Last night I watched Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley. It was really inspiring because it’s about Elvis taking control of his artistry. It’s the moment he realizes, to quote Bob Dylan, “I can’t sing a song that I don’t understand.”
During the documentary, we see Bob singing “Only a Pawn in Their Game”, and Robbie Robertson relates the story of Bob tuning in to watch the ‘68 Comeback Special. It would have been extremely unlikely for Bob to have sat down to give an interview for this film. Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President is the only thing I can think of in recent memory, and it’s so good, it makes me wish he would do this more.
It would have been doubly surprising if Bob turned up in this documentary because he’s already said some amazing things about Elvis, and Bob is not going to repeat himself. Also, as often is the case with Bob, his comments will raise more questions than provide answers. For example, from a press conference in Rome in 2001:
Reporter: Sometimes when you’re standing with your guitar onstage it reminds me of somebody old: Elvis Presley poses from 1955, ‘56. How do you react to that?
Dylan: No. Is that a compliment or-
Reporter: Yeah, it’s a compliment. But Elvis had a strong influence on you-
Dylan: He did. Growing up he did.
Reporter: He had a beautiful recording of your song “Tomorrow Is a Long Time.” Do you remember how you reacted to that?
Dylan: Oh, well, what can you say? When somebody like that records a song I’m sure any songwriter would feel intensely gratified.
Reporter: Would you say that there’s a lineage? Somebody said that Elvis freed the body, Bob Dylan freed the mind. [Bruce Springsteen]
Dylan: Freed the mind? Well, it’s good to be liberated from whatever. We should all feel that way.
Reporter: One more Elvis question. Did you meet Elvis?
Dylan: I never did meet him. That’s what I’m supposed to say.
Then with Douglas Brinkley in 2009, Bob said,
I never met Elvis, because I didn’t want to meet Elvis… I wanted to see the powerful, mystical Elvis that had crash-landed from a burning star onto American soil. The Elvis that was bursting with life. That’s the Elvis that inspired us to all the possibilities of life.
The part of that quote not reproduced here is essentially what the documentary explores leading up to his TV special return. It’s why Bob’s music, along with The Beatles’, make an appearance in a film about Elvis. Elvis had lost touch with music that moved the artist and the audience.
Those that were interviewed for the film all did a fantastic job, particularly with their respect for Elvis as a person, not just as an artist. The film concludes by noting the Elvis TV special marked his return to live performance, which included over a thousand concerts, until he was gone at the all too soon age of 42. It reminded me of the conclusion of Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, which implies that tour was the catalyst to Bob’s subsequent never ending touring.
We have been blessed that Bob is approaching being around twice as long as Elvis. He has been written off and come back a few times himself. Yet another milestone period in his career began with the live music he was making in the fall of 2019, and even a pandemic couldn’t stop him. It continued with the release of Rough and Rowdy Ways, Shadow Kingdom, and the tour of the former has been particularly remarkable. It’s clear that Bob thinks so, otherwise he wouldn’t have committed to three years in advance of constant care and attention to those songs.
What will 2025 bring? An official live album of Rough and Rowdy Ways? A new album of original songs? Will the biopic coming on Christmas bring award nominations and inspire new fans? To quote the great Ray Padgett, “What comes next is more a mystery than it’s been in years. But often, with Dylan, that’s the most exciting place to be.”