Fringe has NOT left the building

Fringe has NOT left the building. Elvis did. Poor guy, he was blamed for ending the fun that he started. 

I used to think the saying meant that Elvis had actually died, and it was a final message to conspiracy theorists who have believed, since 16 August 1977, that the King still walks among us. 

The weirdest theory is that Elvis survived his trip to the toilet, where he didn’t suffer a heart attack at 2pm on that fateful Tuesday. Instead, he entered a witness protection programme because he had vital information about drug smuggling.

But the real reason Elvis left the building, in 1956, was to give a theatre full of hysterical teenagers the peace of mind that their hero was not returning to the stage for an encore. 

I’m always touched by the fact that so much of popular culture has its origin in joy that is tainted by collective grief. The sadness comes after the death of a famous icon, who becomes like a religious figure. And the move to popular culture is an effort to keep the spirit alive of the dead, beloved person.

That’s why Fringe has not left the building. There is a lot more to accomplish.