Pictures by Simon Pizzey
“I used to sing in a Stroud band called Superjuice. We did a lot of local gigs and a few around the country. During this time I was looking to earn a bit of extra money and a friend suggested doing Elvis. I didn’t take it seriously at first but I decided I’d give it a go in the pub where I was working for a bit of fun and 13 or so years later I’m still doing it!
“I’ve done weddings, parties, had my own local chat show and I’m currently touring with Spitz & Co in a comedy musical based on Blue Hawaii as Elvis, so it was a great suggestion – I owe a lot to Elvis!
“We are currently developing the next show. However, I won’t be playing Elvis in that one. Watch this space. I’ll of course give an exclusive interview to Stroud Times when I have more news!
“Stroud has been my home for many years and I still love living here. I love the mix of people, the independent spirit and the 15,000 coffee shops! Hah! Seriously though, in these hard times it’s great that people still want to open and support local small businesses. It’s what makes Stroud unique.
“My main concern for now and in the future is that the popularity of the town doesn’t exclude local people and young people in particular from being able to afford to live here. We need to make sure we don’t price out ordinary people. It’s the mix of ALL types of people that makes Stroud such a fantastic place to live.
“My costumes are made by my mum. She used to have her own fashion label in the 70s, so when I first looked at buying myself an authentic looking costume and looked at the prices, I gave her a call and luckily for me she took on the challenge! I have two that I wear, the classic American Eagle costume from Elvis’s 1973 Aloha show, and my new ‘Blue Swirl’ jumpsuit.
“The question I most get asked is ‘are your sideburns real?’ to which my answer is ‘half and half’ as they are indeed real sideburns but touched up with a little black stage make-up. I have really enjoyed performing with my co-writer/performer Susie Donkin over the summer in our comedy musical ‘Elvis in Blue Hawaii’.
“We have had great fun performing at festivals and village halls this year and although the summer tour is over we will be doing a run at The Wardrobe Theatre in Bristol in February 2023, so watch this space!
“After a long break due to Covid my chat show Tonight with Elvis returns to the SVA on November 4th with my co-host Dr Shiraz. As usual there will be much mayhem including guests, live music, games and more. As Elvis would say… Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, uhh huh….”
