"Almost Elvis"…..The Unusual and Bewildering World of Elvis Impersonators! (Part 6)

The Impersonator Issues: There are a number of issues Elvii may have to struggle with.

Two of these are:

To Be or Not To Be?: Elvii generally fall into two camps: those who know their 'real' identity and those who take themselves too seriously. This latter group tends to "act" as Elvis even when off-stage (ie. they have serious identity issues). The Elvis impersonator's creed disavows taking yourself too seriously. The problem protagonists are more likely to fall within levels 1, 2 and 3 of the impersonator pyramid with the full-time professionals appearing to be more balanced in their approach to their career.

Loosely related to this issue is the number of Elvii who go to radical lengths to be more like Elvis. Many, like Dennis Wise (a member of the top echelon in the 1990s), who quit his job in Hawaii as a car salesman and after initial success with his Elvis act booked into a Florida clinic for plastic surgery.

This series of articles are reprinted with the kind permission of www.elvisinfonet.com

Andy Stankovich

Elvis The Voice

www.ElvisTheVoice.com

One of the world's great Elvis Presley tribute artists