An act I found interesting was Elvis Presley’s first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show on September 9, 1965. Presley’s debut on the show caused much controversy across the nation due to rock and roll not being fully accepted into society. I found this act interesting due to how much controversy this show caused, as well as Elvis Presley as an artist in general. Presley was a new type of musician that shocked much of the nation with his style of singing, dancing, and attire. He was around during a huge generation gap throughout the nation and caused mix reviews among the people. You can even see in the video that Presley was filmed waist up to ensure nothing provocative would be shown. I also picked this act because it also included the Ed Sullivan Show. It is always interesting for me to read about the Ed Sullivan Show and how much influence it had on the nation, especially young teens.
After learning much about Presley, my favorite thing about him was how much of an impact he made on the music world. He stood out from other artists and I think that is why so many people liked him.
I agree with your assessment of Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan show! In today's times it seems unbelievable that Elvis had to be filmed from the "waist up" on the Sullivan show because his "gyrating hips" were just too provocative for mainstream America. I am reading some of the chapter 3, psychedelic rock, readings and I am wondering how mainstream America must have reacted, not even a decade after Elvis' first appearance, to the belief of acid rockers that "dropping acid" was important to fully appreciating the acid rock experience - seems much more provocative than Elvis' gyrating hips!
ReplyDeleteI agree completely, I always like to think about how that generation would react to music and performances today!
ReplyDeleteI found this video really interesting, specifically the aspect of him being filmed from the waist up! This made me reflect on live musical performances on TV today, and how different they are! Between provocative dances, inappropriate outfits, and suggestive lyrics, a lot of performers today use their sex appeal to sell their music. This can be seen both in their lyrics, and their overall persona that is commonly displayed on talk shows today!
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