Thread by @latimes

Baz Luhrmann's splashy #Elvis biopic attempts to make the King relevant to a new generation. But 50 years after Presley's last hit, is it simply too late? latimes.com/entertainment-…

“No one I know under 30 cares or knows much about Elvis,” says Pitchfork editor in chief Puja Patel. “The classic version of rock ’n’ roll just doesn’t exist the way it once did, and that’s in large part because younger audiences are less interested in it” latimes.com/entertainment-…

Enter the biopic.

“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Rocketman,” “Respect” and “Pistol” all bring music and artists to a new generation. But is Elvis too old — not to mention too white and too male — for resurrection in 2022? latimes.com/entertainment-…

“Oldies radio stations pushed away from the 1950s close to 20 years ago,” notes radio trend observer Sean Ross who adds that “oldies” is an antiquated term. “At this point, classic hits stations have been living without Elvis since at least the mid-’10s.” latimes.com/entertainment-…

The “Elvis” movie is an audacious attempt to reframe Presley. Not designed with historical accuracy in mind, it presents an idea of Elvis to emphasize how he shook up society by ignoring racial boundaries and sexual conventions. latimes.com/entertainment-…

Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises which is the company responsible for Graceland, is counting on the film to bring in new, younger audiences unfamiliar with Presley’s legacy. latimes.com/entertainment-…

Chris Isaak has seen how Presley’s peers are being forgotten: “I was talking to a young girl, and she’s a successful singer, so she knows music. I said, ‘Are you putting harmonies like the Everly Brothers on this?’ And there was a blank look in her eye.” latimes.com/entertainment-…

Maybe it’s inevitable that Elvis would fade as rock ’n’ roll recedes into history books. Elvis left the building a long time ago.

In three years, Graceland will have been open to the public longer than Presley was alive. latimes.com/entertainment-…