Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Ted Harrison is a former BBC Religious Affairs correspondent whose previous books include works on Catherine Bramwell Booth and the Bishop of Durham. But nothing in Mr Harrison's previous investigations into the highways and byways of religious practice could surely have prepared him for his visit to Graceland where he spoke to riends and associates of Elvis Presley and began to piece together one of the strangest religious cults around today, the veneration of the king of rock 'n' roll as a pseudo-deity. It's all very sad, of course. Harrison records fans telling how they feel the presence of Elvis with them everyday; how some argue that he never died - a telephone hotline in the States records Elvis "sightings"; and how a thriving market for Elvis memorabilia has gone way, way beyond the normal pursuits of fandom to become for some a morbid obsession with a human being whose life was, in reality, sadly flawed. Ted Harrison draws few conclusions, being content simply to document the fans' obsessive devotion and the crass huckstering that cashes in on it. Possibly the most telling quote comes from the Reverend Thomas Bullock whose Methodist church actually stands on Elvis Presley Boulevard, not far from Graceland. "The fans seem to have a lot of devotion for him. In restaurants you hear them talking constantly about Elvis and his generosity, gifts and works of charity. It is rather pathetic, I think: some individuals who seem to have no purpose in life and are looking for purpose find Elvis and maybe use him as a God. Some of them think of him as a God judging from their devotion. The message they find in the cult is perhaps one of hope. That Elvis grew up obscure, poor and seemed to make a big success. If he can do that, then perhaps other people can." Elvis People is not an easy book for Christians to read. But for those seeking to understand pop and rock culture it's an important one.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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