Elvis Has Left the Building

By Gordon Hopkins There is perhaps no individual name more associated with the lights and glitz and general debauchery of Las Vegas than Elvis Aaron Presley. While gambling pays most of the bills in Sin City, getting people to show up to throw away their money is the job of performers; the comedians, the dancers and, especially, the singers. Among those performers, no one was or is more successful at convincing the rubes that losing money is actually a good time than Elvis. Even 45 years after his death, Elvis remains the undisputed “King.”Elvis is literally an indispensable part of Las Vegas’ business plan. That is what makes this week’s news so shocking.After gambling and drinking, one of the big activities in Vegas is getting hitched. Throughout the town are those Elvis-themed wedding chapels where you can get married by an Elvis impersonator. My sister married her second (or possibly third, one of the middle ones, anyway) husband in Vegas by a Russian Elvis impersonator.Well, it looks like those days are coming to an end.The company that licenses the image of Elvis announced that those chapels are no longer allowed to use Elvis impersonators as part of their ceremonies. That company, called Authentic Brands Group, has been sending out cease-and-desist letters to those chapels that make the King a part of their business plan.Those Elvis chapels are everywhere in Vegas and, if allowed to stand, this decision will quite likely devastate the wedding business in that town, not to mention put a whole lot of folks out of work.I say “allowed to stand” as if there is something that can be done about it, but there really isn’t. The company is well within its rights. The ownership of the image of Elvis is not in question and, yes, those people are making money off the King’s image without paying the piper. Still, the Elvis impersonator has been a part of Vegas almost as long as slot machines, neon lights and spending a night in the drunk tank. One can’t help but wonder why this is happening now? Did someone in accounting at Elvis Inc. think that forcing a bunch of Mom-and-Pop wedding chapels to pay a licensing fee would be a new cash cow? Because I’m pretty sure that isn’t going to work. I doubt these places have a high enough profit margin to cover something like that. More likely, those businesses will simply die.Another tragedy (apart from all those out-of-work Elvis impersonators) is the cultural aspect. Yes, Vegas has a culture of sorts. It is loud and garish and brightly-colored but it is a culture, nonetheless. Elvis is so ingrained into the psyche of Vegas that it would be like Nebraska losing Runza.(Oooooh. I just had a brilliant idea. The CEO of Runza needs to call me. The Elvis Runza: peanut butter and banana!)When I first arrived in Las Vegas, as I rode in a car from the airport, I couldn’t help but noticed all the billboards lining the highway. Every 50 feet, it seemed there was another one. And do you know what those billboards were advertising? Attorneys. Every dang one.Elvis impersonators are ubiquitous in Vegas. Alas, so are lawyers. Perhaps that is the real problem with Las Vegas.

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