#Sun//Together

[tearyeye-private-i]

Jerry Lee Lewis, c. July 1959. From JLL.org

Elvis Presley, Knickerbocker Hotel, Hollywood, August 18, 1956. From ElvisPresleyMusic.com.

[ 12 Days of Christmas 💕 5/12 ]

At the start of my research, I found all sorts of stories, I wasn’t sure were even true. Like, Elvis and Jerry Lee riding around on motorcycles, with no clothes on the streets of Memphis, in the middle of the night? No way – but as time passed, the story got brought up to him three times (from what I know). He had a consistent reaction, that has led me to believe it happened.

Though, the stories are subjective, so you can draw your own conclusion!

The first reference of the story:

“In a crowded basement meeting room at the posh Omni-Memphis Hotel, 20-some journalists are attempting, with difficulty, to grill the subject of the forthcoming film “Great Balls of Fire”

The discussion, which never quite seems to interconnect, has degenerated to a foreign-sounding report’s question about whether the film’s subject, Jerry Lee Lewis – rock music’s archetypal bad boy – ever motorbiked naked with Elvis Presley, his fellow Memphian an ultra-rival.

“Motorbike?” Lewis says, archly, dismissively.

“Nekkid? Me and Elvis Presley?” His eyes suddenly narrow, “how’d you know that?”

“It’s in Joe Smith’s book,” says a reporter.

“You can’t believe nothin’…” Lewis mutters, his voice trailing off. “Well, that was 3 o’clock in the morning,” he suddenly adds, prompting explosive laughter from the journalists. “It really was,” he goes on with a grain.

“There was nobody out then—except this one policeman on a horse, and he was doing his dead-level best to catch us. Now, that was a sight. If anybody woulda saw that, we never woulda sold no more records. That woulda been the end of that.” Pause, his eyes narrowing again. “How’d you know that?”

“It’s in Joe Smith’s book,” the reporter repeats.

“Who’s Joe Smith?”

“The head of Capitol Records. Used to be head of Elektra Records.”

“Well, that’s ridiculous. That’s not right. Do you believe that?”

“You just told us it happened at 3 o’clock in the morning,” the reported notes.

“I can’t believe people will believe anything you say.”

“Well, is it true?” Another reporter asks.

“Yes. It’s true.”

Welcome, folks to talking with the Killer, a 54-year-old rock king dethroned before his time – in fact, before his prime – by the 1958 disclosure of a mad marriage to his 13-year-old second cousin.

The scandal caused Lewis, a Bible college dropout, to fall from rock ‘n’ roll grace into comparative oblivion – made all the more bruising by the fact that he was arguably the most intense performer, and most brilliant self-taught pianist, to ever rattle music stages around the world.”

From “THE KILLER BLOWS SMOKE FOR ‘FIRE’” by Jack Hurst and Country music. Chicago Tribune, June 24, 1989.

The second reference is from the book the reporter mentioned, actually, it’s called “Buddy Holly: Biography” by Ellis Amburn. In it, Ellis wrote that record executive Joe Smith and Jerry Lee spoke on the plane, during Buddy Holly, along with Paul Anka’s tour to Australia. They’d been drinking when Jerry Lee “confessed,” which is the word Ellis used. That yes, indeed, he and Elvis went on a naked motorcycle ride at 2:30 AM in Memphis, in a young Jerry Lee’s own words; “only for thirty-five or forty seconds, ‘round the corner and back.”

The third reference was from “Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story” by Rick Bragg. When asked the same question, instead of brushing it off or saying it wasn’t true. Jerry Lee laughed and said he can’t say anything about that because “Elvis isn’t here to defend himself.”

So, while Jerry Lee was right that you can’t believe everything anyone says, that doesn’t mean there aren’t patterns. Maybe, he thought it was funny to lie. Maybe, it happened and so what? It’s just two bros cruising down the street at night, naked on motorbikes, 5 feet apart – ‘cause they’re not gay. 😋

Other important lessons are if you do happen to go motorbiking naked with your supposed arch nemesis, don’t get caught, and don’t tell anyone about it!

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

getting older can be so amazing? you get more familiar with yourself. learn tips & tricks for troubleshooting your own brain. trial & error helps you build routines that minimize discomfort, maximize reward. your preferences/interests don't get set in stone, but you do find out which ones are going to stay with you in the long-term, and which ones are fun but transient joys to appreciate in the moment.

you learn that the world is so much more complex than you were taught, and that that's okay, and that there's an endless supply of things you can learn or watch or experience or think about if you want to. if you're lucky, you loosen up, stop putting so much pressure on yourself. if you're lucky, you learn to recognize that negative inner voice, and whack it with a baseball bat until it hushes up. if you're lucky, you learn to treat yourself gently, not because you are fragile but because you are worthy of gentleness. (i hope you are lucky.)

and some things will change. some things will get better. some things will get good. and maybe you start to recover from the dehumanizing stress of childhood/education. maybe you learn the power of your own autonomy. maybe you learn how to walk away from bad situations (which is a superpower even if you don't realize it yet). and you get to choose your own clothes. and your own food. and which relationships to pursue! and what you do with your free time. and with your life (but don't worry you get to choose that gradually). and that's crazy! and sometimes scary. and extraordinarily, indescribably precious.

[classy-thief]

🌻 my piece for @turtlestogetherzine !!

I'm still super proud of this even after a year later, so I'm excited to finally share the full piece!! it was fun getting to work alongside talented artists and seeing everyone's WIPs!

in case you missed out, the digital bundle is still available until the end of today, June 30th!

[hinamie]

u should think of tiny megu. To keep the stress at bay. You should draw him actually. Ooooo you wanna draw tiny megu getting the love he deserves so bad /j

he's with his 2 best friends

[brucie-baby]

anyways i think that gotham's lack of sunlight combined with clark 'the sun makes me magic' kent has incredible unrequited/pining superbat potential. like, clark going to gotham as often as he can to see the man he's in love with only to find himself feeling physically drained after each visit. do you see the vision.

[mayhemspreadingguy]

"The lightsaber is a Jedi's life"

[milky-shea]

"We were gonna make some plush dolls together.

I was thinking about doing a bunny and he was thinking bout doing a snake cause it was easier.

And we were gonna have them be friends."

[ash-and-starlight]

one day, in a thousand years

[spikeplate]

a doodle i actually ended up coloring (whoa)

100000000% inspired by @spadillelicious’s recent ldr art & obviously ldr in general, also have i mentioned i love ldr guys i lov

[tearyeye-private-i]

John & Carl 💕

12 Days of Christmas (9/12)

There are too many stories of them to choose from, also I'm tired. They were so close, sometimes too close. But they loved each other, and it was clear every time they got together.

[wu-does-art]

misc solangelo pen doodles

[maplesleep]

I am once again banging on the doors to Lego Inc.

[shepscapades]

However smug Scott may be for bribing tumblr with flower husbands crumbs, we all know who the real winners today were <3

[thatone-highlighter]

I love you albums. I love you songs connected by similar themes. I love you listening to songs in a specific order picked by the artist. I love you reoccurring motifs throughout the same album. I love you album covers. I love you albums with extended editions. I love you songs that reference each other.

[paper-lilypie]

pov gregory

[raepliica]

photosynthesizing🔆