The King of Pop or the King?

My mother was at the Toronto show (believe he only played here once). I think the other Canuckistan show was in Ottawa.

Elvis is/was everywhere, man.

 

he was also a hero to most, but not Chuck D.

I love P.E., not much of an Elvis fan though.

 

yeah, you're right. Should have said North America. You didn't need a passport or a visa to go into Canada in those days.

 

So, the real question then is whose managers/parents screwed them up more? Col. Tom Parker, who pushed Elvis to stop recording real albums and tried to sabotage his comeback special, or Joe Jackson, who used to hold lit matches to little Michael's feet just to hear him yelp and later made Michael perform with Randy on stage.

 

Tie. All were opportunitists.

 

No, not even fucking close.

Col. Tom Parker was Elvis' manager. It was expected that he would lead Elvis down the garden path, arranging for him to appear in formulaic movies designed to fill the coffers of Elvis Inc. Yes, he tried to sabotage the '68 comeback, but most likely it was simply because it was the type of calculated risk Parker did not want to take. Once it paid off, of course, he was right in there like a dirty shirt, taking Elvis to Vegas and overseeing the final decline.

Joe Jackson, meanwhile, was Michael's father. He was supposed to love him and protect him (he was supposed to do that for all of his children, actually). He failed miserably at both responsibilities, nine times over. Not only did he not love and protect Michael, who of course was an unusually sensitive person, he was the child's primary abuser and exploiter. Hopefully there is a very special place in Hell for Joe Jackson, but only after he suffers through a horrific 20-year bout with rectal and penile cancer. If there is any other fate in store for that rotten cocksucker, among the poorest-ever excuses for a human being, God simply does not exist.

 

Well said, Double J.