Nearly Every Day She Cried

Nearly Every Day She Cried - Today's the 25th anniversary of the death of Elvis. I shudder to think of the bender Diane, the mom of the bass player from my band in college, is going through today. She was one of those Elvis fans that people used to joke about - one of the corn-fed middle-aged midwestern women who still acted like teenagers chasing Justin Timberlake whenever The King came to the heartland (you know - so unlike all of us rational, sober Springsteen fans!). After Elvis' death (or alleged death), she took every August 16th off from work - depressed, drinking, miserable. Elvis' death has become sort of a midwestern, downmarket white folks' national holiday, in its own Walmart sort of way...

More on Elvis, from Kevin Cherry of National Review - who is quickly becoming my favorite (read: Mitch-like) rock critic.