that was kind of a joke about Tom Parker... kinda sorta.. he called every shot and every move Elvis made.... he made every single decision for good or ill.... and many of them were for ill, esp from after his army service on... the bad movies, all that

But I agree that Elvis can't be held responsible for all bad music... no one artist can be... and I don't really think he can be accused for any bad music...

took a music that already existed and sterilized it? what do you mean? you mean black r & b, blues, etc? he drew from that, and from country music as well...

but if that's your interpretation, then you gotta throw them all in there... Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, etc etc... every white rock and roll performer of the 1950s... you can't just single out Elvis. and is that what you want to do really? say that all of these 50s artists "set a precedent" by sterilzing r & b? because that precedent in it's entirety is rock and roll, and everything that came from it---garage rock, British Wave, glam rock, punk rock, goth, industrial, indie, emo, etc etc etc... if Elvis and the other pioneers hadn't done what they did back then, none of that would exist.

he did set a precedent ,you are right... and thank god for it... but it's not the one you seem to think he set... you can't hold Elvis responsible for all the crap in rock music that came after him. Well, you can, but you also have to credit him with every single good thing in rock music that came after him

I mean all forms of art and music are influenced by what came before them... it's all amalgams and fusions and blends... people don't create in a vacuum... blues and r&b themselves were influenced by things that came before them... call and response stuff from Africa and the days of slavery in the US, gospel, etc

you could just as easily say that Elvis brought that music to the attention of white people....

also, you are forgetting the huge influence that Elvis had on those who came afterwards... The Beatles, the Stones, the Who, etc etc... all of them, all the major players of the 60s (and beyond) were influenced--positively--by Elvis....

I think you would have had to have been around then (and I was not) to fully appreciate what he did and what he meant

and I say this as someone who doesn't even own one single Elvis album.... I'm not really a gigantic fan myself, (I do like some of his stuff lot though) but he really is The King... I recognize his importance in rock and roll history, and appreciate him immensely, even if I'm not a huge fan... (I'm not a big fan of 50s rock in general, actually, but I see it's place... if not for it, nothing that came afterward would exist)

I went to Graceland and Sun Studios, I think everyone should at least once in their lives... and watching him in film footage, esp early on... well, his charisma is undeniable....