2005 is going to go down as the year when the Brits won everything (as long as we gloss over the England football team): Our glorious Olympic bid, the hastily damed Ellen MacArthur, Liverpool stealing the Champions League and, of course, England’s Ashes triumph. But when Jools Holland hoots-his-nanny, or whatever it is he does on New Year’s Eve, which of our many heroes deserves most airtime? Step forward Mario Kombou.
Mario, a resident of Muswell Hill, is the newly crowned champion of Elvis impersonation. He recently beat a mostly American field of mock Presleys at the 19th annual ‘Images of the King’ World Championships, in Memphis, Tennessee. To quote the Muswell Hill Journal:
He charmed the judges with his versions on Burning Love, Can't Stop Loving You and Just Pretend - and got so enthusiastic he even split one of his jewel-encrusted figure hugging costumes on stage.
Ooooo. It keeps right on a-hurtin’.
An estimated 85, 000 people worldwide ape The Pelvis for a living, so the potential for a close competition was high. Judging by the photos, though, it looks like the only marks the other facsimile Kings deserved to receive were from a big rubber stamp bearing the instruction ‘Return to Sender’.
Still, credit to Mr Kombou, for beating the Yanks at one of their many own games. Your achievement deserves to be celebrated, sir. Make sure you get a slot on the end-of-year Hootenanny. And here’s a tip. When that gurning Holland creature asks you if you’d like a boogie-woogie piano accompaniment to Burning Love, you say “NO!”.
Rock-a-hula baby!
Photo of Mario and audience taken from singer’s website. Photoshop toolbar not pictured.
