When Elvis died

Since I don't know what year he died, I may have been alive or dead. I am shocked, though, that you have never yelled 'stop the presses' because I have yelled it for much simpler things than Elvis died.

 

It's the 30-year anniversary on Aug. 16. I have no clue where I was though; I was 13 days away from turning 2.

 

I was in the third grade. Didn't know until the next day when our teacher, who was a huge Elvis fan told us with tears in her eyes.

 

The first record I can remember geeking out over was the King Creole soundtrack. It was the first record I listened to constantly when I would go stay with Dad's folks (it had been his record when he was younger). As a little kid I fancied myself quite the Elvis imitator. I was once given detention at the hardcore Baptist church school my parents sent me to during my elementary school years. I could mimic the voice and the moves but I didn't have anything resembling his outfits.
I was playing in the backyard when the news broke that Elvis had died. I remember Mom coming out to tell me. I remember being bummed but I guess my little seven year old mind didn't have the firmest grasp on the concept known as death. Elvis's death was the first of the "where were you..." moments of mainstream culture that act as stopping points in our memories. The points that followed were the Reagan assassination attempt, the Challenger explosion, the Branch Davidian raid and--a couple of months later--inferno, the O J verdict, 9.11.01, and the Columbia explosion (of which I witnessed the aftermath).

 

I was 10 years old and although I did not know the word "shit", I knew that this kid in the neighborhood was usually full of it. He came up to us and said Elvis had died. I didn't believe him, but ESPN later reported it so it had to be true.

(Sorry, I don't usually slam on ESPN, just taking advantage of an obvious spot for an attempt at a joke.)

 

I like Elvis but I remember thinking that his best days were way behind him. Now, 42 is just getting started for rockers.

 

I was 16 years old and working on a loading dock for a football equipment company, packing up boxes of facemasks to ship out when the radio said Elvis had died.
For some reasons. I don't remember that being my last week of school or anywhere close to the start of my junior year.
Yet, my youngest son is in high school and has been in school since the 6th of August.
My point? Kids sure do start school a lot earlier than they used to. When I become dictator, we'll start school the Wednesday after Labor Day so people can use that Tuesday to prepare for the first day of school after a long Labor Day weekend.

 

Wow... You're that old? ;D

 

If I remember correctly, I probably wondered why my parents were upset and went back to watching Sesame Street... I was 3...

 

I was about 1 1/2.

 

I was working in a furniture warehouse. The other part-timers and me (we were all in HS) shrugged it off because it was no big deal, just a bit of news.

What I remember is being genuinely surprised at the reaction of one of the delivery drivers. It's not that he swooned or anything, but I was just taken aback by the fact that someone was actually saddened by this. To us, at that point, Elvis was just some Vegas hack who'd always been a joke. (Some of us learned different later.)

 

I was 8 years old and have no idea where I was when the news broke.

However I remember exactly where I was two years later when I heard the news Thurmon Munson died.