Elvis Presley is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century thanks to his successful music and acting career. In addition to his artistry, the musician is widely known for his military service for which he always had been enthusiastic.
The King of Rock and Roll was rumored not to get along well with many other stars mainly due to his competitive nature. When combined with his conflicting ideas with the Beatles lead singer John Lennon, it was almost inevitable for the musicians to not get along.
Despite the Beatles’ admiration for Presley, their first encounter was far from comfortable, and Lennon’s outspoken statements about being anti-war made things even worse. Let’s take a closer look at the relationship between the two icons as well as the strict opinions of Elvis Presley for John Lennon.
Elvis Presley Found John Lennon Anti-American
Every member of the Beatles had an admiration for Elvis Presley much like every other rock star. When they had the opportunity to meet the King himself at a party which took place at famous Graceland, things didn’t go exactly as planned.
The band members’ excitement created an uncomfortable environment for Presley as they kept on staring at the musician rather than having a conversation. John Lennon was the most enthusiastic one to meet his hero which made it all a little bit awkward.
However, the strange encounter wasn’t the only thing that kept things tense for Presley. Lennon started to passionately talk about his anti-war opinions, especially his hatred for President Lyndon B Johnson for raising the stakes in the Vietnam War.
Apparently, these anti-war feelings bothered Presley who had been drafted into the US army while the Vietnam War raged on. It was clear that the King had different views about the war and felt John Lennon’s anti-war and anti-army sentiments were anti-American.
The King of Rock and Roll was so annoyed that he allied himself with the FBI director Edgar Hoover to encourage him to have the Beatles singer deported from the United States. There were also some rumors that Presley was spying on the British musician for the former President Richard Nixon as they both wanted Lennon out of the country.
While it isn’t officially confirmed that the allegations are completely true, Elvis Presley didn’t seem to accomplish his desires as Lennon and his band spent quite the time in The United States. Although not seeing eye to eye with a fellow musician is one thing, it appears that Presley took things seriously enough to want to kick him out of the country.
