Elvis Presley became famous and infamous, and John Lennon was not always a fan. He and the other Beatles did their best not to imitate Presley in a very specific way. Also, John felt Mick Jagger replicating one of Presley’s gestures that he couldn’t bear.
John Lennon on the follies of the Beatles during their early days
John talked about it a lot in a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone, where he talked about everyone from Judy Collins to Bob Dylan to Chairman Mao Zedong. He made some surprising comments about Presley and how he moved. Presley was known for turning the hips, an act that many people felt was too sexual in the 1950s.
Initially, the Beatles had some interesting antics on stage. “When we were younger, we used to move, jump and do all the things that they’re doing now, like going on stage with toilet seats and shit and p * ssing.” However, the Beatles deliberately wouldn’t make a movie like Presley.
“[T]This is interesting: In the early days in England, all groups were like Elvis and a support group, and the Beatles deliberately didn’t move like Elvis, “said John.” That was our policy because we found him stupid and dumb * t Then Mick Jagger came out and resurrected ‘bullsh * t movement’, moving your * rse. Then people started to say that the Beatles were old fashioned because they don’t move But we did it as a conscious movement. “
Mick Jagger, his dance and a rock ‘n’ roll circus
And what about Jagger? Jagger’s dance moves have received a mixed reception over the years. Some fans find them strange, distracting, and unworthy. Others think they are iconic. Many former fans are validated by Maroon’s hit song 5 “Moves like Jagger,” which celebrates Jagger’s dancing skills.
Also, John appeared in The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. In it, Jagger dances moving his ass. Maybe John wasn’t a fan of Jagger’s dance, but he was still willing to put up with it on television.
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John had some harsh criticism for Presley’s dance, however he also had some very kind words for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. John didn’t want to move like Presley, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t want to be Presley at one point. According to the book The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the 1970-2001 breakup, John’s sons Sean and Julian inducted Presley into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. During the ceremony, they read a quote from their father praising Presley.
In it, John said, “Van Gogh probably wanted to be Renoir or whoever was before him. And he wanted to be Elvis.” To this day, John’s words are quoted to illustrate the impact Presley had.
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