EP 287: Eugene Jarecki Goes Road Tripping with Elvis

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Eugene Jarecki drove across the U.S. in Elvis Presley's 1963 Rolls Royce to talk to people about Elvis as a metaphor for the American dream in his new documentary The King. He traces Elvis’s journey from his birth in a Mississippi town that's barely kept alive by Elvis tourism to the musical melting pot of Memphis, and ultimately to Las Vegas and the "sweaty sequined jumpsuit Elvis" who became more of a corporate brand than a man. He reveals how he acuired Elvis’s Rolls Royce, and how it became a beacon for people on both sides of the political divide to have a conversation about the promise of America, the sins of the past, and where our country is headed today. Plus Eugene Jarecki talks about the perils of driving and directing and roadtripping in a 55 year old car.

The King opens in theaters in NYC on 6/22 and in LA on 6/29. For information and showtimes, visit www.theking.film. Today’s podcast was sponsored by Outside the Box podcast, LegalShield, Michelin Premiere Tires, and LightStream.