MJ vs Elvis Who will be remember as the biggest icon?

[VietCowboy]

As to whose memory could elevate their legacy in people's eyes, I think it'll be a matter of generational perception.

and that is what I've been trying to say.

 

[Hostile]

Let's see...I was 4 in 1990, Heal the World came out the following year. Then, my dad started playing it and loving MJ. Through living in Arkansas, we realized Elvis existed, and know some things about him, but not much. My dad can tell you Elvis was famous. Is that good enough?

Meanwhile, I saw this little gem, rehabilitation in the Philippines. Click on it for others...

As usual when pressed you do not answer the question. Habit of yours.

We're in the video age. The fact that there are videos is irrelevant to the topic.

Now, care to actually answer my question? Or are you going to try and deflect attention away again and basically wave a white flag.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Elvis' career spanned more than Michael's, and he was performing up and until his death

Michael hasn't been relevant in 10+ years

Im pretty sure Michael came on the scene at age 11 and was selling out concerts in 2009.

Honestly, I don't think people grasp just how big this dude was outside the United States.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

I was suprised to find out that the House of Represenatives actually paused for a moment of silence for the King of Pop.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Im pretty sure Michael came on the scene at age 11 and was selling out concerts in 2009.

Honestly, I don't think people grasp just how big this dude was outside the United States.

:bang2:

I was suprised to find out that the House of Represenatives actually paused for a moment of silence for the King of Pop.

:bang2:

 

[VietCowboy]

Okay, somehow things have gotten misunderstood, so let's just break it down step by step.

Even my dad, a 50+ year old Vietnamese immigrant knows and loves MJ (would play heal the world on his guitar when I was growing up), and vaguely knows Elvis.

Your Dad never heard of Elvis?

I didn't say my dad didn't know elvis, I said he knew him vaguely, but loves MJ.

Your dad didn't know much about Elvis?

why would he? We didn't come to the US until 1990, years after Elvis died. He may know of elvis, but it's not like he grew up listening to Elvis in Vietnam.

Here is where I think things may have been misunderstood, since it might be construed as him knowing of Elvis before in Vietnam. The answer is NO. My dad only played Vietnamese folk songs and popular songs while in Vietnam. Little English. However, I wrote the bold because he does know of Elvis...Now....

My dad knows of Elvis because he is now living in the US.

You just said your Dad hadn't heard of Elvis. Now, only because he is living in the United States after Elvis' death?

Make up your mind. Had he heard of Elvis before coming to America or not? If you say he had not I am going to doubt that very much.

Let's see...I was 4 in 1990, Heal the World came out the following year. Then, my dad started playing it and loving MJ. Through living in Arkansas, we realized Elvis existed, and know some things about him, but not much. My dad can tell you Elvis was famous. Is that good enough?

I'm not sure how much clearer I have to get. My dad did not know English until we lived in the Phillippines, and learned English. Then we came to the US and lived in Arkansas. That is when he started learning American culture. He fell in love with Heal the World and would play it constantly on the guitar when I was growing up. We still have the sheet music.

Also, I will say, we did not have cable until I was in high school. ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS until 2001. So, no MTV for my dad. The radio influenced our music.

As usual when pressed you do not answer the question. Habit of yours.

I have no idea if I answered your question, but I tried. hope that helps.

 

[bbgun]

Elvis' career spanned more than Michael's, and he was performing up and until his death

Michael hasn't been relevant in 10+ years

MJ had been performing since the age of four, so "technically" he was an entertainer longer than Presley was. The difference is that Elvis had a couple of hits in the last few years of his life, whereas MJ hasn't been relevant for the last decade or so.

 

[Hostile]

Im pretty sure Michael came on the scene at age 11 and was selling out concerts in 2009.

Honestly, I don't think people grasp just how big this dude was outside the United States.

I grasp it.

Can you grasp how big Elvis was without MTV, cable, CDs, and the Internet?

Here let me help you. My apaologies as this is from wikipedia and I know it is not a great source. It is fast and convenient though.

*****

In 1973, Presley staged the first global live concert via satellite (Aloha from Hawaii), reaching at least one billion viewers live and an additional 500 million on delay.[11]

What was the world population in 1973?

*****

Presley had a versatile voice[8] and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, country, ballads and pop. To date, he has been inducted into four music halls of fame.

*****

Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and recordings sales.[12] He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of music.

*****

Presley made his second appearance on The Milton Berle Show (June 5). Whilst delivering an uptempo version of "Hound Dog" (without his guitar), he then stopped, and immediately after began performing a slower version.[85] Presley's "gyrations" during this televised version of "Hound Dog" created a storm of controversy—even eclipsing the "communist threat" headlines prevalent at the time.[6]

*****

Presley's first Ed Sullivan appearance (September 9, 1956) was seen by some 55–60 million viewers.

Think about that for one minute. 1956. How many households had TV in 1956?

*****

To many white adults, the singer was "the first rock symbol of teenage rebellion. ... they did not like him, and condemned him as depraved. Anti-Negro prejudice doubtless figured in adult antagonism. Regardless of whether parents were aware of the Negro sexual origins of the phrase 'rock 'n' roll', Presley impressed them as the visual and aural embodiment of sex."[109] In 1956, a critic for the New York Daily News wrote that popular music "has reached its lowest depths in the 'grunt and groin' antics of one Elvis Presley" and the Jesuits denounced him in their weekly magazine, America.[110] Even Frank Sinatra opined: "His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac. It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people."[111]

 

[Hostile]

MJ had been performing since the age of four, so "technically" he was an entertainer longer than Presley was. The difference is that Elvis had a couple of hits in the last few years of his life, whereas MJ hasn't been relevant for the last decade or so.

Elvis started at 18 and died at 42.

Even if you put MJ at 11, he died at 50.

24 years is shorter than 39 years by 15 years.

 

[Hostile]

Here is where I think things may have been misunderstood, since it might be construed as him knowing of Elvis before in Vietnam. The answer is NO. My dad only played Vietnamese folk songs and popular songs while in Vietnam. Little English. However, I wrote the bold because he does know of Elvis...Now....

I'm not sure how much clearer I have to get. My dad did not know English until we lived in the Phillippines, and learned English. Then we came to the US and lived in Arkansas. That is when he started learning American culture. He fell in love with Heal the World and would play it constantly on the guitar when I was growing up. We still have the sheet music.

Also, I will say, we did not have cable until I was in high school. ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS until 2001. So, no MTV for my dad. The radio influenced our music.

I have no idea if I answered your question, but I tried. hope that helps.

I highly doubt the comment above in bold is true. I don't say that to offend you. The idea that your Dad had never heard of Elvis until you moved to the US and he learned some English is beyond believable to me. However, I am going to take you at your word here and drop it. I have no idea why, but I am going to.

 

[bbgun]

I'm not sure how popular Elvis is in the non-English speaking world. To "get" Elvis, it helps if you can understand the words coming out of his mouth, especially the gospel hymns. It seems to me that MJ was able to seduce disparate audiences thanks primarily to his dancing and the catchy background instrumentals.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Edit: I don't grasp how I can call someone intelligent and still be condescending but oh well. I apologize to VC if she feels I was anything other than sarcastic.

I have to chime in here. I have more than once witnessed you being condescending to someone on here. Yes, you have done it to me too. But its a message board so no biggie.

But the fact that you bolded it and are trying to make us believe you are genuinely asking "how" is silly.

2 "sweeties" with a "you are so smart how can you say something so dumb"(paraphrase) chaser caps it off

 

[bbgun]

Elvis started at 18 and died at 42.

Even if you put MJ at 11, he died at 50.

24 years is shorter than 39 years by 15 years.

You, sir, are a math whiz. Bob, take notes.

 

[VietCowboy]

I highly doubt the comment above in bold is true. I don't say that to offend you. The idea that your Dad had never heard of Elvis until you moved to the US and he learned some English is beyond believable to me. However, I am going to take you at your word here and drop it. I have no idea why, but I am going to.

well, I just asked and will say my mom knew of him when she was in Vietnam b/c she lived in Saigon.

She said she knew of Elvis Presley, and that he died and was a singer. That was the extent of it.

My dad says no, he didn't.

 

[zrinkill]

I think Mike Jackson to anyone under the age of 40 and Elvis to anyone older than 40.

To put it in perspective ...... my almost 16 year old son confuses Jackson and Prince ..... and he confuses Elvis with Johnny Cash.

 

[Hostile]

well, I just asked and will say my mom knew of him when she was in Vietnam b/c she lived in Saigon.

She said she knew of Elvis Presley, and that he died and was a singer. That was the extent of it.

My dad says no, he didn't.

Look at the post above where 1 billion people watched his concert in 1973 and another 1/2 billion watched it on delay. That isn't all English speaking people in 1973. I guarantee you that.

I am sorry that I doubt the validity of this. I just do. I find it next to impossible. As I said however, I take you at your word. Your Dad is one of a few hundred people ever who had never heard of Elvis until arriving in America.

 

[Hostile]

I have to chime in here. I have more than once witnessed you being condescending to someone on here. Yes, you have done it to me too. But its a message board so no biggie.

But the fact that you bolded it and are trying to make us believe you are genuinely asking "how" is silly.

2 "sweeties" with a "you are so smart how can you say something so dumb"(paraphrase) chaser caps it off

I did not deny that. I said I wasn't trying to be condescending to HER. To me sweety is not an insult.

Either you will get over it or you won't.

 

[VietCowboy]

I will remind you in 1973 we were in a war in Vietnam, and half the country was not exactly happy with the US.

 

[VietCowboy]

I did not deny that. I said I wasn't trying to be condescending to HER. To me sweety is not an insult.

Either you will get over it or you won't.

Sweetie isn't an insult, but there are often times we seem to miss each other in posts because a lot of times, I cannot truly grasp what you are conveying. I'd rather you refer to me as "sweety" than "lady." I've only been referred to as "lady" by little kids, so it was just really weird coming from you, but I just put it down as colloquialism.

 

[WoodysGirl]

I think Mike Jackson to anyone under the age of 40 and Elvis to anyone older than 40.

To put it in perspective ...... my almost 16 year old son confuses Jackson and Prince ..... and he confuses Elvis with Johnny Cash.

To put it in simpler terms..

Re: the Prince and Jackson thing, I remember debating with my friends who was better of the two. It would've been a good battle had Prince not became "The Symbol" and Mike, weird.