As though Elvis Presley and Britney Spears needed a further connection solidified between them (what with both being pimped out for profit), Baz Luhrmann decided to make it ultra-official by sanctioning the release of a deluxe edition of the Elvis Soundtrack featuring “Toxic Las Vegas.” As the title suggests, it’s a mashup of Spears’ “Toxic” and Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas” (which does, in fact, play during the movie). For those worried that Brit might be losing out on the profits yet again, however, there’s no need to fear: Luhrmann has assured that Brit approved of the sample being used. And why shouldn’t she? Clearly the chanteuse feels a certain kinship to the problematic icon (yes, Elvis conveniently glosses over his pedo tendencies in general and with Priscilla specifically). Not only because they both had to prop themselves up for a Vegas residency that started to feel more and more like a prison, but because each one was forced to perform against their will, when it was no longer a joy to do so. But rather, an infinite torture.
Eerily enough, Britney would don the famous white jumpsuit for her Britney Spears Live from Las Vegas concert video, which showcased her performance at the MGM Grand for 2001’s Dream Within A Dream Tour. Because yes, back then, a Vegas residency would have been out of the question for a constantly rising star like her. Little did she know, Vegas would become her jail cell just thirteen years (also the amount of time she was stuck in a conservatorship) later with Piece of Me at Planet Hollywood. A jail sentence that wouldn’t turn out to be as long as Elvis’ at the International, but still long enough to break her spirit and cause her soul to drain out of her body. Elvis wasn’t really inside his body much either as the seven-year residency wore on. That’s right, seven years of being pumped full of downers and uppers just to keep the show going—just to keep “the Colonel” flush enough to pay his gambling debts.
Of course, the Colonel wouldn’t see it that way, as Luhrmann posits in the biopic (co-written with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner—fittingly, there is no female perspective on such a “complicated” man). Played by Tom Hanks, the Colonel is sure to insist at the outset of the film (as Jamie Spears might), “Without me, there would be no Elvis Presley. And yet, there are some who would make me out to be the villain of this story.” In short, whatever he needs to tell himself amid the headlines that swirl after his death, including a newscaster announcing, “He worked Elvis like a mule to support his own gambling addiction.”
And yet, Elvis was too young and naïve at the time of his ascent to avoid the con, it seemed. And what with being the first “pop star” of the kind, how was he to know how important and financially successful he would be? As Luhrmann said, “One minute he’s a truck driver, and the next minute he’s the most talked about, most provocative, most famous young man in the world.” Apart from the “truck driving man” description, it sounds like Britney to a tee—who was also constantly condemned for being too sexual. Because yes, women exposing their skin in a liberated manner warrants being treated like they’re still in the 1950s vis-à-vis the outrage and sexual repression front in America. Elvis’ pelvis, indeed, did break down many barriers with regard to repressed desire in the United States. Just not in a way that allowed women in entertainment (or any other arena) to relish the breaking down of those barriers. Hence, Britney being shamed at every turn for how she chose to dress and move… even in the twenty-first century and even by fellow women like Diane Sawyer.
Born into a poor family like Britney, Elvis’ parents also saw an opportunity to monetize his talent. Of course, this was at a time when conservatorships weren’t quite so pervasive (unless, of course, you were a Native American being swindled by a white man), but it didn’t keep a man like the Colonel from capitalizing on his new “product.” Which is why, in Elvis, he boasts of his gift for the “snow job” (like Stanton Carlisle in Nightmare Alley), explaining what that means on the carny circuit: “emptying a rube’s wallet while leaving him with nothing but a smile on their face.” In this scenario, Elvis is the rube in addition to his public. Only he didn’t get the benefit of a smile on his face while being swindled and forced to perform in projects he found to be as hokey as everyone else did.
Britney, at least, had more autonomy at the outset of her career. For a start, she was the one who suggested the Catholic schoolgirl uniforms of “…Baby One More Time.” Or, at least, planted the seed with comments like, “Wouldn’t I be wearing a schoolgirl’s outfit?” and “The outfits looked kind of dorky, so I was like, ‘Let’s tie up our shirts and be cute.’” Too “cute” for most pearl-clutching parents of the day. Just as it was for Elvis being deemed some sort of “instrument of the devil” for his hip-shaking maneuvers. As Austin Butler put it, “He had this animalistic fire.” As did (and does) Britney every time she performs, letting herself transcend to another plane free of judgment and accusations of being a ho (and, now that she’s older, “desperate”).
As for Elvis and Britney’s Southern roots (both were born in Mississippi), it also extended into the eventual sound of their music. While each Southern singer was, on the surface, a “pop” musician, the icons grafted elements from the Black community to whitewash the sound for greater mass consumption (for Britney, that was especially noticeable on a record like 2001’s Britney or a song like “[I Got That] Boom Boom”).
With “Toxic Las Vegas,” their separate remade-from-other-cultures sound fuses into one seamless party. Remixed by Jamieson Shaw, each pop star is given their time on the mic, with Elvis musing, “If I wind up broke, I’ll always remember that I had a swingin’ time.” Britney, unfortunately, had a far less “swingin’ time” in Las Vegas, as she’s sure to constantly repeat the story of how 1) she was never able to go out and enjoy the nightlife of the city at any point during her Piece of Me sentence and 2) all of her hometown “friends” were allowed to go to the spa while she was forced to keep “focusing on the show” and given no such outlet or release for the enjoyment of her own money.
Upon the release of “Toxic Las Vegas,” Luhrmann would diplomatically say of the bond between Elvis and Britney, “She’s a gifted and talented artist, and all gifted and talented artists walk a high wire. What she’s been through—this is probably not the forum for me to comment on it, but others have said that there is a direct line between Elvis’ journey and Britney’s journey. They both had to contend with very, very complicated relationships. Let’s just leave it at that.” But let’s not. Let’s just say what happened: they were both fucked over by the people closest to them, carrying everyone else (in their inner circle) on their backs with the talent they had. The talent that should have ensured their wealth, not anyone else’s. And Las Vegas was a peak of the “toxicity” point for that harsh reality. So yes, a song and title like “Toxic Las Vegas” brings it all full-circle for both maltreated stars.
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