There have been many encounters between famous musicians that no one could have recorded; maddeningly, there is one encounter which could have been easily recorded, but no one bothered. In 1965, the Beatles toured America for the second time and visited Elvis at his Bel Air house. There had been some half-hearted attempts in the press to present the two acts as rivals – America versus Britain and so forth – but in fact the Beatles thought Elvis was magnificent, and Elvis, publicly at least, expressed his admiration. Indeed, in 1964, before their electrifying appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, Sullivan read out – to about 70 million viewers – a telegram from Elvis praising the Beatles.
The Beatles had tried to meet Elvis in 1964 but never quite managed it. Elvis’ manager, Colonel Parker, who probably felt they should know their place, apparently sent them a few Elvis souvenirs, and that was it. It is possible Parker felt they were not quite worthy. This was possibly Elvis’s view also. Priscilla Presley – perhaps the best witness to an occasion which is remembered differently by different observers – says in Elvis by the Presleys (2005) that when John, Paul, George and Ringo walked into the room, Elvis remained reclining on the sofa watching the TV – with the sound off. Elvis ‘rarely got up’, says Priscilla. The Beatles maintained a respectful silence, expecting the ‘king’ to get the ball rolling. Half an hour into this subdued atmosphere, Elvis put a record on – possibly Charlie Rich – and played along, with a bass guitar (he had been teaching himself bass, McCartney was surprised to learn). A few more guitars appeared and the Beatles began jamming with Elvis. There was, says Priscilla, more music than talk. The Beatles were shy, and Elvis was not disposed to talk much. But the music was ‘sweet’, she adds. Sadly, no one recorded anything, no one took any pictures. At the end, the Beatles invited Elvis to visit them at their leased house – Elvis smiled and said ‘We’ll see’, but, adds Priscilla, ‘I knew he had no intention of returning the visit. Elvis rarely went out in Hollywood’.
What Happened Next
Just five years later, in December 1970, Elvis descended upon the White House in a purple jump suit to meet (without an appointment) President Nixon, and being the king, was granted an audience. Presley’s body was getting bigger, but his career was dwindling towards the freak-show act he would shortly become. Elvis gave a startled Nixon a gift – a pistol – and launched into a tirade about how British entertainers, particularly the Beatles, were anti-American and spreading drug culture. Elvis asked the president for a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge, and was later sent an honorary one which is now on display at Graceland. Elvis seems to have thought the badge meant he had legal powers. He died in 1977, his health ruined by junk food and substance abuse.