One of the things that Elvis valued the most was his privacy and being able to do things his way, but fame inevitably forces the artist to be the target of the gaze of the public, his fans or other people. Sometimes it is difficult to avoid this situation and although in many cases it would be pleasant, in others it could be very annoying, since anything can happen.
During the first years of success, Elvis lived surrounded by fans and was harassed by his admirers, so he always had to plan the outings he wanted to do in public and above all get used to this whole situation. And he would also surround himself with protection, for the safety of him and his family, as the years passed, it was difficult to see Elvis unaccompanied and almost impossible to see him in public places, only on rare occasions. His outings in Memphis were carefully planned, if he wanted to go to the movies, or go to the amusement park, he usually rented for himself and his entire company, sometimes at night. If he wanted to eat in a restaurant or go to a local he also had to rent it, the fact is that he did not dare to go out and enter any establishment alone.
There are very few anecdotes about this, and this is one of them. When he began his relationship with Linda Thompson, his life changed, his habits, since she was with him at all times, he took her everywhere, even on tour and he always shared many moments that he would never have shared, with his ex-wife. Lisa once told her that Priscilla told her that her Daddy took Linda everywhere and that she never let her come with him when she traveled and in Las Vegas, she only left at the beginning and end of the season.
Although her relationship with her was very cordial and kind, it was natural that she was jealous of her, and Linda understood that. It is true that Linda was very different, and she was positive, fun and she always understood Elvis and his customs.
But on one occasion, his girlfriend Linda Thompson was tired of the routine they had, of not being able to go out normally without having to plan how to where and with whom, so she asked Elvis to go out to eat a hamburger at McDonald’s. She just wanted to improvise and get some fresh air, so they wouldn’t have to notify the store, so they wouldn’t have to shut it down for them. And to be able to go out without bodyguards, without worrying, just enjoy. For Elvis this was unthinkable or at least, he was no longer used to it, he didn’t have that freedom, he didn’t even think about it, nor did he show it. He had gotten used to this kind of life and in his thoughts he believed that he could not leave without anyone recognizing him. Only sometimes did he allow himself the luxury of taking his car or his motorcycle and leaving without anyone questioning whether he was Elvis Presley or not.
At this request from Linda, Elvis was perplexed: “You know we can’t do that. People would jump on me.” Linda thought that he would not have to think about this and told him that he should not worry, that nothing would happen, she had a lot of conviction and Elvis agreed. They finally left in the car and headed to a McDonald’s that was located very close to Graceland, at 4237 Elvis Presley Boulevard.
A simple establishment where they went in and sat down to eat, there was not a lot of people, so Elvis would feel very relieved. Then they ordered a couple of hamburgers, for the moment nobody bothered Elvis, since they were sitting, and nobody looked at him or approached him. After continuing to eat normally, a man approached his table where they were enjoying the moment. The man turned to Elvis and said, “I’m sick of people like you dressing like Elvis Presley. There is only one King.”
Obviously in a normal situation, Elvis would have laughed at all this with his friends, but since he was out of his normal environment, Elvis was confused and confused, so he told him: “My name is Elvis.” And the guy, more enraged, replied: “No, you’re not Elvis Presley.
Since he did not believe him, Elvis felt even more confused and although he tried to convince him, he turned to Linda and said: “Can you tell this man who I am?” And she stared at Elvis and replied: “Cut the roll now, George.” It was clear that Linda, with her good humor, wanted the situation to finally be normal, to play down the importance and make a joke, but Elvis was even more confused.
This experience really did not please him very much, because since then, Elvis would not eat again. at McDonald’s.” It was quite a surreal situation, since he was actually surprised that they didn’t recognize him and, on top of that, they told him that it couldn’t be him. But it was logical, since he hadn’t been able to go out without someone harassing him for many years and this experience would be for him a very big contradiction. But Linda’s attempt to break out of her usual world was unsuccessful, although the anecdote would be fun to remember.