He died 22 years ago this month and yet Elvis Presley is as popular in death as he was in life.
Since his death, Elvis has risen from pop idol to religious icon. People make pilgrimages to his house in Memphis. They build shrines to him in their homes, covet his pictures, paintings and figurines -- actions suggesting a spiritual figure of importance for many people.
"A lot of fans will say, 'When I talk he listens.' He is a figure that they can talk with and share their inner thoughts with and pray to," explains 欧美口爆视频-Boulder fine arts Professor Erika Doss. "Fans often told me, this is not a God in my life. But the way in which they talked about Elvis was to talk about him in terms of an intercessor, or an intermediary for whatever it was that they wanted. And in that sense he is a Saint. Because Saints are intercessors."
"People have different understandings of Elvis," said Doss, who studies media and cultural icons and images. "That's why he has gay fans and straight fans and black fans and white fans and 3 year-old fans and 80 year-old fans. For a lot of people Elvis is very erotic. But for others and his estate, Elvis is a family man. So these images come into conflict."
In May Doss published a book on the Elvis mystique called, "Elvis Culture: Fans, Faith and Image." In the book Doss examines why Elvis lives on by exploring the multifaceted image of Elvis Presley. "This book is about icons and images and material culture," said Doss.
Editors: Doss is available for interviews.