Parody and Tribute Clash in Royal Style

Ever notice how Elvis Presley’s ‘70s Vegas jumpsuits and David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust alien garb were not really all that different? If so, Billboard Live was the place for you Thursday for the celebration of both rock titans’ Jan. 8 birthday.

Billed as “El Vez vs. Billy Wisdom,” the event ostensibly pitted two top L.A. pop performance-art acts, based on the respective heroes, in a boxing-themed battle for the title of “King or Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” What it actually did was blur the lines between the ‘50s and ‘70s, parody and tribute, kitsch and cultural commentary, in a piece of witty, winky theater that is ready for the road, if not prime time.

Slinging wisecracks about illegal immigrants, Wisdom (a glam-rock character portrayed by Craig Roos) at first played his Bowie fairly--pardon the expression--straight, with dead-on vocals, note-for-note reproductions of Ziggy-era classics and over-the-top outfits. Robert Lopez’s El Vez, in contrast, was offered in standard glory--not Elvis, but the Mexican Elvis, with Hispanicized versions of Presley-related songs (“You Ain’t Nothin’ but a Chihuahua,” “Esta Bien, Mamacita”).

Most creative, though, was when they mixed things up, Wisdom/Roos tackling Presley material (again with remarkable vocal accuracy) and El Vez/Lopez reshaping Bowie songs, including “Rebel Rebel” (turned into a tribute to Che Guevara, complete with camouflage jumpsuit). Bowie would certainly get the connections. Would Elvis? One can only guess how he felt about what Bowie did with rock ‘n’ roll, let alone what Roos and Lopez are up to. But it’s all part of the same tradition. TCB, baby--and watch these men!