And His Face On Velveteen

Among the curios to be seen on a tour of Elvis' Graceland mansion are a scattered collection of Porcelain Monkeys.

Apparently, Elvis liked them and they do fit the theme of the "Jungle Room." Though one can also be found in the "TV Room."

Warren Zevon claims that Elvis doesn't interest him. He holds nothing against the King, and does give him credit as a great performer. He has actually never been to Graceland to lay eyes on the Porcelain Monkeys, either.

So what might have prompted him to record such a comprehensive chronicle about one in whom he is so disinterested?

Zevon saw the Porcelain Monkey that sits atop a mirrored table in the "TV Room" on a postcard belonging to the song's co-writer, Jorge Calderon. This prompted the pair to do intensive research on Elvis' history and lifestyle in writing the song.

So, if I showed Warren the recipe for baked beans from the cookbook for the Loretta Lynn Kitchen restaurant outside the Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch (all of which exist, and I bought the cookbook which uses lard or sugar in nearly every recipe), would he be inspired to write a song about the ensuing flatulence?

My guess would be that a song about the "Coal Miner's Daughter" and her homestyle cooking would sell fewer copies.

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Cool Down, Papa, Don't You Blow Your Top

In the late 1930s, Nathaniel Adams Coles gathered guitarist Oscar Moore, bassist Wesley Prince, and drummer Lee Young to perform at a Los Angeles nightclub, the Sewanee Inn.

On opening night, Young was a no-show, so they performed as a trio without him.

The owner of the nightclub, Bob Lewis, gave the singer the nickname "King Cole" and the group soon became known as the "King Cole Trio."

Cole's father was a Baptist minister and he would play organ or sing in the choir as early as age 12.

His first national hit record, Straighten Up And Fly Right, was recorded in 1943 and was based on one of his father's sermons and a traditional black folk tale involving a buzzard and a monkey.

However, Cole had sold the rights to the song for $50 long before it became a hit and didn't garner any addition revenue from the song's success.

Nat King Cole died of lung cancer on February 15, 1965.

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Watch The Monkey Get Hurt

Peter Gabriel left Genesis in 1975, which he formed in 1966, and would become one of the few performers coming out of the 70s to find success as a solo artist.

Gabriel and Genesis became well-known for spectacular stage shows and theatrics which carried over to the video for Shock The Monkey, which quickly became an MTV standard. The song also became Gabriel's first Top 30 hit.

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Back Up In The Jungle In A Coconut Tree

It has long been contended that Chuck Berry is the true "King of Rock and Roll" as it was he who established it as a musical form as opposed to a hybrid of Rhythm & Blues and Country music.

Chuck Berry's songs constitute the largest body of rock standards in existence. His songs have been covered by the Beatles, Elvis, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys and many, many others.

Proof of how deeply intertwined Chuck Berry is with Rock and Roll, a clip of Johnny B. Goode was selected as a representation of rock music on the gold disc carried aboard the Voyager I spacecraft. Incidentally, Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on Goode Avenue.

John Lennon even went so far as to say, "If you tried to give Rock and Roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry.'"

Jo Jo Gunne is a "meddlesome monkey" who foments a fight between a lion and an elephant that all creatures of the jungle come to witness.

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If Man Is 5

The Pixies formed in Boston during the mid 80s and are considered by many to be the original grunge band.

Pixies front man Francis Black makes no claim that the Pixies had any ulterior motives in their songs. Their only goal was to break into the Boston music scene and get a record released.

However, intermittent maniacal screams by Black, Kim Deal's sweet harmonies, Joey Santiago's crunch-filled guitar and the unique arrangements of their songs all created a dynamic formula for others to follow as grunge music was birthed.

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