MELTING POT

Aside from the time he was stationed in Germany, Elvis Presley never left the United States, so his overseas fans have had to settle for impersonators, Elvii who rock for audiences that often don’t speak English. But that’s OK; Elvis is a second language.

“When I first heard his music in Bangkok, I knew that I was going to be Elvis for the rest of my life,” says Kavee (Kevin) Thongpricha, 52, Los Angeles’ only Thai Elvis. Thongpricha has been convincingly singing and swinging through the Presley songbook for 30 years. In Bangkok, he was the undisputed “King” of Siam; then he moved to Los Angeles in 1973. Here, as Elvis, he worked the local Thai restaurant and wedding circuit. He retired two years ago, then resurfaced at Santa Monica’s Pataya Thai Cafe in August. Now, every weekend evening, armed with musical backup tapes, Thongpricha shakes it on Pataya’s tiny stage before an audience of Westsiders. Decked out in an open-to-the-waist, marine-blue ruffled shirt, black velvet vest, black polyester bell bottoms, a belt with an enormous gold eagle buckle and rhinestone-framed aviator shades, he sings in a warm baritone. An immense illuminated organ changes hues as he flawlessly croons Elvis standards and schmaltzy ballads like “Tiny Bubbles,” sounding like a cross between the King and Don Ho.

Thongpricha hardly takes a break during his three-hour set and rarely engages in between-song patter--after all these years he’s still self-conscious about his English. “But when I sing,” he says, “I feel like there is no language anymore--there is only Elvis.”