Chapter 54

This is the young Elvis. The Elvis that drove young women crazy and generated a grudging respect from young men.

This was the Elvis that single-handedly (with the Colonel's help) bulldozed the landscape of popular culture and erected a structure that vibrated.

This was the Elvis that could someday redefine time as B.E. and A.E. (Before Elvis and after Elvis). The Elvis that later may possibly have taught Jesus everything he learned about pedagoguery.

This is the Elvis that went to Europe, that did his time.

This is the Elvis that Italian photographers captured with whore's tongues thrust down his throat. This is the Elvis that took as his due the adulation of the war-shattered and poorly nourished women of Europe.

This is the Elvis that 14-year-old Priscilla met and loved.

This is the Elvis that loved 14-year-old-girls.

In some ways, he never grew up.