvis……”
24 Tel Aviv, Dan Hotel lounge, free magazine display with the English (or American) Vogue that has a feature about Elvis’s women.
27 Posters about an Elvis night with photos of 4 guys dressed as Elvis all around Tel Aviv.
31 Elvis again on the radio.
April
4 New Graphic magazine, someone did a project based on Warhol’s “Double Elvis”.
6 The English gang and I were having dinner at a fondue restaurant, and Jet talked about a movie in which Elvis played.
8 In the Haaretz website, there was an article about the best kosher burgers in the world, and a reader wrote that it was in a restaurant called the Elvis Inn.
12 My Dad shows me an issue of Mad Magazine that he bought. Inside, there’s an article titled: “Vanilla Ice Biography: the Elvis of Rap”
13 Michal, his mom, and I went furniture shopping for Michal’s new flat. I saw a pink retro fridge, and Michal’s mom said that Elvis had a car the same colour.
15 In a sports mag called “Sport”, there was an article about Elvis.
18 On a music show on M6, a question asked was: “what singer prays Elvis before each concert?” the answer was Robbie Williams.
20 I see an review of the Elvis shop in Paris.
Elvis Presley.
24 We sit in a cafe on my street, and behind the bar, an old Elvis video plays on a big flat screen.