Author does the boogaloo. As a walrus, I watch as the audience eventually accepts me, a Disney-like character. Professionally known as Mike Memphis, he's enjoyed a thriving career in Bell Atlantic ads and as a guest on Sally Jesse Raphael. Now, it's his turn to work the crowd. A recognizable icon, Memphis embodies the pop idol who refuses to die.
Families smile giddily.
Movie stars seem god-like, says mythologist Joseph Campbell . Onscreen, they are larger than life but in person, their presence is too much for our pea brains to accept, so we fumble and choke. The poses, a deliberate exercise in American kitsch, are the closest we will ever get to the once and future King. According to Memphis, too many Elvises turn imitation into a way of life. They walk the street with their hair done and shades on.