Pining for some sort of excuse to entertain friends, and with February, 2004’s Leap Year Party nothing but a distant memory, in mid-July we realized the imminent 30th anniversary of Elvis’ death on August 16, 2007 provided us with the perfect cover. Thumbing our noses at the “I saw Elvis at the 7-11″ crowd, of which there were many, the concept for the “Elvis is Still Dead Party” was conceived.
Armed with a life-sized Elvis cutout, a catering order for Memphis-style barbeque, an iPod loaded with a catalog of Elvis music, and a copy of Viva Las Vegas set to spin in the DVD player, we put our plan in motion. Guests were instructed to don “Elvis sideburns”, and our mantra no shirt, no shoes, no sideburns, no service was strictly adhered to. Our crack makeup department devised the sophisticated accoutrements, made with space-aged materials like black construction paper and double-sticky scotch tape.
Blue Suede Martinis were a real crowd-pleaser, a concoction yours truly created in his la-bor-a-tory (I am, after all, MartiniMan), and expertly served by bartender Tess. For those of you playing at home, here’s the recipe:
1 1/2 oz. Absolut Citron vodka
1 oz. Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1/2 oz. Nellie & Joe’s Key West lime juce
Splash Blue Curacao
Add all ingredients to a shaker with crushed ice. Shake, and strain into an ice-cold martini glass. Garnish with a squiggly rind of lemon. If you prefer your martini less tart, you can tap the brakes a bit on the key lime juice, or if you like them even sweeter you can reverse the proportions of the key lime and blue curacao.
Without trying to sound immodest, however, the hit of the party was without question the Elvis Shrine. Paying homage to the fact that Elvis expired in the bathroom, our 2nd floor salle de bains was converted into a granite and porcelain monument to the King, replete with photographs, Elvis trading cards, candles, and a serving tray of pills and jelly doughnuts (for display only, of course). Although the shrine featured photos spanning the period 1956-1977, we admittedly favored the young, svelte Elvis as opposed to the bloated, jumpsuit-wearing, pill-popping Elvis. Notable photos included Elvis with other luminaries of the era such as Sammy Davis Jr. (1958), Liberace (1959), and then-President Richard Nixon (1970).
While some might insist the voting was rigged (actually, there was no voting at all), this year’s Elvis look-alike winner was Chris’ son Ian. One could argue that he bought his way to victory, having made a very timely purchase of some stylish Elvis sunglasses just moments before the party began. Our winner (right) is seen here with friends T.J. (left) and Nathan (center). Congratulations, son. Your mother must be very proud.
Our thanks to all who attended. We can’t wait for the 40th.
~kp~
August 17, 2007 at 8:31 am
Whee, am I your first commenter?
Dammit, I missed this party. Looks like good times. A little Vegas and a little Memphis, right in the heart of Big D.
Sure do miss you guys. Might be in Dallas soon. Will let you know.
Kristy
August 17, 2007 at 12:20 pm
New painting?
August 17, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Why? Are you just hoping you’re going to get something else when we die? The painting on Elvis’ left is the canvas we brought back from Argentina. On Elvis’ right is a photograph by Henri Cartier-Bresson, “Srinagar, Kashmir – 1948″, which, yes, is relatively new.
September 25, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Mrs. Martini man advises you to ask for the photograph versus the painting when we die.