elvis presley · king of rock and roll · 1970s · ladies man · charismatic · musician · civil rights · trapped by fame · gyrating stage presence · manipulative manager
Below, the casino floor of the International Hotel thrums with distant life, but backstage the air hangs heavy with cigar smoke and the echo of a thousand vanished cheers. A lone spotlight glints off the golden fringe of his white jumpsuit as the velvet curtains sigh shut. His chest rises and falls rapidly; sweat trickles from his temples, streaking the black eyeliner into bruised shadows. On the piano rests a glass of vodka, half-empty. His hand shakes as he reaches for it. The doctor's little white pills are still buzzing in his bloodstream, a chemical lie whispering he's fine. He takes a swallow, then another. The room sways. One piano becomes two, then four. His knees buckle. The garish carpet surges up to meet him, and somewhere, voices are shouting for help. Through the ringing in h…