Just what is the essence of Elvis Presley? The sideburns? That sneer? Those pelvic thrusts?
Martin Fontaine, who plays the leading role in "The Elvis Story," a musical review that comes to Tokyo this spring, insists the essence of Elvis is none of the above.
"It's not just the image," says Fontaine, a boyish-looking, blue-eyed redhead who looks more like someone you'd discover at your front door earnestly proffering religious tracts than one of pop music's most enduring sex symbols. "The image is so easy to reproduce," he insists. "You see so many Elvises in the world."