TheVoiceOfJoyce The NashVillager, a model newsletter for communities. They’re covering the excellent documentary on Elvis (Epic) tragic ,never before seen footage, narrated by Elvis. Then, they switch to community life, healthcare available without Federal Funding and new requirements for history teachers, knowing all the civics for becoming a citizen, plus National News.

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Sponsored by Nashville PredatorsThursday, March 5, 2026Good morning! Justin Barney

The narrative around Elvis is that his best years were at the beginning, where he popularized rock-n-roll. I mean, how can you deny that? Rock-n-roll has become shorthand for American music and Elvis was the king. 

And wthin the Elvis canon, his last years, the Vegas residency included (some call them “The Fat Elvis” years), are seen as his worst ones. 

The residency — those “bad years” — literally killed him. Elvis played three shows a day in the ballroom of the International Hotel, locked in a contract signed by his manager Colonel Parker to satisfy gambling debts and keep Elvis in the United States forever. A hamster in a cage.  

Those Napoleon collars. pork chop sideburns. The sunglasses. A caricature of himself. He took a battery of drugs that would cause him to do the worst possible thing any entertainer can do in the eye of the public, get fat. He lost control. And then he died.  

The Vegas years are seen as a tragedy. And often a joke. But… 

My god, were they good. I think they are his best years. A trip to Graceland a couple years ago triggered my theory and the new documentary about Elvis, “EPiC” by Baz Luhrmann, which is at the Regal right now, confirms it.  

WHAT TO KNOW

Close-up of Elvis in a white jumpsuit.

What makes the Las Vegas years his best years is the dynamic between Elvis and the TCB Band. 

A couple years ago, I went to Graceland with my mom. Like most other music people, I’d rolled my eyes at the Vegas years. But as we walked into the giant room where they hold all the costumes that he wore during the Vegas residency, they had a video of Elvis playing “Suspicious Minds” at the International Hotel in 1970.  

He had this band ON A STRING. Basically, for all six minutes of the song, he just repeats three phrases. “Caught in a trap. I can’t walk out. Because I love you too much, baby.” And the entire time he just speeds up and slows down. The performance is daring. He seems to be trying to get the band to mess up. Trying to catch them slipping. But the band is simply TOO TIGHT. They follow his every arm pump, hand raise, and vocal inflection. They seem an extension of Elvis himself.  

I was mesmerized. I had to rethink everything I knew about Elvis. 

The new Baz Luhrmann film, “EPiC” shows exactly how he did it. The story of the doc is kind of incredible itself. Luhrmann was filming his biopic, “Elvis” staring Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as his manager/promoter, Colonel Parker. He heard that there might be a reel of film in a salt mine in Kansas City. He sends the guys. They go into the salt mine.

They find 65 reels of never before seen footage of Elvis in the Vegas years. He is so inspired that decides to enlist Peter Jackson and make a documentary about Elvis.  

What you see is the magic between Elvis the famously tight TCB Band at the zenith of live performance.  

At the core is drummer Ronnie Tut. He’s the key element. Double bass drum. He seems to share a heartbeat with Elvis. Then Jerry Scheff on bass. Whitney Houston’s mom, Cissy Houston, is in the choir of background singers. The band elevates the idea of Elvis the entertainer.  

Together, the band is so tight that it allows Elvis to be loose. On stage, Elvis saw himself as a performer, not a singer. He went into the audience and kissed the girls, he cracked jokes and danced. He had total freedom in these performances, knowing that the band would be right there. 

Ultimately, he had too much freedom. Sometimes he was too loose on stage because of his drug use. He lost control of his weight and people made fun of him. It’s a tragedy that the audience turned on him because he put on a few pounds. The documentary allows us to reevaluate the narrative of that time and see the power of the Vegas years.  

In those Las Vegas years, Elvis transformed from innovator to icon. 

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On today’s episode of the NashVillagerpodcast with host Nina Cardona 🎙️ 

Mutual aid organizations used to be the only tool for minority groups to make sure the people most in need of help got assistance. Now, with the government handling things, tweaks to the food aid system are coming down the pike. Plus, the local news for March 5, 2026 and property tax concerns boil over. 

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MORE TO KNOW

  • WSMV reports Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell wants to reduce or cut the city’s grocery tax—permanently.But a state law prevents Nashville and some other cities from changing the grocery tax. O’Connell wants Metro Council to pass a resolution asking the state to change the law so Nashville can cut its portion of the 4 percent grocery tax. 
     
  • Nashville’s Parthenon will be closed for several months as Metro parks works to replace the building’s heating and air conditioning systems.You can still visit outside the Parthenon, including taking the audio tours. Work has also been underway in the surrounding Centennial Park to add two new entrances at the rear of the park, a new event center and to turn an older building into a cafe. Some of that work has been on the park’s to-do list for more than a decade. The Parthenon is expected to reopen in late June. 
     
  • Aspiring teachers in Tennessee could face another new requirement before getting their licenses: a 100-question civics test. Chalkbeat reports a bill at the state legislature would require the Education Department to create the test, drawing questions from the U.S. citizenship exam. Teachers would need to score 70 percent or better to pass. The chambers don’t yet agree on which teachers would need to prove their civics knowledge. The House version applies only to social studies teachers for grades 6 through 12, while the Senate version would affect all teachers. Democrats say the measure would add yet another burden to those training to be educators, who already have to take the lengthy PRAXIS exam to get a teaching license. 

FROM WNXP

Daffo live at WNXP. Daffo dreamed of life as a musician, but the journey there required confronting a harsh reality about its impact on relationships and mental health — themes they explore candidly on their debut album, Where the Earth Bends. 

They play three songs in Nashville Public Radio’s Sonic Cathedral.

FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE

This may be a healthcare town but, even here, figuring our way around the system – affordably – is a real challenge. And it’s becoming a greater challenge for many people who’ve dropped coverage because the Affordable Care Act Marketplace has become anything but affordable. In this episode, we tour our federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs) and community clinics, get some help for anyone without insurance who finds out they’re pregnant, and learn the value of HealthQ. 

Your input is central to our show. Call (615) 751-2500 to leave us your feedback. Submit your idea or email us. Stream This is Nashvillewith host Blake Farmeron YouTube, or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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