Elvis Descended Into Darkness and Searched For Forgiveness

Above, the Jungle Room at Graceland. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

An interesting look at Elvis Presley has been posted at the Dallas News website.

It is by Robert F. Darden and it takes a looks at the descent of Elvis Presley "into darkness" and his search for forgiveness.

It starts with:

With all of the politicians, movie stars and athletes asking for forgiveness, I've been thinking about Elvis Presley. 

Elvis is suddenly everywhere these days. The acclaimed two-part HBO documentary, Elvis Presley: The Searcher, drew extraordinary viewership as it tried to shift the focus back on the music and away from the lurid tales of an obese, drug-addled, Howard Hughes-like figure, lost in the Jungle Room at Graceland. 

And 2018 is replete with Elvis-related anniversaries. Two of the most significant events in the King's life have important milestones this year: Elvis' beloved mother Gladys died in 1958 and the broadcast of the TV special Elvis (better known as the '68 Comeback Special and album) dates from the end of 1968. 

Peter Guralnick's award-winning two-volume biography of Elvis, Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley and Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley document like nothing before or since the meteoric rise and crushing fall of an American icon. Together, the books present a compelling, can't-look-away journey down the river as a musical Marlowe slowly transforms into a reclusive Kurtz. 

As both Guralnick and the producers of The Searcher repeatedly note, that descent into the heart of darkness is not a straight line. Elvis made great music both at the beginning and near the end of his career. His religious faith, which had sustained him early, never really left him. And for all of the lurid tales of the Memphis Mafia and Borgian excess, he died as he had lived much of his life — essentially alone.

To read more, go here. 

RV Ownership Continues To Climb

Above, The Beast at the Cedar City KOA in Utah. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It was only a short ten years ago that the RV industry (along with everyone else) experienced the Great Recession. Sales of new RVs plummeted and 15 companies filed for bankruptcy in 2008 or 2009 (the recession officially started in December 2007). These included Monaco Coach, Fleetwood Motor Homes, Country Coach, Travel Supreme and Rexhall RV.

Today, the RV industry is booming.

According to the SportsDay section of the Dallas News:

It won't be long until schools close doors for the dog days and families begin hitting the road on summer vacation. 

While some will look to the high country for cooler weather or the beach for some fun in the sun, others may stay closer to home and visit a state park or national recreational area. Either way, many will take to the road with their own home away from home in tow. 

Recreational vehicles are all the rage these days among adventuresome types looking to get away from it all. And they aren't your grandparents' campers, either. 

Many of today's RVs are equipped with slide-outs to make them more roomy, a garage for power toys, satellite HDTV, GPS, Wi-Fi boosters, surround sound, showers, bathrooms, generators and other nifty amenities that allow campers to slumber beneath the stars without leaving their creature comforts behind.

Dealers are feeling the love, too. A consumer survey conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan shows the number of RV-owning households was around 8.9 million in 2011. That number now exceeds 10 million by some estimates, according to Kevin Broom, director of media relations with the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.

To read more, go here.