Before we give the stage to Elvis, Shannon has an exciting announcement! Everything is explained in her email to me:

And now, it’s Elvis’s turn!

Elvis: And I really enjoy being a part of my musical influence.

Me: So you’re kind of like a muse now, channeling to other musicians and music professionals?

Elvis: Yes.

Me: Ah, okay. Do you still sing over there?

Elvis: Yes ma’am.

Me: Good. Can you share any insights you’ve gained given your new perspective in Heaven?

Elvis: My biggest insight was how the term “worship” played a part in my life. You can worship God; you can worship the music, but with all this, you also have to worship yourself. You have to have that quality of life that allows you to go within. You can’t be completely external.

Me: Yeah.

Elvis: Maybe that’s why I prayed so hard to God to help, to guide, to protect, because I, myself, had lost touch with how to go within.

Me: Well, music is a part of us, and God is a part of us and vice versa, so yeah, you’ve got to have a relationship with these both externally and internally.

Elvis: Yes.

Me: What were you here to learn and teach?

Elvis: I was here to start music. That’s what I was here to teach. Now, what I was supposed to be learning was how to accept myself through it. But I quickly lost sight of that.

Me: Accept yourself through music?

Jamie: Erik’s asking him to elaborate more, and so he uses the term “self worship.”

Me: Okay.

Erik (to Elvis): Would you define that as being grounded?

Elvis: Yes. Yes, I would. You need to be grounded. That’s what I was supposed to learn. When you have this completely external life, my lesson was to be grounded. I know that’s why I grew up in a small family; I know that’s why the church and my faith had such a presence in my life. But along the way, I lost sight of what these could bring to me.

Me: Now, you say you were here to “start music,” but of course, music has been around as long as mankind has, probably even longer depending on how you define music. Can you clarify what you mean?

Elvis: Yes, there was already Big Band, folk music, blues, country, and others, but we didn’t have Rock and Roll. We didn’t have the drums and the beats, the shakin’ the body like Rock and Roll had. Somewhere, from our past African heritage, we lost it.

Me: And that’s important because—

Elvis: It’s important, because—let’s take church, for example. If you have ever been in a Southern Baptist church with the African Americans, not only do you hear the music, but you feel it in every cell of your body. And when you feel it, you undoubtedly know that God is present within you and within the room.

Me: Yes, I have been to those kinds of congregations, and it’s truly a spiritual experience.  So is this what you mean by “finding the music and God within”?

Elvis: Yes ma’am. But if you turned on the radio, there was nothing  like that. There was nothing like it. I came there as that bridge.

Me: Ah!

Elvis: I took it out of the church, because this was our only sacred space to allow this passion and this music to exist. And I took it out and put it on the radio.

Me: Oh, I’m so glad you did, Elvis.

Elvis: I am too.

Me: Do you have any regrets?

Elvis: Ah, my biggest regret is how I treated myself.

Me (softly): Aw. Yeah.

Elvis: If I would’ve treated myself better; my wife would have been happier; my life would’ve been happier. I would have been able to survive.

Me: Yeah, I suppose so. Now, can you tell us about a past life that most affected this last one?

Jamie (chuckling): He laughs, shifts his weight and puts his thumbs in his pants and kind of pulls up his pants a little bit. He has on a kind of denim pants—totally reminds me of the 70s. You know, those dark denim, cotton jeans with flaring at the ends—not like huge bellbottom flares, but definitely a little bit of flaring going on.

Jamie giggles at his fashion choice.

Jamie: And then he’s got on a button-up shirt. It’s tucked into his pants—a larger collar than nowadays, but not really a big butterfly collar. It’s a light blue color.

Me: Okay.

Jamie listens as Elvis explains his choice of colors.

Jamie (giggling): To match his eyes! Aw! You had blue eyes, Elvis?

Elvis: Yes ma’am, I did.

Me: I thought he had brown eyes!

Jamie: Me too!

Me: Maybe he has blue eyes now, even if he didn’t have them then.

Of course, later I find out that he did indeed have blue eyes. Who knew?

Jamie: See, he’s off of the question, again! What was the question?

Me: Oh, what past life most affected your last one.

Jamie: It’s so weird; I couldn’t recall it!