elvis vs. my dad

Today, January 8th, is the birthday of two very cool guys - Elvis Presley and Stephen Gross (aka - my dad) To commemorate the day, I did a little research on the life of Elvis and the similarities that I found between these two men were eerie. Here's a list of few things that I discovered:

Elvis: "A white southerner whose singing laced blues with country and country tinged with gospel, Presley brought together music from both sides of the color line."

My Dad: A white mid-westerner who enjoys blues and country music, as well as Van Morrison and Cat Stevens, and they sing about God so that's sort-a gospel- right?


Elvis: "Presley was repeatedly dismissed as vulgar, incompetent and a bad influence."

My Dad - sometimes tells dirty jokes and was considered to be a hell-raiser as a kid. (If you visit my dad's childhood home, you can still see a hole in his bedroom door where he tried to punch his sister as a teenager.)


Elvis: "Presley was born January 8, 1935, in East Tupelo, Mississippi."

My Dad - was also born on January 8. He's from Columbus, Ohio, which isn't Mississippi exactly, but is practically the south.


Elvis: "In 1951, he receives his first driver's license, joins the ROTC unit at Humes High, tries out for the football team (he's cut by the coach when he won't trim his sideburns and ducktail), and in his spare time hangs around the black section of town, especially on Beale Street. "

My Dad - was born in 1951, he also has a driver's license, he also went to high school and he also played football. (The similarities are getting creepy, huh?) When my dad was younger he used to dress up in bright suits favored by the African American community and be one of the lone Caucasians rocking out at Temptations concerts.



Elvis: "In December of 1957 he received his draft notice, but was given a 30 day deferment to complete the filming of King Creole. On March 24, 1958 Presley entered the Army. In January 1960 he was promoted to sergeant and was discharged that March."

My Dad - was drafted for Vietnam and joined the National Guard, where he spent a lot of time playing cards. I think they wanted to promote him to sergeant, but he liked to goof-off a bit, so I don't believe that ever happened.


Elvis: "On May 1, 1967 Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas; on February 1, 1968 their only child Lisa Marie was born."

My Dad - married Sue DeVillers in Columbus, Ohio in 1972. Unlike Elvis, my parents had two children, but only one daughter, Margaret Anne (me), who, like Lisa Marie, isn't much of a Michael Jackson fan anymore and likes to rock out from time to time.


Elvis: Visited President Nixon in 1970 and gave him a gun as a gift.

My Dad - is a Republican who bought a gun once when he was working in a grocery store in a sketchy neighborhood.


Elvis: Presley is considered to be the "king of rock-and-roll" and is still worshiped and adored by thousands.

My Dad - is considered to be the king of 7710 Claymore Ct. East and is currently being worshiped and adored by a dog named Bruno.


Elvis: Despite a drug addiction, gaining weight and unfortunate leisure suites in his later years, Presley is more popular than ever and "is subject of one of the biggest personality cults in modern history."

My Dad - Enjoys a good scotch, isn't as thin as he used to be, and has been known to own an unfortunate leisure suit or two. Like Elvis, he is a very popular guy, and if you were to meet him, I'm sure you'd like him too.


Much like Elvis, my dad tends to drive the ladies crazy!


Happy Birthday, Dad!