I recommend the new Elvis movie. I don’t know how true to the facts it is, but it’s very entertaining. And isn’t that what the movies are about? 

Seeing the movie inspired me to learn more about the King of Rock ‘n Roll.  I want to pass along two things I’ve learned about Elvis’s experience in public school.  First, his debut public performance was at a high school talent show in Memphis where he sang “Old Shep,” a miserably sad ballad about the day the dog died.  He won the talent show and later remarked that it was amazing how popular he suddenly became after that. 

The second thing is something I learned many years ago when I toured the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. It just so happens that they had a special exhibit on display about Elvis.  The display included the handwritten notes from his high school guidance counselor.  Her notes described him as a polite young man who hoped to get a job dealing with a lathe or some other heavy machinery.  She only had one concern about Elvis, expressed in the final line of her notes: “Dresses a little flashy.”

DAWG BONE: “A LITTLE FLASHY?! LADY—YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN YET.

Got a question or comment for the Dawg?  Let me hear from you at jwalsh@wabsa.com.