Elvis Presley. He had a manager, at least, confrontational. AP photo
If there was an award to be given to the most successful living American pop singer-songwriter who never doubled his career as a recording artist, the favorite would be – almost unanimously – 89-year-old Mike Stoller, half of one of the most famous songwriting duos. in history of all time, Leiber & Stoller. Even if the memory of Elvis Presley it will be completely erased, as happens with the Beatles in the movie Yesterdaythis couple would still be in the history books and in the collective consciousness …
Just review some of their arguments: Stand by Me, A Broadway, There Goes My Baby, Young Blood, Kansas City, Love Potion # 9, Yakety Yak, Charlie Brown, Soy una mujer, Ruby Baby, That’s all there is and other hits deeply rooted in pop culture from the mid-1950s onwards.
But we remember Elvis, and we remember him more universally than we have since his death in 1977, thanks to the new biopic. Elvisfrom Baz Luhrman. So it’s a perfect chance to catch up with Stoller, who wrote the music for Jerry Leiber’s lyrics for two dozen Presley songsincluding the classics Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock, Trouble, Treat Me Right, Love Me, I Love You, Santa’s Back in Town, Bossa Nova Baby Y (You’re so square) Honey I don’t care.
Tom Hanks, Austin Butler and Baz Luhrmann at the premiere of “Elvis” at the Cannes Film Festival in May. photo EFE
No other writer is so closely related to the King, even though his string of collaborations with Elvis has finally been cut short since … when not !? Because Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker, who had his own reasons for finally removing Leiber and Stoller from Presley’s creative field after 1963, got involved.
Leiber passed away in 2011, but slowly approaching 90, Stoller remains active, still showing up to collect the few accolades he has not yet received, such as the Icon award that BMI bestowed on him at his annual ceremony in May, and also working on a .musical stage he doesn’t want to talk about much at the moment.
Austin Butler personifies the king, in the director’s film “Moulin Rouge!”. Clarin photographic archive
Variety met him in the house he shares in the Hollywood Hills with his wife, fellow musician Corky Hale.
This is Stoller speaking.
The candidate for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in 1987) has told everything from why I never really liked the version of dog by Presley (Big Mama Thornton was hard to follow) to how she learned about a Broadway musical rooted in the duo’s songs, Smokey Joe’s Cafethey could be a hit if they did without a story and a script.
Stoller saw the film, which will premiere in Argentina on Thursday 14 July. “Priscilla invited us to a private screening and she and Jerry Schilling were there. It’s a very strong movie, I really like it. The guy who plays Elvis, Austin Butler, is a terrific actor, dancer and singer, and I have the feeling he will definitely be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor, “he said.
Also, he was very happy with the way his songs were used. “There are about three different uses of dogincluding the original version of Big Mama Thornton and of course there is some Jailhouse Rock. I thought about the way they used the song problems it was very effective. The colonel would have made a film like this without Baz Luhrmann’s skill. Baz Luhrmann looks a lot like Colonel Parker. (Laughter) He sells! “
CJL
Source: Clarin