Dressed in a black tuxedo, a middle-aged former company executive took the stage, cued the six-piece band and launched into Elvis Presley's version of the syrupy '60s ballad "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me."
Corny? Not to the hundreds of Elvis fans who were at Tokyo's Kudan Kaikan hall Jan. 13 to celebrate the Memphis singer's Jan. 8 birthday. These days, many Japanese weary of a decade of economic woes are finding solace in the soulful music of the King of rock 'n' roll, and his popularity is still strong over 24 years after his death in 1977.
The guy in the tux is Minoru "Max" Yamaguchi, 52, who served as executive vice president at Mitsui & Co. group firm Bussan Planning Kyushu Co. in the city of Fukuoka until recently accepting voluntary retirement as part of Mitsui's restructuring plans.