Billy

I wonder ha ha hahahaha
You know someone said ... the world's a stage
And each must play a part
Hahahahahahahaha

This would've been my first season at Vegas - I was the new boy, taking over from ... ah, I forget now. It's a lot of years ago, a lot of years. Not only was I the new kid, I was the baby of the band as well.

Tell the truth, when I took the gig, I thought Elvis was a bit corny. I loved rock 'n' roll, and I could sure play rock 'n' roll - but man, after you'd heard The Beatles, well... anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah. Well, 'cause I was the youngest, all the rest of 'em would poke fun if they could. Like how? Well, a couple of them took me aside and told me I had to call Elvis "Mr Presley, Sir" if I ever spoke to him.

Shit! The way he laughed when I first called him that... I didn't really mind, it was good-natured enough, really. The kinda stuff that guys in bands always do: it don't pay to take offence.

But when you got on stage with Elvis, there was nothing corny about him at all, no sir. He was like a live wire, and unpredictable with it. One time, I thought the other guys were making a joke when they mentioned a bunch of songs that weren't in the set list - said I oughtta learn 'em in case he wanted to shake things up a little.

Man, that was no joke. I found out when he shouts out "Blueberry Hill" one night. Well, I completely froze. So I choose a key and start vamping, some honky-tonk blues kinda thing. But Elvis decided he don't like it, and sits down next to me, playing the intro note perfect. See, a lot of folks don't give him credit for the music that was in him.

But impulsive - oh yeah, he was that alright. And of course, what he was taking didn't exactly help...



Story begins here