“The King” Director Eugene Jarecki: Elvis Presley’s Rise & Fall Is A Metaphor For America Today

 

Our democracy has been hijacked by capitalism.

Democracy Now! (6/25/18)

To understand America in the age of Trump, prize-winning documentary filmmaker Eugene Jarecki says to look no further than the checkered history of Elvis Presley. Jarecki’s new documentary “The King” opens in New York City this week. It follows the filmmaker as he drives Elvis Presley’s 1963 Rolls Royce across the United States in an attempt to understand what has happened to America in the age of Trump. “The American dream … wasn’t for anybody if you weren’t a white man,” Jarecki said. “We got here because this nation puts power and money ahead of democracy. We have been hijacked by capitalism.” We speak with Jarecki about Elvis, cultural appropriation, the civil rights movement and the story of this country.

Link to Story, Transcript and 9-Minute Video