WI: Elvis Survives, where does he go next?

[Emperor Max]

What direction would his music go in?
How long could he live, would he be able to live to today? I personally doubt he could live past 1995, with his hereditary heart condition (even if he cleans up his lifestyle)

 

[Colonel Zoidberg]

He’d probably tool around in Vegas for a while and do a tour or two, but I see him mostly living off his old songs and not producing a whole lot of new material.

Incidentally, it’s rumored that the thing that actually killed him was chronic constipation, which could have been remedied with surgery (which may or may not have required a colostomy, although I suppose that could have been a temporary measure.) I think he was on some kind of medication that caused the constipation, so finding a way to get him off that would be paramount.

 

[FDRFan1943]

Collaborates with Micheal Jackson on an album in the 80s?

 

[marathag]

I think he was on some kind of medication that caused the constipation, so finding a way to get him off that would be paramount.

He was using a lot of prescribed Codeine and Morphine, and yes, that will plug you up.
He had chronic back pain, and that's rough to treat.

So somehow he avoids that end, and has better health. He'd be part of the Highwaymen, IMO, that might form sooner

 

[Colonel Zoidberg]

He was using a lot of prescribed Codeine and Morphine, and yes, that will plug you up.
He had chronic back pain, and that's rough to treat.

So somehow he avoids that end, and has better health. He'd be part of the Highwaymen, IMO, that might form sooner

As someone who suffers from back pain myself, I know firsthand what a bitch it can be. I can imagine why he would go with some heavy-duty shit to treat it, but it sounds like a better, less severe treatment plan from the beginning might have been the way to go.

Of course, in the end, he could have had that surgery but didn’t want people to think of him in the same breath as colon surgery, so he basically died of embarrassment.

 

[Aisha Clan-Clan]

He was in the CIA until his OTL death in 1997. Are you assuming he decides not to go underground in the ATL?

 

[ordinarylittleme]

How long does he live ITTL?

 

[dw93]

I don't see him releasing much, if any, new music beyond the 1970s. What he does beyond the 70s, he likely becomes a fixture in Vegas and maybe does another show in Hawaii. I can also see him doing Farm Aid and maybe even "We Are the World."

How long does he live ITTL?

I can't see him living beyond the late 90s or early 2000s with his diet.

 

[The History Man]

Collaboration with Bruce Springsteen was a possibility. I understand that the Boss wrote "Fire" with a view to Elvis recording it.

 

[Emperor Max]

I’ve always seen him doing Islands in the Stream with Dolly Parton instead of Kenny Rogers
Also always wondered whether Elvis would embrace new wave, that would be interesting to see

 

[Simreeve]

Maybe he might have been one of the Traveling Wilburys...

 

[GTStinger]

This topic comes up every few years here.
The most common view is that Elvis’s ATL career roughly follows that of Johnny Cash.
To live a long life, Elvis has to slow down his partying, drinking, and pill popping. The most likely method is a latter life religious turnabout ala Cash. “I’ve sinned as much as a man can sin before he finds the Lord.”

In that scenario, Elvis focuses on his gospel and Christmas music with an occasional collaboration or “Greatest Hits” release. Maybe he hooks up with the Gaithers on tour or joins a Billy Graham crusade or two.

I could also see Elvis hosting his own TV variety show for a few seasons as well, like Sonny and Cher.

 

[mattep74]

Question is what happens financially. Elvis music was on its way out and Priscilla who was in charge of Lisa Maries trust stated that the Elvis estate was almost broke at the time of his death.

 

[Colonel Zoidberg]

This topic comes up every few years here.
The most common view is that Elvis’s ATL career roughly follows that of Johnny Cash.
To live a long life, Elvis has to slow down his partying, drinking, and pill popping. The most likely method is a latter life religious turnabout ala Cash. “I’ve sinned as much as a man can sin before he finds the Lord.”

In that scenario, Elvis focuses on his gospel and Christmas music with an occasional collaboration or “Greatest Hits” release. Maybe he hooks up with the Gaithers on tour or joins a Billy Graham crusade or two.

I could also see Elvis hosting his own TV variety show for a few seasons as well, like Sonny and Cher.

Wouldn’t be a stretch; Elvis was already a devout Christian. Of course, his devoutness didn’t stop his bad habits, so something would have to change for him to stop overeating and popping morphine.

 

[Emperor Max]

Wouldn’t be a stretch; Elvis was already a devout Christian. Of course, his devoutness didn’t stop his bad habits, so something would have to change for him to stop overeating and popping morphine.

Maybe he just decides to stop himself and improve his diet and stops doing drugs without divine intervention.

 

[Count of Crisco]

I see two basic scenarios. Firstly he may try to keep his music career going, to what extent I dont know. But he may try an album or two, some singles, maybe the occasional collab. Whether he remains relevant or not is another matter, I dont see him returning to the status he once enjoyed, but he could stay a household name until he dies. Of course that depending on his health.

Secondly he may abandon music in the mainstream and turn towards something else. Maybe he tries a tv show, or hooks up with a religious personality on a television platform. Say a tv preacher gets him to sign on and uses him to draw the crowds. The preacher gives a sermon, then takes a break to setup for a bible based drama while Elvis sings some songs. Maybe the preacher and Elvis go in business together but idk. If he went the retired rocker who found god schtick route then he could again take things a whole series of different ways.

Basically he probably wont return to his earlier fame, but from there I dont know where his career would go.

 

[Simreeve]

Maybe he just decides to stop himself and improve his diet and stops doing drugs without divine intervention.

He has a heart attack, survives, and attributes his survival to some people praying for him?

 

[brokenrobot00]

Elvis was already starting to turn to gospel and country near the end of his life. This is a response to his aging fans in a lot of ways. They didn't need a rebel anymore and were comfortably settling into mainstream lives, their tastes were changing and evolving. The people keeping it rockabilly even into middle age and old age tended to stick with Jerry Lee Lewis or gravitate back to him and it was a niche Elvis was finding harder to mine.

I see Elvis turning to ministry and becoming a televangelist at some point. Like most in that field he'll have a huge scandal involving sex, taxes, or drugs cause it's not so different from being a rock star in a lot of ways. He'll relaunch his music career off of this sometime in the mid 80's. The rebel reborn type of thing. He'll find a producer to help him tailor an image borrowing somewhat from punk and the diy bits of new wave. Feuding with Elvis Costello over the name and who was more genuine and finally the two will team up and do a duet of "Allison" released as a hidden track on a new Elvis album. Elvis will start to fade some with the rise of hair and glam metal and then be blown away with the arrival of Nirvana. Youths seeing him as a disingenuous old man they can't really relate too. At this point Elvis probably goes country again as his eighties fan base is going evangelical themselves and is able to resume his ministry again, starting with a big tour that's a cross between a concert and big tent revival.

 

[Emperor Max]

Elvis was already starting to turn to gospel and country near the end of his life. This is a response to his aging fans in a lot of ways. They didn't need a rebel anymore and were comfortably settling into mainstream lives, their tastes were changing and evolving. The people keeping it rockabilly even into middle age and old age tended to stick with Jerry Lee Lewis or gravitate back to him and it was a niche Elvis was finding harder to mine.

I see Elvis turning to ministry and becoming a televangelist at some point. Like most in that field he'll have a huge scandal involving sex, taxes, or drugs cause it's not so different from being a rock star in a lot of ways. He'll relaunch his music career off of this sometime in the mid 80's. The rebel reborn type of thing. He'll find a producer to help him tailor an image borrowing somewhat from punk and the diy bits of new wave. Feuding with Elvis Costello over the name and who was more genuine and finally the two will team up and do a duet of "Allison" released as a hidden track on a new Elvis album. Elvis will start to fade some with the rise of hair and glam metal and then be blown away with the arrival of Nirvana. Youths seeing him as a disingenuous old man they can't really relate too. At this point Elvis probably goes country again as his eighties fan base is going evangelical themselves and is able to resume his ministry again, starting with a big tour that's a cross between a concert and big tent revival.

So basically equivalent of MC Hammer OTL

 

[Peg Leg Pom]

Maybe he just decides to stop himself and improve his diet and stops doing drugs without divine intervention.

He only just survives what killed him and the shock of his near death leads to him changing?