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R.E.M.: IT’S NOT LIKE YEARS AGO
- University of Arkansas Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
When Bill Haney got away from the piano and stood by himself in the spotlight, the effect was complete. The jumpsuits, the belts, the spangles, the shades, the redscarves,andthenote-perfectsongarrangementsmadeBillHaney’sactmuch more than a clever illusion—they made it reality. The crowds had always been good, but they soon became unbelievable: standing room only every night, reservations weeks in advance, long queues. Haney was pulling down thousands of dollars a week and word got out that seeing Bill Haney perform was as good as seeing Elvis himself, maybe even better. Haney,afterall,wouldnodtowardyourtableanddedicateaspecialrequest,save ascarfjustforyou,speaktoyousweetlyduringabreak,maybeevengiveyouahug and a kiss and thank you from the bottom of his heart for coming out to see him. Elvis fans weren’t the only ones curious about this guy who looked and sang just like Elvis. Bill Burk, a columnist and music writer for the Memphis PressScimitar whohadcoveredtheElvisbeatforanumberofyearsandisnowtheeditor and publisher of Elvis World magazine, heard about Haney’s unusual act and wenttotheLeveeLoungetocheckouttherumors.Likesomanyothers,Burkwas astoundedbywhathewitnessed:“ThecrowdresponsetoHaneywasunreal.The girls would scream and crowd the stage and grab for the scarves. “Bill’stimingcouldnothavebeenbetterforwhathewasdoing.Elvishadbeen away from the public spotlight for a long time and when he made his comeback in1968—itignitedthewholeElvisthingalloveragain.Plus,Haneywasgood.I’ve seen literally hundreds of Elvis impersonators over the years and only a handful have been worth a durn. Haney was about the best I ever heard.” TouristswhocametoMemphistoseeGracelandandmaybecatchaglimpse ofElvisfoundoutaboutBillHaneyandwenthometellingtheirfriendsaboutthis amazing guy who imitated Elvis. Fan clubs began to form including a hard-core groupoflocalswhodubbedthemselvesHaney’sHoneysandworespecialT-shirts toallhisperformances.ArivalgroupcalledHaney’sHeiniesbandedtogetherand they engaged in a friendly, but earnest, competition with the Honeys. TheElvisPresleyfanclubsalsoheardabouttheElviswannabeandwerenone too pleased about some copycat who thought he wanted to be the King. Before one of his shows at the Levee Lounge, Haney was approached by a middle-aged womanwhoinformedhimshewasthepresidentofoneofElvis’slargestfanclubs. “I just want to know who the hell you think you are?” “Just Bill Haney, ma’am,” he answered. “I want you to know one thing,” she went on. “There is only one Elvis and thereain’tnevergoingtobeanother.Whoareyou?Youdon’tlooklikehim,there ain’t nobody who sounds like him—” “Ihopeyou’renotoffended,lady,”Haneypolitelyinterrupted.“I’mjustdoing a show based off his. That’s all.” 276 THE OXFORD AMERICAN 1SMIRNOFF_pages.qxd 8/27/08 10:43 AM Page 276 Aftertheshow,theclubpresidentapproachedhimagain,thistimewithtears in her eyes. “I want you to know something. I really enjoyed that. You are for real and I’m a Bill Haney fan now. Believe me.” The hubbub over Bill Haney didn’t escape the attention of the Memphis morning DJ Rick Dees, who is now one of the nation’s best-known radio personalities .Deeshasbeenpokinggood-naturedfunatElvisforanumberofyearswith a series of hilarious imitations, including one about Elvis eating too many jelly doughnuts. Dees called Haney on the air to rib him about taking over Elvis’s job and concocted an imaginary rivalry between the two, claiming Haney wanted to change the name of Elvis Presley Boulevard to Bill Haney Avenue. Dees staged a sing-outontheshowbetweenHaneyandElvis,anddidbothvoiceshimself.The publicitybroughtevenbiggercrowdswillingtopaymoremoneytogetin,includingseveralofthesecretarieswhoworkedatGraceland ,andpracticallyallofElvis’s Memphis Mafia. Thecommotiondidn’tgounnoticedatGraceland.EverytimeoneofElvis’ssongs wouldcomeontheradiooutatGraceland,oneoftheMemphisMafiawouldquip, “Hey man, there’s that cat who sounds just like Bill Haney.” And they would all laugh. One weeknight after Haney’s show, the Levee Lounge manager came up to him and asked, “Do you know who was here just a while ago?” Haney shook his head no. “Elvis.” “I looked at that manager and says, ‘Man, you’re kidding me.’ “He says, ‘Naw, man.’ “And I says, ‘Holy shit.’ “And the manager says, ‘Charlie Hodge is still here and he wants to talk to you. Elvis was sittin’ right back there in that booth. I went back and let them in through the kitchen ’cause they called before they came and told me what they wanted.Theydidn’twantanyattention,theywantedlightsout,andtheywanted back in a dark corner somewhere.’ “And that’s what they did. They turned the lights out back in the booth— several booths, actually—and he came in with a cowboy hat on, sat in the back with the lights all out. Nobody even knew he was there and there was people all aroundhim.It’sprobablyagoodthingIdidn’tknowabouthimbeingthere.Iprobably would’ve got all tongue-tied on the stage. “Well,themanagerbringsCharlieHodgearoundandCharliesays,‘Heyman, where you want me to pick you up?’ “I says, ‘What you mean?’ “And he says, ‘You do want to meet Elvis, don’t you?’ BOOK OF GREAT MUSIC WRITING 277 1SMIRNOFF_pages.qxd 8/27/08 10:43 AM Page 277 [54.152.43.79] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 13:42 GMT) “I says, ‘Oh, hell yeah.’ “And...