By 1958, Elvis had become more reserved when talking with the press. Not so in 1956, the year he rose to international fame. Here’s a refreshing example from August 29 of that year:
Reporter: “When did you first start singing…do you call it ‘singing,’ the stuff you do?”
Elvis: “Do I call it ‘singing?'”
Reporter: “Yeah, that is what you call it, right?”
Elvis: “Well, I’ve sold five million records. Somebody calls it ‘singing.'”
Tell him, E!
Hear the complete interview on Young Man With The Big Beat: The Complete ’56 Elvis Presley Masters, available now on Sony CDs and Digital.
The Mystery Train Blog 
Right On Elvis!
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I can’t believe that reporter would say something like that to him! What a jerk! Great comeback by Elvis! He was very good in interviews! Reminds me of MSG, very quick witted, and great humor, even when they tried to knock him. Always the King! TCB!!
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On one of the Vegas shows from years later, Elvis says something to the effect of… “It gets awful dry here in Las Vegas and a lot of singers develop what they call ‘Vegas Throat.’ Of course, I was never a singer, so I don’t have that problem.” He must’ve been thinking about this guy! (Or sadly, tons of other interviews from this time.)
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I think his shy humble country boy image made a lot of reporters underestimate him – and he played reporters as effectively as he did any audience.
I’m listening to the hound dog from the Hayride concert, OMG!
He’s teasing them into hysteria!
I put a few pictures of the inside book on my blog.
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